scutches is a form of:

Scutch



ENGLISH MEANING
noun
1.
A wooden instrument used in scutching flax and hemp.
2.
The woody fiber of flax; the refuse of scutched flax.
verb
1.
(TRANSITIVE) To beat or whip; to drub.
2.
(TRANSITIVE) To separate the woody fiber from (flax, hemp, etc.) by beating; to swingle.
3.
(TRANSITIVE) To loosen and dress the fiber of (cotton or silk) by beating; to free (fibrous substances) from dust by beating and blowing.