purlines

"They're at the 'purlines'!" shrieked Rory's sister, and her friends, proceeding to scream wildly after the female method of expressing emotion under such circumstances.

The Doctor : a Tale of the Rockies Ralph Connor 1898

Dividing his men into squads, he had been carrying out the policy of simultaneous preparation, and while part of his men had been getting the plates to their places, others had been making ready the "purlines" and laying the rafters in order so that, although beaten by Rory in the initial stages of the struggle, when once his plates were in position, while Rory's men were rushing about in more or less confusion after their rafters, Barney's purlins and rafters moved to their positions as if by magic.

The Doctor : a Tale of the Rockies Ralph Connor 1898

Brackets for large gutters should never be fixed on purlines only.

7. Gutters and downpipes 1989

The pediment with its ridgepole, principal rafters, and purlines are to be built in such a way that the eaves shall be equivalent to one third of the completed roof.

The Ten Books on Architecture Vitruvius Pollio

Over the principal rafters are the purlines, and then above these and under the roof-tiles come the common rafters, extending so far that the walls are covered by their projection.

The Ten Books on Architecture Vitruvius Pollio