The life of a local mill worker.

garinda · 16-10-2011, 18:25

A fascinating read.
The life of Miles Nightingale, born 1826.
A man born in Bolton, but who worked in the mills in this area.

Autobiography of Miles Nightingale - 19c

Gordon Booth · 16-10-2011, 19:41

Very interesting, garinda. He didn't have an easy life but doesn't complain-I suppose that's life as it was accepted. Certainly not 'The good old days'.
The rest of the Hall site is also very interesting- a labour of love!

garinda · 16-10-2011, 20:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gordon Booth

Very interesting, garinda. He didn't have an easy life but doesn't complain-I suppose that's life as it was accepted. Certainly not 'The good old days'.
The rest of the Hall site is also very interesting- a labour of love!

It was a hard life.

No welfare state.

Very little, or no, public transport.

This predates Tebbit's 'On your bike'.

This is get on Shank's pony, and find somewhere that might have work going.

jaysay · 17-10-2011, 08:41

Remember my gran telling me about working in the cotton mills when she was young, the museum at Helmshore is very interesting

mobertol · 17-10-2011, 16:13

[quote=jaysay;940437]Remember my gran telling me about working in the cotton mills when she was young, /quote]

Mine too, she started part-time aged 9 and full-time at 12 working on the looms. She could lip-read and the noise affected her hearing very badly. She worked in Moscow Street Mill in Ossy after she married my Grandad for a long time until she had a serious accident.
A loom had stopped working, as she leaned across to check the problem it started up again suddenly and the shuttle shot across into her face. She was sent home with the wound gaping and had lost some teeth as well. I don't know how many stitches she had but the scar went from the top of her cheekbone across diagonally to her mouth.
Mum thinks she got some compensation but Grandad wouldn't let her work there again. She started working in the school kitchen at St.Jameses in Accy working up to chief cook.
She was interviewed for a BBC programme about life in the mills in the early 80's - would love to see it again -must ask mum if she can remember what it was called... She was thrilled to be interviewed!

The site has some interesting links -tried out the passenger lists too see if there was a trace of my Grandad's sister who disappeared off to NZ "in disgrace" early in the century -it comes up with a female named Chaffer in 1908 going to Wellington -i think it could well be her! You have to pay to get full details so i'll check her name fully with my dad before looking into it more!

MargaretR · 17-10-2011, 17:01

Both my parents and my uncle worked at Threebrooks Mill.
(dad - tackler, mum - weaver, uncle in the office)
I used to go in after junior school, and help my mum weaving by doing some loading of spools into shuttles.
The health and safety issues of doing that didn't seem to bother anybody.

jaysay · 17-10-2011, 17:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by MargaretR

Both my parents and my uncle worked at Threebrooks Mill.
(dad - tackler, mum - weaver, uncle in the office)
I used to go in after junior school, and help my mum weaving by doing some loading of spools into shuttles.
The health and safety issues of doing that didn't seem to bother anybody.

I seam to remember saying, when I started working at Shopfitters that I was following in her footsteps as that is where she work when she left school

groove · 18-10-2011, 10:10

Don't know if this is true, but apparently our broad accent with the flat vowels etc stems from workers having to communicate with each other over the immense noise of the machinery/looms etc in the cotton mills. Makes sense when you consider most cotton towns like Accy, B'burn, Burnley etc all have similar broad accents.

jaysay · 18-10-2011, 10:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by groove

Don't know if this is true, but apparently our broad accent with the flat vowels etc stems from workers having to communicate with each other over the immense noise of the machinery/looms etc in the cotton mills. Makes sense when you consider most cotton towns like Accy, B'burn, Burnley etc all have similar broad accents.

My grandmother could still lip read into her seventies a thing she learnt working in the mill from the age of 14, the mill towns do have very simulator accents but there is a difference say between Accy and Burnley and especially the Rossendale Valley, I working down the Valley for about 5 years in the 70s and I can still pick out a Valley accent even today

katex · 18-10-2011, 11:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by MargaretR

Both my parents and my uncle worked at Threebrooks Mill.
(dad - tackler, mum - weaver, uncle in the office)
I used to go in after junior school, and help my mum weaving by doing some loading of spools into shuttles.
The health and safety issues of doing that didn't seem to bother anybody.

I used to go into the mills regularly when mum worked at Queen's Mill as a weaver and dad at Peel Mill as a cloth-looker. They didn't seem to mind you visiting at all ... in fact, was always a lovely greeting from all the other workers. Mum didn't let me near her looms though.

Years later, went to work for Hilden/Enfield ... on the sales side, but during induction got to have a go on their training loom. Remember, the trainer was well pleased with me because I got the rhythm correct first time when you had to stop the loom.. summat like 1,2,3 then push leaver to stop.

jaysay · 18-10-2011, 18:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by katex

I used to go into the mills regularly when mum worked at Queen's Mill as a weaver and dad at Peel Mill as a cloth-looker. They didn't seem to mind you visiting at all ... in fact, was always a lovely greeting from all the other workers. Mum didn't let me near her looms though.

Years later, went to work for Hilden/Enfield ... on the sales side, but during induction got to have a go on their training loom. Remember, the trainer was well pleased with me because I got the rhythm correct first time when you had to stop the loom.. summat like 1,2,3 then push leaver to stop.

Never knew you were a catholic Kate

katex · 18-10-2011, 19:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaysay

Never knew you were a catholic Kate

Jaysay, I am blushing ...a-blushing-face.png

cashman · 18-10-2011, 22:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by katex

Jaysay, I am blushing ...Attachment 18566

Well he can't do much else these days kate.

jaysay · 19-10-2011, 08:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by katex

Jaysay, I am blushing ...Attachment 18566

Just getting my own back

mobertol · 19-10-2011, 11:09

Received a PM from Susan (sm counsell) yesterday, after reading this thread she realised her mother had had an identical accident to my Grand-mother's in Moscow Mill with exactly the same consequences. She said her mother's accident had been in the mill which was now the Bubble factory - I'm not sure but i thought that that was Moscow Mill - I am right or was it a different mill? Hope someone can clear up this doubt...