VARIOUS MANUFACTURERS IN BARNOLDSWICK

[Stanley]

VARIOUS MANUFACTURERS IN BARNOLDSWICK


Atkinson, in 'Old Barlick' notes that William Bracewell of Newfield Edge was in partnership with his brother in law Smallpage. Samuel Smallpage was husband of Mary Bracewell, William’s older sister, born 1812. Atkinson says Smallpage lived in Burnley.

Slater's dir. for 1871 notes William Bracewell as Cotton Manufacturers, engineers and ironfounders of King Street Burnley. This is a reference to Marsland's Iron Works in Burnley which William bought in 1860 in partnership with a man called Griffiths. Griffiths soon dropped out and until the bank sold the works in 1887 it traded as William Bracewell and in 1888 became the Burnley Ironworks when the bank sold it for £20,000.

Craven Herald 29/11/1919. John Bailey, a manufacturer in Earby recounted how when he built a grocer's shop on Water Street, the Bracewell family saw it as a challenge to their supremacy in the town and cut his water off. [The Bracewell's all used water as a weapon]

Bracewell. W&R.
Slater for 1869 notes them as manufacturers of Waterside (Colne) and Foulridge. Slater's Dir. 1871 notes Watson and Richard Bracewell as being partners and cotton spinners of Greatholme and Calder Mills, Foulridge. Slaters 1879 notes them as manufacturers of Cotton and worsted mixed goods at Great Holme, Calder and Foulridge mills.

LTP interview 82/HD/01 Page 3. Harold Duxbury says that Joseph Slater and Ada W Bracewell had one child Hilda Mary who lived at Newfield Edge.

1871 census. Henry Bracewell, head, 43, manufacturer. Jane, wife 38. 3 servants. No children. Manor House, Thornton. He built Manor House at Thornton. I think it was Henry that put Billycock will into Chancery. His firm, Henry Bracewell Ltd is noted in Barrett for 1896 as Albion Mill and Old Shed (this was the original Bracewell Mill at Green End) Earby. Barrett 1902 as Albion Shed, Earby. In 1881 Lancs and Yorks strays in the census, Henry is noted as living at the Beeches, Gargrave. No mention of Jane.

1881 census. L&Y strays. Ada W 15 years. North Meols, Lancs. Boarding school. She was daughter to William Bracewell of Newfield Edge by second marriage to Mary Whitaker. In LTP interview 84/SP/01, page 15. Stephen Pickles says that when William died he left his money to Ada [this is why she kept the house] but William's brother Henry who lived at Thornton Manor [which he built] contested the will and threw it into Chancery. This left Ada penniless and she was taken in by Mrs. Mary Wilkinson, wife of a coloured manufacturer at Nelson. [did Nina go there as well?] Ada evidently won the action because she ended up owner of Newfield Edge and presumably the rest of the inheritance. Nice to see she died there aged 94 after outliving Joseph Slater of Clough who she married.

P. 15, Manchester Commercial List1881/82. Reports: Bracewell. Christopher and Brothers of Burnley and at Earby and Gargrave. Cotton spinners. Christopher Bracewell, Jane Bracewell and John Ramsden Redman, as executors of Edward Smith Bracewell deceased. Dissolution of partnership December 1881. (incorporated May 1877.) [Is this Christopher shedding responsibilities before migration to Colorado c.1885? and does Henry figure in this?]

Page 15. Manchester Commercial List1881/82. Report that Bracewell W&R of Calder Mill and Great Holme Mill Colne and at Foulridge Mill, cotton manufacturers. Watson Bracewell and Richard Bracewell as regards Richard Bracewell. Dissolution of partnership from December 1881. Incorporated 1 June 1877.

Baines 1822 and 1824. Grimshaw and Bracewell cotton spinners and manufacturers. Barrowford (Either Park Mill or Higherford?) Slater 1852. Same entry. Could this be William of Coates who married Mary Grimshaw? .

BRACEWELL. MARY. NEE GRIMSHAW b.1792
Baines 1824 notes a William Bracewell as being the Maltster in Barrowford. There was one large malting floor just above Higherford Mill on the Gisburn Road so this is almost certainly the one. In 1852 Grimshaw and Bracewell are noted as the maltsters. No direct evidence that it was William of Coates b.1782 but he did marry Mary Grimshaw from Barrowford so there could be a connection.

BRACEWELL. JAMES. FOULRIDGE/BARROWFORD
1869 Slater notes James Bracewell as being coal dealer in Foulridge. 1879 Baines notes James as coal agent in Barrowford.

Slater's dir. 1871 gives a Richard Bracewell as living on West Parade, Colne. Barrett 1887 notes Richard as being of Foulridge and also notes Watson Bracewell (house in Colne) as cotton manufacturer of Foulridge Mill.

William Bracewell born 1818 at Coates. In 1861 living on Pasture Lane, Barrowford (43) formerly cotton spinner, born Barnoldswick. Was Cousin to William (Billycock) Bracewell (1813) Noted as of Whittycroft by Atkinson in 'Old Barlick'. They were in Clough Shed (Mitchell's Mill) and Old Coates Mill. After 1860 their interests collapsed partly through bad management, partly due to interference with water supply by Billycock and partly through cotton famine. The families never recovered their position and scattered.

In BUDC rate books for 1892 a William Bracewell is shown as owner of Tubber Hall and lands at Calf Hall. Both Billycock and W Metcalfe were dead so this is another Bracewell. Could it be William (1818 or 1857?) This is the land where the night soil was spread. (Had William 1857 come back to Barlick after his father died?)


1861 census gives Richard Bracewell, 47, Edmunds Buildings, Foulridge. Manufacturer of cotton and woolen goods.
Slater's dir. 1871 gives a Richard Slater as living on West Parade, Colne (or Foulridge?). Barrett 1887 notes Richard as being of Foulridge and also notes Watson Bracewell (house in Colne) as cotton manufacturer of Foulridge Mill.
Slater 1879 says he is of 'West Parade' and Barrett's directory of 1869 says he is living at Edmund's Villa, Foulridge.
[I think there might have been two Richard Bracewells in Foulridge. See Richard Bracewell 1845]

‘Annals of Barrowford’ note that in 1824 Grimshaw and Bracewell were in partnership at Higherford Mill. Rates were £197-19-9 in 1845. [Annals is not clear on this but payments were usually twice yearly so this could be for six months]

1851 census enumerator's list for Colne describes Watson Bracewell as power loom worsted manufacturer. Barrett 1887 notes his son John Henry as living on Keighley Road and being associated with the family firm.

Baptism 27/01/1782 son of John and Betty Bracewell of Woodend. (Woodend is on High Lane at Whitemoor just east of the 1840 canal reservoir.)
BRACEWELL SALE OF 1887
Notice of the Bracewell sale reads: In the Chancery of the County Palatine of Lancaster. Manchester District. Re. William Bracewell, deceased:- Bracewell v. Smith. 1886 Letter B, No. 4,929.
Particulars and conditions of sale of highly important freehold and leasehold properties including cotton spinning mills, weaving sheds and steam corn mill with fixed and loose plant and machinery therein. Town gas works, stone quarry, brick works and plant, dwelling houses and building land. Which will be sold by auction, with the approbation of and before the Registrar, pursuant to an order of the Court of Chancery of the County Palatine (Manchester District) made in the above action. [auctioned] by James Thomas Rushton (of the firm of Edward Rushton and Son) the person appointed by the registrar, at the Seven Stars Hotel, Barnoldswick in the West Riding of the County of York on Wednesday and Thursday the 3rd and 4th days of August 1887 at three o’clock in the afternoon precisely. [The vendors’ solicitors were Beaumont and Rigby, 26 Booth Street, Manchester]

1822/1823 Baines give Grimshaw and Bracewell, William Holdsworth, William Mitchell as cotton manufacturers. 1822 Baines mention of Thomas Ellison refers to the Corn Mill, not textiles. 1822 Baines also gives Richard Green of Earby as cotton spinner. 1824 Baines gives Richard Sagar as Cotton spinner of Carry Bridge Mill, Colne. 1822 Baines gives J B Garforth as Cotton spinner of Coniston Cold. 1822/1823 John Mitchell is mentioned at Ouzledale Mill, Barnoldswick as woodturner, i.e., bobbins. This mill was a joiners shop later and then a foundry, never textiles. Baines 1822 gives William Midgely and 1824 gives John Mancknols as corn miller at Barnside. This was either Foulridge corn mill which never converted to twist spinning to my knowledge or Laneshawbridge. [I favour Laneshawbridge but have no certainty, if so it became the cotton mill there.] 1822 Baines gives Joseph and Thomas Mason as cotton spinners of Gargrave. 1824 Baines gives William Eckroyd as worsted spinner at Lomeshaye mill, Little Marsden, later Nelson. 1824 Baines, Thomas Bullock Junior cited as cotton spinner at Lodge Holme Mill, Trawden.

Pigot, 1834 records the following as manufacturers and spinners in Barlick. John Bracewell spinner, John Brooks manufacturer, John Smith, spinner, Gillions [sic] and Hartley Spencer, manufacturer. Electoral rolls of 1835/1837/1841 give John Smith as being at Gillians. In roll of 1859 it is given as address of John Hudson.

1851. Census gives Hezekiah Mitchell of Kelbrook village, 29 years, Manufacturer of Delaine. Most likely means he is putting out to HLW wool.

1857 directory gives cotton spinners of Barlick, Thomas Dawson, William Bracewell, William Thomas and Christopher Bracewell. (William is Billycock and by this time he has Butts and Wellhouse running. W, T and Chris are the Coates Bracewells, cousins to Billycock and working at Old Coates Mill. Note that this is only spinners.

1861 census gives Mary Lambert of Greenhill House, Colne as Cotton warp sizer and cotton manufacturer employing 34 men, women and children. Same census gives Robert Watson as worsted and cotton manufacturer at Greenfield Mill, Colne employing 60 hands.

1883 advertisement in ‘The power loom and the art of weaving’ by Alex Brown, mentions C A Rickards of Bell Busk Mill as spinner of silk yarn and manufacturer of silk sewing threads. George Ingle says that Bell Busk was built in 1794 by Peter Garforth Junior and Thomas Hallowell. By 1805 Garforth had left the partnership and was active at mills in Sedbergh, Skipton and Bingley. Bell Busk was run by Thomas Hallowell and Co. James Braithwaite Garforth took over after his father’s death. By 1816 a small steam engine had been installed. In 1833 the mill was spinning 40s count cotton on mules powered by 16hp water wheel and 6hp steam engine. 107 people employed at the time. Mill turned over to silk from cotton about 1862, this was the Cotton Famine of course and many mills were looking for alternative staple.

1897. Colne Cooperative Spinning Co formed and leased land in Shaw Street from the Earl of Derby and built Great Holme Mill. [no date] In 1897 it was described as having a warehouse, weaving shed, 2 boilers, horizontal engine and auxiliary engine. [See Bracewell W&R]

c.1925. Craven Herald 7/11/1930. Death of Luke Suthers reported at Hutton, near Preston. Luke Suthers was a director of W F Suther Ltd who manufactured at Wellhouse Mill. The firm was founded by his father. When the firm stopped at Wellhouse, Luke and his brothers manufactured cotton cloth in a corrugated iron shed at Coates under the title Ghyll Manufacturing Company. He left the town in 1927. 1871 census gives Luke Suthers as 36, overlooker, Barlick Village. 1851 census gives William Suthers of Bancrofts, 65, Chelsea Pensioner (!), Ann, wife 48 HLW wool. Robert 18 throstle spinner and Luke 15, Throstle spinner. Note that Bancrofts is only 200 yards from Gillians. 1861 census. Lane Bottoms. Luke 76 years, Ann 61, Robert 29, living at home and employed as a loom oiler.