WESTFIELD MILL. INDEX ENTRIES AS OF 12/12/05

[Stanley]

WESTFIELD MILL. INDEX ENTRIES AS OF 12/12/05

[CHSCMB = Calf Hall Shed Company Minute Books. CH = Craven Herald]

1834
Pigot’s directory for 1834 records a John Brooks, manufacturer, in Barnoldswick.
1851 census
William Brooks noted as living at ‘Engine’ [I think this denotes the area around the Engine Inn and not necessarily at the inn itself.]head, 58, HLW. Jane, wife 57. Christopher, 32, cut looker. Mary, 25, dressmaker. William, 16, PLW. Martha, grand daughter, 8, scholar. Martha Robinson, 87, mother in law, pauper.
1851 census
John Brooks, 29 Barnoldswick Lane (now Manchester Road) head, 35, linen and woollen draper. Jane, wife, 34. Ann, 13, power loom weaver. William, 12, scholar. Mary, 9, scholar. Stephen, 7, scholar. Dorothy, 5, scholar. Joseph, 4, scholar. John, 9 months.
1857
A directory for 1857 records John Brooks as ‘draper and grocer’ of Barnoldswick.
1861 census
John Brooks, Jepp Hill, head, 45, grocer. Jane, wife, 44. Ann, 23, dressmaker. William, 22, errand boy. Mary, 19, domestic servant. Stephen, 18, weaver. Dorothy, 16, winder. Joseph, 14, pupil teacher. John, 11, scholar. George, 9, scholar. Christopher, 3, scholar.
1871 census
John Brooks, Jepp Hill, 56, grocer and draper. William, 32, carter. Mary, 29, assistant draper. George, 18, weaver. Christopher, 15, joiner and cabinet maker.
1871 census.
Christopher Brooks is a grocer and draper at 23/25 Church Street [confusingly this is also referred to as Newtown]. Was at one time a councillor and a shareholder in the Craven Bank in 1881. He was born 1819 and he and his wife Jane b.1825 had four children; William Proctor, shopman, b.1853. Joshua b. 1855. Emma b. 1858 and Robinson b.1860. Billy Brooks said that William Proctor was his uncle and once told him about taking cloth to Colne on a wheelbarrow from looms in Newtown.
1870/80
Billy Brooks says that Christopher Brooks first started manufacturing in Clough Mill around 1870/80. They had 80 looms on the top floor of the four storey mill. These were Pilling Looms and they flitted them to Long Ing (first started up in June 1887) in 1890 and made up to 400 looms in an extension built specially for them. When they moved out to Westfield from Long Ing in 1912, Hartleys moved into their space with sheeting looms. Christopher Brooks, Robinson’s father, was a founding director of the Long Ing Shed Company with one £500 share, total capital was £20,000.
1887
Barrett’s directory for 1887 notes Joshua Brooks as grocer, Rainhall Road. (born 1855. died June 1930 aged 75.) Same directory notes Christopher Brooks and son (William Proctor Brooks) as grocers at 23/25 Church Street. Billy Brooks confirmed that this was the same family as Robinson Brooks.
1890
William Proctor Brooks mentioned in the Local Board rate books as ‘Farmer’ of Church Street. Could this have been Wellhouse Farm? Shortly after the tenant at least was William Baldwin.
1891 census
Robinson Brooks is noted as living in Park Terrace Cottages on Rainhall Road, aged 31. This fits with the birth date of the Robinson Brooks of Long Ing Shed. Same reference records that he married Elizabeth Slater, eldest daughter of Henry Slater on 7th December 1899.
1892
P Brooks asked to supply cloth for blinds for the engine house at Wellhouse and make them ready for hanging. (CHSCMB 13/04/1892)
1892
Billy Brooks said that in 1892 there were four tacklers for 421 looms at Robinson Brooks, Long Ing Shed. Tom Smith, Wilson Horsfield and Matthew Horsfield had about 115 looms each and Jim Brooks, Billy’s dad, had 70 or 80.
1894
William Proctor Brooks noted in the BUDC rate papers as a tenant at Wellhouse Mill in 1892/1894. The 1892 rate books also note William Brooks as the owner of a stable and three houses on King Street; numbers 8, 10 and 12.
1899
Robinson Brooks was a member of the Barnoldswick UDC 1899 to 1905 and 1907 to 1910.
1900
LTP. 78/AB/01. Billy brooks talks about the shareholders in Long Ing Room and Power Company and mentions that Robinson Brooks brother, William, was a shareholder. He lived in Croft House on Station Road and I think this would be about 1900. Barlick Local Board rate books for 1892 note William Proctor Brooks as owner and occupier of Croft House. He also owned a house and shop at 23 Church Street tenanted by ‘Derby Brothers’. This was His father Christopher’s, old shop.
c.1900
Billy Brooks said that George Brooks became manager of Robinson Brooks looms at Long Ing after his great uncle Willie Brooks died. Billy said he never quite understood the cock on the gas pipe that supplied the shed lights. He used to turn it through 180 degrees instead of 90 degrees and shut all the lamps off. Billy also said that the tacklers used to light the fishtail gas burners (a plain jet with no mantle) with oil lamps (duck lamps) filled with loom oil and they made a lot of smoke in the shed.
1901
CHSCMB record William Proctor Brooks as one of the founding directors of the Calf Hall Shed Company and he was also managing director for at least three years.
1902
Barrett’s directory for 1902 records: William Proctor Brooks, secretary, Barnoldswick Permanent Building Society, Station Road. [Croft House?] Same directory notes him as auctioneer and valuer of Station Road [Croft House?] he was a member of the first Local Board, 1890 to 1892.
1902
William Proctor Brooks is noted as secretary of the Liberal Club Building Company.
1903,
Robinson Brooks’ address given as Park Road in a letter dated 28th April 1903 describing the members of the Education Committee. [UDBk 8/1. PCRO p.22] So it looks as though Highfield was built shortly after this date. Owen Duxbury told me in 2004 that Robinson Brooks had a farm at Wigglesworth, probably about this date. Owen had seen some old plans for alterations at the farm but couldn’t remember the exact date.
1906
Brooks and Pickup were suppliers of coal to Viaduct Shed in Colne. (CHSCMB, 20/06/1906) (1895 Slater’s directory records Brooks and Pickup as Coal merchants, address given as Townley Collieries and Brickworks, Burnley; and Station Yard, Nelson.)
1911
Westfield Shed Company formed. I think the founding partners were Robinson Brooks, Ada Whitaker Slater and Slater Edmondson but have no concrete evidence.
1911
George Henry Watson was the first engineer at Westfield on the Burnley Ironworks engine which drove 1200 looms. The engine was 4 foot stroke, Corliss valves and ran at 76 rpm producing about 700 hp. It ran with little trouble, the main repairs were when John Pickles rebored the low pressure fairly early in its life and Newton Pickles rebored the low pressure valves, made and fitted new valve bonnets and installed new bearings in the cross heads and cranks. Towards the end the flywheel needed re-staking on its shaft after it had come loose three times towards the end of its life.
1911.
Billy Brooks, who was related to Robinson Brooks (his father was Robinson’s cousin) worked for Brooks at Long Ing from 1892 when he was ten years old, in 1912 he went to Westfield Shed as a taper and stayed there until he retired in 1943. He said that Robinson’s son told him that the mill cost £26,000 to build. Billy also said that even though the date on the mill is 1911, it was actually 1912 when it started. (Billy Brooks died 25th June 1982 aged 99)
c. 1912
Emma Clark told me that she used to play tennis with Robinson Brooks’ sons Sidney and Harry at Highfield, the Brooks’ family house on Brogden Lane. [Emma led me astray here, Highfield is not on Brogden Lane, it is off Coates lane near the Rolls Royce social centre but on the other side of the road. There are two houses there built by the Brooks family and Highfield is called ‘Deerstones’ now) Harry was killed in the Great War. Emma said the Brooks family ‘had money for anything’. (Robinson Brooks was living on Park Road in 1903 according to a letter describing the members of the education committee. So Highfield would be built after this)
c.1920
[‘A Way of Life Gone By’ p. 53.] Statement that Robinson Brooks bought the Foster’s Arms. No date but c.1920 is a reasonable guess.
1929
Advertisement in the Craven Herald 02/07/1929. Room and power to let at Westfield Shed; space for 420 looms, 260 Cooper’s looms to rent or for sale to a new tenant. Applications to Proctor and Proctor, Burnley.
1929
CH. 02/08/1929. Report of strikes in Skipton and district following the operatives refusal to accept a 12 ½ % reduction in wages forced by the local manufacturers. Barnoldswick and district were working as normal because they worked under a Local Agreement which bound the operatives and manufacturers. This local agreement was negotiated by E A Gardner for the weavers and Robinson Brooks for the employers.
1930
CH. 20/06/1930. The death of Joshua Brooks occurred at Morecambe. Mr Brooks was brother of Robinson Brooks and at one time had a grocery business in Barnoldswick in the premises occupied by G E Carr in 1930.
c.1930
Billy Brooks says that Christopher Brooks (named after his grandfather, Christopher) was secretary of the Barnoldswick Manufacturers Association. (formed after the Workman’s Compensation Acts of 1897 and 1906. I’m not sure when the Barlick association was formed but I think it was c.1920.)
1930
Craven Herald of 26/09/1930 reports the death of Fred Harry Slater of Carr Beck, Gisburn Road. He was 60 years old. He was the second son of Henry Slater and principal, along with his brother, the late Joseph Slater, of the family firm at Clough Mill founded by his grandfather John Slater who was a tenant in the mill from about 1850 and bought Clough in 1867 for £3,000. he was a founding partner of the Westfield Shed Company and a past director of the Long Ing Shed Company. He left a son, Henry Slater and a brother James (of Salterforth Shed). Henry Slater’s eldest daughter Elizabeth (b.1864) married Robinson Brooks 7/12/1889.
1932.
Westfield Shed was flooded in the thunderstorm of 12th of July.
1938.
Robinson Brooks died on January 1st 1938. Christopher Brooks, his son, was manager there until at least 1943 (evidence of Billy Brooks who left then).
1938
Billy Brooks said that there was a dispute over space at Westfield in 1938, Robinson Brooks Ltd had 900 looms in the shed and a one third holding in the Westfield Shed Company. A tenant called Whiteoak moved 400 looms out of Westfield to Salterforth Shed and the shed company took on another tenant, Proctor and Company Ltd, with 406 looms and gave them 12 months grace. Brooks objected to this treatment and asked for an allowance on their rent. When the shed company refused Brooks moved all their looms to Calf Hall Shed on 12 months grace. Wilfred Nutter moved his firm out of Bankfield into Westfield on 12 months grace. Brooks regretted their move but Nutters had signed up. At the end of 12 months Wilfred Nutter refused to sign for a further period so Brooks got back into Westfield just as the war started and Calf Hall was taken over by the Rover Company as a shadow factory. By this time Robinson Brooks Limited had bought out the other shareholders in the shed company, Billycock Bracewell’s daughter (I think this was Ada Whitaker Bracewell who married Joe Slater) and Fred Harry Slater.
1939
Worrall’s directory of the cotton industry for 1939 records Robinson Brooks Limited as having a total of 1728 looms in Westfield and Calf Hall sheds.
1939
William Proctor Brooks dies July 22 1939.
1952/1957
Robinson Brooks Ltd were noted in directories for 1952 and 1957 as having 900 looms at Westfield. Same directories note Proctor and Company (Barnoldswick) Ltd as having 392 looms in 1952/1957.
c.1958.
Robinson Brooks Ltd weaves out and mill is empty.
1959
Craven Herald, 26/04/1959 reports that Westfield Shed is still empty and that Burco Dean will not be moving in there.
c.1960
Walter Fisher told me that the first tenant in Westfield after Brooks closed was Isaac Holden, a Bradford firm who specialised in scouring, preparing and weaving fine fibres such as mohair. I can remember delivering raw mohair to the mill about this time from the conditioning houses in Bradford. It was valued at 3/6 a lb in the raw state. Walt said that Holden’s machinery was installed by Mountain’s of Bradford and Henry Brown and Pickles assisted them. He said that the foremen for Mountains was an ex-wrestler called Les Kelly who was very strong. He could hold a 20 hp electric motor up on the wall while fixing bolts were being inserted.
2003
Dermide cease trading.
2004
BET reports (15/10/2004) that an application has been made for houses to be built on the Westfield site.
2005
Westfield mill demolished starting in November.
SCG/14/12/05

[Stanley]

I only posted this 24 hours ago and I see 20 have accessed it. amazing...

[plaques]

There's not really many 'named' houses in Barlick. I class these as those with the names carved on the gate posts or some other major structure, Westfield is one of them. Its nice to know what stands behind the name. Thanks Stanley.

[Stanley]

You're welcome Ken.....