MAKING A LIVING 08

Post Reply
User avatar
Stanley
Global Moderator
Global Moderator
Posts: 89874
Joined: 23 Jan 2012, 12:01
Location: Barnoldswick. Nearer to Heaven than Gloria.

MAKING A LIVING 08

Post by Stanley »

MAKING A LIVING 08

As Barlick prospered and grew from 1850 to 1914 the profits from the weaving industry mainly stayed in the town. The manufacturers spent it on building new mills, the rates and taxes paid for municipal improvements and the wages of the workers went straight back into the economy. They paid rents and rates, built or rented houses and spent their money in the shops. The small shopkeepers had a bonanza. It's interesting to note that many of the later manufacturers and investors in new mills were shopkeepers, particularly grocers. When Barnsey Shed was built in 1911 it had two by-names, Bouncer and 'Pots and Pans', the latter because there were so many small shopkeepers involved. Every trade flourished from tin smiths and tailors to grocers and market gardeners. We see 'fast food' as a relatively modern phenomenon but fish and chip shops, pie shops and sellers of hash and potato pies flourished. Remember that most of the women were working in the mills and families had to be fed.
Another group that had an unexpected windfall was the local farmers. They soon realised that there was a good profit to be made and selling milk on the doorstep twice a day to ensure freshness was good business. The farmer retailer was common until the 1950s when the modern dairies gradually replaced most of them. Coal merchants were beneficiaries as well, apart from providing coal in bulk to the mills for the boilers every house needed a coal delivery once a week, even in summer before gas became common as the kitchen fire was the main source of hot water and cooking and baking. Local carriage proprietors like Singletons on Commercial Street ran trips into the country side and provided hearses and carriages for funerals conducted by local builders in the main because they were the coffin makers. There were scores of horses and carts employed carrying coal from the canal wharf at Coates and the railway yard to the mills. Everybody needed these services from the cradle to the grave and by 1870 a local Co-operative Society had been formed and grew to be a major retailer.
I don't want to give the impression that this was a perfect society, it wasn't, everyone had their ups and downs but until 1914 the overall picture in Barlick was of steady progress, a sound local economy and a workforce participating fully in a system where everyone saw the tangible results of progress. The returns from all this activity stayed in the town and was recycled into further investment. As far as anyone was concerned this was the status quo and we can see clearly from the records of the Council and the manufacturers that they expected this pace to be maintained. However, there was trouble on the Continent and in 1914 the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie in Sarajevo set in motion the events which were to lead to the Great War. Everything was about to change.

Image

The Pie Shop at the top of Lamb Hill.
Stanley Challenger Graham
Stanley's View
scg1936 at talktalk.net

"Beware of certitude" (Jimmy Reid)
The floggings will continue until morale improves!
User avatar
Stanley
Global Moderator
Global Moderator
Posts: 89874
Joined: 23 Jan 2012, 12:01
Location: Barnoldswick. Nearer to Heaven than Gloria.

Re: MAKING A LIVING 08

Post by Stanley »

Thanks lads. You'll have noted that I forgot last week!
Stanley Challenger Graham
Stanley's View
scg1936 at talktalk.net

"Beware of certitude" (Jimmy Reid)
The floggings will continue until morale improves!
User avatar
Stanley
Global Moderator
Global Moderator
Posts: 89874
Joined: 23 Jan 2012, 12:01
Location: Barnoldswick. Nearer to Heaven than Gloria.

Re: MAKING A LIVING 08

Post by Stanley »

Bumped
Stanley Challenger Graham
Stanley's View
scg1936 at talktalk.net

"Beware of certitude" (Jimmy Reid)
The floggings will continue until morale improves!
User avatar
Stanley
Global Moderator
Global Moderator
Posts: 89874
Joined: 23 Jan 2012, 12:01
Location: Barnoldswick. Nearer to Heaven than Gloria.

Re: MAKING A LIVING 08

Post by Stanley »

Bumped again. Not exciting I know but essential knowledge.....
Stanley Challenger Graham
Stanley's View
scg1936 at talktalk.net

"Beware of certitude" (Jimmy Reid)
The floggings will continue until morale improves!
Post Reply

Return to “Stanley's View”