BROOKS FAMILY INDEX

[Stanley]

BROOKS FAMILY INDEX AS OF 12/01/06

[SCG note: The name ‘Billy Brooks’ always means the William Brooks who was the informant in the LTP AB transcripts. He was always known as Billy and it differentiates him nicely from the other Williams. CHSCMB = Calf Hall Shed Company Minute Books.]

1834
Pigot’s directory for 1834 records a John Brooks, manufacturer, in Barnoldswick.

1841 census
Lower Park, Barnoldswick. Catherine Brooks, 25. Hannah, 15. John, 4. Sarah, 3. Robert, 11 months.

1841 census.
Higher Park Farm. Robert Brooks, 30, farmer. Mary, wife, 30. Richard, 15, manservant. Ann, 6. Martha, 4. Ellen, 1 year.

1841 census.
Dye House Farm. [entered on roll as ‘Dry House’] John Brooks, 55, farmer. Ellen, wife, 50. Henry, 30, weaver. Nancy, 6. William, 4. Ellen, no age given. Then another group, status not clear: Richard, 20, weaver. John, 20, weaver. Ellen, 15, weaver. Jane, 11, weaver. Francis, 8.

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.

1859
James Brooksbank noted as an elector of Barnoldswick in 1859.

1860
Brooks family entries in the Imperial Gazeteer for 1860.
Brooks. Christopher. Draper. Brooks. James. Cotton manufacturer. Brooks. John. Shopkeeper.

1861
Census reports William Brooks Bank 43, hawker, of Monks House Barnoldswick. 1871 census gives same, age 53. Also at Monks House, John Brooksbank, 20, cotton spinner.

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.

1861 census
Newtown. Christopher Brooks, 42, grocer and draper. Jane, wife, 36. William, 8. Joshua, 6. Emma, 3. Robinson, 1 year.

1862.
Brooks family entries in the West Riding Directory. 1862.
Brooks. Christopher, draper. Brooks. James, cotton manufacturer.

c.1880
LTP. 78/AB/05, page 5. Billy Brooks talks about Robinson Brooks starting manufacturing in Clough Mill [I reckon c.1880 as he would have been 20. However, Billy could have been talking about Christopher starting and it being taken over later by Robinson. SCG] He says that Brooks’ looms were on the top floor of the four storey section and at one time told me they started with 86 Pillings looms. His father (Jim Brooks) had four looms and he remembered taking his breakfast in to him and ‘screaming blue murder’ when they put him in the hoist to go upstairs.

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 so it looks as though they had a dandy shop before the move into Clough Mill.

1881
Christopher Brooks mentioned as a shareholder in the Craven Bank, occupation given as grocer and draper.


1882
Billy Brooks born on 26th September 1882. His father was James Brooks and his mother Anna Brooks (nee Watkins) always known as Annie. She was born in 1861 in Herefordshire and had at least two brothers. One farmed in Herefordshire and the other, Tom Watkins, at Wem in Shropshire. She came to Barlick and was semi-adopted by a family called Chadwick, he was a mason and it was somewhere near Newfield Edge. She married Jim and was 21 when Billy was born.

1883
Brooks entries in Barrett for 1883.
Brooks. Christopher and Son. (William Proctor Brooks) Grocers, 23 Church Street.

c.1883/85
When Wellhouse Mill stopped weaving Jim Brooks was out of work and went weaving for his cousin Robinson Brooks at Clough Mill. He went down to Long Ing with Brooks and became a tackler. Later when he was talking about leaving and going to Earby Robinson arranged for him to learn taping off Thomas Henry ? who was leaving and charged Jim £4 for the privilege so Jim took tuition at dinnertimes and in the evenings and stayed on as a taper. In 1912 he refused to work at Westfield because there were no windows in the tape room and went weaving at Moss for the Widdup Brothers until he retired.

1887
Billy Brooks started school when he was 5 years at Rainhall Road Wesleyan School. The schoolmistress was Emma Brooks.

1887
LTP. 78/AB/06. Page 1. Billy Brooks talks about the naming of the engine at Long Ing. The cylinders were named ‘Lizzie’ and Minnie’. Lizzie was Elizabeth, later the wife of Robinson Brooks and eldest daughter of Henry Slater of Clough Mill, she married Robinson in December 1889. Minnie was Edward Slater’s wife. The Cotton Factory Times reported the opening on 03/06/1887. Present were George Rushworth, ironfounder of Colne (One of the original investors), Messrs. Hawley, the contractors, Mr Atkinson, architect and Mr Thom of Yates and Company. Mr Christopher Brooks and ten other shareholders. The 1200 loom shed started weaving on 1st June and space for 400 more looms is planned. The land was bought off the Gledstone Estate (Mrs Roundell). The first tenants in the shed were Nutter and Edmondson, Eastwood and Maudsley and Edmondson Ormerod.

1887
Brooks family entries in Barrett for 1887.
Brooks. Christopher and Son. (William Proctor Brooks) grocers and drapers, 23 and 25 Church Street. Brooks. Joshua. Grocer, Rainhall Road.

1888.
Cotton Factory Times for 24/02/1888 reports that Long Ing Shed is to be extended by 400 looms. 24/08/88 reports work is to be started forthwith.

1888
LTP. 78/AB/01, page 10. Billy Brooks talks about brass bands in Barnoldswick. His father, Jim Brooks, was band secretary and played the tenor horn. Billy mentions band contests at the Brick School in Fountain Street and a visit by the Black Dyke Band in 1888.

1889
Cotton Factory Times for 13/12/1889 reports that Robinson Brooks was on Saturday 7th December married to Miss Elizabeth Slater, eldest daughter of Mr Henry Slater (b.1831) of Clough Mill. She was born in 1864 and lived at Park View Cottages, Rainhall Road.

1889.
Brooks entries in Kelly’s directory 1889
Brooks Brothers, cotton manufacturers, Clough Mill. Brooks. Christopher and Son, Grocers and drapers, Church Street. Brooks. Banks [sic] watchmaker, Mitchell Terrace. Brooks. Christopher. Shopkeeper, Mitchell Terrace. Brooks. William. Farmer and grocer, Church Street.

1890.
LTP. 78/AB/01, page 1. Brooks Brothers (Robinson Brooks) move their 86 Pillings looms down to Long Ing Shed into the new extension built for them and make up to 420 looms.

1890
Cotton Factory Times. 28/03/1890. Serious breakdown at Long Ing Shed when the large gear wheel driving Brooks’ shed broke and will take about 3 or 4 weeks to repair. Some looms smashed and 500 people out of work. [At the same time. Yates, the engine makers were called in to repair the main jack wheel and pinion on the engine which was also faulty. One of Yates fitters lost two fingers whilst doing this. The shed restarted on Wednesday 19th after 3 weeks stoppage. Billy Brooks describes this in LTP. 78/AB/01, page 1. This drive always caused trouble and in later years was replaced by a long rope drive from a small secondhand Hick Hargreaves engine from Bolton installed behind the main engine. From then on there was no trouble.

c.1890
LTP. 78/AB/03. p. 5. Billy Brooks says that Uncle George Brooks became manager of Robinson Brooks shed at Long Ing after his great uncle Willie Brooks died. He said that George never quite understood that the gas cock in the shed needed turning only ninety degrees to go on or off. He used to turn it 180 degrees and shut the gas off. Tacklers used duck lamps fuelled with machine oil to light the fishtail gas jets and theses made a lot of smoke.

c.1890
LTP. 78/AB/03, page 10. Billy Brooks talks about his father, Jim, and others striking t’rant occasionally. He mentions ‘Tom o’ th’Edge His Great uncle William and Aaron Nutter who was James Nutter’s brother.


1890.
Brooks family entries in Barrett for 1890.
Brooks. Christopher and Son, Grocers and drapers, 25a Church Street. Brooks Brothers, cotton manufacturers, Long Ing Shed. Brooks. Mr John, 2 Church Street. Brooks. Mr Christopher, 6 Mitchell terrace.

1890
William Proctor Brooks described as farmer, address is Church Street. [another list for 1892 shows this was 23/25 Church Street] Information from list of candidates for the 1890 Local Board Elections.

1891
CHSCMB, 07/01/1891. Christopher Brooks and Son asked to sign the agreement whereby they become tenants at Wellhouse Mill.

1892
LTP. 78/AB/01, page 2. Billy Brooks started work at Long Ing with Robinson Brooks firm in 1892 when he was ten years old. He was paid 2/6 a week and had a penny for himself. He seems to have started by going in and learning with his auntie on Saturday mornings to learn how to weave. As soon as he could leave and go half-time he set on as a weaver’s helper with a man who ran six looms. He went mornings to school and afternoons to the shed one week and vice versa the next. Billy also mentions that his uncle Willy was manager at Long Ing Shed when he started there for Brooks Brothers.

1892.
LTP. 78/AB/03, page 4. Billy Brooks said that in 1892 there were four tacklers to look after the 421 looms in Robinson Brooks’ shed at Long Ing. Tom Smith, Wilson Horsfield and Matthew Horsfield had about 115 looms each and his father Jim Brooks had 70 or 80 looms. 78/AB04, page 3. Billy says that Tom Smith lived in the mill yard in one of the cottages next to the canal [now demolished] David Akrigg the firebeater lived in the other one.

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)

1892/94
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.

1892
Barlick Local Board Rate Books for 1892 record William Brooks and Alfred Pilkington as paying £127 Poor and £127 Building rate. I think this will be William Proctor Brooks of Christopher Brooks and Son. In the same rate books William Proctor Brooks is mentioned as paying rates For Croft House, Station Road; A house and shop on Church Street, tenant Derby Brothers. [another entry makes it clear that this was 23/25 Church Street.

1893.
Brooks family entries in Barrett for 1893.
Brooks Brothers, cotton manufacturers, Long Ing Shed. Brooks and Baldwin Milliners and drapers, 25b. Church Street. Brooks. Christopher and Son, cotton manufacturers, Wellhouse Mill. Brooks. James, taper, Mosely Street. Brooks. Mr Christopher, 6 Mitchell Terrace. Brooksbank. Edmondson, jeweller, 8 Mitchell Terrace.

1895
Brooks and Pickup of Station Yard Nelson and Townley Collieries and brickworks at Burnley noted as coal merchants in Slater’s directory for 1895.

c.1895
LTP. 78/AB/01, page 5. Billy Brooks talks about life when they all lived in the cottage on Newtown, I think it was the one below what is now Birro’s cobblers. His father, Jim, earned 35/- a week and there were 11 of them at home. They had credit at Chris. Brooks grocer’s shop on the corner of Brook Street and Church Street. Says they were old-fashioned grocers and sold clothes in the upstairs room. Christopher was Robinson Brooks’ father. He says that the corner which became Elmers ironmongers was a builders yard and Spen Thornton and Sam Heap kept all their tackle there. Albert Road wasn’t built and it was fields all the way to the station. There was a barn where the Occasion is now and William Baldwin used it as a slaughterhouse, the Co-op slaughtered there as well. John Raw who farmed Coates Farm slaughtered there.

1896
Barrett Directory for 1896 reports Brooks and Baldwin as being milliners and drapers at 25b Church Street. Brooks Brothers, cotton manufacturers, Long Ing Shed. Brooks. Christopher, (Christopher Brooks and Son) House, Mitchell Terrace, Cotton manufacturers at Wellhouse Mill. Brooks. William. V. [I think this is a typo, should be W P.] (Christopher Brooks and Son), Croft House, Station Road. James Brooks, taper, Mosely Street. [or 1 Park Street?]

1896
Billy Brooks remembered something about William Brooks going up to Dark Hill Well, above Springs Farm, to ‘open something up’. This is conformed by the CHSCMB, William was a director. In 1896/97 the Calf Hall Shed Company diverted the overflow from Dark Hill Well into Springs Dam as this was the source of condenser water for the company’s Calf Hall and Butts Mills.

1897
CHSCMB of 21/04/1897 records that Christopher Brooks and Son, tenant at Wellhouse, is in dispute with the CHSC directors.

1899
Edmondson Brooksbank [sic] noted as Jeweller of 8 Mitchell Terrace. Barrett directory 1896. The Calf Hall Shed Company minutes refer to him as Mr Edmondson Brooks-Banks when noting him as qualified to be a director in 1899.

1899
Barrett’s directory for 1899 notes: Brooks Brothers cotton manufacturers, Long Ing Shed. Brooks Christopher (Christopher Brooks and Son), house Mitchell Terrace. Cotton manufacturers at Wellhouse Mill. Brooks. William V. (Christopher Brooks and Son) House: Croft House, 9 Station Road.

1899/1902.
LTP. 78/AB/06, page 4. Billy Brooks talks about serving as a stretcher-bearer in the Boer War or the ‘South African War’ as he called it. In WW1 he was an essential worker and wasn’t called up until later in the war. He was graded class III because of White Finger and remained in his job. He said that trade was good during WW1 but weavers had to pay a levy to the union on every loom that they had. After the war if you were out of work you could draw back from the levy, Billy thought that this was about 10/- a week. He said that Colonel Longden Smith at Skipton gave every enlisted man a bible and it saved his brother’s life as it stopped a shell splinter. After the war, like many returning soldiers, his brother was sent farming and couldn’t be demobbed until he was guaranteed a job. Billy got him a job taping with him at Westfield and he was released. In 1978 Billy told me that his brother was 83 and was living at Blackpool and for a long time they worked together on two tapes at Westfield.

c.1900
LTP. 78/AB/04. Page 2. Billy Brooks talks about the causeways being flagged. Talks about the first setts being laid and the cracks filled with gas tar. Days the setts were not liked by carters as they were too slippy for the horses compared with a dry macadam surface. Says Station Road was paved at that time together with Rainhall Road and Church Street. He talks about the dirt associated with the dry macadam roads, ladies holding their dresses up to keep them clean. Mentions ‘hat guards’, a cord or fine chain fastened to a dress with a pin and connected to the ladies hats to save them if they blew off. Remembers a tramp weaver called Big Matt standing on Central Station in Blackpool selling hat guards at Barlick holidays.

c.1900
LTP. 78/AB/04. p.8. Billy Brooks talks about people buying houses at 3 ½ or 4% interest when their kids were working.

1900
PCRO 20. 13/12/1900. Letter from factory inspectors to Brooks Brothers at Long Ing Shed to say that the WCs are considered to be inadequate.

1902
Brooks family entries in Barrett directory.
Brooks Brothers, cotton manufacturers, Long Ing Shed. Brooks. Thomas, plumber, Essex Street. Brooks. William Proctor, auctioneer and valuer, Station Road. In the same directory W P Brooks is mentioned as secretary of the Barnoldswick Permanent Building Society, Station Road [almost certainly at Croft House]

1902
Robinson Brooks mentioned as member of BUDC.

1902.
CHSCMB 05/11/1902. Thomas Brooks mentioned as plumber who repaired Bailey’s tape. Mentioned in Barrett for 1902 as plumber of Essex Street.

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.

1905
LTP. 78/AB/03, page 8. Billy talks about his wife Elizabeth Ainsworth. He says she was born in Barrow and was in service at Malham for a Mrs Dawson but it was too isolated for her and she went to Gutteridge Farm for 5/- a week and her keep. Harry Crook had the farm and she used to come into Barlick with Mrs Brooks to sell rabbits. She found work in Barlick as helper to Jack Hopkinson’s infirm wife on Park Road and this was how Billy met her. He married Elizabeth in 1905. He was 24 and she was about 22 when they married at Gill church and got a tenancy of a house in Station Road. At about this time Billy was working at Coates New Mill for Walter Wilkinson as a taper. His wife worked there with him for the last twelve months as a beamer and was taught the job by Matt Holden who was leaving. Nearest I can estimate is 1905 to 1908.

1905
Brooks family entries in Barrett for 1905.
Brooks. G. Overlooker, 35 Mosely Street. Brooks, J. Taper, 1 Park Street. Brooks. Robinson. cotton manufacturer Long Ing Shed, Tel 6x, house: Roseberry Terrace. Brooks. Thomas. Plumber, Essex Street, house at Cross Hills. Brooks. W P. Auctioneer and valuer, Station Road. In ‘A way of Life gone By’ page 13, Billy reports that his father bought the ‘end house in Mosely Street’ for £240, it was built by Jim Shaw. This would be 1 Park Street.

1905.
LTP. 78/AB/04. p.5. Billy Brooks talks about Dicky Roundell christening the engine at Bankfield No. 1 shed when it opened in 1905. He says that Roundell sold the directors of the Barnoldswick Room and Power Company the land for the shed. Says James Nutter and Bradley’s were the first tenants with 900 looms each. Bankfield No 1 shed was reputed to be the biggest shed in Lancashire holding 1800 looms. A second shed was built and opened in 1910 with a separate engine.

1908
Brooks family entries in Barrett for 1908.
Brooks. G. overlooker, 35 Mosely Street. Brooks. J. Taper, Skipton Road. Brooks. R. cotton manufacturer, Long Ing Shed (tel. 6x). House: Gisburn Road [Forest House? SCG] Brooks. William [Billy] taper, Skipton Road. Brooks. Mr William P. 9 Station Road. [9 Station Road is the number of Croft House. I have checked this physically.] Brooks. William. Plumber, gas, steam and waterpipe fitter, baths, lavatories &c fitted up, 17 Newtown.

1911
Brooks family entries in Barrett for 1911.
Brooks. G. Overlooker, 33 Mosely Street. Brooks, J. Taper. Skipton Road. Brooks. Robinson. Cotton Manufacturer, Long Ing Shed. (tel. 6x) House: Gisburn Road. Brooks. William. (Billy), taper, Skipton Road. Brooks William, plumber (j) [sic]. Rook Street. Brooks. William Proctor. 9 Station Road (Croft House) Brooksbank. James. Shopkeeper, 1 Hill Street.

1912.
When Robinson Brooks moved his looms from Long Ing Shed into the new mill at Westfield the space at Long Ing was taken over by Albert Hartley Ltd for sheeting looms.

1912.
LTP. 78/AB/01, p. 3. Billy says he taped at Westfield Shed for 32 years from 1812 when the shed opened until 1943 when he left and took a boarding house at Blackpool formerly operated by his son. He says that his father Jim wove at Wellhouse for Billycock Bracewell until Robinson Brooks started in Clough Mill with 86 looms c.1870. He says that there were 400 looms in Wellhouse when his father was there and the rest of the mill was devoted to spinning. He also told me once that his father wove in Old Coates Mill when it was water-powered before it closed in 1867.

1912
Worrall’s directory for 1911/1912 reports that the tenants at Long Ing Shed were; Boocock Brothers, 396 looms. Robinson Brooks, 424 looms. Brown and Bailey, 600 looms. James Edmondson, 396 looms. A total of 1816 looms.

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)

1914
Brooks family entries in Barrett 1914.
Brooks. G. overlooker, 33 Mosely Street. Brooks. J. taper, Skipton Road. Brooks. Robinson, cotton manufacturer, Westfield Shed. House: Gisburn Road. Brooks. William. (Billy), taper, Skipton Road. Brooks. William. C. Grocer, 5 Cobden Street.

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.

1922.
Brooks family entries in Kelly’s directory for 1922.
Brooks. Robinson. Westfield, Gisburn Road. Cotton manufacturer, Westfield Shed.

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.

c. 1930?
LTP. 78/AB/02. Billy Brooks says that Christopher Brooks was secretary of the Barnoldswick Manufacturers Association which was set up to protect the interests of the manufacturers. On 78/AB/06 Billy says he was the boss at Westfield Shed when Billy left in 1943. Bob King told me that he lived on Burnlea Terrace on Gisburn Road at about this time and he could remember Christopher and Sidney Brooks walking to the mill. He described them as fat, pompous men and said that Christopher lived across from them in a house next to the Congregational church. He said that Sidney had a housekeeper but later married a young woman and built a house at Bracewell. I think this is the one on the corner where Ashby lives now (2006). In November 2003 I had a conversation with Brian Ashby and he said he had been talking to a man called John Smith who used to be a manager at Long Ing Shed. He told Brian that Sidney Brooks used to live in Brian’s house at Bracewell, Grazenber.

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.

1930
CH 20/06/1930. The death of Mr Joshua Brooks (75, b. 1855, son of Christopher Brooks) occurred at Morecambe. Mr Brooks was brother of Robinson Brooks and had a grocery business in Barnoldswick.

1932.
Westfield Shed was flooded in the thunderstorm of 12th of July.

1936
LTP. 78/AB/04. Page 1. Billy Brooks talks about a boiler being moved from Butts to Calf Hall Shed in 1936. He says they needed iron plates and sleepers to move it on. See Newton Pickles evidence for the upgrading of the Calf Hall engine in 1936 after another 400 loom extension was built.

1937/43
W. (Billy) Brooks noted as Council member 1937/1943.

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.

c.1940.
LTP. 78/AB/06, page 5. Billy Brooks talks about apprenticing his son Sidney to Jack Martin the plumber at Butts Top. Sidney eventually became general foreman with BUDC. He started with the council as a plumber at the gas works. Billy himself worked as a taper at Westfield from when it started in 1912 until 1943 when he and his wife took a boarding house in Vance Road, Blackpool, near Central Station. Sidney lived in 17 Cornmill Terrace, Barnoldswick and when Billy’s wife became poorly in later years he and Sidney swapped houses. Sidney went to Blackpool and Billy came back to Barlick.

1940
LTP. 78/AB/06, page 7. Billy Brooks talks about putting up for the Council as a Conservative candidate in 1940 against Ted Smith (chairman of the local Labour Party) and being beaten by 9 votes. When Billy eventually got on the Council he was Chair of the Parks Committee.

c. 1943.
I was told by a lady who is a member of the Ashby family and now lives at Poulton le Fylde that there was a connection between the Ashby and Brooks families and one of the Ashby family helped quite a few relations to move on and get a business. She said that Billy Brooks’ move to Blackpool in 1943 was one of these occasions.

1946/7
Brooks A. BUDC member 1946/47. (BUDC year book)

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 26/03/59. In 1959 a proposed sale of Albion Mill to Burco-Dean fell through and the operatives at the firm of A J Birley were given the bad news in a letter from Mrs Blanche A. Brooks of Thornton in Craven who was one of the directors. This was the closing date for Birleys and Albion Mill as in the letter Mrs Brooks referred to her father (A J Birley?) and quotes his death as being in 1944. She said the mill would close on May 1st 1959.

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.

1978
Billy was living at 17 Corn Mill Terrace Barnoldswick when I interviewed him in 1978.

1982
Billy Brooks dies on 25th June 1982 aged 99 years.

2003
Dermide cease trading.

2005/2006.
Westfield Shed demolished for housing.

SCG/13/01/06