The life of a local mill worker.
 

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

Re: The life of a local mill worker.
 

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!

Re: The life of a local mill worker.
 

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.

Re: The life of a local mill worker.
 

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

Re: The life of a local mill worker.
 

[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! :)

Re: The life of a local mill worker.
 

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.

Re: The life of a local mill worker.
 

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

Re: The life of a local mill worker.
 

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.

Re: The life of a local mill worker.
 

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

Re: The life of a local mill worker.
 

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. :D

Re: The life of a local mill worker.
 

:rolleyes:Never knew you were a catholic Kate:D ;)

Re: The life of a local mill worker.
 

Jaysay, I am blushing ...Attachment 18566

Re: The life of a local mill worker.
 

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

Re: The life of a local mill worker.
 

Just getting my own back:rolleyes::D

Re: The life of a local mill worker.
 

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...

Re: The life of a local mill worker.
 

Different mill mobertol the "Enfield" mill became Bubble factory.;):)

Re: The life of a local mill worker.
 

Ok -so where was Moscow Mill then -I know where Moscow Mill Street is -logically it must have been near there...has it been knocked down?

Re: The life of a local mill worker.
 

Am getting confused -just looked it up on Google maps and there's a photo of "Oswaldtwitle Mills" -looks like what i knew as the Bubble factory...
Moscow Mill, Colliers St, Ossy:confused:

Re: The life of a local mill worker.
 

Moscow Mill was on Moscow mill st facing the Pickups Arms as far as i'm aware,have a great story about that,but aint gonna print it.:D

Re: The life of a local mill worker.
 

Shame I like a good yarn...;)

Re: The life of a local mill worker.
 

My Mum and Dad worked at Church Bank Mill in the 1930s and during the war.She was a weaver, four looms,and Dad was a tackler. I used to go in the mill from Church Kirk School for my dinner.My Mum used to take the meal prepared the night before in a wicker shopping basket.There was a big steam oven where the workers could warm up their meals.Mum would put a cloth on top of the loom and I would sit on it. My little brother would sit on the loom opposite.Dad had built a table between the looms. Mum and Dad sat on stools between the looms.Used to help Mum filling the shuttles.

Re: The life of a local mill worker.
 

Indeed Oswaldtwistle Mills is now in what was known as Moscow Mill. The Bubble Factory did start off on a floor of Woodnook Mill and was transferred to Moscow Mill before being sold off to an independent buyer.

Enfield Manufacturing was the group name, but lots of people referred to Moscow Mill as 'Enfield' mill, and suspect this is where Cashy is getting confused.

Enfield, of course, owned other mills at one time such as Three Brooks, Woodnook, Clifton and Britannia Mill at Blackburn.

Enfield took its name from the company based at Clayton-le-Moors who bought the lease of Moscow Mill in 1897.

Hope this helps.

What a terrible accident your Gran suffered, Mobertol.

Re: The life of a local mill worker.
 

I'm glad I scrolled to the bottom of this page before posting, I was going to say I bet Kate knows :rolleyes::D

Re: The life of a local mill worker.
 

I'm useful sometimes.. LOL.

Re: The life of a local mill worker.
 

Well I seem to remember that you worked there at one time, some kind of Rep:)