4 Commemorative plates from Saltaire Weslyan Church 1901
Drawing of original Saltaire Methodist Church
Methodist Church building, Saltaire, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Methodist Church building, Saltaire, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom: Original Methodist Church
No copyright restrictions. Please acknowledge the work's author (if known) and the item's source
Commemorative plates celebrating different occations connected to Saltaire Weslyan Chapel, which no longer exists,
2020.17: Glimpses of 150 years of Methodism at Sataire
Glimpses of 150 years of Methodism at Sataire
'Glimpses of 150 years of Methodism at Saltaire Methodist Church by Ann Willey (1868-2018)
2020.2.8: The Shipley Times & Express Pictorial
The 'Shipley Times & Express Pictorial' 1937 booklet was produced as a pictorial record of events in Shipley for 1937. It includes a review of the year. The magazine mainly consists of photographs, with text, on the main events of 1937. This includes the visit to Shipley and Saltaire by King Goerge VI and Queen Elizabeth, along with the street parties and school events to celebrate the Coronation. The magazine also includes photographs of various Shipley personalities, wedding groups and the opening of Hall Royd Methodist Church. The magazine also includes a photograph of Joan Kendall of Katherine Street, Saltaire, for completing 7 years of unbroken school attendance.
2020.6.1: Grange Court-Baildon Lodge History
A typed article 'Grange Court-Baildon Lodge' relating to the owners and occupiers, including Titus Salt Junior compiled by Roger Clarke, October 2019
Content available under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA licence
Grange Court history There are several things you should know before reading the story of Grange Court:-  For most of its existence it was known as Baildon Lodge.  There are two houses called Baildon Lodge on Station Rd, and care has been taken to ensure that they have not been confused with each other in compiling this history. The other is further along Station Rd near the railway station.  Baildon Lodge is built close to another large house called Baildon House, and there are close links between the two over their history.  Press cuttings are included, to provide an insight into the lives of the occupants, along with a historical commentary. The Story In 1724, Baildon House was built. Adjacent to it was a wayside Inn called Leather Breeches, later Baildon Lodge. (It should be noted that there was a brewery at Ingfield on Slaughter Lane which also had malt kilns, supplying the Inn.) Leather Breeches is not mentioned in the list of Baildon Inns of 1823 and so presumably closed and became residential before this date. William Holden owned both Baildon House and Baildon Lodge. He died in 1809 aged 71 years. He left the properties to his only daughter who married John Lambert. The properties were then left to their two daughters. Margaret married James Bent and they lived at Baildon House. The other daughter, Caroline Ann, married Thomas Lockley, MD, aged 49, a local magistrate, and a practising physician, and they lived at Baildon Lodge. The 1861 census confirms that they were living at Baildon Lodge with their 5 year old son, Edward Holden Lockley. They had a cook, servant and a groom. They continued to live there until 1866. th York Herald – 14 April, 1880. Death of Dr Lockley. It is with deep regret that we have to announce the death of Dr Lockley which took place at his residence, Bootham, in the city yesterday morning. The deceased gentleman was the third son of the late George F Lockley of Half Moon St, London, by Margaret, youngest daughter and co-heiress of Mr Thomas Bolt of Ruswarp near Whitby. In 1852 Dr Lockley married Caroline Ann, second daughter and co-heiress of the late John Lambert of Baildon. The deceased gentleman left Baildon Lodge to reside in York in 1865 and was identified with many philanthropic institutions in the city. In 1866 Mr Titus Salt Junior and his wife Catherine moved into Baildon Lodge, and lived there until 1871. th th Titus Junior was the 7 child and 5 son of Sir Titus Salt who built Saltaire. th Titus Junior married Catherine Crossley on 15 March, 1866. Her family owned Crossley Carpets in Halifax and had a very close friendship with the Salt family. The union of Titus and Catherine increased that bond. Living at Baildon Lodge, their first 2 children were born there. Gordon Loxley Salt th nd was born on 17 December, 1866 and Harold Crossley Salt was born on 2 August, 1868. Their project to build a huge mansion at Milner Field was conceived a few months into their marriage when two farm houses came up for sale on the Milner Field estate, which they bought and demolished while they were living at Baildon Lodge. Titus Junior’s elder brother Edward had already built a mansion at Ferniehurst in Baildon. Titus Junior went on to create the Milner Field mansion which was to entertain Royalty in 1882 and 1887. Building began in 1871 and was completed in 1873. Bradford Daily Telegraph - Monday 23 August 1869 The Salt family were always keen gardeners. The gardens at Milner Field were designed by Robert Marnock, a landscape designer who adopted the gardenesque style in which emphasis was placed on exotic and non-native plants including orchids, Lapageria Rosea (“a climbing plant with drooping bells in red and white with as many as 4,000 flowers at any one time”), melons and figs. There were even pineapples grown at Milner Field which were “enclosed in pits of horse manure one foot deep”. (My gratitude to the late Alistair McKinna for publishing this information) Titus Junior died suddenly of a heart attack in 1887 aged 44 years. This was the first of many tragedies which led to the jinx of Milner Field mansion – but that’s another story. In 1871, 24 year old Harry Rouse and his wife Mary aged 19 moved into Baildon Lodge. Harry was distantly related to the Salt family since his aunt Hannah Rouse married George Whitlam Haigh whose mother was Amelia Whitlam (sister of Lady Caroline Salt). They lived there until 1877. They had 4 servants, one of whom was also their coachman. There was a long friendship between the Rouse family and the Salts. In 1822, when the Salt family came to Bradford, the seventeen year old Titus was taken on as an apprentice by William Rouse for two years to learn the wool trade. And in 1871, Sarah Amelia Rouse became the second wife of Titus Junior’s brother, Edward. The Salts, Crossleys and the Rouses were united in friendship through the textile industry, through religion (Congregationalists), politics (radical liberals), and now through marriage. Leeds Mercury th 15 December, 1870 – At Edinburgh the marriage of Harry Rouse Esq of Baildon Lodge to Mary Hogarth, only daughter of the late Alexander Cunningham Esq of the Tofts, Morebattle, Roxburghshire. Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer th th 19 October, 1871 – Rouse, on 18 October birth of a son In 1881 there is an interesting twist to the story of the Lodge - John Rouse and family lived next door at Baildon House whilst at Baildon Lodge lived Elizabeth Hall, a 35 year old cook and Mary Park, a 24 year old housemaid. By the 1891 census a family had taken over Baildon Lodge. John Spink, aged 54 years, (a wine and spirit merchant, brewer and cigar importer) and his wife Elizabeth Spink aged 45 years lived there with their 5 children Catherine (23), Gertrude (21), Bernard (19 and apprentice to an iron founder), Jack (6) and Geoffrey (4). They had a cook, housemaid and a nurse. Joseph Spink and Sons were a well established Bradford business. John was a Director and partner in it. Trade Directories in 1901 and 1912 note that the head office was on Market St and the warehouse was at Rosse St. A major investment was the Boars Head Restaurant, grill and bars at 6 to 8, Market St, and the Exchange Restaurant and bars at 18, Market St. There was also an interest in the Golden Lion and the Albion Hotel on Leeds Rd, the Queens Hotel on Lumb Lane, and the Shoulder of Mutton in Girlington. Bradford Daily Telegraph th 6 July, 1887 – Baildon Local Board met yesterday evening. A letter complaining of the diversion of a stream of water which had been used by the inhabitants of Lower Baildon for domestic purposes for a great number of years was read by the Clerk. The letter stated that the stream had been taken from its course by the tenant of Baildon Lodge who had allowed it to run to waste. The Clerk was instructed to write to Mr Spink of Baildon Lodge asking that the stream be allowed to run its proper course. rd And on 23 October, 1889 - The Issue of 2,000 Preference Shares and 2,000 Ordinary Shares in the firm of Joseph Spink and Sons, Limited. John Spink and William Spink are listed amongst the Directors of the Company Wharfedale and Airedale Observer th 29 August, 1890 – Fashionable wedding at Baildon Church. The village of Baildon was the scene of great animation at noon on Wednesday, the occasion being the nuptials of Mr Oliver Firth, youngest son of Mr Thomas Firth, late of Baildon and now of Grange, and who was formerly a manufacturer at Shearbridge, Bradford, and Miss Florence Margaret Spink, second daughter of Mr John Spink (senior partner of the Bradford firm of Joseph Spink and Sons) of Baildon Lodge, Baildon. In the 1901 census Alfred W. Hoffman aged 39 years, wool and yarn merchant, with his wife Sarah 40 and daughter Irene (12) were living at the Lodge. They are still there in 1926, with the addition of John Achior Hoffman (24) also a wool and yarn merchant. They had a cook and two housemaids, one from Bergen in Norway. Alfred was a Jewish immigrant who established his office and warehouse at 8, Burnett St, Little Germany in the centre of Bradford, alongside other textile merchants who were immigrants from Germany. Achior was a prominent member of Bradford Chamber of Commerce who worked tirelessly to promote the establishment of Bradford Conditioning House which was eventually opened in 1891. It provided a scientific, laboratory examination of the 150 million lbs of foreign wool which was imported from all over the world. Most important it led to a reduction in anthrax, an infectious disease of sheep and goats passed by spores carried in their fleeces, and which was known as the wool sorters disease. There were 62 fatal cases in Bradford between 1916 and 1920, but this number fell sharply after Dr Eurich discovered a system of disinfection involving heat and formaldehyde at the Conditioning House. Bradford Daily Telegraph th 7 February, 1893 – Lost in Baildon a Fox Terrier. It answers to the name of Tyrant and has three black spots on its body. Finder to contact Baildon Lodge. th 5 September, 1894 – Accident to a Bradford gentleman. Mr Joseph Drake, son of the late Alderman Drake was yesterday out riding on a horse belonging to Mr Alfred Hoffman of Baildon Lodge, when he met with an accident. The riderless horse arrived at Shipley last evening, from the saddle of which the stirrup on one side was missing, and efforts were made to discover the rider. In the meantime Mr Drake reached home but was not, fortunately, seriously injured. th 15 July, 1896 – at the residence of her brother-in-law, Alfred W Hoffman of Baildon Lodge, the death of Emily, youngest daughter of the late Nathan Drake. th 6 December, 1899 – Mr Alfred Hoffman of Baildon Lodge, brother of Colonel Hoffman, is suffering from a severe attack of typhoid fever and has been confined to his house for several weeks. Shipley Times and Express th 12 August, 1904 – Gentleman’s valet absconds. On Thursday last, a person named Walter James, a valet on the employ of Mr A.W Hoffman of Baildon Lodge, disappeared and soon afterwards his employer found that a sum of nearly £50 has been taken. James, who was formerly in the Army, is believed to be a native of London. He is of smart, military appearance and about 46 years of age. Mr Hoffman placed the utmost confidence in him. James had been employed at Baildon Lodge for about ten years. He is reported to have got into difficulties through betting. Mr Hoffman is sorry for the betrayal of his confidence. The police have been communicated with on the subject. th 17 February, 1906 – Wanted at once, an Upstairs Maid. Good references required. Apply Mrs Alfred Hoffman, Baildon Lodge. th 16 July, 1909 – Mr A.W Hoffman won two silver rose bowls in the amateur class at the Saltaire Rose Show. Wharfedale and Airedale Observer Motor cycling at dangerous speed. Mr John A Hoffman of Baildon Lodge was summoned at Bradford on Wednesday for driving his motor cycle at a dangerous st speed. According to the evidence, on July 21 he rode up Cheapside in Bradford at an estimated speed of 25 to 30 miles per hour at a time when there was a good deal of pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Mr S.E.Nixon of Headingley said that he had just stepped off a car at the bottom of Cheapside when the defendant swept past and up the hill. He spoke to the constable on point duty and this officer estimated the speed at 30 miles per hour. In the witness box the defendant said he had only ridden 15 yards when he passed the officer and, as his machine is geared abnormally high, it could not possibly have accelerated to anything like the speed mentioned. The Stipendiary Magistrate imposed a fine of £2 including costs, and expressed the opinion that motor cycles did travel too fast and steps should be taken to moderate them. Shipley Times and Express nd 2 January, 1914 – A striking illustration of the mildness of the weather experienced up to Christmas was seen in the garden of Mr A.W.Hoffman, Baildon Lodge, where there were many beautiful rose blooms. nd 2 October, 1914 – Men who have joined the Kings forces include Jack Hoffman of Baildon Lodge who has joined the West Middlesex Regiment. Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer th 29 May, 1921 – The engagement is announced between John A Hoffman, son of Mr and Mrs Alfred W Hoffman of Baildon Lodge and Elizabeth (‘Betty’), only daughter of Mr and Mrs F.J. Haggas, JP, of Cliffe Lodge, Baildon. th th th 7 April, 1927 – the death is announced on April 6 in his 66 year of Alfred William Hoffman, Service at Scholemoor Crematorium, Bradford at 11-30am tomorrow, th April 8 . No flowers, no mourning, by request. In 1928 Sarah is living alone at the Lodge. Electoral Roll 1929 & 1930 – no entry (house vacant?) 1931 – William, Ann & Henry Hudson 1932 & 1933 – no entry (house vacant?) Electoral Roll - 1934 to 1940 – Edgar & Sarah Wrigglesworth Yorkshire Post and Leeds Intelligencer st 31 January, 1934 – Wanted immediately, young experienced nanny for boy two years old. Good refs. Mrs Wrigglesworth, Baildon Lodge. Wanted experienced Cook- General, to wash; housemaid kept. Mrs Wrigglesworth, Baildon Lodge, Station Rd, Baildon. In October, 1940, the Sunday Schools at the Primitive Methodist and Moravian Churches, the Picture House (opposite the Malt Shovel) and a number of large houses were commandeered by the military authorities for billeting purposes. It may be that Baildon House and Lodge were amongst the houses chosen. Mary France, in “Wartime Remembered” by Baildon Oral History Group, recalls that the seats in the Picture House (opposite the Malt Shovel on Northgate) had been removed to accommodate the soldiers and the floor was very sloping. “They went to sleep in the 1/3d and woke up in the 4d”. “Most of the soldiers attended dances at the Parochial Hall and there was no shortage of partners – but we had to develop the art of avoiding untrained feet.” A canteen for service personnel was opened in the Methodist Sunday School. Electoral Roll - 1945 to 1956 – Thomas & Eileen Briggs Electoral Roll - 1957 to 1962 – Peter & Stephanie Marbach Shipley Times and Express th 13 April, 1955 - Mr Peter Marbach of Baildon Lodge and managing director of Petmar Industries, Batley, left for a continental business tour on Monday. The tour will last for 16 days of road travel, and during that time he will visit Holland, Belgium, Switzerland and Germany. Before setting out he said “In these days the need to expand our economy, especially in the textile areas, is apparent. This can, to some extent, be achieved by increasing our exports on a national scale. I trust that my visit to Europe will have the dual effect of increasing our own sales abroad and in doing so further the country’s balance of trade position.” th 26 September, 1956 – Baildon Lodge, the beautiful home of Mr and Mrs Peter Marbach was the delightful setting for a cocktail party and reception. Lord Swinton was the principal guest. th 12 March, 1958 – Allan Binns, aged 33, a labourer of 10, Kelvin St, Bradford 4, was fined £10 after he had pleaded guilty to stealing a £1 note, the property of Alice Brullhardt at Baildon Lodge. Miss Brullhardt was the maid at Baildon Lodge, and while her employers were away in America she was in charge of the house. About nine o’clock in the morning of January this year she placed a £1 note in her purse, later putting it in her shopping bag and left it on the kitchen table. During the course of the morning the accused, who was at that time a window cleaner in the Baildon area, called at the Lodge and told her he would repair a broken window in an upstairs room. She allowed him to enter the house and he went to the window upstairs. He later came back into the kitchen. Miss Brullhardt told him that she was going to the shop and he said that he would accompany her. She went upstairs and returned five minutes later and found that he had left the house. She also found that the £1 note was missing from her purse. She reported the matter to the police, and when the accused was seen at his home he said ‘It wasn’t me, you are on the wrong man.’ He was questioned further and admitted the offence. Chief Inspector Allderidge said Binns had previous convictions for false pretences, housebreaking, larceny and forgery. The Chairman said that they were giving Binns one last chance and ordered him to pay the £10 fine at ten shillings a week. st 21 May, 1958 – A new Baildon company. New companies announced on Friday by Jordan and Sons Ltd, company registration agents, included Processed Fibres Ltd, Baildon Lodge, Baildon. Nominal capital £100 in £1 shares. Directors L.P.Marbach, Norman H Gaunt and Stephanie Marbach, all of Baildon Lodge. Electoral Roll – 1974 to 1978 – Kenneth and Sheila Blundell Electoral Roll – 1979 to 1982 – Graham and Vivian Ing In 1985 Baildon Lodge became a residential home for the elderly, owned by Dr Wozney, which closed in 1996/7. 1997 – Baildon Lodge was bought and redecorated by the Berry family. The th residential home was then re-opened as Grange Court on 4 January, 1998. There have been a number of building renovations since then, including  joining the existing house to the stable building in 1999  the conservatory was completed and a side garden landscaped in 2010  a hair salon and toilet facilities provided on the ground floor in 2011  additional rooms were created in 2018 to bring occupancy up to 30 residents. Roger Clarke (With thanks to Tish Lawson and Colin Coates for their help) October, 2019
2020.6.2: Saltaire Overlookers 1830-1914
'Saltaire Overlookers 1830-1914' by Roger Clarke, with contributions by Colin Coates: Includes items relating to individual overlookers and the social life of overlookers
Saltaire, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Saltaire, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom: Plan of Saltaire
Saltaire Overlookers 1830 to 1914 By Roger Clarke in collaboration with Colin Coates 1 Acknowledgements I gratefully acknowledge the contribution of Colin Coates, whose ability to use his computer skills to access information from census returns, newspaper stories, and many other sources has provided me with detailed material which would otherwise have been unavailable, especially in the biographies of Saltaire residents. His research is much appreciated. I have used Jack Reynold’s ‘The Great Paternalist’, published 1983 extensively in researching information about Saltaire in Victorian times. Part one Setting the scene th At the end of the 18 century the time was right for change, and for a different attitude towards work and employment. Calvin preached that hard work, thrift, and efficiency in one’s worldly calling were keys to eternal salvation. Profit is an end in itself, and the pursuit of profit is virtuous. Early capitalists needed a skilled and unskilled workforce disciplined to accept long hours and harsh conditions for as small a wage as possible to maximise profits. The organisation of labour in textile mills was dependent on the nature of the machinery involved, which determined the need for huge galleries and a large workforce to service the machines. Examples of early mills are:- • In 1776, Richard Arkwright, built his cotton mill at New Lanark. There were 9 rooms in the mill for preparing the raw cotton, carding drawing and roving, bobbin winding, throstle spinning, mule spinning, warping and beaming, drawing and weaving, and each was under the control of an overlooker. • In 1840, Brunswick cotton spinning mill, Ancoats, Manchester was built by David Bellhouse who employed William Fairburn to design a 7 storey block which housed 276 carding machines, 77,000 mule spindles, 20 drawing frames, 50 slubbing frames, and 81 roving frames. Overlookers The typical structure of the mill was to have a department manager and an overlooker for each of the mechanised processes involved from combing to dyeing. The following list outlines the generic role of the overlooker in all departments:- • Middle management between workers and bosses. • Maintenance of machines – regular oiling and checking, often before workers arrived. Undertake basic repairs, bringing in specialist mechanics if 2 necessary. Salts had their own specialists. Some overlookers were so good that they could tell if a machine was about to break down before it did. • Checking attendance. Workers were only allowed in at specific times and if you missed the time you might be allowed in after paying a fine. Overlookers had to make sure they had enough workers to operate the machines in their department, which included breaks and lunchtime when the machines continued to run. • Making sure that workers operated the machines efficiently and reliably. • Inspected the quality of the pieces before they left the department. • Hiring and firing. In some mills managers insisted on interviewing the overlooker’s choice. Workers could appeal to management if they felt unfairly dismissed. • Reporting accidents. • Checking use of toilets, ensuring that only one person used them at a time to prevent time wasting and gossiping. • The effectiveness of overlookers depended on their personalities and their ability to motivate workers as well as keeping control. • Training on the job. Observing the overlooker, but then had to attend evening classes 3 nights a week for a year. Then had one day a week day release and one evening a week for classes. The process could take 4 to 6 years. Bradford Mechanics Institute (between 1832 and 1882) and then Bradford Technical College offered other business classes which they could choose from. All funded by Mill. Apprentice overlookers could find that they were earning less money than mill juniors because the mill was paying for their training. Overlookers played their greatest role in spinning and weaving. In spinning they repaired machinery, inspected the final product and supervised both drawing and spinning room operatives. Each spinning room overlooker supervised about 40 workers. Weaving overlookers performed similar tasks but in addition they inspected the warps for weaving and determined the quality of the completed pieces. They were in charge of 50 to 100 looms. Overlookers were paid more than ordinary workers. They received 28/- to 30/- a week, compared with 14/- to 28/- for male workers, 9/- for female workers and 8/- to 10/- for children. Which raises the interesting question of how this payment was worked out for the most demanding overlooker role - in the weaving department. There had to be an element of technical skill here because overlookers would not only maintain the looms, they would often tune them and set up the patterns which were to be woven. But how do you calculate, in cash terms, for their exercise of authority over the workers? They were responsible for the flow of production and therefore controlled the distribution of work, the speed at which snags were overcome and the immediate discipline of the floor. One way was to put a value on the product of the worker’s labour i.e. the pieces of cloth produced – their length, complexity and density of the weave. In which case 3 their wages would vary from week to week according to piecework. Mills varied in the amount allowed for piecework and that allowed for the overlooker’s contribution. There was a ratio of 1 overlooker per 30 to 40 workers. Overlookers were invariably male in contrast to a largely female and child workforce. The complexity of the overlooker’s role is obvious from one of the few surviving examples of an overlooker’s notebook which can be found in the West Yorkshire Archive. It was the property of Fred Shackleton, an overlooker in Salts Mill in 1919. He was responsible for twisting, warping, winding and reeling. His notebook contains long handwritten lists of information about wages for a wide range of workers including takers-off, doffers, setters, jobbers, reelers, warpers, winders and hankers, and the prices of materials, all of which changed regularly and had to be updated. Overlookers had to be literate and numerate which many workers were not. Discipline of the workforce. In supervising the workers, especially children, overlookers often resorted to physical punishment. • “The overlooker gave us all a bit of the alley strap. It used to knock all the bits of wool, you know all the waste, it used to send it under the frames, so when the walking boss came round it were all tidy you see. Oh it were a big alley strap and it were all leather, and if they didn’t behave themselves they got a bit of this alley strap”. (From ‘Textile Voices’ by Tim Smith and Olive Howarth – Bradford Heritage Recording Unit. Published by Bradford Museums, Galleries and Heritage). • “Newspapers carried reports of continued violence in the work place, such as the 10 year old who died in March,1857, a week after a beating by an overlooker at Garnett’s Mill. The frequency of such violence led the ‘Textile Manufacturer’ to remark in December, 1875, that overlookers seemed to believe that they could treat children as they pleased. It recommended that notices be posted telling overlookers that they could not strike children.” • Evidence provided to the Factory Commissioners in 1832 stated “Discipline was the responsibility of the overlooker and was invariably maintained using a strap. In some mills it was not unknown for the overlooker to use a spindle from one of the machines to discipline children; particularly boys, who seem to have been dealt with more harshly than girls. One overlooker said that he had occasionally seen girls of 15 or 16 strapped, and on one occasion a woman of 20, although he had not strapped any girl over the age of 14. The same man said that he had sometimes seen parents of boys come to the mill to complain about excessive beatings. He also said that he thought that many parents did not complain about excessive beatings because they were afraid that it would encourage the overlooker concerned to find a reason to dismiss the child as quickly as possible. Interestingly, the majority of children giving evidence did not appear to feel aggrieved at having been beaten.” 4 • Sutcliffe Rhodes, frequent commentator in the local Press in the 1860s, cites “the sight of an emaciated form of a spinning girl rendered helpless by the scandalous abuse of an overlooker. And the dying spinner boy who said ‘Ellis Brook (overlooker) has pawsed me right hard”. There are many descriptions of the condition of children in mills in literature, including Disraelis ‘Sybil’ or ‘The Two Nations’ (1845) Dickens ‘Hard Times’ Charlotte Bronte ‘Shirley’ (1849) Frances Trollop ‘Michael Armstrong’ (1876) Gaskells ‘Mary Barton’ and ‘North and South’ (1854) Mrs Tonna ‘Helen Fleetwood’ (1839) I could find little evidence of extreme sexual abuse, such as that demonstrated in the 2015 film ‘Suffragette’ starring Meryl Streep as Emmaline Pankhurst and Cory Milligan as Maud Watts a laundry worker. A male supervisor has been sexually abusing girls in the laundry for years, including Maud and currently a friend’s young daughter. It may be that even when sexual abuse was known about it remained covert and was not publicised - certainly not in courts or newspapers. For example, between 1870 and 1914, 39 cases of sexual abuse came before Hamstead magistrates. Only a quarter were committed for trial. Three quarters were dealt with summarily. 60% of these received a conviction for common assault or indecent exposure and 40% were dismissed. As in other areas of the country, cases of sexual abuse were either acquitted or trivialised as minor public order offences. And from the Office of National Statistics we have • “In excess of 500 people were dealt with by the courts per year during the 1920s, rising incrementally to over 5,000 by the 1960s. • Throughout, however, this represented merely the tip of an iceberg. It is likely that the ten-fold increase was a result of changes in police and criminal justice procedure (enabling more cases to be reported and recorded) rather than an increase in prevalence. • Whilst the number of cases reported to the police increased incrementally across the period, evidence suggests there was a significant decline in the proportion that resulted in guilty verdicts. The law had been constructed as a reaction to Victorian moral anxieties – including concerns about homosexuality - rather than the need to protect and safeguard children. This means that children (as those against whom offences were committed) were only partially visible within the criminal justice statistics. In sum, the British state did not effectively monitor abuse of children. Ultimately it is only possible to conclude that the law and criminal justice system were woefully inadequate in dealing with child sexual abuse.” 5 However, there are examples of sexual harassment such as:- “There were one fellow, and we used to call him ‘Touchy’ because every time he come reckoning to look at the box he’d touch your behind. I remember one time I were on the box, and we used to warn each other when he was coming. They all used to say ‘watch him with Hilda’. And of course this day I didn’t know he were on and I was doing something with my machine and he come and put his hand right across my bottom. So I turned round, picked up a bobbin and hit him with it. So they took me to the office for it. The gentleman that was over the overlookers asked me what I hit him for. I said, ‘when he stops touching my arse I’ll stop hitting him with bobbins.” (Textile Voices) Women’s rights were very limited in the Nineteenth Century. The following is a reminder of what they were:- “1857 Matrimonial Causes Act – a man could divorce his wife for adultery, but she had to prove his adultery and also an additional ‘matrimonial offence’ such as cruelty, desertion, bigamy or incest. The reason was that a wife’s adultery ‘might introduce a spurious child into the family whereas a man’s promiscuity would have no such deleterious effects’. Under common law a married woman’s independent identity was totally subsumed in that of her husband under the doctrine of ‘coverture’. She was not able to enter into legal contacts and had no rights in her own property. All she had earned or inherited belonged to her husband. The 1870 Married Women’s Property Act was passed but inadequately gave women further rights. Husbands could gamble or drink away their wife’s earnings. Wives could not even have custody of their own children since the father was deemed to be the ‘natural’ guardian regardless of his faults. In 1878 the Matrimonial Causes Act enabled brutalised wives to obtain a Protection Order with the force of a judicial separation in the Magistrates Court to receive custody of their children and be awarded maintenance. However this did not constitute divorce and the woman could not remarry.” (From Sex, Gender and Social Change In Britain since 1880 by Lesley A Hall) Fortunately there are also examples of overlookers motivating their workers using more easy going methods. For example:- “We made a parcel up. We put orange peel, mucky bobbins, sweepings up, and made a lovely parcel and wrote on it ‘To our beloved overlooker from his doffers’. Well he got hold of it and looked at it you know, he’s looking right slyly around him, and he crept out and went into the men’s toilet. When he came out he shied the bobbins at us, orange peel, apple cores, banana skins. Anyhow he were a lovely overlooker and we loved him.” (Textile Voices) But there are other ideas about discipline and control in mills When Robert Owen took over control of the New Lanark Mill in the early 1800s he devised a new way for overlookers to control his workers in the workplace. He introduced the silent monitor. This was a four-sided piece of wood 2 inches long and one inch wide, each side coloured – one side black, one blue, one yellow and 6 one white, with a hook on top to hang it near to every person employed. The colour to the front told of the conduct of the person on the preceding day. Books of character were provided for each Department with the names of employees listed and monitor readings were noted in the book. The books were changed six times a year and were preserved. This system was similar to Jeremy Bentham’s Panoptican, a model prison featuring a central tower with several wings radiating out from it. The prisoner can always see the tower but never knows when or from where he is being observed. Prisoners self police their own behaviour because the guard may be watching, Each individual is seen but cannot communicate with the warders or other prisoners. The panopticon induces a sense of permanent visibility that ensures the functioning of power. Surveillance is permanent in its effects even if it is discontinuous in its action. Michelle Foucault was a French philosopher who had well formulated ideas about the nature of power in various social settings. He looked at diamond mines, prisons, schools, hospitals and the military, and saw common features in the way in which they impose disciplinary power in order to create ‘docile, obedient bodies’. That is, discipline must come about without excessive force through careful observation. Individual personal differences are not acknowledged unless they are related to skill, promotion or production. The Mill is divided into discrete departments and workers are classified in this way. The disciplinary power of the Mill is that it controls this system, and individuals become workers (or ‘operatives’). In Saltaire, this system of discipline is extended because the houses which the workers rented are owned by the Mill and linked with their employment . There are two local examples of this form of disciplinary surveillance. Saltaire Primary School has a balcony extending all the way around a central hall below which classrooms are situated, each with glass windows which enable a headteacher to observe the classroom from above without being seen. Salts Mill has huge open galleries (especially ‘The Lobby’) within which the textile machines were situated, enabling overlookers to observe a number of machines without actually approaching them. In a Bradford Mill Rachel Bellerby (‘Chasing the Sixpence – the lives of Bradford Mill Folk’ published by Fort Publishing Ltd) describes an overlooker who “had his own small office at the end of the weaving shed, which had glass sides so that he could always see what was happening on the floor”. Part Two The local scene in Saltaire 7 Titus Salt had mills in Bradford before starting to build Saltaire in 1851. Between 1851 and 1853 Salts Mill was built, and in 1853 house building began. Jack Reynolds notes that Saltaire had a selected population – key workers from Salt’s Bradford mills. Overlookers were amongst the first to go to Saltaire. Groups of workers were influenced by overlooker choices and followed them to the village. Warp dressers whose work was crucial at an early stage in the textile process were treated in the same way. Other groups moved more slowly. Overlookers and other senior workers formed an element in the so called workers committee which was responsible for allocating tenancies in the village. Titus Salt had seen Saltaire as being a place where the mistakes of Bradford could be rectified and a model industrial community could be created meeting his workers spiritual, moral, educational, housing, environmental and social needs – very different to the Bradford which his workers had left behind. The original plans for Saltaire specified two types of housing – workers and overlookers houses. This distinction has never narrowly determined their actual occupancy. The overlookers houses were larger and more expensive to rent and therefore more likely to be occupied by people in Jack Reynold’s ‘executive’ group of employees which includes wool buyers, designers, engineers, chief cashiers, managers, foremen and overlookers. Their size also means that they are more suitable for large families or for use of two families which wanted to live together and share the rent whatever their social position. These houses were initially on William Henry St, and George St, followed by ‘improved’ overlooker houses on Victoria Rd, Albert Rd and on Gordon Terrace and Myrtle Place. House building continued uphill towards Bradford Rd, with the improved housing of later build appealing to overlooker choices and there was a lot of tenant mobility. Reynolds says “Removals within the village were a persistent feature of village life. Of those who stayed between 1861 and 1871, over 50% moved to better or newer houses as they were completed and left older property to newcomers”. The following table shows overlooker choices over time according to Census returns. Overlookers Choice of Houses by street Street 1861 1871 1881 1891 1901 1911 Ada St 6 4 1 1 2 Albert Rd 6 4 3 4 5 Albert Ter 1 1 3 Almshouses 4 Amelia St 5 2 2 Bath Buildings 1 Caroline St 2 4 1 6 2 Constance St 1 2 5 2 2 Daisy Place 1 8 Dove St 1 2 4 2 7 Edward St 2 1 1 1 2 1 Fanny St 4 1 1 Fern Place 1 1 Garden 1 1 1 1 Cottage George St 11 10 10 9 7 11 Gordon Ter 4 4 2 3 Harold Place 1 1 1 1 1 Helen St 4 2 1 3 3 1 Herbert St 4 4 3 1 2 3 Higher School 1 1 St Jane St 2 1 6 3 Katherine St 1 1 Lockwood St 1 1 2 2 3 Lower School 1 5 2 2 St Mary St 6 3 1 1 1 3 Mawson St 3 4 4 2 2 Myrtle Place 1 1 Shirley St 2 1 8 1 1 3 Titus St 8 13 12 7 6 3 Victoria Rd 1 7 7 4 4 4 Whitlam St 4 3 4 2 1 William Henry 3 2 3 1 2 2 St This table shows one thing very clearly – that in the Mill the overlookers were part of the management structure but at home they lived on the same streets as fellow workers and were regarded as working men. I looked in detail at both overlooker and ordinary worker’s families and found very little difference in terms of number of children or lifestyle. One difference is that overlookers tended to be better educated than the ordinary workers. They had to have a better level of literacy to embark on an apprenticeship, and to follow their overlooker training. They also arranged for their children to remain in education for as long as possible, recognising that this was necessary to enter a skilled trade on leaving school. However, education was expensive at secondary level, and it is suggested that a foreman earning less than £100 per year could not afford to send their children to school beyond 13 or 14 years. The children of ordinary workers left school earlier, as soon as possible to begin work in the mill and earn a wage. Many were half-timers. Overlookers wives and families were closely involved in village life, living alongside the families of ordinary workers. Married women and their children, whatever their husband’s occupation, shared the everyday life of the village. It might not be 9 possible to know all 4,300 inhabitants of the village in 1906, but gossip was a common commodity , and Edward Stanners remarked at a later date that the women on the factory floor would often get to work half an hour early in order to ‘cal’ and catch up with the latest events in the village. The fact that Saltaire village had clear boundaries and was widely publicised as a model village gave workers of all kinds a sense of pride, belonging and a shared commitment to each other. Many employees and their families had known each other for many years working for the same firm even before moving to Saltaire and there were often kinship links. Some overlookers had worked as ordinary workers in the past. My hypothesis Overlookers were in a position to take the lead in contributing to community initiatives “Skilled men played a greater part than others in the administration of village facilities” (Reynolds) The following is a look at the evidence that this was the case. In Parliament The Nine Hours Movement. “Began with engineers and craft unions nationally, and only became a real issue when taken up by textile workers, led by overlookers. It was headed by Mundella, MP for Sheffield who consulted with the Overlookers’ Short Time Committees in Bradford and Leeds and brought a Bill before the House in 1872 to limit the working hours of women and children in factories to nine hours a day. A group of employers opposed the Bill, suggesting that although they worked longer hours than most craftsmen they did not work as hard in ten hours as the men did in nine. A deputation including Edward Salt presented their views to the Home Office. They claimed that there was no widespread desire among workers for a reduction of hours, for many textile workers were on piece rates and the prospect only faced them with diminished earnings. They claimed that the overlookers who had brought the agitation did so to bring their own hours into line with mill craftsmen who had obtained the reduction through their unions. Mundella’s Bill did not pass the House but a less generous Bill, the Ten Hour Bill was passed by the Disraeli administration.” (Reynolds) and “Working men were beginning to demand a more real political authority, either through a Radical/Labour wing of the Liberal Party or in a new Independent Labour Movement. In 1892, Saltaire men joined with Shipley working men to indicate that they were no longer willing to accept the political leadership of the local mill owners, and in particular the special authority of Salts. They produced their own Liberal/Labour candidate for the general election of 1892 – WP Byles had backed the strikers at Manningham Mills in 1890/91. He won the seat, leading to the resignation of Charles Stead as chairman of the Shipley Liberal Executive. Seth 10 Bentley, manager of Saltaire Baths, and a regular critic of the Salt authority, took Stead’s place. Among the men who supported him on the Executive were vice presidents Alex George, J Cryer, and Isaac Sanctuary. Isaac Sanctuary later joined the Bradford Independent Labour Party in 1893 when a branch was formed in Shipley, and his place on the Liberal Executive was taken by his brother Jacob.” (Reynolds) There were two political organisations in Shipley Shipley Liberal Club. Charles St, off Briggate, Shipley. Opened 1887. 400 members. Shipley Conservative Club. Atkinson St, off Westgate, Shipley with 300 members. Plus Saltaire Manhood Suffrage Association. “By 1866 there was a powerful branch of the National Reform League in Saltaire with secretary Robert Power, ‘an uncompromising radical’, son of Edward Power who had been imprisoned in 1848 in Bradford for Chartist activity. In 1866 and Easter Tuesday in 1887 the Manhood Suffrage Association turned out in force with the blessing of the firm which closed for the 1866 occasion since it was not a public holiday. The Saltaire Brass Band played the accompaniment to the march from Saltaire to Leeds. The National Reform League was a working class movement which asserted the intrinsic dignity and worth of working men as individuals and as members of a class. Unlike Chartism it did not demand social reform – it was a franchise for men who were properly ‘residential and registered”. (Jack Reynolds) In Saltaire Let’s begin by looking at organisations which provided safeguards against death and sickness. Saltaire Funeral Brief Society Open to anyone over 7 years old living in Saltaire and in good health pay 1.5d under 21, and over 21 they pay 3d as an entrance fee. Then a levy of 2d is made on those over 21 and 1d under that age. They receive £5 on death if over 21 and £4 under that age. The Society was formed in 1857 and by 1879 it had nearly 3,000 members. Originally Thomas Greenwood of 22, George St, an overlooker, was the secretary. Like the savings bank it was run by senior workers. In 1879, James Rushton was President, James Paley, (spinning overlooker) secretary, and the committee of 15 was made up of overlookers, specialist mechanics and warehouse men with only one ordinary ‘millhand’. Among the committee were men who were constantly active in the affairs of the village – Sharp Varley (weaving overlooker), Samuel Baldwin (overlooker), Edwin Cox and John Lambert. Saltaire Men’s Society 11 For relief of the sick. John Wood of 9. Mawson St, Secretary. Members above 18 and under 25 pay 6d per month, and above 25 but under 50 pay 8d per month. During sickness they are entitled to 8s per week for the first six months, 4s for the next six weeks and 2s per week after that. In addition to payments from members, Sir Titus Salt pays the Society 4d per month for each member enrolled. Saltaire Women’s Society For relief of the sick. Thomas Greenwood (overlooker), 22, George St, Secretary. Members over 16 pay 4d per month. They are then entitled to 5s for the first six months of sickness, and 3s per week afterwards. Sir Titus Salt pays the Society 6d per month for every member enrolled. Other organisations which encouraged saving to meet times of need included:- Saltaire Penny Savings Bank. Formed in 1857 by a number of senior workmen with Joseph Dawson, foreman of the wool warehouse as secretary. Post Office Savings Bank Opened in 1861 enabling the GPO to provide a simple savings scheme for ordinary wage earners. By 1914 it had more than 8.5 million accounts, almost 80% of which were under £25. Bingley, Shipley and Keighley Building Society. Established 1851. Opens in Shipley at Yorkshire Bank Chambers, Otley Rd twice a week to collect subscriptions. Branch of Bradford Old Bank. Open daily on Market Place, Shipley. Friendly Societies To ward off the effect of sickness, injury or death amongst working men. The three largest Friendly Societies were the Oddfellows, the Foresters and the Royal and Ancient Order of Buffaloes. 8% of the population in 1815 were in Friendly Societies. Legislation to encourage the formation of Friendly Societies came as early as 1793. This was consolidated in 1850 with an Act of Parliament and a government department was established to administer the Act. By the early 1830s the Oddfellows had 30,000 members and 561 lodges, increasing to 90,000 members and 3,500 lodges by 1842. There were lodges in every county of England. By 1874 there were 489,237 members and 1908 there were 868,190. The Bradford branch of the Manchester Unity of Odd Fellows was the richest in the West Riding and had 27 lodges, 3,382 members and paid out over £3,000 a year in death, sickness and medical benefits in 1850.’ Royal Antedeluvian Order of Buffaloes (The Buffs). Formed in 1822 as a Fraternal organisation who’s mission was Justice, Truth and Philanthropy. They aided members and their families in times of need and supported local charities. Branches were called Lodges, in imitation of Freemasons. Overlookers in Bradford had the Power Loom Overlookers Society and the Amalgamated Overlookers. They had a motto of ‘United to help, not combined to injure’. They had no connection with strikes or trade unions. Their object was to benefit each other in employment and to assist each other in sickness and death. 12 They were originally Friendly Societies. The first was in 1827, Bradford No 1 Overlookers Provident Society; the second in 1833, Bradford No 2 Managers and Overlookers Society; the third in 1862, Bradford No 3 Overlookers Provident Society. All three merged in 1911 to become Bradford and District Managers and Overlookers Society. Some Mills required apprentices to join them. But help still came mainly from relatives or the pawnshop. The peak year for pawn shops came in 1914 when there were 5087 shops operating under licence in Britain. The number declined after this point. Co-ops In the 1830s/40s chandler’s shops were popular. They advanced goods on credit but often the goods were adulterated, over priced and of poor quality – and the same with firms operating the truck system. The Rochdale Pioneers bought good quality food at wholesale prices, cutting out the middle man and avoiding adulteration. Then in 1862 the Co-operative Wholesale Society was formed with similar ideas. This also provided a dividend (a payment Society profits once a year in proportion to the buyers expenditure). It had 400,000 members in 1883, reaching 2.3 million in 1913, 3.2 million in 1923 and 6 million in 1937. Saltaire Industrial Coal Society – Formed in 1864 when W Tiffany (wool sorter) was Secretary. Offices were at 13, Victoria Rd. Members received dividends and bonuses dependant on the amount of coal sold and profits made. In 1871 it had 600 to 800 members. In 1876 and 1877 there were newspaper advertisements under the heading ‘Coal! Coal! Coal!!!’ listing all the types of coal stocked and profits made. Orders received by W Tiffany of 30, Albert Rd. Jabez Copley of 20 George St was then Secretary. With Isaac Constantine they were the organisers of the Society. Independent Co-operative and Industrial Society Ltd – 6, Victoria Rd. Michael Holdsworth of 4, Gordon Terrace (overlooker and later weft room manager) was secretary. Closed in Saltaire in 1881. Leeds Co-operative Society. 8, Victoria Rd. James Wilkinson, storekeeper – Isaac Constantine, President of 33, Victoria Rd. Closed in Saltaire in September, 1885. Windhill Co-operative Society opened a branch at 30/31 Caroline St in May,1881. Abraham Barras was a director. Religion Saltaire Congregational Church. Opened for divine worship in 1859, and by 1860 had a regular weekly congregation of 400, plus a Sunday School with 110 on register. It was the elite church in Saltaire with Titus Junior as a member and principal benefactor and George Morrell and Frederick Wood, Chief Cashier, among the deacons. A number of well-to-do Shipley people also formed part of the communicant membership. Saltaire Wesleyan Methodist Chapel drew its leaders from a wider social circle than the Congregational Church, and included the manager of the wool warehouse, 13 the mill engineer, several of the overlookers and woolsorters and four or five woolcombers. Low Lane Primitive Methodist Church, off Saltaire Rd, Shipley. Opened in 1840 and closed in 1960 when it was demolished. St Paul’s Parish Church, Kirkgate, Shipley Built in 1826 St Walburger’s Catholic Church (Parish of St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross). Built 1878. Saltaire Society of the New Church (Swedenborgians) In his history of this Church, Bernard Leather describes that in 1870 a group of men (many of whom were Salts Mill workers), looking for rooms to rent where religious services could be held. They first used 13, Victoria Rd but in 1882/3 they “took the tenancy of two small rooms in Saltaire Rd, Saltaire which were part of the group of almshouses”. This was also known as Chapel House which held Sunday services for the Congregational Church. It was No 6, Alexandra Square (later renumbered as 29, Victoria Rd). Services were held there until 1924 and Leather describes the rooms in detail. Isaac and Jacob Sanctuary, Albert Cawthra, Robert Power, John Preston (an artist), Ben Preston (writer and poet), Abraham Holroyd (bookseller and stationer), Jonathan Mitchell (warp twister), Richard Barker (warp twister), Seth Bentley (manager Saltaire Bath-house), and James Mattack of Baildon (shopkeeper of various wares and street trader) were the founders. They were articulate, strong minded men with firm political and religious ideas. I understand that Swedenborgianism is an interpretation of the Bible which can be incorporated into other religious beliefs and so the members came from a number of religious backgrounds. In 1901, the group bought land in Park St from the Trustees of Sir Titus’ will and Sir Titus Salt Bart. Sons and Co Ltd, but never built a church there. In 1924 the Saltaire group amalgamated with the Bradford Society of the New Church and opened a New Church at Ashfield Avenue, Frizinghall. Apart from all these formal organisations, there were many societies for Saltarians to join in their leisure time. Fire Brigade – S Shackleton, Foreman, 29, Victoria Rd. Floral and Horticultural Society – Founded 1861. Renamed the Horticultural, Pig and Dog Society in 1873 and then the Horticultural, Pig, Dog, Poultry and Pigeon Society in 1876. W Tiffany, 30 Albert Rd, Secretary. “It had about 100 members, most prominent among them were long serving and skilled employees such as Eli Lambert, Isaac Constantine, John Hanson, James Ellis, Sam Baldwin and James Rushton. Men of this type were most likely to be allocated and to keep the allotments which the firm provided, though they could not establish a total monopoly since there were 100 allotments and 38 piggeries along the canal-side. It had an annual show and exhibition which was a highlight of the village social life. In addition to a produce competition (judged by the Head 14 Gardener from Methley Park) there were athletic events attracting a nationwide field and games were arranged for the children”. (Reynolds) In 1869 there were also horses jumping hurdles and a velocipede race. From 1867 to 1876 it was “held in a field owned by Mr Titus Salt situated on the Baildon side of the River Aire – the entrance to which was rather difficult and inconvenient owing to the fact that the construction of a new bridge is going on just now” (Bradford Observer). This presumably was what, since 1871, was Saltaire Park (later Roberts Park). There were no shows between 1877 and 1881, but in 1882 it was held on a recreation ground on Albert Rd. Cricket Club – William Parker, Secretary. It was destined, like the gymnastics club and the brass band, to achieve national fame. It was founded in 1865 with 140 members and promise by Salt to provide a playing area. It was reorganised in 1871 when the firm began to take a more positive interest in its affairs. The managing director, Charles Stead became President and Titus Salt was on the committee. The firm (under Sir James Roberts) provided a ground in the new park and generous financial help. The Half Moon Café was built for the Club. (There is a book by Patsy Quinn called ‘Run of the Mill’ which describes the history of the Club but which unfortunately concentrates on professional players like Sidney Banks and doesn’t mention the ordinary members at all. It does however have a photo of the Veterans team which is worth looking at). String and Reed Band – Anthony Hill of Caroline St was bandmaster. Saltaire Brass band. Challenged the already famous Black Dyke Mills band for pre-eminence in national competitions. It was originally founded in 1855 and called the Saltaire Brass Band, supported financially by Titus with £1,000 per year. There were two bands originally – a drum and fife band for the boys and a brass band for the men of the village, all of whom worked in the Mill. It began to enter national competitions, gaining first prize at the Crystal Palace in London in 1861, and second prize at the Belle Vue September Contest in 1872. There were numerous prizes at more local contests, but from the early 1870’s it was no longer entering national competitions. In 1894 it was disbanded, and the instruments were called in by the Company. Then there was a time gap until 1932 when it reformed as Salts Silver under the tuition of Mr HB Hawley, and they used to practice in the Royal Café (Salt’s old dining hall on Victoria Road). It changed its name to Salts (Saltaire) Band and was very successful on the national scene. Mr Hawley continued as its sponsor, but in 1946 he decided to form a new junior band and link this with his thriving business – he was managing director of Hammond’s Sauce Company. Some of the original senior band members transferred to this new band and Hammond’s Sauce Works Band was born, to go on to national fame and recognition. Hawley died in 1981, leading to changes in the management at Hammonds, and sponsorship was finally withdrawn in the early 1990s. Fortunately Yorkshire Building Society came in with a new offer to sponsor, and the name changed to the Yorkshire Building Society Band, and then to the YBS Band. 15 In January, 2009, the band was renamed the Hammond’s Saltaire Band. Gymnastics Club. Housed at the Institute it became a leading club in the north of England. Glee and Madrigal Society – John Johnson, Secretary. In 1869 J Giles of 47, George St was secretary. Saltaire Prize Choir Formed in 1877 as the Saltaire Wesleyan Choir, this choral group went on to achieve huge successes on the national musical scene. All over Britain, competitions were held with cash prizes, encouraging groups to form in order to win substantial rewards. The Wesleyan Choir became the Saltaire Prize Choir in 1889, and here are a few of their most notable achievements:- • Held at Hawes, the Hardraw Scar Brass Band and Choral Contest was set in an natural outdoor amphitheatre. Saltaire Prize Choir won first prize in 1890, and went on to compete here with the same success for many years. • In 1891, they performed at the Welsh National Eisteddfod in Swansea and picked up a second prize. They endured a 10 hour train ride to get there, performing before 30,000 people in a canvas tent in the rain. • At Tanfield, near Newcastle, they were invited to the mansion of Sir Frederick Milbank, Bart, there they sang and were given the freedom to explore the house and gardens. • After winning first prize at Morecambe in 1896, they returned home by train at 1-30am on Sunday morning to be greeted on the station by hundreds of supporters to welcome them back. In the pouring rain the crowd demanded a short concert on the railway bridge where the choir sang “The Sea Hath its Pearls” by Pinsuti and “Great God of Love” a madrigal in 8 parts by Pearsall – all without copies and under umbrella canopies. But perhaps the best know of their achievements was their performance at the Second Annual International Music Traders’ Exhibition, Royal Agricultural Hall, London in July, 1896, where they were awarded first prize of a Gebruder Knake white grand piano, worth 100 guineas. Angling Association – GH Bayley of 12 Victoria Rd and J Hall of Market St, Bradford were agents. Jack Reynolds notes that “There was a fishing club with one of there woolsorters as secretary which provided sport for about 100 men. It was supported by Titus Junior who established a trout farm at Milner Field and kept a stretch of the River Aire inside the Park stocked with fish”. Thirty-ninth West Riding Rifle Volunteers – J Crowther, Captain. Established in summer 1859. Edward Salt, George Salt and Titus Junior Salt held commissions in it for short periods and 90 young men in the village joined the ranks. Its armoury was located in Victoria Hall. Sir Titus provided beer for the men on manoeuvres. Shipley Musical Union Club. Wainman St. Established 1880. Gentlemen only. 16 Shipley Temperance Union. General Committee meets at Rosse St School. Established 1892, for the promotion of temperance and general moral well-being of the community, by efforts of an educational, remedial and preventative character. In 1906 the Shipley Temperance Union was located at The People's Hall, Otley Road, between Dale Street and Cross Banks. (thanks to David King for this information). President Mr George Morrell. There follows extracts from overlooker biographies, with their involvement in local organisations highlighted Baldwin, Samuel 1815 – 25 July 1888 Samuel Baldwin was born c1814 in Guiseley. He married Sarah Greenbough 2 February 1840 at Christ Church Bradford. They had five children. By 1861 they were living at 34 (renumbered 60) George Street in Saltaire with Samuel working as an overlooker. In August 1864 Samuel won a prize at the Saltaire Horticultural Show for his roses. By 1871 Samuel and his family had moved to 28 Victoria Road (renumbered 45 in 1880 then renumbered 71 in 1898) in Saltaire. In March 1879 Samuel was elected as an officer of the Saltaire Funeral Brief Society. Samuel died 25 July 1888 at 6 Mawson Street in Saltaire Barras, Abraham c1846 – 20 January 1925 Abraham married Sarah Horne 1 June 1868 at St Wilfrid’s Calverley. They had six children, with one dying as an infant. They lived all their lives in Windhill. In March 1885 Abraham was appointed to represent Windhill on the Central Committee of the Shipley Liberal Party. In February 1895 he was elected onto the Shipley School Board. He began work as a boy at Saltaire Mills in the spinning department and was a spinning overlooker for many years. On leaving Saltaire Mill he took up the insurance business for upwards of 20 years. In his early manhood was a prominent member of the Windhill Young Men's Institute. Later he became associated with the Windhill Wesleyan Mission, and for nearly 60 years was a well-known local preacher. He was also actively identified with the local cooperative movement and was a director of the Windhill Co- operative Society for 23 years. He was for many years a member of the Shipley Veterans Association, and during the absence of Mr. Hulme (chaplain) conducted the weekly services. Boddy, John 1843 – January 1915 John worked at Saltaire Mill for fifty four years in various jobs; warehouseman, weft man, worsted overlooker and clerk. He was an active member of the Saltaire Wesleyan Church and at one time or another held practically all the offices open to a layman. Amos Brear 17 Amos died 14 March 1919. Report from the Shipley Times 21 March 1919 as follows: - Originally a worker in Saltaire Mills, at which he became a spinning overlooker, he commenced in 1866, along with his brother, the drapery business in Saltaire Road. Mr. Brear was held in great respect and esteem by the tradesmen of Shipley, and this feeling found expression in 1906 when he was elected President the Tradesmen's Association. His connection with the Association dated from its formation. At the time of his death Mr. Brear was the senior deacon of the Saltaire Congregational Church, and he had served on the deaconate for 37 years. For over 20 years he was also treasurer of the church. With the church and Sunday school at Saltaire he had indeed been closely connected for over 65 years, Mr. Brear was a director for the last 15 years of the Bingley Building Society, a meeting of which he attended a fortnight before his death. A lifelong Liberal, and a member of the West Ward Liberal Club, he unsuccessfully contested two Urban Council elections in 1899 and 1913. After he was 50 years of age, he became a keen and enthusiastic cyclist, and rode many thousands of miles, Carr, John Francis 1896 – 26 October 1917 John was born c1896 in Saltaire. In 1911 he was living with his parents at 60 George Street in Saltaire. John Francis was employed as a worsted piece overlooker in Saltaire Mill. He was well known as the scorer for the Saltaire Cricket Club Second X1. He was also connected with Saltaire’s Men Own and the Saltaire Horticultural Society. Carr, Henry 1855 – 1924 During WW1 Henry served as secretary of the Shipley & District Ambulance Corps. Mr. Carr was one of the founders and the first secretary of the Shipley Gala Committee when it was formed in 1885, and up to these last few years had always taken an active part in the annual gala. He was also for several years’ secretary of the Yorkshire Voluntary Charitable Association, having to resign owing ill-health. As an ambulance worker. Mr. Carr had gained several honours for long and valued service. Constantine, Isaac 15 November 1827 – 5 November 1898 Isaac was a wool sorter, which was his occupation throughout his life. Isaac was a keen gardener. Living in Saltaire he won first prize for his potatoes at the Airedale Floral & Poultry Show 19 August 1856. This was the first of numerous awards he won for his vegetables. In the 1861 census Isaac and his family were living at 5 (renumbered 10) Edward Street in Saltaire. Isaac was active in politics and in local affairs. In April, 1866 he chaired a meeting to consider the Government’s Franchise Bill as part of the National Reform League In March, 1871 he chaired a meeting celebrating the Saltaire Branch of the Leeds Industrial Co-operative Society Limited and the Saltaire Industrial Coal Society 18 Limited. Isaac was director of the Saltaire branch of the Leeds Co-Operative Society. By 1871 Isaac and his family had moved to 33 (renumbered 76) Victoria Road in Saltaire, where they remained the rest of their lives. In April 1874 at the annual meeting of the Saltaire Club and Institute Isaac was elected as one of sixteen committee members. At the funeral of Sir Titus Salt (5 January 1877) Isaac was one of twelve foremen of the works invited to officiate as a bearer, to carry the coffin into the Saltaire Congregational Church from the hearse. In July 1882 Isaac was reported as presiding at a meeting of the Saltaire Coal Society. In January 1886 Isaac was elected to and appointed auditor for the Shipley Liberal Hundred. Throughout his life Isaac was involved with Saltaire Cricket Club and in 1893 was vice chairman. Frank Dickinson Report from the Shipley Times 3 June 1953 as follows: - The award of the 0.B.E. to Mr Dickinson, of 58 Marlborough Road, Shipley in the birthday honours announced on Monday will be welcome news to many of Mr. Dickinson’s friends and business associates. He became the first full-time secretary of the Bradford and District Power-Loom Overlookers' Society in 1915. and in 1949 he was appointed a director of U.K. Wool Disposals, Ltd. Mr. Dickinson has been secretary of the Yorkshire Association of Power-Loom Overlookers ever since its inception in 1921. He was one of the founder members of the National Association of Unions in the Textile Trade 1916, was its chairman from 1943-46 and is still an Executive member. Mr. Dickinson served the Wool Control Board in both world wars; He was connected with the formation of the Wool Textile Industrial Council and has been a member of the management committee of the General Federation of Trade Unions since 1936. He has been a member of Bradford Employment Committee since 1920 and a member the Appellant Tribunal, for conscientious objectors' appeals since 1940. In Shipley Mr. Dickinson is a vice - president of Northcliffe Amateur Bowling Association and a member of Shipley Musical Union. He was born in Saltaire and commenced work at Saltaire Mills when he was 10 years of age. Frank died in 1962. Doyle, Thomas Francis c1855 – 6 March 1933 Mr Doyle lived in Shipley for well over thirty years and was a departmental manager at the firm of Messrs. Salt’s (Saltaire) Ltd. He was perhaps best known for his political activities. In 1913 he contested the West Ward as a Labour candidate and was elected a member of the Shipley Urban Council, but on four subsequent occasions he was returned unopposed as an Independent candidate for the same ward. In all he served on the Council for 14 years, and rendered valuable service as chairman of the Baths, Public Health, and Promenade Concert Committees, and vice-chairman of the Education Committee. During the war he was a member of the Military Service Tribunal. 19 A very keen musician. Mr. Doyle was a past president of the Shipley Musical Festival, with which he was associated for many years. He was also a member of the committee of the old Saltaire Institute Society, and a past president of the Mills Male Voice Choir. Mr. Doyle was also a former chairman the Shipley I.L.P, a past president of the Saltaire Mills Bowling Club: member of Laycock’s Debating Society, Bradford: a speaker on political economy; a member of the Astronomical Society; and a member of the old Shipley Operatic Society. As a young man he was an enthusiastic Rugby Union player and played wing three-quarter for the Buttershaw Club. His brother, Eddie Doyle, was the famous Bradford and Yorkshire full back. Ellis, Fred 19 Mar 1853 – 1947 He began work at eight in the Saltaire Mills and became a combing overlooker ten years later. He retired on a pension in 1927, after 66 years’ service without a break. In his younger days he was a notable cricketer. He assisted in the formation of the Saltaire Cricket Club and played with the first team as batsman and wicketkeeper until he retired from the game in 1887. In those days the club consisted largely of employees of the Saltaire Mills, and the team was known as the “Millboys in white.” In 1877 he played with the Saltaire and district “XV.,” which defeated the full Notts County team, and he scored nearly 100 runs against the bowling of Billy Barnes, Morley, and Flowers. Two years later he was selected by the M.C.C. to play with a team of All-England colts at Lord’s and scored an outstanding success. Ellis, Edwin 27 April 1855 – 19 September 1940 Edwin Ellis was the son of Joseph Ellis a wool warehouseman. In 1871 & 1881 they were living at 21 Victoria Road with Edwin working as a piece hooker then a weaving overlooker. In 1891 they lived at 14 Almshouses (renumbered 37 Victoria Road). In 1901 & 1911 Edwin was a weaving manager living with his family at 34 Albert Road (renumbered 67). Around 1914 they moved to 29 Avondale Road in Shipley where Edwin would spend the rest of his life. Report from the Shipley Times 28 May 1920 as follows: - “In the year 1864, before he was nine years of age, young “Ted” came to work in the mills as a half-timer and attended the school for half-timers held by the firm in the building now known as the Royal Café in Victoria Road. At this tender age he worked in the drawing room of the spinning department, but after a few months, and before he attained the solemnity of ten years, he became a jobber, which occupation he followed for some four years. At thirteen he was transferred to the weft room of the weaving department and was employed there in pegging bobbins. From the weft room he advanced to piece- hooking and weavers wages clerk, and at sixteen years of age, some 49 years ago, he took up the practical side of weaving. At that time the workers were employed on the noted Donskoi wool, when three pieces per day were turned off the loom. This employment lasted some six months, 20 and in 1873 his future was definitely decided, when, on Sir Titus Salt’s 70th birthday, young Ted became an apprentice weaving overlooker. For nine years, including his apprenticeship, he worked on ladies’ goods in the Dresses Department, and subsequently for eleven years was employed on men’s wear in the Coatings Department. A further period was spent in charge of the Pattern Weaving, and on December 13th, 1894, a few months after the advent of Mr. James Roberts and his co-directors, Ellis was promoted to be the manager of the whole of the Weaving Departments, which position he has held up to the present time, making a total length of service of 55 years. Natural capacity and determination resulted in a very wide and thorough technical knowledge, and this was recognised by the local authorities when, at the inception of the Shipley Technical School in 1887, Mr Ellis was placed in charge of the textile Department, and he held this position for five years. He is a well-known character in old Saltaire, and in his younger days played in the first eleven with the Saltaire Cricket Club. He was in the team on the memorable occasion when they put out Scarborough for eleven runs. Mr. Edwin Ellis is leaving with the tale of fifty-five years to his credit, and his brother, He was presented with a gold watch. Excell, John (Jack) 1 May 1879 – 6 March 1959 Mr John Excell, of 10 Springcliffe Street, Green Lane, Baildon, who died on Friday at the age of 79, retired last July after 69 years unbroken service at Saltaire Mills. He came of a family with a remarkable record of service, even at a firm where there is a tradition for generation to follow generation. His father, who lived to be 95, actually helped to build houses in Saltaire. and worked at the mill for more than 73 years. Mr. Excell’s sister worked there for 47 years, and his son, Mr. Harold Excell, has been at the mill for 50 years. Mr. John Excell was at Delph Hill, Baildon, and started working in the drawing department at the mill when only ten years old. For more than 40 years he was a carding overlooker. In his youth, Mr. Excell played cricket with Baildon Green. He was a member of the New Prosperity Lodge of the Shipley District. Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Manchester Unity, and of the Wood bottom Veterans’ Association. Ferrand, William c1821 – 27 February 1903 In 1861 William was a spinning overlooker living with his family at 46 George Street (renumbered 72) in Saltaire. From 1881 they lived at The Green in Baildon where William was a wool buyer and merchant. William died 27 February 1903. Report in the Shipley Times 6 March 1903 as follows: - Mr Ferrand was well known and respected among all classes in the village, having held various public offices. He was throughout his life a sterling Liberal, and his death awakens memories of political struggles in the days before the household franchise was given to the counties, in which he took an active part. Born at Cottingley, he had early in life to begin to earn his own livelihood, which he did first in a humble way as weaver, then as hand comber in Bradford. He was 21 employed at Messrs Forster Fison’s when that firm removed from Bradford to Greenholme, Burley in Wharfedale. He graduated from one position of trust to another until about the year 1860, when he obtained the appointment of wool buyer at Saltaire Mills, a position which he held for many years, ultimately retiring from the firm to commence a business as a woolstapler on his own account in Bradford. Mr Ferrand was a member of the Baildon Local Board for about twelve years and was a district representative on the Wharfedale Board of Guardians over nine years. He was also on the executive committee of the old East Division of the West Riding Liberal Association and of the Otley Division Liberal Executive Committee, and for many years a prominent member of the Otley and Baildon Liberal Clubs. George, Alexander c1840 – 28 March 1910 Alexander was a clothier with a shop on Commercial St, Shipley. By 1874 Alexander and his family were living in Saltaire. He was very active politically and felt strongly about a number of issues. He was a staunch Liberal He was prosecuted and fined for refusing to have his children vaccinated against smallpox. In August, 1903, he presided at a mass meeting of 7,000 people welcoming home two men who had been imprisoned for refusing to have their children vaccinated. He was president of Saltaire Industrial Co-operative Society He objected to half-timer children being compelled to attend Albert Rd Board School. He presided at the Sunday Lectures held at the Temperance Hall He spoke at the meeting held at Wellcroft Field involving 2,000 attendees objecting to the House of Lords refusal to pass the Franchise Bill. He presided at a meeting of the Shipley Liberal Association to elect members of the Liberal Hundred. In January 1900 Alexander was elected President of the Shipley Tradesmen Association at their annual meeting. He supported the candidature of Tom Townsend for re-election as the Liberal representative for the West Shipley Division on the County Council. Gilbert, George 24 March 1857 – 24 August 1927 Report from Shipley Times 6 December 1901 as follows: - Employees of Saltaire Mills met at the Victoria Hotel to bid farewell to two of their older overlookers, Mr. Arthur Nutter and Mr George Gilbert who had been employed at the mill forty and thirty-six years respectively. Mr Nutter left to take charge of the weaving department at Buttershaw Mills and Mr Gilbert to an appointment at Yorkshire College. Hanson, John 1833 – 21 January 1919 John Hanson born in 1833 in Keighley. Aged just eight he worked for Daniel Salt (father of Sir Titus) in Bradford and subsequently he worked for Sir Titus too. When Saltaire Mills opened in 1853, John was the first overlooker in the spinning department. Later he would become an overlooker in drawing and combing. 22 In 1861 they were living at 6 Titus Street in Saltaire, in 1871 at 6 George Street. John was the oldest member of the Overlookers’ Union in the Bradford when he died 21 January 1919. Edwin Holdsworth c1839 – 8 April 1920 Report from the Shipley Times 16 April 1920 as follows: - Death of a Shipley Veteran. At the advanced age of 81 years, Mr. Edwin Holdsworth, 40 Victoria Road, Saltaire, died at his residence on Thursday in last week. For 46 years he was employed as a weaving overlooker at Saltaire Mills. Mr. Holdsworth was connected with the Rosse Street Baptist Church, Shipley, ever since its erection in 1866, and he was a life deacon of the church and one of the first trustees. When the Sunday School was opened, he took charge of the infants’ class, with which he kept up his connection for the long period of a quarter of century. For some years he was teacher and superintendent. In November 1878, he was appointed superintendent of the Sunday School, a position which he held until November 1906. The deceased was one the oldest members of the Shipley Veterans’ Association, member of the Tree of Life Lodge, of the Shipley District 1.0.0. F. (M.U.), and of the Saltaire Liberal Club. Holdsworth, Michael c1822 – 1896 In 1871 Michael was living with his family at 4 Gordon Terrace (renumbered 57 Bingley Road), Saltaire. In 1871 he was an overlooker; 1881 a weft room manager, and by 1891 he had retired. Chaired a public meeting of the Liberation Society in March, 1864 President of the Saltaire Band of Hope in May, 1866 President of the Saltaire Branch of National Reform League in February, 1867 which advocated residential registered manhood suffrage protected by ballot, and that the position taken by the government was vague, indefinite and unsatisfactory. Gave a lecture to the British Temperance League in February 1867. Chaired a meeting of the Shipley and District Temperance Society in July, 1868 Addressed a meeting of the Shipley and District Temperance Society which set up a Band of Hope at a tea meeting in September 1868 Was secretary of the Saltaire Independent Co-Operative and Industrial Society Limited – 6 Victoria Road; Michael Holdsworth, 4 Gordon Terrace Michael & Martha lost their son, Alfred aged 24, in May 1878. His body was found in a canal in Birmingham. He was a cabinet maker and he had found employment. At the inquest into his death an “open verdict” was recorded. Ince, John 19 December 1862 – 18 May 1926 In 1891 John was a spinning overlooker, in 1901 a worsted foreman spinner, and 1911 was spinning manager. He is active in Saltaire Wesleyan Church. Lamb, Joseph 23 27 August 1877 – 1939 His father, John, played cricket for Baildon Green, then he was a “pro” for Manningham, and he was subsequently coach to Oxford University. John died in 1918 and Harriet in 1929. In 1911 they were living at 48 George Street in Saltaire. By 1914 they had moved to 3 Myrtle Place in Saltaire, where they remained until 1934. From 1935 they lived at 13 Albert Road. Joseph worked at Salt’s Mill for over 50 years. He started as a doffer aged just 10 in 1883. He was a spinner overlooker for over 40 years. Like his father Joseph was a keen cricketer. He played for Saltaire when Sydney Barnes was captain of the club. Mansfield, Alfred c1839 – 11 September 1915 In 1871 the family were living at 19 Amelia Street in Saltaire with Alfred working as a worsted spinning overlooker. By 1881 they had moved to 4 Lockwood Street where they remained the rest of their lives. Alfred was a faithful member of the Rosse Street Baptist Chapel for many years and he was secretary of the Shipley Veterans Association. Minakin, Fred 1860 – 21 March 1903 Fred died 21 March 1903. He was a twisting overlooker at Salts Mill. As a sportsman he was on several occasions well to the front and was at one time first in the averages of the Saltaire cricket team, that being during the time of the membership of Harry Mosley and other well-known cracks. He was also owner of several prizes and medals which he had won in the sports at Saltaire Park, but his supremacy in any branch sport was only short-lived, though when he was at his best in any particular branch of athletics he was looked upon as a hero at Saltaire. At the formation the Saltaire Football Club be was installed as secretary and held that position throughout the whole career of that now defunct club, and although he did not take any part in the working of the affairs the club, he was referee in the Yorkshire Rugby Union. Joining the Shipley & District Working Men's Club as assistant secretary, which be held for 3 or years, afterwards taking over the office of secretary, which he held at the time of his death, having been 7 years in that office. He was also a member of the Shipley Brass Band Social Club and was for many years’ auditor for the Baildon Working Men’s Club. He leaves a widow and two children. Mosley, Henry (Harry) 8 March 1850 – 1 June 1922 Local cricketers who can recall the Saltaire Club in the eighties will learn with regret of the death of Mr. Harry Mosley, who about 30 years ago was a professional for Saltaire, and was regarded one of the best left-arm bowlers that time, he being associated with Dickie Barlow, who also was one of Saltaire’s professionals. Mr. Mosley was a native of Shipley, and was employed as a drawing overlooker at Saltaire Mills, and about 30 years ago he emigrated to Sanford, Maine, U.S.A., 24 where was employed a similar capacity for an American firm, where eventually he became manager over the drawing department, and retired pension some time ago. He was succeeded as manager by his son. Regarding his cricketing career, a local enthusiast informs that Mosley played as a professional for 17 seasons—from 1874 to 1890 inclusive. He was considered the most destructive left arm bowler in the whole of the Aire Valley. In 1881 he was tried for Yorkshire County, for his bowling. Pearson, Robert Crowther Wilkinson 5 April 1841 – 15 November 1897 Mr Pearson, who was 58 years of age, had followed the employment of spinning overlooker at Saltaire Mills for about twenty years. About three or four years ago he went to Manningham Mills as a sweeper out. The deceased only arrived back on Wednesday last from London, where he had been spending a month with his son. In his younger days Mr Pearson was a vigorous Radical, the interests of which party he consistently advocated and promoted up to the time of his death. He was member of the Working Men's Club Redman, Ogden 1847 – 12 October 1890 Ogden was not an overlooker. He was employed as a wool sorter at Salts Mill. His only involvement in village life was in the Saltaire Industrial Co-operative Society. He was appointed a compounder (along with Holdsworth and Stell) when a motion was put forward to wind up the Society in August 1876 he moved to Dalry in Scotland, where he was involved in the Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Society in 1888. Rushton, James Wilkinson 15 August 1825 – 22 September 1893 James married Sarah Whiteoak 18 January 1846 at St Wilfrid’s Calverley. They had a daughter, Ellen Elizabeth, born 23 September 1847. In 1851 they were living at One Street in Bradford with James working as an alpaca sorter. In 1861 they were living at 28 (re-numbered 54) George Street in Saltaire. Sarah, James’s wife, died in 1869. She was buried 1 September. In 1871 widowed James was a wool sorting manager living at 19 Victoria Road, Saltaire. James married widow Amelia Smith (nee Ellison) 28 March 1872 in Bradford Cathedral. They had a son, Charles, born in 1875. Amelia died in 1877. In 1881 & 1891 James was living at 74 Victoria Road in Saltaire. James married Sarah Drake 11 January 1882 at St Paul’s Shipley. Report from the Wharfedale & Airedale Observer - Friday 30 September 1887: - Presentation of a portrait on the occasion of his retirement after 53 years service in Salts Mill as foreman woolsorter. He had joined the firm before Sir Titus created Saltaire - in fact be was the oldest employer about the premises. James died 22 September 1893 aged 68 years. He lived at 32 Moorhead Crescent, Shipley (formerly of George Street, Saltaire), Sanctuary, George 1857 – 12 October 1932 25 Spinning overlooker with 60 years employment at Salts Mill. Secretary of the Prize Choir and member of Congregational Church choir. He was a staunch Liberal and his wife was one of the founder members of Shipley Women’s Liberal Association. Stell, John c1850 – November 1917 John’s father George had been a spinning overlooker, and John was a spinner in 1861. He had a varied career. He then worked as a merchant’s clerk, before becoming cashier in a worsted factory in 1891; in 1901 he was a manager in a braid factory and in 1911, he was an electrical cable manufacturer. In 1878 he was involved in Saltaire Industrial Co-op, and was appointed one of the auditors when it was decided not to close the Society. For many years he was churchwarden at St Paul’s Church in Shipley and a teacher in the Sunday School. At the annual vestry meeting of St Paul’s Shipley in April 1885, John was nominated as one of twelve sidesmen. At the annual meeting of the Shipley Conservative Association in January 1889 Edward Salt was elected as President and John Stell was elected as one of two auditors. By 1897 John was living with his family at Wellington Crescent, Shipley. At a special meeting of the Shipley District Council in May 1897 John was part of a three-man deputation who addressed the council about the condition of the back street of Wellington Crescent. In 1914 he was elected as secretary of South Ward Unionist Polling District Association William Tiffany rd th (3 October, 1835 to 27 June, 1899) Secretary of Saltaire Floral and Horticultural Society and Saltaire Industrial Coal Society. 1851 William was a spinner aged 16. 1861he was a wool sorter aged 26. 1869 he lived at 31, Helen St 1871 Census he was working as a wool sorter and living at 30, Albert Rd (renumbered 59). He was the eldest of 3 children who were employed as factory operatives. He marries Susannah Airey and they had 10 children – Joseph (1858); Susannah (1859); Emily (1862); Fred (1864); Martha (1866); George (1868); Mary Ann (1870); William Arthur (1872); Elizabeth (1874); Lavinia (1877); Edith (1879 died Dec 1879). Wife died 1884 and he remarried Sarah Locker 1881 census William still a wool sorter and living at 68, George St. Varley, Sharp c1836 – 1881 Sharp Varley was born c1836 in Bingley as Sharp Cowgill, son of Mary Cowgill, father unknown. Mary married William Varley 2 October 1836 at St Michael’s Haworth. Sharp then took the Varley name. 26 In 1851 they lived in Wilsden with William working as a labourer and Sharp as a power loom weaver. By 1861 they had moved to 1 (re-numbered 27) George Street in Saltaire with William working as a farm labourer and Sharp as a weaver. Sharp married Elizabeth Illingworth in 1866. They had four children. In 1871 & 1881 they lived at 57 Titus Street with Sharp working as a weaving overlooker. In May 1875 Sharp was reported as being a past provincial grand master of the Bingley branch of the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows. In March 1879 Sharp was elected as an officer of the Saltaire Funeral Brief Society. Sharp was associated with Saltaire Cricket Club in a non-playing capacity. th Sharp died 4 Qtr. 1881. Others Bentley, Seth 28 October 1833 – 23 June 1897 Seth Bentley was the son of James Bentley. James was born c1793 in Baildon. He married Sarah Robinson 19 May 1912. Seth, the youngest of 10 children, was born 28 October 1833 in Baildon. He was baptised 10 November 1833 in Otley. Seth married Hannah Pollard in 1862. They had two children: Fred born c1864 and Sarah b c1869. In 1871 & 1881 they lived at 26 Caroline Street in Saltaire. By 1891 they had moved to 5 Bingley Road in Shipley. By 1897 the family has moved to 29 Bradford in Shipley. Seth died 23 June 1897. He was buried in Nab Wood Cemetery in Shipley. The following article was published in the Shipley Times 26 June 1897: - ‘For some years he was a worker in the Saltaire Mills, under the late Sir Titus Salt, who had a high regard for him, and who selected him for post of manager of the public baths and wash house built by the late firm. For over twenty yean Mr Bentley filled this position, which brought him in contact (often friend and helper) with nearly every family in the place. Seven or eight years ago, when the baths were closed, he went into business on his own account as a laundry proprietor. Mr Bentley was man of strong religious convictions. Many years ago, he became follower of Swedenborg, and was one of the founders of the New Jerusalem Church at Saltaire. He remained an active supporter of that church to the end, and he will be much missed by the community which meets there. In politics he was a staunch Radical, a strong anti-vaccination, and land reformer. Early in 1891 he headed an important deputation of influential working men from Shipley and district to invite Mr Byles to become a candidate for the Shipley Division, on the retirement of Joseph Craven. He was at the same time, and for the express purpose of advocating this candidate, elected a member of the Executive of the Shipley Division Liberal Association, of which he was afterwards for several year the president. Mr Bentley, who enjoyed good health during the whole his life until his last illness, left behind him widow and one daughter. His only son was killed in America in 1891’. 27 Rhodes, Sutcliffe 26 March 1837 – 19 September 1916 Sutcliffe married Alicia Ann Wallace 13 January 1862 at St Paul’s Shipley. They had five children. In 1851 he was a woolcomber. Letter in the Bradford Observer Thursday 04 April 1867: - Sutcliffe makes a plea for woolsorters who are laid off when demand is poor and re- employed when it picks up again. He was living at Ada St. Letter in the Bradford Observer Thursday 25 July 1867: - Sutcliffe wants investigation into anthrax – ‘clouds of dust and keenly penetrating hairs’ which cause woolsorter deaths. th And on 30 January, 1868, he reports that a philanthropic gentleman and an eminent physician are interesting themselves in the problem. Then on 12 March, 1868, he writes to praise the discussion taking place to look for solutions to this problem, albeit with the rejection of a mask. Report in the Leeds Times Saturday 26 December 1874 of a meeting at the Temperance Hall devoted to discussion of the woolsorter’s disease, at which detailed medical evidence was advanced. Sutcliffe was one of the main speakers. Letter in the Bradford Observer Thursday 05 March 1868: - A plea for the creation of a place in Shipley for young men to meet for self improvement, similar to the Saltaire Literary Institute. Writing from Baildon. In 1871 Sutcliffe was a wool sorter living with his family at 14 Wycliffe Place in Shipley. Letter in the Bradford Observer Thursday 25 November 1875 entitled ‘Slavery in the Spinning room’. Sutcliffe deplores the practice of overworking child spinners and physically abusing them. He cites the sight of an emaciated form of a spinning girl rendered helpless by the scandalous abuse of an overlooker. And the dying spinner boy who said the ‘Ellis Brook has pawsed me right hard’. Sutcliffe is living at Mildred St, Bradford in 1875. In 1881 Sutcliffe was a commercial traveller living at 10 Orchard Street in Bradford. Alicia, Sutcliffe’s wife, died 3rd Qtr. 1890. In 1891 Sutcliffe was living alone at 130 Mildred Street, Bradford. He married Harriet Lord 9 May 1891 at All Saints, Bingley. Report from the Bradford Daily Telegraph Saturday 19 March 1892, that Sutcliffe was before the Bankruptcy Court for public examination and was allowed to pass. He admitted having appropriated money belonging to the Liverpool, Yorkshire and Lancashire Tea Company but was re-engaged by them at less salary, the difference going to pay off his defalcations. In 1901 Sutcliffe was living alone at 19 Moorhead Lane in Shipley. Sutcliffe married his third wife, Charlotte Squires, in 1910. In 1911 he was living with her family at Sibsey in Lincolnshire. (Sibsey is a village 4m north of Boston. In 1911 it had a population of 1,004). Sutcliffe died 19 September 1916 aged 79 years In conclusion There is ample evidence that overlookers performed essential management roles in Salts Mill. 28 Without their innovative and organisational skills in the community, life for Saltaire residents would have been much less rich and rewarding. They are the unsung heroes of the Saltaire story. We shouldn’t forget the broader picture too. Bringing large numbers of workers together in factories stimulated an awareness of their shared condition. It encouraged their involvement in the political process, in the growth of trade unions, in manhood suffrage and the National Reform League, and ultimately in the Independent Labour Party in 1893. The more radical and active Saltaire overlookers played a role in this journey, as their biographies reveal. Roger Clarke February, 2020 29
Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, United Kingdom
China inkpot with coloured stencils of a Shipley badge on one side and one of Hall Royd Methodist Church on the other side
Ink pot: Rear view - Shipley coat of arms
C2a-031: Saltaire village - Images (People).
Photograph of crowd, outside Saltaire Methodist Church, waiting for a procession in Saltaire Road c.1920s
C2a-050.2: Saltaire village - Images (People).
Page 2: Photocopies of Postcards of: 'View from Saltaire Tram Terminus'; Coloured card of Saltaire Methodist Church with tram c.1903; Saltaire Road with Primitive Methodist Church and the Central School c.1903
C2a-050: Saltaire village - Images (People).
C2a-050.24: Saltaire village - Images (People).
Photograph of the wedding of Malcolm Jefferies Whitaker and June Scott at Saltaire Methodist Church 1954
C2b-033: Photos of Congregational Sunday School & Saltaire Methodist Chapel
Photos of Congregational Sunday School & Saltaire Methodist Chapel
Mounted photos of Congregational Sunday School & Saltaire Methodist Chapel
Congregational Sunday School site, Saltaire, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Enlargement of old photograph of Saltaire Methodist Church
C2b-101a: Saltaire Methodist Church with tram
Photograph of Saltaire Methodist Chapel with tram
C2b-102/17/12: Image of the original Saltaire Methodist Chapel
Image of the original Saltaire Methodist Chapel
Image of the original Saltaire Methodist Chapel. One of a collection of Slides relating to Saltaire compiled by Albert Bowtell.
C2b-102/17/13: A photograph of the new Saltaire Methodist Church
A photograph of the new Saltaire Methodist Church
A photograph of the new Saltaire Methodist Church. One of a collection of Slides relating to Saltaire compiled by Albert Bowtell.
Three photocopies copies of a photograph of the front entrance to Saltaire Methodist Church (a-b) + a laminted copy (d)
Photograph of Saltaire Methodist Chapel (5)
C2b-147F: The Saltaire almshouses with the Methodist Church
The Saltaire almshouses with the Methodist Church
Photograph of The almshouses with the Methodist Church (6)
Almshouses, Saltaire, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
An old photograph of Saltaire Methodist Chapel
One of a number of folders of mounted postcards and photographs of Saltaire including Victoria Hall and Saltaire Methodist Chapel
Victoria Hall, Saltaire, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Photograph of the Weslyan Methodist Chapel on Saltaire Road. A collection of photographs puchased from Dorothy Burrows by the Salts Trust (mounted on board)
C2b-330: Saltaire village Images (Places)
A photograph of the Weslyan Methodist Chapel on Saltaire Road with a tram. One of a collection of photographs puchased from Burrows, Dorothy by the Salts Trust (mounted on board).
C3a-079: Photograph memories, [the life of] William Oldfield, Methodist Minister
Photograph memories, [the life of] William Oldfield, Methodist Minister
Photograph memories of Saltaire Methodist Chapel by William Oldfield - Methodist Minister.
C3b-272a-b: The Land Acquisitions of Titus Salt in Shipley & Baildon
The Land Acquisitions of Titus Salt in Shipley & Baildon
2 copies of booklet: 'The Land Acquisitions of Titus Salt in Shipley & Baildon' by Ian Watson
Salt, Titus, Sir: Portrait photograph of Titus Salt in later life
THE LAND ACQUISITIONS OF TITUS SALT by Ian Watson 1 Ian Watson (2011) 2 3 INTRODUCTION The basic story of Titus Salt building up his textile empire in Bradford, and then, at the point when he might have been expected to retire, deciding to start a whole new project, developing a gigantic mill and model village, is well known. What does not seem to have been covered within the general literature on Salt and his mill, is the story of his property purchases in this area. In particular, there is little reference to his, quite substantial acquisitions in Baildon; which, as I will show, were not only on a larger scale than his purchases in Shipley, but in one instance pre-dated them. Also, few of the authors who have covered the story of Saltaire mention Dixon Mill Lane. Neither Balgarnie nor Cudworth refer to it at all, and those authors who do mention it, do so only in passing. There is also an assumption, by some authors, that the old lane, seen in the first edition of the Ordnance Survey map, was upgraded and widened and became Victoria Rd. The evidence presented below disproves that assumption. It details the chronological developments relating to Dixon Mill Lane and Victoria Rd, and the bridging of the River Aire. This occurred between the survey for the first edition Ordnance Survey map, published in 1852 and the next series, surveyed in the 1880s, by which time the building of Saltaire had been completed. This report concentrates on previously unpublished information on the development of the village and tries to avoid repeating those well-known aspects of its history. Most of the information regarding Titus Salt’s purchases in Shipley and Baildon comes from the collection of deed copies held in the Registry of Deeds at the West Yorkshire Archive Service Office based at the West Yorkshire History Centre in Wakefield. The Registry is the place where property owners could have details of their freehold property and mortgage transactions recorded and covers the years between 1704 and 1970. One of the problems with these deed copies is that it is very unusual for the early ones to have any maps or plans attached, as do some of the later ones. This means that, in some cases, the precise boundaries of the purchases are not always easy to determine. 4 The description of the properties transferred in the deeds tend to be lists of field names, so I have tried to relate the information in the deeds to the details shown on the tithe maps of Shipley and Baildon, which date from the mid-1840s. However, some of the boundaries of the acquisitions that I identify may not be a hundred percent accurate, as it is not always possible to make a perfect match between the two sets of documents. A second source of information comes from the collection of Shipley and Baildon papers that can be found within the West Riding Quarter Session records, also held at Wakefield. These Quarter Sessions courts were the main system of county administration before the introduction of County Councils in 1888. Among the many issues considered by these courts were the applications to approve the transfers of public rights of way from old roads to new ones. The information contained in these records has proved particularly informative. The papers relating to Baildon [the QT series] are part of the Quarter Session papers for the Liberty of Cawood, Wistow and Otley. As the parish of Otley, of which Baildon was a part, was a ‘Peculiar’ of the Archbishopric of York, their Quarter Session records were administered separately from rest of the West Riding until 1864, when the ‘Liberty’ was brought within the West Riding. As a result, on their arrival at Wakefield, these records were recorded separately. They are now searchable via the West Yorkshire Archive Service web-site (http://www.wyjs.org.uk). The files relating to Shipley [the QS1 series] can only be accessed on- site at the Wakefield office. Many of the plans used as source material for this study have been in storage for over a 150 years. As such, they are often creased and dirty. Consequently, the illustrations used below reflect the non-pristine condition of these plans. The plans reference to the Quarter Session papers [the QS and QT series] are reproduced here by the kind permission of the West Yorkshire Joint Archive Service, who own the copyright. In addition, I would like to thank the following people and organisations: The archivist and volunteers of the Midland Railway Study Centre, Derby, and Julie Woodward and the management of Shipley College for permission to copy and reproduce documents held with the Saltaire Archive Collection. Ian Watson 2011 5 THE SHIPLEY PURCHASES The full extent of Titus Salt’s land purchases in Shipley is highlighted with this aerial view. Salt’s Shipley Acquisitions (taken from Google Map) The area within the purple border, which extends from Hirst Mill and Hirst Lane in the west, to part way down Saltaire Road in the east, shows the whole of Titus Salts acquisitions in Shipley. The northern boundary is the River Aire, while the southern boundary is Bingley Road. This can be compared to the area occupied by the mill and village, which is shown in orange. Here, then, is evidence that Salt bought well over twice as much land as he needed for the village. The orange border also marks the boundary of the Saltaire World Heritage site, on the Shipley side of the river. Though Roberts/Saltaire Park, across the river in Baildon, is also included within the SWH boundary. The yellow oblong marks the one piece of quarry land, situated behind the Alms Houses at the top of Victoria Road, that was bought by his sons after Titus Salt’s death . 6 The original owners The above plan identifies all the individual blocks of land that Titus Salt bought in Shipley. The land now occupied by the mill and village was originally owned by 8 different land owners. In addition to these purchases, Salt bought land on both the east and west side of the future village from a further 6 individuals. Making a total of 14 separate purchases between 1850 and 1874. All of the fields shown in the plan, with the exception of the land between Saltaire Road and Bingley Road, consisted of conventional farmland at the time of the purchases, and contained a range of arable, pasture and grass-meadow. The fields between Saltaire Road and Bingley Road, though, had been created out of rough moorland by the Shipley Enclosure Act (1815-1825). This land contained good quality sandstone, which was suitable for quarrying. It is almost certain that, having obtained permission for quarrying from the Lord of the Manor, stone from this site, and quarries in other parts of Shipley and the surrounding area were used in the construction of the mill and village. 7 First Shipley Purchase 1850 According to the information in the deed of sale, the first purchase in Shipley appears to have been in late December 1850 when Titus Salt bought around 22 acres of land from William Crompton Stansfield of Esholt Hall, for £12,000. There appears to have been no public notice of this land being placed on sale, so it may have taken place through a private contact. This land ran between the Shipley to Bramley Turnpike Road, later Saltaire Road, and the river. This purchase, highlighted in red in the above plan, included most of the fields on either side of an ancient track called Dixon Mill Lane, along with the old corn and fulling mill down by the river. It also included a tiny piece of land on the Baildon side of the river. There had been a mill at the bottom of Dixon Mill Lane since 1635, when William Dixon had bought or leased the land on the south bank of the Aire, along with the small plot on the north bank in Baildon. This, I presume, would have been a standard requirement when someone needed to build a water-driven mill, as they would have needed control of at least some land on the opposite side of the river in order to build the weir. Following the purchase, Dixon built a water-powered corn mill and a fulling mill on the site, along with the weir and a goit. Fulling is one of the final processes in the manufacture of woollen cloth. Fulling stocks consisted of large wooden hammers, which were driven by the power from a water-wheel. They were used beat the woven cloth in order to blend the short woollen fibres together and produce a firm hard- wearing cloth. 8 The main part of Dixon’s Mill was built over the gap created by the cutting of a goit (a man-made cut) along the length of a gravel bank that lay roughly parallel to the south bank of the river. This goit allowed water to be drawn under the mill to power the water-wheels. It then ran out along the goit. A surviving plan of the complex (see page 11) shows that the mill complex consisted of relatively small buildings, and, as such, would only have employed a limited number of workers. th By the beginning of the 19 century there was a corn mill, a fulling mill and a woollen mill operating here. The whole complex was run through the power of three water-wheels; one running the corn-milling stones; one running four fulling stocks and one running the carding and scribbling, a processes involving the disentangling of the woollen fibres, prior to spinning. As the deed of purchase shows, however, at the time that Salt bought it, only the corn mill and the fulling mill were operating. The corn mill was being operated at that time by John and Joseph Knowles, and the fulling mill by James Davidson. Dixon’s Mill and the cottages 9 Just four years prior to Salt’s 1850 purchase, the new railway line from Shipley to Colne had been cut through Dixon Mill Lane. The plan above shows how the land on which the future mill and village would be constructed looked in the mid-1840s. The construction of the railway would have required some alteration to the lane as it approached the intersection with the line. It would seem that the levelling of the bed for the rail track as it passed this section had created a shallow embankment on the southern side of the line, and this would have needed to have been breached to allow the old road to descend to the track level. A level crossing was constructed at the intersection with the lane, and a cottage was built on the north side of the track for the crossing-keeper. In 1851, the crossing was manned by Joseph Goldsborough. Immediately to the north of the crossing-keeper’s cottage was a long row of cottages running parallel to the lane. It is likely that they were built sometime after 1837, following Crompton Stansfield’s purchase of the land on the west side of Dixon Mill Lane. Prior to this time the land had been owned by a wealthy Bramhope man, Christopher Driver. By 1837, it had passed into the hands of a John Morley of Dishforth, and it was Morley who sold it to Crompton Stansfield. Salt’s deed of purchase says that there were eight cottages in the row, though the census, taken in March 1851, shows that there were 11 families living in the houses. The heads of the households included a clothier, three wool combers, a cloth miller and a cloth fuller, all of whom, presumably, would have worked in the nearby mill. There was also a maltster, who might have worked in any of the many beer-houses in Shipley, two stone-quarrymen, who would probably have worked in the quarries off ‘Saltaire Rd’ and two coal miners, who may have worked in the pits of nearby Moorhead and Northcliffe. One of the cottages was occupied by a William Craven, who had nine children, which, along with his wife, meant that there were 11 people in that one small cottage. 10 Dixon’s Mill yard -The path to the stepping stones Beyond the cottages, a swing-bridge carried the old lane over the Leeds and Liverpool canal. (The base of this bridge can still be seen on the south bank of the canal, just to the east of the present canal bridge) Dixon Mill Lane, being, presumably, part of an ancient cross-valley route between Shipley, Baildon and Eldwick, was a public bridle way and public right of way. Once over the canal the public pathway led through Dixon’s Mill yard, and then towards the river bank, where a set of stepping stones allowed traveller to cross the river. (The public right-of- way is shown on the above plan by the black line) Once on the Baildon side, the traveller would then have had to wade through a shallow ford, before fully gaining the northern bank. The most famous user of these stepping-stones was the Airedale Poet, John Nicholson, who drowned at this spot in April 1843, while crossing the river, on his way to Eldwick. 11 The second Dixon Mill Lane A short time after Titus Salt had completed the purchase of this land he started the construction of a new road, that ran, more or less parallel to the old Dixon Mill Lane. In order to complete this new road, which initially became the second Dixon Mill Lane, Salt also built a set of bridges over the railway, the canal and the river. Prior to this he obtained permission from the Quarter Session Magistrates to close the public right of way on the old lane and stepping stones and transfer the rights to his new lane and bridges. (The above plan, incidentally, gives a slightly misleading impression of these roads, due to the fact that the original plan was folded and crumpled, and proved impossible to smooth out when taking the photograph of it). Salt must have recognised the necessity of constructing a new road and building bridges over both the canal and the railway, in order to facilitate the expected heavy traffic following the opening of the mill, and avoid the obvious problems of using the level crossing and a swing-bridge, 12 However, the cast-iron bridge over the railway line required the approval of two railway companies before it could be built: “We the Leeds and Bradford Railway Company being the owners and We the Midland Railway Company being the occupiers of land over and near which the Extension of the Leeds and Bradford Railway from Shipley to Colne passes, being part of the lands described in the plan hereunto annexed, through and over which part of a certain highway lying between the Shipley and Bramley Turnpike Road and the River Aire is intended to be diverted and turned, in consideration of Titus Salt of Crownest in the township of Hipperholme cum Brighouse in the Parish of Halifax in the West Riding of the County of York Esquire, his heirs or assignees, making and for ever hereafter maintaining such new Highway and the bridge by means of which the same is to cross the said railway, Do hereby consent to the making and continuing such new highway through and over the said Lands and Railway Given under our respective common seals this twenty eighth day of April One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two”. (QS1/191/10) The construction of the new road would have involved the demolition of the cottages lining the old lane, and the relocation of their tenants. It is not known what happened to the majority of these people. Census records show that by 1861 one of the hand wool-combers, Mr Else and his family, had moved to Briggate in Windhill; while Mr Goldsborough, the level-crossing keeper, had become a gardener, working at Holling Hall, at the top of Moorhead Lane. The corn miller, Mr Pickard, who had been living in Dixon Mill yard, was in the same occupation in 1861, though now living in Providence Rd, at nearby Dockfield. 13 In order for the new road to go over the railway, at the height required to allow rail traffic to pass safely under the bridge, an embankment had to be constructed to raise the road. This embankment appears to start just north of Caroline Street and increases in height as the road approaches the railway, while at the same time allowing the road to drop very gently, at the rate of seven feet between Caroline Street to the start of the bridge. The rear of the lower Victoria Road shops The extent of this ramp can best be seen by looking from Albert Terrace along the rear of the Victoria Rd shops, and noting the differing heights of the basements (see illustration above). The natural fall of the hill can be seen in the slope of the back lane. The road on the north side of the railway bridge is supported on a much shorter ramp, designed to carry the road down at a steeper angle to bring it down to the level of the mill yard within a short distance. The canal was then crossed by another new bridge, 68 feet long. (Evidence of the canal company’s approval for the canal bridge, which would have been required, has not, as yet, been located). 14 The First Bridge across the river Once across the canal, the new road was carried over the river by a new, 450 ft. long, bridge, which crossed the river at a 30-degree angle to the road. There appears to be no logical reason for the decision to build the bridge at an angle, as it would have been a much narrower span if the bridge had crossed the river in a straight line, and there is no doubt that by this time Salt owned the land directly opposite. The bridge was a type of tubular girder bridge. That is, a bridge that was not a fully enclosed box, but where the tubular element was in the sides of the bridge and consisted of narrow hollow sections locked together by a hollow box on top of each side. As can be seen in the illustration below, the box-type top sections of the two sides are a feature of the bridge. Although there is no evidence to prove it, it is possible that the bridge was designed by William Fairbairn, who had played an important part in the construction of the mill. It is known that Fairbairn had done much of the early research into the structural properties of wrought iron, the material used in the construction of the bridge. The only known fact about this first bridge is that it was constructed by Messrs. Butler of Stanningley, a firm of bridge builders. 15 First Bridge-print The print above is of that first bridge, though the angle of the view gives the appearance that the bridge is straight. We know that it is the first bridge because of its stone piers. (This print differs from the plan submitted to the Quarter Session Magistrates, shown on page15, in that it only shows four buttresses; one on the north bank of the canal, one on the south bank of the river, one in the middle of the river and one on the north bank of the river; while the plan suggests that there were as many as six, with a double pair on the north bank of the river, and an extra one between the canal bank and the river bank). Following Salt’s application to the county authorities, two West Riding magistrates, Benjamin Thompson and Richard Dyneley Chamberlain came to Shipley in May 1852, to survey the existing arrangements, and to assess the planned changes. They reported back to the Quarter Sessions on the improvements that the new road and bridges would bring compared to the old lane and stepping-stones. “ … and we certify that the said proposed intended new highway or part of a highway is nearer and more commodious to the public … as it crosses the said River Aire by a wide and permanent bridge, whereas the (existing) highway … crosses the said River Aire by a ford and stepping- stones, and is often attended with danger and is altogether impracticable 16 in consequence of the flooding of heavy rain during a considerable part of the winter months … and that the said proposed bridge is of the width th of 27 feet.” (5 May 1852: QT3/4/11) This was followed by: “It is ordered that so much of the said mentioned highway (which leads_ from the town of Shipley …. (over) the ford and stepping stones over The River Aire … (is to be) diverted and stopped up... And in its place a new highway is to be set out and made”. rd (3 July 1852: QT3/4/11) Approval for the stopping up of the old lane and the transfer of the public right of way onto the new road and bridge was sought and given at a sitting of the Quarter Session magistrates at Bradford in June 1852. Although the records show that the road and the bridge were not officially passed for public use until October 1855, it is almost certain that both were in use prior to this time. The first bridge across the river stood for about 12 years. It was then demolished, and a new bridge was built to replace it. There is little information concerning the demolition and re-building. One of the few newspaper references to the changes taking place is a newspaper report referring to an incident in May 1868, when a man, named Henry Wood, working on the demolition of the old bridge, was killed. The accident was witnessed by Titus Salt Jr, who happened to be observing the work at the time. Construction of the new bridge, 327 feet in length, and running straight across the river this time, commenced in 1867. It was completed in 1868. The new bridge was supported by cast-iron columns. The reason for the replacement of the stone buttresses with hollow, cast-iron tubes is not known. It is more than likely that the top section of the old bridge was used in the new bridge, as old photographs show that the new bridge was also a tubular girder bridge. These old photographs also imply that the caps of the supports were re-used, though they were removed some time before this second bridge was demolished. 17 Reconstruction of the two Dixon Mill Lanes relative to Victoria Road It is important to realise that the new road that Titus Salt constructed to replace the original Dixon Mill Lane was not the Victoria Road that exists today. Using the plans from the various Salt applications to the Quarter Sessions and an undated plan of the village by Lockwood and Mawson, showing the village superimposed onto the early field layout of the site, it is possible to make a reasonable calculation for the line of the two roads that preceded Victoria Road. In the plan above, the outline of the original Dixon Mill Lane is shown in purple, while Salt’s first road, which became the second Dixon Mill Lane is shown in green. The top part of the original Dixon Mill Lane is now covered by the first few dozen yards of Exhibition Rd. It then ran across the area now occupied by the end houses of Titus St and Mawson St, the rear of Victoria Hall, and the middle of Lockwood St, finally, it ran under the site of the later Congregational Church Sunday School, now the Caroline St car-park. 18 The second Dixon Mill Lane started at the end of Harold Place, then cut through the site now covered by Titus St, Mawson St and the middle of Victoria Hall, before straightening up about the end of Caroline St. The remaining part of the present-day Victoria Rd, from the junction with Caroline St, down to the river, is the surviving part of that second Dixon Mill Lane. The reason for the unusual line of this first road is not easy to interpret. It is possible that it was laid out simply as a temporary road, in order to allow heavy traffic to have easy access to the site during the construction of the new mill and village. Though why Salt did not have the road go straight up the hill from the start, given that he owned the land as far as the Shipley to Bramley Turnpike, now Saltaire Road, is something of a mystery. The terrace of shops between the railway line and Caroline St, fronting onto the present Victoria Rd, were built around 1854. At the time of the 1861 census they were described as being in ‘Victoria Street’, and they would have been the only buildings in the road south of the railway bridge. It would appear that the second Dixon Mill Lane was only in existence for around ten years. In August 1863, Titus Salt applied to the Shipley Local Board to have the southern portion of this 1853 road, between Caroline St and the turnpike road, closed, as he intended to integrate the northern portion into another new road that he had laid down. Having by this time purchased the land all the way up to the Bradford-Bingley Road. The Shipley Local Board were in favour of the scheme, though they had to get the formal approval of the West Riding Magistrates in order to confirm their decision. This was done in the Quarter Session meeting at Leeds in September of that year. The process of closing roads and transferring public rights of way allowed for public consultation and the right to object to the plans. The law required that notices of the intention of a change of use had to be posted at either end of the ‘old’ lane, and that duplicate notices were to be fixed to the door of Shipley Parish Church for four successive Sundays st after the 21 August. It was also required that notices be published in the local press. This had also occurred in 1852, in connection with the first road and bridge. The Bradford Observer ran the formal announcement about the changes in Saltaire for four weeks, from the last week in August through to the third week in September 1863. The records show that there were no objections from either Shipley or Baildon residents to any of the proposals that Salt had planned, and the transfer of rights to the new road went ahead as planned. 19 The new Victoria Road, showing its relationship to the second Dixon Mill Lane The new road was integrated into Dixon Mill Lane at Caroline Street. The legal closure of the southern section of the lane, (marked in blue on the above plan) allowed it to be eradicated and subsequently lost, by the development of the houses that constitute the eastern side of Victoria Rd, the building of which commenced in 1868, and the building of the Institute (later Victoria Hall), opened 1871. This same period also saw the development of the Alms houses and the hospital. 20 Shipley Purchase 1852 Towards the end of 1851, one year after the purchase of the Dixon Mill site, Titus Salt bought another set of fields running from the turnpike road down to the river, (shown in green on the above plan). He also bought two fields between the river and the canal at this time from Dr. John Outhwaite of Bradford. Now this situation is interesting, in that, as we can see, he now had two blocks of land, separated by another piece of land that he didn’t own. And it highlights another of the big questions regarding Saltaire. That is, why did Salt start building the mill and the village before he had bought all the land that he needed for the construction? We do know that house building for the village started in 1853. The first houses to be erected were in William Henry Street and the lower eastern side of George Street. Shortly after the first few houses had been built, work stopped for some time. There are various theories for this stoppage, though it did coincide with the period before he obtained the middle block of land, which he acquired from the Earl and Countess of Rosse, the lords of the manor of Shipley, in February 1854. Following the recommencement of the work, building then proceeded slowly, up, and across the hill, for the next 21 years, as and when the various blocks of land were purchased. The implication of this second purchase with a gap between it and the first block, is that either Salt must have been very confident about his future purchases, or he was very flexible concerning the final development of the village. It is known that there was an original plan for a much larger development than the one that took place, with the village stretching across both sides of the river. If this is evidence that Salt changed his mind at least once, 21 the implication is, therefore, that he could have changed his mind on several other occasions. Shipley Purchase 1854 - 1856 In the same year, 1854, Salt bought land on the south side of the Shipley to Bramley Turnpike Road from two members of the Denby family. This land would be used for the future development of Dove Street, Jane Street and part of Gordon Terrace. In 1857 Salt bought several plots of land between the railway and the canal from the Midland Railway Company. Shipley Purchase 1864 There was then a gap of a few years before he bought the next plot of land from a Thomas Chambers of Brighouse. This consisted of the land that lies to the east of the present Albert Road, (marked in yellow on the above plan). 22 But, even though by 1864 he now had virtually enough land for his village, he didn’t stop there. A couple of years later, in 1866, he bought the land on the south side of Saltaire Road, between the present Park Street and the rear of the top section of the present Victoria Road. Also, around this time he bought a large area of land to the east of his first acquisition from Matthew Wilson of Eshton Hall at Gargrave, one of the trustees of the estate of William Wainman of Cowling, whose family had owned Shipley Hall, now the Conservative Club in Otley Road. This new land stretched all the way down Saltaire Road to just beyond, what is now the Wycliffe Middle School, and included the site to the east of the school. Sir Titus sold the land for the school, following the 1870 Education Act. The school, which opened in 1876, was at first known as the Shipley Board School and later as Shipley Central School. In 1872, Sir Titus gave land to the east of the school to the Primitive Methodists, who built a large chapel on the site. Saltaire Road showing the Central School and the Primitive Methodist Church 23 Shipley Purchase 1871-74 That same year, 1872, Salt bought a large area of land to the east of Hirst Lane (coloured orange on the above plan), from the paper manufacturer, William Wright. The purchase also included Hirst Mill where Wright had had his manufactory. Much of this land was bought by Shipley Urban District Council in 1922 and used for the building of a new council estate. The land between the river and the railway was converted into playing fields and allotments around the same time. 24 In 1871, Salt had bought the very corner site at the junction of what later became Saltaire Road and Bingley Road. The buildings on the site, at the time of the purchase, consisted of a few cottages and a beer-house. These buildings may have included the old turnpike house, as this had been the junction of Shipley to Bramley Turnpike road and the Bradford to Keighley Turnpike, and there is some evidence of a chain bar being located in somewhere in this vicinity. But the absolute last piece in the jigsaw of Salts acquisitions of land required for the village, was the plot of land, on the eastern side of that corner plot. It had been owned by the Shipley Overseers ever since the enclosure in the 1820s and had been used for many years as a council yard, until Sir Titus obtained it from the Shipley Local Board in 1874. Corner Plot 1871-74 25 Gordon Terrace It was this final purchase that allowed Salt to complete the building of Gordon Terrace, Jane Street and Dove Street, the eastern sections of which had been built some 8 years earlier. This purchase marked the final stage in the building of the village of Saltaire, and indeed, the end of Salt’s land purchases in Shipley. In fact, Titus Salt died two years after this final purchase. The Salt’s mill company did acquire more land in Shipley after Titus Salt’s time, but that is another story. 26 BAILDON The origins of Titus Salt’s first purchase in Baildon lay in the decision of the Lord of the Manor, and the largest property owner in the township at this time, Miss Anna Jane Meek, to sell off the 750 acres of land, comprising her manor and farms in Baildon, in 1849. At the time of the sale, Miss Meek was in her seventies. In all probability, she had been born in Baildon Hall, but by this time she was not a Baildon resident. She lived in Kirk Hammerton, which lies between Harrogate and York, and so perhaps she had just lost interest in the area, or perhaps property prices were on the rise, and she decided to take advantage of the situation. Baildon Manor sale advert : Bradford Observer August 1849 27 In 1737, the lord of the manor of Baildon was Lt.Col. Francis Thompson. His Baildon lands included ‘Jowetts Farm’, now the eastern end of the Coach Road; ‘Hall Farm’, which spread from the banks of the River Aire and then up the hill between Cliffe Lane and Baildon or Barnsley Beck; ‘Brackenhall Farm’, on the Glen and the ‘Moor Farms’, better known now as Low Springs Farm, by the boundary with Hawksworth. The manor also included the possession of Baildon Hall and the Corn mill by Baildon Bridge. There were also a few isolated small farms and individual house properties scattered around the township. Thompson-Meeke-Meyer Family Tree Francis Thompson and his wife Nancy had one child Anna Jane, who had married a Paul Meyer of Pontefract in 1760. Following the death of Francis in 1741, in South America, at the battle of Cartagena, now in modern day Columbia, his widow, Nancy, married a William Meeke of Wighill Park, near York. They had a son also named William, who eventually inherited the Baildon manor and lands from his half-sister, Anna Jane, who was childless. But she left it to him, following her death in 1765, only on condition that he changed his name to that of her late husband, and he adopted the name of Meyer. th On the evening of the 18 October 1780, this same William Meeke, now William Meyer, shot dead a York court official named Joseph Spink. 28 It appears that earlier in the day Meyer had been arrested by the bailiffs of York for debt. The Sheriff of York had signed the warrant, as Meyer owed £82 in an unpaid debt to a James Beckwith, which suggests that, despite his apparent wealth, he was living beyond his means. Following the arrest, it was the intention of the officials to take Mr Meyer to the debtor’s prison on the Ouse Bridge. But he managed to persuade the bailiffs to let him remain in his lodgings in Micklegate, in order for him to try and arrange bail. So, the bailiffs left him in the care of two of their staff, one of whom was Joseph Spink. Sometime during the course of the evening, Meyer persuaded his wife to bring him his pistols from another room, and on acquiring them, he threatened his guards. As they were trying to run away, Meyer fired, and Spink was hit in the throat. (National Archives: ASSI 45/34/2) He died of his injuries the following day, and both Meyer and his wife were put on trial for murder. His wife was found not guilty, but William Meyer, who had claimed in his defence, that he had only meant to frighten the guards, and that the pistol had gone off by accident, was found guilty. He was sentenced to death, and subsequently executed at th the York Tyburn on the 6 April 1781. On his death William Meyer left a widow and two children, William and Anna Jane. William was only 9 years old when his father was executed, and it can be assumed that the family estates would have been held in trust for him until he reached legal maturity at twenty-one. What we do know is that practically the first thing he did when he finally came of age was to change his name, presumably to try and avoid the embarrassment of being connected to his notorious father. As the London Gazette for that month shows, on March 18th 1794 he legally adopted the name of Thompson. Although he had no blood connection to the Thompsons of Baildon, he claimed it was a means of honouring the old family whose lands he now possessed. On his death in 1839, he left everything to his sister, the second Anna Jane Meyer. Though by this time she had changed her name back to Meeke, in order to inherit from her Meeke grandfather. (London Gazette th 29 October 1839) And it was this Anna Jane Meeke who placed all her Baildon property up for sale in August 1849. 29 The auction, held in Bradford in October of that year, was not a complete success, and only part of the property was disposed of. The unsold land was then advertised for sale in the February 1850 issues of the Bradford Observer. And it was at this second sale that Titus Salt bought his first Baildon property, according to the date in the deed, in July of that year, 5 months before his first Shipley purchase of Dixon’s Mill. st 21 February 1850 Sales advert of Baildon property 30 Salt’s 1850 Purchase The first blocks of land that Salt bought in Baildon covered the area between Baildon Road and Cliffe Lane, as well as a large area of land between Otley Road and the river. While the block of land that Salt bought down by the river does not correspond precisely with the above sales notice, it is close enough in description and size to suggest that this is the land that was advertised in the auction notice. Now, it’s interesting to note that the February sales notice made specific reference to the riverside land being suitable for mill construction; and it raises the question of whether Salt might possibly have originally planned to build his mill and village on the Baildon side of the river. According to Balgarnie, Salt approached Lockwood and Mawson, the architects, in November of 1850, and told them that he had purchased land, ‘near Shipley’, and that he wanted them to do part of the work. He explained that the Shipley based architect and land agent, George Knowles was also to be involved in the project (p.91 Balgarnie’s Salt, Barlo and Shaw (Nemine Juvante (Saltaire Publications 2003). This story presents two problems. The evidence of the deeds suggests that Salt did not purchase the Dixon Mill site until the end of December, also, as far as I am aware, there is no evidence that George Knowles had any connection with the Dixon Mill purchase. He did, however, have some connection with at least some of the land that Salt purchased in Baildon, as he was a partner of Bailey Blackburn (see below). 31 There is, therefore, just a hint of suspicion that the land that Salt was referring to when he went to see Lockwood and Mawson, was this land in Baildon. If this was the case, then it is likely that Salt only changed his mind when the more suitable location of the Dixon Mill site in Shipley, with its closer proximity to the canal and railway, came up for sale later that year. Of course, the real problem is our lack of knowledge on Titus Salt’s thoughts at this time. And I have to say that this is simply a speculative idea on my part. Although, what else he might have wanted this land for, given that, subsequently, he did nothing with it within his own lifetime, suggests that the theory might be worth considering. Salts 1851-2-Purchase The year after his first purchase, Salt bought another large piece of land to the west of Otley Road. (This is the area marked in orange on the plan above. The area marked in black is the Midgeley Wood and Thompson Lane area, bought the following year from Richard Paul Amplett, the son in law of the Ferrands of Bingley, who had originally owned the land.) This riverside land had been part of Miss Meeke’s first sale, and had originally been bought by Bailey Blackburn, a Bradford chemist and land speculator, who lived in Baildon. George Knowles appears to have advertised this land for sale in June th 1850 (see Bradford Observer 27 June 1850), though Salt did not purchase the land until September 1851. According to Cudworth, Blackburn sold this land to Salt for £10,000, which was twice the amount he had paid for it a year earlier. 32 The new and old Green Lane 1851 A short time after buying the river-side land, Salt had a new road cut through from Otley Road up to the sharp right-hand corner of the old Green Lane. This new road replaced the old, narrow lane, that for some reason didn’t suit Mr Salt. The laying out of this new road, does suggest that Salt was planning something in the area, and it has been suggested that he had intended to build a house, and create a parkland along the riverside. The original Baildon Green Lane was a public right of way, and in 1852, Salt applied for permission to transfer that right onto his new road and eliminate the old lane. 33 Baildon-1856-Purchase In 1856, Salt bought the small wooded hill to the north-east of Green Lane, called Fairbank Wood, along with the associated farm. The Knoll In 1862 he sold this land to Charles Stead, a manager and later a director of the mill who built a house called ‘The Knoll’ at the highest point in the wood. 34 Baildon-1855-62-Purchase In 1855, Salt had bought a small group of cottages and orchards at the junction of Cliffe Lane and Otley Road. But in 1862 he transferred most of this land and the land to the north of it to his son Edward, who had the house he called ‘Ferniehurst’ built on the site. Ferniehurst 35 There are no known photographs of Ferniehurst, but as can be seen from the OS map above, it was a substantial house. It had formal gardens, several large glass-houses and from the lodge in Baildon Road, a long winding drive through a private wood. Even though Salt was buying a lot of land during this period, he also occasionally sold some. Throughout 1856 and ’57, he was selling off small plots of land around the area of Green Lane and Cliffe Lane, to various private individuals. Following these sales, several private houses, and terraces were constructed in the area. Green Lane junction It may be argued that whatever his original intentions regarding his Green Lane and Otley Road purchases, Salt had changed his mind, and he was getting rid of some of his surplus land. He did however, remain committed to most of the land lying to the west of Otley Road. A few years after laying out the new Green Lane, Salt started the construction of another brand-new road, leading from the corner of Green Lane to the bottom of Victoria Road. The plan above shows the first section of the new road, with the old riverside path highlighted in blue. And the plan below shows the continuation of the new road as far as the bridge. 36 Coach Road 2-1863 The plan above shows the continuation of the new road as far as the bridge. I also shows the relationship between Salt’s new mill and the old Dixon’s Mill. The junction of the road and bridge may look slightly strange, compared to the present Coach Road, but it’s only because there was a re-alignment of this western end of the road, when the new straight bridge was put across the river, and a new link to the bridge had to be made. It’s interesting to note that in all probability, this road, which was nearly 1 mile long, was built simply as a private carriage road to allow Salt’s son, Edward, and his manager, Charles Stead, to travel to the mill easily, rather than going around and through Shipley. And of course, he also built an extension to this road following the purchase of Milner Fields, for the benefit of Titus jnr., all of which seems to be an indication of the extravagance of Salt at this time. Having completed this eastern section of the Coach Road, Salt applied to have the ancient public right of way transferred from the river-side path up onto his new road. This meant that although the Coach Road was a private road, pedestrians and horse riders had the legal right to use it. 37 Gate house Old photographs show gates at the corner of Green Lane and the Coach Road, and there were also gates at the bottom of Victoria Road, But they were only there to stop the unauthorised entry of commercial vehicles, who needed permission to access the road and the bridge. However, various farmers and other property owners who lived within this area had certain legal rights of access, and they did have the right to use the new road and the Victoria Road bridge. The removal of the legal entitlement to use the old riverside path meant that it could now be closed, leaving the land free for some form of development, though we now know, this never happened in Salt’s lifetime. There are, of course, sections of this path still surviving on the side of the river between Otley Road and the Victoria Road bridge. Though it can be assumed that they are not officially public rights of way anymore, and their survival is presumably just a matter of luck. 38 Baildon-1865-6 purchase In 1865 Salt bought two fields just below Walker Wood, from the Dawson family of Baildon Green (marked in light green on the plan above). The following year, Richard Paul Amplett sold Salt the two Trench Farm properties. Their fields ran from the lower section of the future Saltaire Park, right up to the boundary with Bingley at Load Pit Beck (This land is marked in orange). Now these, at least as far as I have been able to identify, were the final acquisitions that Titus Salt made within Baildon. It is possible that I have missed some of the purchases while searching the indexes at Wakefield; and I should point out that, there is just one field in the centre of this picture that I have not been able to prove was bought during Titus Salt’s lifetime, though it almost certainly came into the possession of the family at some point in time. It’s also possible that his sons bought more land either before or after Titus’ death, but that is something that I have not gone into up to the present time. But what I have been able to show is that Titus Salt himself, bought at least 250 acres of land in Baildon, over a period of 16 years; and this compares with just over 100 acres that he bought in Shipley. 39 The western Coach road The western section of the Coach Road, was constructed sometime before 1870, following the purchase of the Milner Fields estate, which, of course, is in Bingley, and outside the scope of this study. The green-arrowed track on the above plan shows the line of this new road, cutting through the fields towards the eastern entrance to the Milner Fields estate. The closed lanes In March 1870, following the completion of this new road, Titus Salt applied to the Baildon Local Board of Health to close several old paths running between the bridge at Saltaire and Load Pit Beck. These are shown in green on this plan. And just as on the eastern section of the road, he wanted the old rights of way transferred onto his new road. 40 Interestingly, the public right of way on this side of the bridge was not on the river-side path, but on the lower of the two paths leading up to the Trench Farms. I can only assume that this change had been made when th the farms were built in the 18 century. After passing between the two farms, the public path then returned back down to the river-side path, which leads on towards the Seven Arches. For some reason, Salt decided to restrict access to the two Trench properties, and that section of the old way that ran between the two farms was closed to the public. Western Coach Road - New Trench Road It was replaced by a brand-new lane leading up to the junction with the ancient pack-horse route between Baildon and Bingley (marked in green on the above map). Following the construction of the new lane, the top section of the old lane was removed. Approval for all these changes was given at the Quarter Sessions held in th Bradford on the 27 June 1870. 41 Saltaire Park It would have been about this time that Salt started to develop Saltaire Park, which was opened in July 1871. Interestingly, the park was laid out across part of the old lane leading from the stepping stones to the Trench farms. And that section of the old lane survives to this day (marked in green on the above map) in the form of the path that divides the cricket field from the higher terrace and formal gardens. 42 Green Lane junction-with houses As I mentioned earlier, much of the land on the top side of Green Lane and at the bottom of Cliff Lane, had been sold off in the late 1850s. These small-scale sell-offs continued, and in the early 1870s Salt sold most of the land, fronting Otley Road, between the bridge and Green Lane, and a terrace of houses were built on the site. The corner plot, though, was not sold until 1887, by Salt’s sons. BAILDON POSTSCRIPT As far as the land on the other side of Otley Road is concerned, with the exception of a few sales, Salt did practically nothing with the bulk of this site, and it was left to later generations to dispose of it. He had sold a large plot of land (A) (see below), at the south-western end to C.F.Taylor in 1862, and Taylor built a new mill on the site. While at the other end, he sold, or maybe he gave, the land for Charlestown cemetery,(E) which was opened in 1863. Though, for some reason the deed of transfer from Salt to the Airedale Cemetery Company, does not seem to have been made until 1871. The land for the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel had been sold to the Trustees in 1870. While the Midland Railway Company had bought the land required for the viaduct, in November 1874. Nothing much then seemed to happen to this area during the remainder of the Salt’s family involvement with the mill. 43 I have not been able to determine the sequence of events regarding the one field on top side of Otley Road (F), that had been part of Salt’s original purchase, and which is now covered by the bottom of Midland Road. In 1895, the Salt’s mill company tried to sell off all their undeveloped land in both Shipley and Baildon. But the planned disposal appears to have been a failure, because most of the land advertised in the sale notice of that year was left unsold. In 1898, though, William Butterfield bought one plot on this Charlestown site (B), on which he later built a galvanising works. Nine years later, he bought the neighbouring plot (C) in order to extend his business. The remainder of the land between Butterfields and the railway viaduct (D) was bought from the mill company by Bertram Roberts, the son of Sir James Roberts, in 1910. He gave the land to the people of Baildon for recreation purposes, and it came to be known as Roberts Park. The land then seems to have remained in Baildon’s possession until 1952, when the UDC sold it to Butterfields So, that is the story of Titus Salt’s property acquisitions in Shipley and Baildon, as far as I have been able to determine it. And, it brings us back to the original question. Why did he buy so much land on both sides of the river and left so much virtually untouched. It’s probably the case that we will never know why he did what he did, but it’s this kind of question that keeps the interest in the subject of the life and work of Titus Salt alive. 44 45
C3b-408a: Saltaire Methodist Chapel Centenary Handbook 1868-1968
Saltaire Methodist Chapel Centenary Handbook 1868-1968
D1-065: Silsden Primitive Methodist Church
Silsden Primitive Methodist Church : Harvest Festival Grand Concert
Small advertisement of an event 'The Strangest Battle' . A Tea and Talk by Hattile Townsend and Helen Broadbent on the votes for women. At Saltaire Methodist Church Hall-September 2018
D2-020a-c: Saltaire Methodist Chapel Football Club
Photograph of Saltaire Methodist Chapel Football Club circa 1893, with information and reference. to Stanley Thornton born 1893 (a): One photocopy of the photograph(b)
D4-040: Saltaire Methodist Church Souvenir Centenary Handbook
Saltaire Methodist Church Souvenir Centenary Handbook
Original booklet: Saltaire Methodist Chapel Souvenir Centenary Handbook
Saltaire Methodist Church Souvenir Centenary Handbook: Front cover
Saltaire Methodist Church Souvenir Centenary Handbook: Page 1
D4-041: Saltaire Weslyan Methodist Chapel
Information sheet & map on Saltaire Weslyan Methodist Chapel
An early photograph of the front of Saltaire Methodist Church from Saltaire Road
An early photograph of the rear of Saltaire Methodist Church from Titus Street
An early photograph of the inside of Saltaire Methodist Chapel
D4-045: congregation leaving Saltaire Methodist Chapel
congregation leaving Saltaire Methodist Chapel
A photograph of the congregation leaving Saltaire Methodist Chapel (c.1950s)
A good photographic print of the front of Saltaire Methodist Chapel
F1a-017: Shipley Times & Express Pictorial 1937
The booklet was produced as a pictorial record of events in Shipley for 1937. It includes a review of the year. The magazine mainly consists of photographs, with text, on the main events of 1937. This includes the visit to Shipley and Saltaire by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, along with the street parties and school events to celebrate the Coronation. The magazine also includes photographs of various Shipley personalities, wedding groups and the opening of Hall Royd Methodist Church. The magazine also includes a photograph of Joan Kendall of Katherine Street, Saltaire, for completing 7 years of unbroken school attendance.
Copy of a photograph of Saltaire Road showing the Primitive Methodist Church and Shipley Central Board School
The Church is located in Saltaire on land originally donated by Titus Salt (who was not a Methodist). The original methodist chapel was replaced by the current building in the late twentieth century.
H2-210.11: Pages 17-18 from a book of James Roberts' newspaper cuttings 1905-1918
Pages 17-18 from a book of James Roberts' newspaper cuttings 1905-1918
Aug 28 1906 Counterfeit coins. Aug 28-30 1906 Thomas Hadfield's death (accountant and leading Methodist). Aug 31 1906 Shipley Urban District Council regarding building the new Baths and Fire Station
Only viewable in the Saltaire Collection
H2-210: James Roberts Newspaper cuttings book
The Wesleyan Methodist Chapel that first stood on this site was built in 1868 on land gifted by Titus Salt. The original church was demolished in 1970 due to its deteriorating condition. The current Methodist Church was built in 1971 and was subsequently modified to be more in keeping with the surrounding village. Saltaire has survived into the 21st century remarkably unscathed. With the Bath and Wash Houses and the Congregational Sunday School, the Wesleyan Methodist Church is one of the few buildings to have been lost.
Unlike many of his contemporaries, Titus Salt was determined to ensure a decent quality of life for his workers, even after they left his employ. In addition to the many educational institutions he built to allow workers to better themselves, he also commissioned the almshouses on Victoria Road. The 45 almshouses were built to provide shelter for those who couldn’t support themselves, such as widows and injured workers. Although preference was given to workers in Salts Mill and their families, anyone of ‘good character’ and unable to support themselves was eligible. Although this was unusually generous by the standards of the time, residents were subject to strict rules on their behaviour and the maintenance of the houses. In what is now No. 29, there was originally a small chapel to save residents walking down to the Congregational Church. On opening it, Salt is reported to have said: 'My sole desire is that you should be happy, and nothing would give me greater pleasure than to know that you are so'.
C3a-163b: Saltaire village, Documents (People),
C2b-131: Saltaire village Images (Places)
C2b-132: Saltaire village Images (Places)
C2b-151a-b: Saltaire village Images (Places)
C2b-351: Early residents of the Saltaire alsmshouses
C3a-163: Saltaire village, Documents (People),
C2b-032.25: Saltaire almshouse in winter
C2b-277: Saltaire village Images (Places)
C2b-350: Saltaire village Images (Places)
2025.100: Saltaire Journal Vol. 1 No.3 July 2009
Dining Hall building, Saltaire, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
The Dining Hall was the very first public building in Saltaire, completed in 1854. The Dining Hall served many purposes during the early years of Saltaire. In addition to serving 600 breakfasts and 700 dinners every day, it doubled as a school for ‘half-timers’, children who would work in the mill during the morning, then attend school in the afternoon. It also served as a meeting hall, library, reading room and a venue for religious services, public lectures and other meetings. As Saltaire grew, these functions were gradually moved to purpose-built buildings including: the Salt Schools on Victoria Road, the Saltaire Club and Institute, the Congregational Church and the Methodist Chapel. Today, the Dining Hall is owned by Shipley College and is known as the Mill Building. A major refurbishment and conversion in 1998 modified the interior to make it suitable for lessons, but the changes are entirely reversible.
C3b-539: Saltaire village, Documents (Places)
C3b-574: Timeline for 'The Dining Hall - part 2 - 1865-1874
C3b-575: Timeline for 'The Dining Hall - part 3 - 1875-1884
C3b-576: Timeline for 'The Dining Hall - part 4 - 1884
C3b-577: Timeline for 'The Dining Hall - parts 5 - 1890-1910
C3b-578: Timeline for 'The Dining Hall - part 6 - 1911-1923
C3b-579: Timeline for 'The Dining Hall - part 7 - 1924-1939
C3b-580: Timeline for 'The Dining Hall - part 8 1940-1957
F1a-379: The Factory School - and Board School -1867-1877 (excerpt)
2020.9.2.2: Shipley College Mill Building Refurbishment: Plans
2020.9.2.2.1: Shipley College Mill Building Refurbishment: Plans
2020.9.2.1: Shipley College Mill Building Refurbishment: Proposals
2020.9.2.3: Shipley College Mill Building Refurbishment: Plans
2020.9.2.4: Shipley College Mill Building Refurbishment: Plans
2020.9.2.5: Shipley College Mill Building Refurbishment: Plans
2020.9.2.6: Shipley College Mill Building Refurbishment: Plans
2020.9.2.7: Shipley College Mill Building Refurbishment: Plans
2020.9.2.8: Shipley College Mill Building Refurbishment: Plans
2020.9.2.9: Shipley College Mill Building Refurbishment: Plans
2020.9.1: A Report on the Condition of the Roof Structure to the Mill Building, Victoria road
C2b-090: Victoria Road and the Royal Cafe
C3b-030: Saltaire village, Documents (Places)
B1-032/5/12: Salts Mill Dining Room, Victoria Road (1)
C3b-573: Timeline for The Dining Hall - parts 1 - 1855-1864
B1-032/5/13: Salts Mill Dining Room, Victoria Road (2)
E2-060b: Saltaire: The Evening Schools are now Open
B1-347a-d: Salts Mill: Saltaire Maps and Plans Case
C2b-102/10/14: Tunnel to Royal cafe (75)
C2b-102/10/15: Tunnel to Royal cafe (81)
Saltaire Road. Coloured postcard showing a Methodist chapel. On the reverse it says published by the Saltaire Village Society and Saltaire Tourist Information Centre 1996.
2025.125: Saltaire Methodist Church 1868-1968 Souvenir Centenary Handbook
Saltaire Methodist Church 1868-1968 Souvenir Centenary Handbook
Saltaire Methodist Church 1868-1968 Souvenir Centenary Handbook. The book gives details of the church officers for the final chuirch gathering on 27th February 1968