November 29th – The coach going from Huddersfield to Manchester broke down on Greenacres Moor, when several of the outside passengers were materially brused. John Buckley of Northmoor was apprehended on a charge of stealing hay from Mr. Thomas Whitaker, of Northmoor aforesaid, and was taken before the Rev. Mr. Joseph Horden, of Royton, and by him commited to the New Bayley for tryal. November 29th – Thursday: At 1 o’clock this morning the large reserver of water wich feeds the Huddersfield canal, without any apearance of danger, burst, and flew in torrents down the valley, and swept down a humble cottage in wich where a woman and 4 children, wich were all drowned. The torrent swept all away that was within its reach. Near Marsden a miller and his wife and boy were in a house which was attack by the water. The miller and boy made their escape, but the woman was unfortunately drowned. I have not found any other account of this calamity other than this account of Rowbottom’s. December 8th – Mutton, 9d.; beff, 8 1/2d.; pork, 7 1/2d. to 8d. a pond. The distress of the country is behind all comprehension. All sorts of provisions so imencley dear, and light goods weavers one-third less wages for their work, and a great number without. Hatters: Their misereys were never so great before, nor one in ten that has full work, and scores in this neighbourhood are entirely without work; their families are in the utmost distress for want of bread. Some hatters gather old rags, sell matches, carry coals, or any other laborious business they can get imployed in. The varying condition of the hatting trade was no doubt owing to the war. The hatters, as already seen in a previous annal, were often a thriftless lot. At times earning great wages, but generally making straight with them in following riotous lives. It must have been a terrible humiliation to “gather rags” and “sell matches, ” but we must remember that they often estranged themselves from their employers when they were doing well, by strikes and other objectionable means. December 10th – A bitter cold, windy day, attended with a fall of snow. Dec. 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th. – Uncommon wet days, so that the waters rose very high.
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December 18th – Two misfortunes took place this day, the first of a very distressing nature. John Nichols, son of George Nichols, hatter, of Oldham, was at the fire engine at Brierley’s factory, Sheepwashes; he got entangled in the engine, and was so bruised that he died a few hours after; age 15 years. And one Booth was killed at Bardsley Fold, Ashton Parish, by Jonah Harrop kicking him down and falling on him. The coronor’s juris verdict, “Accidental.” December 21st – James Ogden entered as tenant at the White Hart public-house, Bottom of Maygate-lane (Edward Barlow’s). Dec. 20th - Died, John Winterbottom, , formerly of Lees Hall, but late of near Cowhill; age 76 years. The Lyon portion of Lees Hall estate, says E. Butterworth, passed into the possession of Mr. James Bowden in 1752, and in 1765 the hall was the property and residence of John Winterbottom, gentleman, who died July 12th, 1794. This John Winterbottom was probably a son of the John Winterbottom here named, as we find that Lees Hall was sold to John Lees, Esq., of Werneth. December 29th – This day the coroner’s inquest set on 3 unfortunate bodies, namely, one Horton, a boy of 14 years of age, who was torn too shocking to relate by getting entangled in the gearing at Brierley’s factory, Sheepwashes. He, as well as Nichols, who was killed there of the 18th, where two unfortunate hatters without work, who were without hatting, and had gotten to work at the factory, and were ignorant of the danger that attended it. The necessity for having machinery properly guarded was proved over and over again by such accidents as these in cotton factories. It was some time, however, before the legislature took up the cause. Nor need we wonder at this when we remember the danger which existed in almost every old mill. The rooms being low over head, the shafting being sometimes unpolished, and in some cases square, and in almost every instance, the upright shaft being fixed inside the mill. And John Jackson, a man between 50 and 60 years of age, fell into the reserver of water at the Old Methodist Chapel Factory, Bent, Oldham, on the night of the 22nd, and was not found till the 28th. He generally went by the name of the “Little Duke.” The other unfortunate person was a man, Francis Owens, of near Hollinwood, who lost his life in a coalpit by fire-damp. December 23rd – It commenced a fine frost. On the 31st ended the miserable year of 1810. |
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ANNALS OF OLDHAM No. 62 1811 The year 1811 commenced on Tuesday, wich was a frosty day, attended with a little snow, bit in consequence of the distressedness of the times, ancient Christmas as hid her cheerful face in the lap of misery, for the lower class of people cannot raise a Christmas pie or a pot of English beer, for poor hatters and weavers are very poorly off indeed, and provisions of all kinds are extremely dear, as will be found by the following correct statement. We must own that factory work is going very brisk, and wages good, but this destructive war will make thousands smart that are yet unborn. Rowbottom was evidently bent on making out a bad case, though he “must own” &c. We can easily see how people would look on the bad times with a political eye, and attribute their miseries to the war and other failings in our constitutional system, whereas, in a commercial point of view, the war was a positive blessing. Even yet we are suffering from a large National Debt, incurred by this war. The price was a big one to pay, but our commercial supremacy was cheaply purchased, if it was only at this price. No doubt there were great inequalities in our representative system at that time, but these hard times were more from industrial than political causes. Even universal suffrage at that time would not have restored prosperity to those trades, which by the sheer force of competition, were being driven out, such as spinning on the Dutch wheel and weaving on the hand-loom. We ought to take these things into consideration when judging of the political heroes of that period. January 1st - Died Cecily, wife of John Eckersly. She was delivered of two children a few days before, and leaves in all six children, and the eldest not seven years old. January 2nd - Died, John Duckworth, of Block-lane, aged 83 years. January 3rd - An uncommon roof, cold, boisterous day, attended with a fall of snow.
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The following is a statement of the price of the following articles:- Meal, 2s. 3d. to 2s. 5d.; flour, 3s. 6d. to 3s. 10d.; malt, 2s. 9d. to 3s. a peck; treacle, 5d.; butter 1s. 2d.; new butter, 1s. 3d.; candles, 10d.; cheese, 8 1/2d. to 9 1/2d.; pork, 7 1/2d. to 8 1/2d.; beef, 8d. to 9d.; mutton, 8d. to 9d.; bale cotton, 1s. 8d.; bacon,. 9d. to 11d.; hops, 18d. to 21d.; salt, 4d.; onions 2d.; sugar, 8d. to 10d.; soap (white or brown), 10d. to 11d. per pond; potatoes, 7 1/2d. to 9d. per score; white boyling peas, 6d. per quart; green peas, 8d. per quart; hay, 10d. to 1s. per stone; straw, 4d. to 5d. a stone; 16 pond to the stone; white cotton wool, from 12d. to 14d. per pond. Hatting is extremely bad; there is at this time 92 hands without work in Oldham, and they receive weekly subsistence from the different hatter’s societys in several parts of England, which is distributed in meal, flour, butter, &c., at a house in Brick Croft, Oldham, according to the number of mouths in each family in want.
Bale cotton and white cotton wool are still mentioned in the list of domestic articles, though cotton was only used in a very limited quantity at this time for domestic spinning. The factories had almost taken the place of the domestic spinner. This portion of the population had been absorbed in the factory system, but the hand weavers who formed the other portion had not yet been absorbed, and they entered an indignant protest against the idea of being swallowed up in this manner. They had an intense hatred of machinery and looked on it as their natural enemy – as the robber who was to steal their living. Hence they wished only to destroy it, and as power looms grew in numbers so their wrath increased to destroy them. Fustian weaving is torable in consideration of other trades being bad. The prices are from 2s. 2d. to 2s. 8d. for 24 hanks per pond. Velveteens, cords, &c., light goods, are extremely bad, the prices very low indeed, and several hundreds in this neighbourhood without work. Factory work is very brisk and wages good. Husbandry work and out-work is plenty. Timber is still very dear, although much lower than it was twelve months ago. Good deal 3s. 2d. a foot. 2s. 2d. to 2s.8d. per lb. for only weaving 24’s into fustian. These prices must be watched, as the introduction of the power loom becomes general. As yet we have heard of no power looms in Oldham, though we are told factory work was brisk and wages good. A short time since William Barlow entered as tenant on the Navigation Inn alehouse, bottom of Hollinwood (late George Taylor). |
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William Rowbottom's Diary as published in the Oldham Standard |
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