ROUGHLEE MILL

[Stanley]

ROUGHLEE MILL
Roughlee Cornmill at Damhead was built c 1598 and the tradition is that the Baldwin family of Wheathead operated it, Old Demdike was thrown off this property by Richard Baldwin - there is apparently a good reason for this (apart from the one quoted where she was demanding wages) which I am working on.  Stanley and myself noted that there is the possibility of a mill having been sited directly below Wheathead in Blacko Water - if this were to be the case then the Baldwins would probably run this one.
The site of the Old Mill is on the bend above Roughlee School and Crow Trees Farm (where Alice Nutter lived) the road here has metal railings. The land from here over to Barrowford included Rishton Thornes which is the area of Wheatley Lane around the Old Sparrow Hawk. When part of the Carr Hall Estate this incorporated the Greystone Ridge, near Noggarth, and closes called the Holme, the Great and Little Hive Banks, the Lower and Higher Parts of the Old Meadow and the Haycroft, the river rights and rights to the highway around Damhead in Roughlee Booth.
I think that Stanley's Judson reference might be from the fact that in 1796 a James Judson, of Priestfield, Colne, co-owned the Old Mill along with John Hargreaves, a cotton twist spinner. This was surrendered to them in that year by Thomas Foulds of Lower Slipper Hill (formerly of the Cross Gates) and John Robinson of Damhead whose ancestors had owned the site and, via Holker, had surrendered the Mill and land to the Towneleys in 1673. This highlights the fact that these mills, once converted to textiles, tended to change hands on a very regular basis - the Garth Mill (in the park) at Barrowford often changed hands before the ink had dried on the contract!. There is a Judson Fold in Roughlee now.
Also in 1796 Robert Judson and William Hanson co-occupy a farm in Roughlee which they bought from Reginald Heber of Marton. As far as this goes there is an interesting speculation as to which farm this was because this Heber's ancestor kick-started the 1612 witch trials by prosecuting  Jennet Preston of Gisburn.
The mill opposite the Bay Horse Inn is, of course, much later in date than the corn mill and was built specifically as a factory. In due course the workers steadily abandoned Roughlee for the bright lights of Barrowford and Nelson as the 19th c census returns show - many Barrowford families originate from the Pendle Valley at this time - chief amongst these were the Dugdales - Robinsons - Holgates - Boothmans etc. 
[Posted on OGFB by John Clayton in March 2006]

James Judson and John Hargreaves co-owned the Mill in 1796: was it a spinning mill and was it the one near the school? If so, do you know where was the water corn mill which the Roberts Brothers purchased in 1844?
You mention a farm co-owned by William Hanson and Robert Judson. You are probably aware of these documents but thought I would offer them here just in case.
FILE [no title] - ref. DDX 93/7 - date: 27 Sep. 1796 [from Scope and Content] Surrender: Reginald Heber of Marton, co. York, clerk, (son, heir and sole executor of John Heber of the same, clerk, dec'd.) and William Edmondson of Horton in Craven, late of Skeldale, co. York, wool-stapler (sole surviving feoffee under surrender recited in DDX 93/4 above) to Christopher Hanson of Roughlee, yeoman, (as above): for £200 to R.H. (being principal of a mortgage on the premises) and 5/- to W.E. by C.H.: -- messuage in Roughlee (as above - 20ac.) in occupation of C.H., William Hanson and Robert Judson --: for 4/10½ fine and subject to 4/10½ rent. In Halmot Court of Forest of Pendle. Court Copy dated 14 Oct. 1796.
FILE [no title] - ref. DDX 93/8 - date: 9 June 1804 [from Scope and Content] Further to Will of Robert Judson of Roughlee, cotton twist spinner dec'd., dated 6 Jan. 1803, which is recited. For 1/5d fine and subject to 1/5d rent. In Halmot Court of Forest of Pendle. Court Copy dated 5 Oct. 1804.
RECORDS RELATING T. COLNE AND THE HYDE FAMILY Catalogue Ref. DDX 752
FILE - Plan of Intack Farm, Roughlee Booth, belonging to the late Robert Judson - ref. DDX 752/2 - date: 1808

[POSTED BY SUE ON OGFB. 9 March 2006]


Posted by BJ 11 March…..

Relating to Roughlee Lower Mill - (At the Bay Horse Bridge)

I have had a rummage and found a couple of salient docs. I wrote up the Nelson Corporation Bill last year and amongst this lot is a copy of an original letter, in the later 1800s, by Thomas Stuttard to the Corporation in protestation against the plans to take water from Pendle Water higher upstream of his mill. The letter begins: I, Thomas Stuttard, of Lawns Wood, Swinton Park, Manchester, cotton spinner and manufacturer, am the owner of the spinning and weaving mill at Roughlee and other mills in the vicinity.

He goes on to describe the mill in detail in order to make his case for the retention of the water supply. The mill was a substantial 4 story building powered by a large water wheel and 2 steam engines coupled together. The wheel had an available fall of 42 feet and a special arrangement of 8 self-acting clowes for regulating the run of water on the wheel from the reservoir. The wheel was considered to be 50hp equal to 150 indicated hp. The steam boiler was provided with patent economisers.

The reservoir held 3,000,000 gallons and was fed by means of a weir upstream which turned the whole of the river into a mill race and fed the res. The weir had to be totally reconstructed after a great flood in 1881 at great cost - the mill race was tunnelled a considerable distance through solid rock at much expense. There was a gas works connected to the mill and 4 cottages.

The mill had the best machinery for breaking up cop bottoms - each machine consisted of 18 cylinders - there was also excellent spinning machinery. The shafting arrangement enabled the water wheel, or the steam engines, or the wheel and engines together to power the mill. Cop breaking took a great amount of power both night and day - the 3 sets of breaking machines took all the water power.

The base floor of the mill held looms for weaving heavy cloth but had recently been replaced by modern looms. The sole reason for a mill being there was the water supply from 3,800 acres of mountain land. The cost of coal at Nelson railway station was 8 shillings per ton and another 8 shillings per ton to cart to Roughlee - without water the mill would cost £500 per year to run on steam.

Stuttard goes on to state his annual turnover but this has been erased. He stated that he did good business at the mill which was of great advantage to the local farmers etc.

From Doreen Crowther's work it is apparent that William and Christopher Hanson, of Fulshaw, sold the closes of land called Thistleholme (where the mill stood) and Christopher Hargreaves sold the Long Holme (where the reservoir stands) to Robert Judson of Roughlee, a cotton twist spinner. It appears that Judson built the mill around 1787 and sold it to John Hargreaves of Barrowford, cotton twist spinner, and James Judson of Priestfield, calico manufacturer in 1802.

At this stage then I would say that we are looking at 3 Roughlee Mills: The Lower as shown above - Dam Head, built 1598 and under Robinsons for a long period and still had a "cotton mill manager" in the mid 1800s and the third one shown as Thorneyholme Mill, taken over by the Roberts brothers, was actually Narrowgates Mill. This was owned by John Farrer (b 1826 d 1929) in the later 1800s who was well known for his fox hunting, he kept a number of hunters in the large stables at Thorneyholme and sent his grooms to Blakey's shop in Barrowford every day on the horses - he also had a massive prize bull which would be regularly walked through Barrowford to Colne.
[I asked about his assertion that Thorneyholme and Narrowgates are the same. They aren’t.]

Dear Uncle Stanley, you are correct of course - I was just testing to see if anyone actually reads this stuff!
There is a problem, as usual - the Roberts mob were  heavily involved in Narrowgates Mill - Shirleybutt kindly sent me a large file of deeds last year on Narrowgates which I have not yet got around to transcribing. A quick look at these shows:
 20/10/1813 Narrowgates Gates Mill, known as New Mill and situated in Barley:
John Roberts of Thorneyholme and John Roberts of Habergham Eves and John, Richard, Peter and William Hartley surrender Narrowgates, or New Mill...................

7/10/1813 John Roberts, of Gannow, and Co ........ surrender New Cotton Mill at Narrowgates 25 yards long and 11.75 yards wide and 4 stories high.... and nearby cottages in occupation of Peter Hartley & John Robinson  to John Holgate of Burnley, Merchant (actually a banker)
ALSO an inquisition of this date shows that Hugh Roberts, Lawrence Roberts, Henry Roberts, John Hartley of Higher Wheatley presented that John Roberts in above surrender died and that Hugh Roberts of Burnley, cotton manuf. found John's papers etc......

1815 surrender of New Mill by Wm. Bollard to Moore family and description of closes...

1819 John Moore of Burnley, cotton manufacturer and corn dealer has begun to employ George & Thomas Holgate of Burnley as his bankers ---Big Mistake!.......also description of Barley Green under Wm. Hartley of Fence Gate...

26/6/1834 Particulars of Auction without reserve at Sun Inn , Burnley - property belonging to assignees of George and Thomas Holgate and John Moore - Bankrupts - All that water cotton mill known as New Mill or Narrowgates, sizing and drying house, cottages and premises....sold to James Hargreaves Roberts of Habergham Eves....

1835 John Roberts of South Parade, Habergham Eves, Burnley and others become involved in Narrowgates mill with Jas. H Roberts.....

1838 Jane and Nanny Roberts are surviving administrators of the estate of their late brother Jas Hargreaves Roberts deceased .. they sell to Thos Moorby all those 2 pieces of land, part of Stang Laithe on s & w of a twist mill lately destroyed by fire (Narrowgates).....a Sarah Roberts is JHR's co-heiress....

1867 Halmote.... the New Mill and divers buildings having lately been destroyed by fire the drying house has lately been converted to cottages.....around this time the Roberts involvement in Narrowgates appears to die out. Hartleys and Bollard are continuous names...
I also have separate stuff on Thorneyholme Mill, as does Sue - this appears to separate the two into distinct areas of Narrowgates and Thorneyholme. The site shown on the 1st OS map is now occupied by Thorneyholme Farm. A barn there has the appearance of being contemporary with the original mill building but a later house has been added - no obvious signs of the mill other than traces of the leat from Barley Water to the present property site.
As a matter of interest Stanley, what would have been the "heavy cloth” woven at the Lower Mill - was calico classed as heavy (Judson was a calico weaver)? 
Pics later.....

Stanley and John, (or should it be Holmes and Watson?)
The picture is becoming much clearer. But I have some questions as usual! Using John's description of the three Roughlee mills, Thorneyholme, Dam Head and Lower Mill, [now that Thorneyholme has been clearly distinguished from Narrowgates-that had me puzzled too!)] do we have any information about the functions of Dam Head and Thorneyholme Mills in the early part of the 19th century, or later? As the Roberts family together with the Hargreaves were involved in both Barley Mills and at least one Roughlee Mill, it does seem logical that they owned Thorneyholme at some point but I can find no documentary evidence on Thorneyholme Mill at all.
My main query is about the Lower Mill. With Robert Judson acquiring the land for the reservoir and the Lower Mill c 1787, it does seem likely that the Lower Mill was built by Robert and transferred to James Judson and John Hargreaves in 1802 after Robert's death. It seems improbable that Judson would build anything other than a spinning mill but where are the spinners? In the Newchurch in Pendle baptisms, the father's occupation is usually given from about 1830. It would be interesting to know how many spinners or other occupations involved in a spinning mill are in those registers from 1830 onwards. Although the Roughlee 1841 census is partially illegible, there are dozens of weavers and many farmers but not one spinning job and only two occupations including the word factory. This may be because only the head of household's occupation is given but it still seems odd to me. We know that William and James Roberts together with Ambrose Walton owned a spinning mill in Roughlee but which one? From the 1851 census there is clearly at least one functioning spinning mill. In 1853 Roberts and Walton submit plans for Roughlee Mill (which are on order) and by the 1861 census steam has definitely arrived. My initial theory was that Roberts and Walton added steam engines to the Lower Mill which was then sold to Thomas Stuttard by 1888. Thomas Stuttard's letter is surely a description of the Lower Mill.
However, in 1844 Roberts and Walton purchased "a water corn mill called Roughlee Mill and drying kiln". This could not have been Lower Mill. So is it Thorneyholme or Dam Head?
The yarn is not the only thing which is spinning! I don't know how long it takes for documents to arrive from the LRO: I hope it's not too long ...
Forgive me for not entering too deeply into the details, my head is full of negs at the moment.  However, I've mailed you five pages from 'The Water Spinners' by Chris Aspin (you need this book!)  It will add to your store.
As for heavy cloth......  It's going to be a fairly nebulous answer because it's all a matter of comparison.  If you bear in mind the fact that the great trigger for the cotton industry was the ability to produce cheap light materials for dress and shirt making, materials which had previously been the monopoly of the Indian spinners and weavers and hence very expensive.  Plenty of evidence at the time of indignation amongst the better off that servant girls dressed like their mistresses.  In comparison to modern cloths, the older woollen, linen and cotton cloths were incredibly heavy and thick.  However, there was still a market for heavier cotton material for purposes other than clothing.  The term 'calico' in Lancashire was a term for any plain weave cloth heavier than muslin.  It derives from the old name for an Indian printed cloth that originated in Calicut.  Later, printed calicos were usually described as 'chintz'.  At the time we are describing it probably meant a medium weight cloth suitable for printing, a type of cloth woven extensively in this area right through to the 1950s, 'Burnley printers' was a common term.  So, if someone uses the term heavy cloth in connection with cotton in the early 19th C they are talking about what we would see as very heavy cotton cloth, probably going up to six staves and a lot of it a twill weave.  Used anywhere where a very hard wearing strong cloth was needed.  The tantalising references to condenser spinning reinforce this as the cloths produced from reclaimed waste or yarn with an admixture thereof were not dress cloths but practical household cottons.  The classic in later days was the heavy yellow duster, condenser yarn, due to its shorter staple and manufacturing peculiarities is particularly suited for raising, having the nap combed up on it, in later years this was the basis of cotton flannelette and later, the lighter winceyette.
One other thing that may be a clue is the recurring reference to 'drying house'.  The only reason I know for this is in connection with bleaching and dyeing yarn and cloth.  I would guess that the most likely process these mills would use was dyeing yarn in the hank, what used to be called chain dyeing.  The coloured thread was then woven to give the pattern to otherwise plain cloth.  This requires far less capital investment than printing and produces a better cloth which commanded a higher price.  One final thing to bear in mind in this respect is that during the cotton famine in the 1860s the mills that kept going did so because they were either specialising in cloths using a mixture of fibres, linen and wool for instance or had an advantage through quality, i.e., using coloured yarns.  Many of these cloths could be described as 'heavy' like Union shirting, a mixture of cotton and wool.  The oldest mill in Barlick, Clough Mill kept going through the 1860s for this reason.

[rossylass]

Hello
I am pretty certain that my ggg grandfather was a Barnoldswick man; his name is on the Craven Muster Rolls & he was married at St Mary le Ghyll .

In the 1841 census my gggf was living in Roughlee along with three of his children. He was born out of the county (in Yorkshire), but my gg grandfather, who was 35, was born in Lancashire, which, if the information is correct, would mean that the family moved there in 1806 , or earlier. Richard's children were baptised at Bridge St Chapel in Barnoldswick & his daughter Nancy, was buried in the Dissenters Graveyard there. According to the Bridge St records he was living in Springs in 1806.
The 1841 census lists gggf Richard as living in Roughlee. His occupation is something fairly illegible which looks like ASN. The other three members of the household are cotton weavers. In the 1851 census the family are living at Judson Fold, Roughlee (a comparison of the names indicates that they were also probably living there in 1841). Richard's occupation was a handloom weaver & there is possibly the remains of a ditto indicating that his son was also a handloom weaver; his daughter was a spinner and grandson a doffer. A very quick trawl of occupations of the people living at Judson Fold in 1851 shows a number of handloom weavers.

I have read a number of posts / articles about The Roughlee mill/s and wonder if this information is of any use.

I also recollect reading that when one of the mills changed hands, the new owner, who had owned a mill in Barnoldswick, was followed by his workers. I understood that it was a spinning mill which provided yarn for handloom weavers. Can anyone tell me if this information about the Roughlee Mill is correct.

[Stanley]

What date did it change hands?

[rossylass]

The problem is I can't remember. I've done quite a lot of background reading & foolishly failed to write some of the information down. I will try to find the source.
Rosie

[rossylass]

Sorry, I can't find it. I now think that the information was dubious anyway. I have done more research & deciphered some of the information from the 1851 census: my gggfather was a handloom weaver of delaine & I am unable to make a connection which would explain his move from Barnoldswick. No matter.

Can anyone tell me about Springs? The only reference I can find is of a farm & barn. Were there ever any cottages there?

[Stanley]

Yes, there was a cottage attached to Springs Farm. I have a nagging idea at the back of my head about someone moving from Barlick to Roughlee Mill. Do the names Wilkinson or Stuttard ring a bell?

[roughlee]

Hello, I am looking for the site of Crowtrees Farm.

What I know so far is that: "The site of the Old Mill is on the bend above Roughlee School and Crow Trees Farm (where Alice Nutter lived) the road here has metal railings. I've looked at Google maps but can't pinpoint the exact property. Can you or anybody help please?

[Wendyf]

I'm sure I looked for Crow Trees Farm before and came to the conclusion that it was also known as Judson Fold Farm ....havent time to check right now but I'll get back to you!

[Stanley]

Nice to look back on this topic.