Poverty in Barnoldswick and Thornton 1826

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rossylass
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Poverty in Barnoldswick and Thornton 1826

Post by rossylass »

From an article in The York Herald 27/05/1826, which quoted a letter from Rev WA Wasney of Fence End to Rev DR Currer. It concerned a request for help and asked that the cases of Thornton and Barnoldswick be put to the Acting Committee for the Relief of Distressed Manufacturers in York. :-

"..I believe I do not exaggerate in saying they are among the worst, perhaps the worst in CRaven...In both parishes there are 4,700 inhabitants of whom upwards of 3,500 are unemployed. There are not more than 2 manufacturers in both parishes and the general population consists of weavers and small farmers, who nearly make their rents by weaving; many of whom are at present in a very depressed state, and have sold some part of their stock to pay the poor assessments. In Barnoldswick there are many cases of Typhus fever and lately, a woman was brought to bed there, who for nearly 30 hours was without any nourishment except a cup of tea and a morsel of bread, and had not Mr Burrow the clergyman, fortunately called in, might have continued much longer in that state. At Earby, in the parish of Thornton, a few weeks ago, a cow died in calving; the carcass was thrown on the dunghill; before the next morning it was taken away by the hungry inhabitants - one family suffered a great deal, either from eating too great a quantity of it, or from the noxious quality of the food."
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Re: Poverty in Barnoldswick and Thornton 1826

Post by Stanley »

Useful bit of research Rossy. I took the liberty of correcting Wasney's name for you. Hope that's OK.

I found this in my archive. I don't know who Tricia is....

WASNEY. FENCE END.
Hi Stanley,
I thought that other contributors might like to know a bit more about the Wasney family of Fence End, as far as our knowledge goes. 
William Atkinson Wasney was born in Kingston Upon Hull, ca 1769 the eldest child of Thomas Wasney a grocer of Hull and Mercy Atkinson his wife.  The Atkinson family were from Knottingley and were very well to do.  Wiliam Atkinson Wasney attended school at Beverely and was admitted to Trinity College Cambridge in 1786 as a pensioner (i.e an ordinary fee paying student). He graduated BA in 1791 and MA in 1794.
He was licenced by the Archbishop of York in 1791 to the Curacy at Thorpe Bassett and in 1814 to the Curacy at Marton in Craven and the Rectorship at Bracewell.  It is also thought that he was connected to the church in Thornton and in Earby.
On 19th October 1796 William Atkinson Wasney married Ellen (Ellin) Wilkinson the daughter of William Wilkinson at Thornton Parish Church and it seems to be as a result of this marriage that they came into the possession of the Estate at Fence End. This is the extent of our knowledge of the Wilkinson link at the moment.
William Atkinson Wasney and his wife had 4 known children, William Atkinson, John Wilkinson, Ellen Elizabeth and Lydia. It seems that with his growing family, William Atkinson Wasney  was also busy in building up his estate and he also leased land in the Thornton area.  There are a lot of family papers,  which show a number of transactions, held at the Leeds Archive.
Of his children, William Atkinson the younger seems to have died young as we can find no mention of him after his christening in Thornton in 1789.  John Wilkinson Wasney followed his father to Cambridge but attended St Catherine's where he was admitted penisoner 9th December 1816 he attained his BA 1822 and was then admitted to Lincolns Inn 11th February 1818 where he was called to the Bar.  He followed his father in adding to the estate after his father's death in 1842.  John Wilkinson Wasney never married and according to some correspondence between his sister Ellen and a friend was called Wilkinson in the family not John.  It also appears from the correspondence that John Wilkinson Wasney was a hunting gentleman often riding out with Lord Harwood.
The two sisters, Ellen and Lydia  did not marry either . We find Lydia in 1841 at Burton Crescent, St Pancras, Marylebone at the age of 40 a visitor to John & Margaret Wikinson and their daughter Ellen.  Lydia's death is registered in London jin the June quarter of 1862. Ellen resided with her brother at Fence End, but it appears from correspondence that she she travelled to friends in Lincolnshire and the East Riding. Ellen died at the age of 82 on 29th January 1880 and is buried in the churchyard at Thornton in Craven.
John Wilkinson Wasney died 16th March 1884 and is also buried in the churchyard at Thornton in Craven.  His grave stone and that of sister Ellen can still be seen there, but we have yet to find the resting place of their parents. As a matter of interest this Wasney family was also connected to the parish Church at Knottingley and there are a number of monuments there which relate to the Wasney and the Atkinson families. John Wilkinson Wasney was a donor to that church for an extension to be built and that is commemorated on the exterior of the church building. [Posted on OGFB 28/03/07]
With the passing of John  Wilkinson Wasney it appears that the name Wasney died out as a surname, but it was carried forward as a second name to a number of descendents in the female line which is how my husband's grandfather came to be called William Wasney Heseltine.
Tricia
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Re: Poverty in Barnoldswick and Thornton 1826

Post by Sue »

Very interesting bit of history
If you keep searching you will find it
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Re: Poverty in Barnoldswick and Thornton 1826

Post by Wendyf »

The history society had a talk last year by George Ingle about the 1826 Yorkshire weavers riots based on his book "Trouble at t' Mill". He spoke about similar letters written by the Rev. Mordaunt Barnard, (Curate of Thornton and Barlick) to the Home Office in April 1826.
Eventually, a £50 note (in two halves, sent seperately) was received and distributed.
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Re: Poverty in Barnoldswick and Thornton 1826

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Bet that was interesting. Dreadful times though!
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Re: Poverty in Barnoldswick and Thornton 1826

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The transition from the Domestic textile trade to the industrial system was a terrible blow for the HLW. It led to a wave of unrest driven by poverty and was essentially the manufacturers using the opportunities given to them by the advances in technology to gain control over the workers by getting them working together in factories. In some cases even locking the doors to keep them in and at their machines. Further, there is evidence that they black-listed the old intransigent HLW and preferred women and children as they were more easily controlled. It was a very painful genesis of the new Factory System.
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Re: Poverty in Barnoldswick and Thornton 1826

Post by chinatyke »

There was poverty in Barlick in 1962/3 when I worked for the skinflints at Windle and Bowker for £2/10/- a week, Monday to Friday and Saturday mornings! :sad:
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Re: Poverty in Barnoldswick and Thornton 1826

Post by rossylass »

And still it goes on!
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Re: Poverty in Barnoldswick and Thornton 1826

Post by Stanley »

Quite!! Look at the current revelations about the JML Sports distribution centre.... Makes the old textile mills look like holiday camps!
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Re: Poverty in Barnoldswick and Thornton 1826

Post by Whyperion »

chinatyke wrote:There was poverty in Barlick in 1962/3 when I worked for the skinflints at Windle and Bowker for £2/10/- a week, Monday to Friday and Saturday mornings! :sad:
Current advert for them says ' help you..pay less tax' which I suppose it does.
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Re: Poverty in Barnoldswick and Thornton 1826

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Cheeky monkeys!
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Re: Poverty in Barnoldswick and Thornton 1826

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I can't complain about them because they did just that for me for fifty years.... Peter Gooby was my accountant and he was a delight.
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Re: Poverty in Barnoldswick and Thornton 1826

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chinatyke wrote:1962/3 ...for £2/10/- a week, Monday to Friday and Saturday...
I seem to recall I was getting just over £3 a week, Monday-Friday, as a trainee progress clerk at British Northrop at that time, clocking in at 07.45 and finishing at 17.00.
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Re: Poverty in Barnoldswick and Thornton 1826

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My £1 a week plus board was a pretty good wage for a farm apprentice in 1953 then......
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