Narrowgate Mill

[rossylass]

I was browsing old newspapers and found this. Thought you may be interested. It is an advertisement from The Leeds Mercury 27/10/1838 and concerns the sale of Narrowgate Mil, Pendle :-

"Until a short time ago in the occupation of the late firm of Roberts Brothers ..together with the reservoirs,cauls, weirs, gas and steam apparatus for lighting and warming the mill and other appurtenances...The mill has been lately thoroughly repaired and contains 4 stories or floors, each floor being 75 1/2 feet long by 35 1/2 feet wide within the walls. The floors, plastering, slating and etc and the water wheel are all quite new.
The reservoir is capacious and firmly banked, and the ?golts in excellent repair; the caul which throws the whole of the River Pendle into the reservoir is only just erected....
Also..four cottages nearly adjoining the said mill..
This mill and premises, with the appurtenances are a most desirable property for both a spinner and manufacturer, or an investment of capital - plenty of hands can be had at moderate wages and there is a pit of the best quality of coal with 2 1/2 miles of the mill...and its capabilities and power can be readily ascertained from the machinery undermentioned, which has been worked, is now within and ..likewise to be sold...
1 Willow, 1 Lap Machine, 1 blower, 12 cop reels, 1 press, (either 12 or 18) carding engines, each 40 inches on the wire, 2 drawing frames with 3 rollers, 2 deliveries and 4 heads each; 1 stubbing frame, 48 spindles and 9 inches lift; 2 roving frames with 7 inches lift and 56 spindles each; 4 roving frames with 5 inches lift and 120 spindles each; 1 grinding machine; 8 mules, 600 spindles each at 1 1/2 inch distance, with all the straps, cans, bobbins and complete and ready for work.
The machinery is quite new and in excellent order."
......
Mr James Armistead, Overlooker, of Roughlee, near the above mill, will show the premises and machinery & further particulars may be had (from) Mr James Roberts, of South Parade, Habergham Eaves...

[Stanley]

Narrowgates at Barley is a bit out of my area but I have come across quite a bit about it in my research. If you go and have a look at Newton Pickles' evidence in transcript 79/AG/10 in the LTP there is quite a lot of first hand evidence there because Brown and Pickles did quite a lot of work at the mill when it was running. They had a big Gilkes water turbine for power. Newton said that at that time Mitchell of County Brook was in partnership with Adam Hargreaves at Narrowgates.
The mill was built in 1799. A will of William Hartley refers to 'my new watermill' in 1808. The date of 1799 for the build derives from a lease of land at Stang Laithe, Barley where the reservoirs for the mill were built. It is for 999 years and started in 1799. William died in 1808 and had five sons, John, James, Richard, Peter and William. In 1810 the brothers leased more land from Thomas Clayton for the reservoir. In 1812 it looks as though the brothers were liquidated by their creditors and by 1813 John Shaw had taken over the mill because in that year he paid £29 for 'inundating land' when the dam was filled. The assumption is that he took over the mill from the Hartley creditors. In 1813 the mill was described as 'That new mill called Narrowgates or New Mill being 25 yards long and 11 3/4 yards wide, four storeys high and two newly erected cottages near the said mill'. In 1815 John Shaw sells the mill to John Moore of Burnley for £1500. John Moore is described as cotton dealer and corn merchant. In 1819 a water wheel is mentioned in a document but it is not clear whether this refers to Narrowgates or Barley Green (another mill in the village). The mill was occupied and run by John Moore The property was surrendered to Richard Hartley and Ann Robinson. In 1829 by the will of Richard Hartley his half of the mill went to John Hartley as trustee of his estate. In a sale of 1834 the mill was described as 'Heretofore in the occupation of John Moore and after, of William Bennett but now unoccupied'. This was when it was put up for sale by Richard Hartley and Ann Robinson. In 1834 James Hargreaves Roberts buys the mill for £850. Some property appears to have remained in Ann Robinson's hands, she died in 1854. (This estate bought in 1919 by Nelson Corporation for £2400) In 1867 certian parts of the mill were referred to as 'recently destroyed by fire'. At about this time the mill was transferred to Thomas Moorby who died on 18th of September 1874. In 1878 Elizabeth Ann, widow of Thomas Moorby transfers the mill to her son John Moorby for £1608. The schedule of the 1878 transfer refers to a water wheel, steam engine and shafting. In 1878 there is also a a surrender to Elizabeth Ann (Mortgage to Elizabeth Ann) and in 1888 the Local Board for Nelson buys the mill from Elizabeth Ann Moorby, the mortgagee, and John Moorby for £6000.
See LTP 78/AG/10 for evidence of repairs done by Brown and Pickles in 1936 in which he describes the mill at that date. At that time Adam Hargreaves was running the mill with Mitchell of County Brook as his partner. In 1950 Nelson Corporation buys the site of the reservoir from the executors of Gertrude Hartley of Fence Gate for £185-12-6. Beyond this the mill passed ino the ownership of Mr Hayhurst of Nelson who lived it it as a private house. In early 2016 I was told that he was about to move out.