Roger Davy
Ben Rhydding, Ilkley
Saturday, February 20, 2010 12:54 |
T & M Bairstow's Mill
I appreciate that it is a longshot but I wonder if anyone has access to any records which list those from the village who were working at the mill in the 1880s and 1890s. I am writing the story of our family textile business in Bradford but in those earlier days my grandfather Francis Henry Davy and two of his brothers were spinning and/or weaving overlookers at T & M Bairstow Ltd. My grandmother Mary Ann Hargreaves was a weaver there too before she was married and would walk up and down Sutton Clough each day from her home at Wood Top Farm.
Any information would be much appreciated, also any photos of the mill around that time. I have already submitted to the Gallery a general view of the village including the mill taken c1914 |
Paul Longbottom
Sutton
Saturday, February 20, 2010 13:36 |
Roger, You will find a most of the records are held at the West Yorks Archive Service at Bradford. The wage and employment books cover the dates 1834-1963. |
Andrew Monkhouse
Hanoi, Vietnam
Saturday, February 20, 2010 21:53 |
Hi Roger, I have a postcard of Sutton Mills that may be of interest to you franked 25th April 1906 Crosshills
The photo was taken from the beckside fields showing both mill chimneys, 2 ladies stood posing for the shot in the distance and a cow grazing in the field!
I know your specific area of interest concerns the mill from the 1880s to 1890s, but I think you will be hard pressed to find an image that definitively dates the mill prior to this one taken in 1906.
In addition and coincidentally it was written out and posted by a mill employee at that time, unfortunately it is difficult to make out the senders name. I’ve sent images of both sides to the webmaster for your perusal
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Roger Davy
Ben Rhydding, Ilkley
Sunday, February 21, 2010 17:23 |
Paul & Andrew,
Many thanks for your help and interest. I shall contact the WY archives and see what I can find. I shall also be very interested to see the postcard too. My father used to tell me that his father, ie my grandfather, remembered seeing Bairstow's mill chimney built. I'm interested in finding out how many of my family actually worked there in those days.
Roger |
Trevor Hargreaves
Grassington
Thursday, March 12, 2015 09:56 |
My grandad William Henry Hargreaves, who was born in 1877, served his apprenticeship and was later Head Twister at Bairstow`s. He left about 1914 when he became ill with Bright`s disease |
Paul Wilkinson
webmaster
Thursday, March 12, 2015 10:50 |
Hi Trevor - he may be on the 1913 photo of the Twisters in the gallery.
g1913TwistersStrike.asp
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Joan M. Tindale
Cowling
Thursday, March 12, 2015 20:51 |
I'm a descendant of the Cowling Binns's Mills family - WYAS hold a very extensive archive - all catalogued - which we are going to look at during summer months. There is so much I will pick out the most interesting items and place an order and let them know when we will be going -as some of the stuff is stored in a warehouse!
The Binns's archives have been moved to Bradford from Leeds, so I would make sure before you go - WYAS have been very helpful. |
Yvonne Salt
sutton-in-Craven
Saturday, March 14, 2015 06:43 |
Hi Roger, I do believe we share a common ancestor from the distant past as my maiden name is Davy. I have spent many happy days in the library at Bradford investigating the T &M Bairstow records with my fellow archive diver Jean. I don't have the information to hand but I will contact Jean and ask her to give you all the details you need to order the records and book an appointment. There are many boring ledgers to trawl through but we unearthed some treasures and hope you do too.
Good luck Yvonne
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Jean McClennon
United Kingdom
Saturday, March 14, 2015 09:37 |
Hi Roger, WYAS do have the records from Bairstows though the employment records are far from complete they are fascinating anyway. The website is a bit clunky but they will send a PDF of the Bairstow records which have been vaguely catalogued and you can request from that. Records do have to ordered in from storage but they are very good about holding them in Bradford for further visits. We can heartily recommend the café at the Media Museum for much needed coffee breaks from your dusty investigations. He won't be on the strike picture if he was an overlooker. Yvonne and I have done quite a bit of research on the twisters strike and hope to have it ready for the website this summer. Good luck Jean
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Isobel Stirk
Silsden
Monday, March 23, 2015 12:59 |
I was very interested to read the message from Mr Davy. My husband's uncle was Edgar Davy and he had a wool business in Bradford. I wonder if Mr Davy's family has a connection there. I had great respect and affection for Edgar Davy and was very sad when he died at a relatively young age in the mid 1960s. I had another connection with him. He told me that his relatives were named Hargreaves and had lived on a farm in Sutton. My own uncle by marriage had a cousin who married Hannah Hargreaves from Sutton. She became Hannah Stow and lived in Wilsden.
A small world perhaps? |
Trevor Hargreaves
Grassington
Wednesday, April 29, 2015 07:33 |
Sorry to be slow in replying Paul. That`s an interesting photo you posted of the twisters` strike but unfortunately I can`t see my grandad on it. I was so interested too to read your posting Isobel. Hannah was my auntie and was married to Uncle Clifford. She lived until nearly 1002. |
