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Shoddy and Mungo
Description of the shoddy and mungo industries of West Yorkshire and the author's family connections to that process. The final post in a four section sequence about the wool industry of the West Riding.
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From Loom to Ballot Box: The Fight for Suffrage
The history of British suffrage highlights the vital role of West Yorkshire, where the movement for voting rights merged with struggles for workers' rights. Both men and women sought representation to address economic injustices, ultimately shaping the electoral landscape through significant events like the Luddite Rebellion and Chartism.
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The Place of Last Resort: The Dewsbury Union Workhouse (The Poorhouse)
The exploration of Harriet Archer's life illuminates the vital role of the Dewsbury Union Workhouse in the Victorian era, providing a safety net for many during times of hardship. While workhouses carried a stigma, they were crucial for those in need, reflecting the resilience of families facing economic challenges. Harriet's legacy serves as a reminder of the past struggles and the importance of compassion in support systems today.
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Tracing the Archers of Earlsheaton, Chickenley and Ossett
Because Archer is an occupational surname…like Fletcher, Butcher, Smith and so on, it should have arisen in many different areas of the country, in men who were not actually related to each other but had the same occupation. It’s a little surprising, therefore, that, in the 1881 Census, by far the biggest concentration of families of the name “Archer” resided in the woollen towns of the West Riding, with the second largest group in London and the south east. My Archer family can be traced back to Dewsbury Parish records from 1581 and my branch of the family comes from Chickenley and Earlsheaton (known as Soothill and pronounced “soootil”) and the…
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Earlsheaton History and Family Connections
A potted history of the village of Earlsheaton, my Hemingway ancestors' involvement in woollen blanket manufacture there and my own memories of growing up in the village in the mid-20th Century.
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Cloth Market and Cloth Halls
Leeds Cloth Markets – 17th & 18th Centuries The Civil War (1642-51) interfered with the production of cloth in West Yorkshire, particularly in the early years, when Halifax, Bradford, Leeds and Wakefield became garrison towns for the opposing sides of the conflict. After the wars, Leeds became a principle market for the sale of woollen cloth. In the 17th Century, the Leeds Cloth Market became a major centre in the area for marketing cloth of all kinds. It was held every Tuesday and Saturday from 6 am and was held on Leeds Bridge, a historic crossing point on the River Aire. By 1684, it had outgrown its site and moved…
