Textile Manufacture, and Other Industries, in Keighley - Of Keighley John Hodgson

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1879 edition. Excerpt: ... PREFACE. DURING a conversation, a few years ago, with one of the leading manufacturers of this town, about the old tradesmen who had been engaged in making stuff pieces in this neighbourhood, he said that we seemed to know more about the old manufacturers than any one he had ever met with, and at the same time strongly urged us to put our recollections into writing, assuring us that if we neglected t6 do so, a number of important facts relating to the old tradesmen of Keighley would, in a few years, be lost past recovery. We engaged to think about it, supposing that all we could manage to say would be contained in a small pamphlet. About the end of the year 1876, we suffered a very painful bereavement, and in order to divert our attention from it, and to prevent, as much as possible, excessive brooding over our heavy loss, we set about collecting materials for the present Work, and as we went on it grew in our hands, and the result is the present volume. When we began we only intended to notice the stuff piece manufacturers, but on prosecuting our inquiries, we found no less than twenty-three old Cotton Mills, or buildings where cotton 1 yarn had formerly been spun, in this parish; and, as machine making has become one of the leading industries in this town, we have noticed the parties who have been engaged in making machinery for spinning worsted yarn and weaving stuff pieces. No one is more conscious than ourselves of the many defects this book contains; we have, however, endeavoured to place before our readers, in plain and homely language, not only our own recollections, but also a number of important facts and dates culled from old writings. A large number of legal and other documents have been placed in our hands; and for