"Framework knitters and weavers with large families" (so they could do piece work at home and include the kids on the team).
"Boys and young Men may have Trades taught them, which will enable them to maintain a Family in a short Time." (Ditto. The bigger the family, the more people working for the mill!)
And yet Arkwright wasn't a bad man, by the standards of his day. He looked after his employees and provided homes in the village in sturdy, stone-built houses with gardens. Many of his workforce had probably been lead miners or agricultural workers and their mill conditions must have seemed almost luxurious by comparison.
So important to learn a trade in those days.
ReplyDeleteOne wonders who read the advert in the Mercury and how by word of mouth it had to be passed on to those wanting employment.
ReplyDeleteThe extracts are so interesting and you can learn so many things from them. I remember the row of cottages in Cromford off the main road up the hill with upstairs windows so that the homeworkers had light for as long as possible:)
ReplyDeleteI stayed in one of those on holiday once. It belongs to the Landmark Trust. Interesting place.
DeleteThose are really interesting adverts. Many of my ancestors, including my great grandfather, were framework knitters though in NOttingham rather than Derbyshire.
ReplyDeleteIt was a different time. A big family these days would be three children over here. Thank you for your visit to my blog. The holes in the wall?...they will be there until British Columbia Hydro visits to inspect and certify the work. What a mess!
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