Inspired by a recent post extolling the merit of old testimonials in historical research I delved into my own family archives – I was not disappointed.
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| Miss Mary Clarke, 1947 |
The above reference was given to my mother in August, 1947. It symbolises, a time when “Cotton was King” in this city all be it an increasingly frail and aged one about to be dethroned. (1)
Haslams was a firm of cotton spinners and manufacturers with its origins in Bolton, Lancashire based at Halliwell Cotton Works, Lark Hill.
The company began as a warehouse for local hand loom weavers set up in Bolton by the first John Haslam in 1816 as the cotton industry expanded with the Industrial Revolution so did Haslams.
The company remained family run for over a century with first John’s son, also called John and then his grandson William becoming its chairman. William died in Bolton, Lancashire in the March quarter of 1917 and shortly after that, in 1920, Haslams was merged with other cotton manufacturers to form The Amalgamated Cotton Mills Trust.
For a time there remained a connection with the Haslam family as William’s younger brother, Lewis continued as a director until his death on 11th September, 1922. It is also likely that at least one of William’s sons, the youngest William Heywood was a one-time director.
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| Lewis Haslam, 1911 |
Lewis Haslam was a very wealthy man.
He was the holder of various permits both collectively with Cornelious Mashall (for a number of improvements in textile manufacturing processes) and individually (for Aertex, a lightweight cotton fabric used in the production of shirts and under garments).
In public life he was a J.P. for Lancashire and stood as a candidate for the Liberal Party in a number of constituencies before getting elected in 1906 at Monmouth Boroughs, which he represented until 1918. He then stood in and was returned for Newport, being their M.P. until his death. At his death he was resident at 8, Wilton Crescent, Belgrave Square, London and left an estate of £521, 454-7s -1d. (£30, 302, 000 at today’s value).
As shown by company’s letterhead in 1947 they had also branched out into manufacturing rayon goods, with their head office at 28, Quay Street, Manchester 3. Their address for telegrams, “Squirrels”, is intriguing and for the moment remains a complete mystery.
My mother left Haslams employ in order to take up a posting with the Womens Land Army (2); a body of women volunteers to work in agriculture to replace male workers serving in the armed forces. The continuing need of this force throughout 1947 and 1948 is indicative of the perilous state of the British economy during the immediate post-war years.
Despite the end of hostilities, the huge cost of fighting the war meant the government was desperate to maximise home-grown food production as a way of reducing the cost of imports. The severe winter of 1946/7 only served to exacerbate the problems the country faced.
My mother was posted to a farm just outside Preston, Lancashire and remained working as a “Land Girl” until the 23rd October, 1948 when she left to marry my father. Here is a copy of her termination letter.
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| The Land Army discharge, 1948 |
Pictures: Lewis Haslam portrait, 1911 by Sir Benjamin Stone in public domain, http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portraitLarge/mw118735/Lewis-Haslam, others, from the collection of Tony Goulding.
Notes
1) The peak year for the production of cotton in the U.K. mostly, though not exclusively in Lancashire was 1912 when eight billion yards were produced. At that time, it was Lancashire’s proud boast that it clothed Britain before breakfast and the rest of the day was spent clothing the world. The disruption to trade as a result of the Great War provided a catalyst for the rapid growth of the embryonic textile industries of the Far East particularly in Japan which by the mid-1930's had become the world’s leading cotton manufacturing nation. The impact of the boycott of imported cotton in favour of home-spun cloth by the Gandhi inspired Indian independence movement also had a detrimental effect on the Lancashire mills. There was a short-term revival of the industry during World War Two when production was refocused on war materials, especially parachutes only for the industry to further decline in the 1950’s decade.
2) The Womens Land Army was raised in June, 1939 reviving a similar organisation of the final 2 years of the First World War. At its peak, in 1943, 80,000 women were serving as “Land Girls”. As demobilisation progressed, less women were needed to work the land and the service was finally disbanded in 1950.
Very interesting, I knew very little about the background. My father worked for Haslams selling in London. The firm were very generous to him after he became I’ll and couldn’t work. I remember he was always so positive with the work he could do. His name was Leslie Barr. Sadly he died in 1954.
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