Daybrook/Arnold History 200 years ago...

[poohbear 1,360]

Following on from the 'Alf Hairdresser' thread.The picture of the barbers on Nottingham Road jogged a memory.Many years previous at the start of the 19th century....

Just a few yards away from that shop up Nottingham Road were the tenements that housed the workers at Arnolds biggest mill on what is now Arnot hill park.

No wonder Dickens wrote about the conditions for child labour...this is one of the worst I've come across.

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The Arnold Mill.

The mill at Arnold was principally a worsted mill. It seems to have been a poor trade, with low wages and much child labour. Times were hard, and trade was bad. In France was an awful revolution, and war between England and France followed. All industries were disorganized, bread was exceedingly dear, riots were frequent, for the people were starving. In a printed report of a Lecture given by Mr. W. Stumbles in the Baptist Schoolroom in 1859 it is stated that the Mill was built about 1788, was first used for spinning worsted, and afterwards for cotton yarns. It stood above the lodge at the entrance to Arnot Hill grounds, and the row of houses opposite, known as Cottage Row, was occupied by the apprentices, of whom there were about six hundred, which with four hundred adults made up one thousand workpeople. "There was no Factory Act in those days, and the hands were accustomed to work night and day, and as the result there was great mortality among the apprentices. These were mostly obtained from Bristol and London, out of the workhouses, and their age when put to the mill would average about twelve years. The mortality was so great among them that sometimes as many as six or seven A WEEK were buried at Arnold Church. This shameful waste of human life was thought to have resulted from overwork, neglect, and the overcrowded state of their lodging rooms."

Throsby, in 1792, after referring to the cotton mills "erected here on a large scale," adds...

"In 1811 (Arnold Feast Week), the mill stopped, owing to the great depression in trade . . . . . . . arising from the decrees of the Emperor Napoleon against British commerce, and the tremendous price of provisions caused by the French War. The apprentices were handed over to the recruiting sergeant, and the proprietors of the mill received £5 for each one enlisted."

In 1812, the mill was described as being "so large that a tenant could not be found for it, and it is suffered to go to decay."

Under the head of Worsted Mills, Blackner in his "History of Nottingham," says...

"In the year 1788 Mr. Robert Davison and Mr. John Hawkesley erected a worsted mill in this town, on the north bank of the Leen, where now stands Navigation Row. It was burnt down in 1791; and shortly afterwards these gentlemen erected another mill, on a very extensive scale, the works being driven by an engine of sixty horse power. The site of its erection was on a plot of ground contiguous to the east side of the road leading into Arnold from Nottingham, and which in the old writings belonging to the estate is called Arnot Hill. The death of Mr. Davison, and some heavy losses in 1809, added to the already encumbered state of the concern, caused the final stoppage of this manufactory, the materials of which, to the very foundation, were sold and taken away; and on the 5th of February, 1810, Mr. Hawksley laid the foundation of another mill which required an engine of twenty horse power, in Butcher Close, Nottingham, And he left the delightful habitation at Arnot Hill, surrounded with plantations, gardens, and hothouses, and removed with his family to Sneinton." (Delightful for him and his family maybe)

"During the latter part of the summer (1793) the Corporation opened a subscription for the relief of the poor in the article of bread, which received very considerable support from a number of wealthy and humane inhabitants; but by none so much as by Messrs. Davison & Hawksley, of Arnold. They supplied an immense quantity of corn, considerably below the price they had given for it, for the use of their own workpeople. And what is very remarkable, when the corn was thus obtained to supply the poor with bread, which they could not otherwise obtain for money, there was neither wind nor water to grind it. These two worthy gentlemen remedied this misfortune in the operations of nature, which, coupled with the machinations of man, threatened the most alarming consequences at this momentous crisis, for they ground the corn in their own mill (which was turned by the machinery of their worsted mill), and sent the flour in their own waggons to Nottingham, free of all expenses, which was sold at a reduced price by the Corporate servants at the Malt Cross to the eager multitude, and thus the horrors of a famine were expelled. These two gentlemen likewise took the batches of corn of those who could raise them from this town of Arnold, and ground them, and brought them back free of expense, so long as applicants could be found. For these benevolent and humane acts they received a tribute from thousands of hearts overflowing with the most grateful sensations; and Mr. Hawksley was presented with the Freedom of the Town."

These same philanthropic 'gentlemen' were the ones responsible for the multiple deaths of children in their hell hole of a mill...and when business died sold the remaining children to the army.

If you're ever on Arnot hill park and hear the children playing on the swings there...give a thought to the children that slaved and died in exactly the same place 200 years ago.

[Cliff Ton 10,464]

Taken from a book, the caption to this photo says "Cottage Row, Daybrook. Built in 1790 to house one thousand mill workers, it was converted to houses in 1815" so presumably those mill workers are the ones mentioned in poohbear's piece

[.... 23]

Very humbling stuff, thank you for reproducing it here. I was aware there had been a mill at Arnot Hill but it's only when the depravity and cruelty of what went off in those places is spelt out to one that it really hits home.

I read a harrowing account of a young boy being brought from St. Pancras in London to Gonalston Mill (alternatively called Lowdham of Cliff Mill). the conditions and cruelty described were appalling. Similarly, many children died or suffered serious injuries in the mill whilst working slave labour hours. It's said that some of the children were buried in the grounds of the mill, which is now a private home. Others were buried in the local churchyard but apparently many were taken as far away as Derbyshire to be disposed of in order to make the mortality figures not seem so bad.

Slightly off-topic but still in this era of history in Daybrook, there is a short piece in the latest free 'NG5' magazine about a farming accident in which a serious explosion occurred in the area. The magazine is less interesting but the short history pieces in there are well worth a read. In the previous edition I learned that there had been a mill in Redhill area 'near the bottom of The Mount'. Looking at old maps it appears to have stood on the land which is now part of the Redhill Cemetery extension, looking over towards Redhill Farm on Bestwood Lodge Drive.

[.... 23]

The historic Daybrook article is on page 62 of the pdf below.

http://www.ngmagazines.org.uk/images/dlImages/NG5_October_November_2011.pdf

[poohbear 1,360]

Another interesting tale from the past...

1765.—

Kitty Hudson, born at Arnold, when six years old was taken to live with her grandfather, Mr. White, sexton of St. Mary's, Nottingham. Mr. White's servant encouraged Kitty when sweeping the church to pick up pins and needles for a reward of toffee.

Kitty placed the pins or needles in her mouth, the practice of which habit destroyed her teeth, and when she was 18 years old she had to be taken to the Nottingham General Hospital (which had been opened the year previous, 1782) in consequence of numbness of limbs and sleeplessness.

Needles were found in her arms, legs, feet, breasts, stomach, and indeed all over her body. She was discharged cured in 1785, and was married six months later to a young Arnold man named Goddard, who, she said, "had sweethearted her from a child."

She had 19 children, 18 of whom died in infancy.

Kitty was tall, stout, and of masculine appearance, and carried the Arnold post a number of years, walking twice a day no matter the weather from Arnold to Nottingham with the letters in a leathern bag slung over her shoulder by a strap. She wore a small bonnet, a man's 'spencer' of drab cloth, a coarse woollen petticoat, worsted stockings, and strong shoes.

I've not been able to find out what happened to poor Kitty...What a life?

[Compo 10,328]

What a character she must have been! I wonder how she came to stick pins and needles all over herself though?

[HortonOfGedling 0]

Fascinating to read. My ancestor William Horton first shows up at cottage row on the 1841 census. The hortons were there until it was knocked down with Bertha and Alice in the 60s

[poohbear 1,360]

What a character she must have been! I wonder how she came to stick pins and needles all over herself though?

She swallowed them mate...weird innit?

[mick2me 3,033]

Welcome HortonOfGedling

[jimmy87notts 22]

Fascinating to read. My ancestor William Horton first shows up at cottage row on the 1841 census. The hortons were there until it was knocked down with Bertha and Alice in the 60s

I wonder if were related. My great x 4 grandfather was a Mr Thomas Horton of Arnold born in 1828, and his parents were John Horton and Jane Fletcher

[Pixie 162]

Wow! Ill be deffonately sparing a thought next time i go to arnot hill park! Strange to think of things being ALOT different isnt it? i cant imagion it being anything else than arnot park & Frank keys oposite!

[.... 23]

Arnold Mill

To save space, I'll not copy posts one and two from above but save to say, I'm attending a course on Arnold history currently and last evening there were some interesting and quite amazing claims about Arnold Mill related to the account and pic from those posts.

The following image was shown. The drawing was made shortly after the mill was demolished and is the only one available.

http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?action=printdetails&keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NCCC002383&prevUrl=

The mill was the biggest in the UK at the time it was built and therefore at the leading edge of manufacturing worlwide. To give a comparison it was said that the average Arkwright (very large constructions in themselves as we know) held around 200 workers. Arnold Mill had 1000. The average Arkwright was insured to the tune of £3000 whilst Arnold Mill was insured for £12,000.

Arnold apparently had a population of approximately 1000 people at the time. The town's population doubled in size quite quickly with the coming of the mill to 2000. This was partly due to the 600 incomers as stated above and partly due to other job creation and prosperity in the town related to the mill such as agriculture, engineering, blacksmiths etc. (Incidentally Arnold was renowned widely for it's excellent vegetables, particularly carrots).

It was claimed that Arnold Mill would have seen one of the world's first shift systems with workers needed to work day and night to supply the British army in uniforms. Also one of the first industrial premises where workers would, in effect. clock on and off at set hours.

When the workers began working around the clock the mill pond was drained within the week and one of the world's early simple steam engines was used to provide the power.

The pond at Arnot Hill Park is the original mill pond for the Mill. The mill would have stood approximately where the new Gedling Borough Council Offices now stand.

Arnot Hill House, once the home of Arnold Urban District Council was originally the private home of one of the mill owners with the park (over a much wider area then) being his garden.

Cottage Row was indeed where the incomers to work in the mill were housed. This was described as on Nottingham Road where the Frank Key premises stand now. Not only was it living accommodation but it also had integral bakeries etc.

The mortality rate of six or seven a week was stated as not a mortality rate but rather a 'missing' rate. Some of these predominantly young people would indeed perish but others would abscond or leave through their own will for various reasons. This rate will sounding appalling by today's standards was actually much better in comparison to other similar places in those days. The work was arduous but conditions better than some contemporaries. No excuse was given for the cruelty of child labour however.

The Mill advertised for workers to be apprenticed as young as seven years old, the small children's fingers being particularly useful around the machinery amongst other reasons.

Wages at the mill were very good compared to levels of the day. Standards of welfare for staff were higher too.

There was an incident during (I think) the Bread Riots where 20-30 young mill workers under the age of twenty years were arrested by the militia in Arnold for rioting. They were taken away to Nottingham on an open wagon but not before some of the town's womenfolk came out to fight the militia in order to stop them being arrested! The militia operating in Arnold were the Bunny Yeomanry.

The mill finally closed with a full order book but no materials due to it no longer being obtainable from Spain due to the war.

All great stuff from an excellent tutor. Apologies to him if I don't have all the info exactly right.

Please don't shoot the messenger - just reporting some of the fantastic information imparted!

I look forward the the third instalment next Monday.

[.... 23]

Another pic of Cottage Row

http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/frontend.php?action=printdetails&keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;NCCC003044&prevUrl=

[catfan 14,793]

Fantastic post poobear, thanks for sharing.

[poohbear 1,360]

Ask 'em why Arnot? please Stu...I've often wonder where this spelling came from.

[nottinghamite 8]

Re. the reference to Alf the hairdresser in poohbear's post at the top of the page. Would that be Alf Hutchins the hairdresser who had a shop just under the railway bridge on Mansfield Rd. Daybrook? I used to go there for years. He was very good to servicemen during the war and often used to hand out cigarettes to them, he had photos of his customers who were in the forces all over the walls of his salon.

Dennis

[.... 23]

Will do, pooh. Often wondered that myself. Maybe yet another historic variant spelling.of Arnold? Let me know if you have any more questions to fire in. The course is loosely based on Arnold in the 'wars' (from the beginnings) and later the coming of the railway.

[jackson 301]

Stu, how kind and considerate of you to put on 'Nottstalgia' the history that you are learning of.......

All interesting stuff, especially love the fascinating drawing of the Arnold Mill; just to think if someone had not made the drawing after the Mill's demolition, then we would never have known what it looked like! Drawings to me are priceless.

Also thanks to Poohbear for his fascinating little tale on Kitty Hudson - obviously she thought that swallowing pins and needles would do her no harm!

[Compo 10,328]

Re. the reference to Alf the hairdresser in poohbear's post at the top of the page. Would that be Alf Hutchins the hairdresser who had a shop just under the railway bridge on Mansfield Rd. Daybrook? I used to go there for years. He was very good to servicemen during the war and often used to hand out cigarettes to them, he had photos of his customers who were in the forces all over the walls of his salon.

Dennis

That's the man! i went to him as a lad and directly before I joined the RAF in the late 60s I went to him for a forces haircut. Short back and sides was his speciality

[catfan 14,793]

I worked with his wife, Jane, 40 odd years ago.

[.... 23]

Ask 'em why Arnot? please Stu...I've often wonder where this spelling came from.

According to what I heard tonight the name 'Arnot' doesn't have a particularly interesting explanation, it's just another derivative of the original name for Arnold, Ernehale of which there were a few. The name Arnold having evolved through 'Arnall' etc.

[poohbear 1,360]

Ta muchly!

[fch782c 144]

On the subject of old Daybrook square does anybody remember Steeples gentlemens outfitters it was if I remember next door to Andy Bones Motorcycles directly opposite The Grove public house

[fch782c 144]

If my memory serves right Ernhale is mentioned in the Doomsday book and roughly translates to Valley of the White Eagle

http://www.google.co.uk/url?q=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold,_Nottinghamshire&sa=U&ei=_HJhUemXMYah0QWd4IHABg&ved=0CCkQFjAE&sig2=nd4alKfwdLokHD-64vj45w&usg=AFQjCNFyz52ui4tQ9I-em3Tchs1GaaNWHA

[.... 23]

I remember Steeples yes, been mentioned on here before. Think it's the fireplace shop now?

The appearance of Daybrook square will be changing again soon as Gedling Borough Council have bought The Grove and it and nearby buildings will be demolished to build housing.

The Eagle theory seems out of kilter though, the area not exactly being 'Eagle country' in landscape. Herons are the more likely bird many experts believe.