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Can anyone tell me what the following jobs entailed please. Being a non-local, I have had no dealings with the cotton industry other than through my tree.

Tackler
Taper
Sizer
Cloth looker
Winder

And any others that I probably am not aware of please.

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Mel

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Winder transfers yarn from bobbins ready for weaving
http://rmhh.co.uk/occup/w.html

Sizer applied size to cloth manufacture
http://rmhh.co.uk/occup/s.html

Taper made candle wicks
http://rmhh.co.uk/occup/t.html

A loom overlooker is the same as a tackler, they maintain the looms and overlook staff
http://rmhh.co.uk/occup/t.html

Cloth looker inspects the finished woven cloth
http://rmhh.co.uk/occup/c2.html

Thanks Kris - Is that the same sort of taper? I expected something to do with weaving, not candle making. This doesn't look like anything to do with candles http://www.briercliffesociety.co.uk/Pho ... Taping.htm

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Mel

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My understanding is this.
There's a taping machine that winds the warp threads (the long ones) onto the beam. The beam supplies the warp to the loom. A taper stands at the end of the beam whilst the threads are being wound onto it and makes sure the threads wind on properly. There are probably better explanations but that might keep you going.
Anyway, didn't roger promise us an exclusive visit to Queen St Mill later this year? I'm sure we'll have it all off pat by the time we come out.

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Maureen
If you can't fight, wear a big 'at

Maureen’s explanation sounds better than a candle maker.

He did Maureen but I want to add the description to the pictures Kris bought at the weekend.

I'm looking forward to that. I wonder if we will go on the walk in September? That'll be the last chance to do it this year won't it.

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Mel

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Sorry if I've missed this in previous postings, but another job I'd lke to know about is Doffer (or perhaps Dipper), which is what my great-grandfather was at the age of 16 in 1851. (HO107; Piece: 2251; Folio: 560; Page: 3. Looking at other pages in the same hand, Doffer is more likely as the enumerator writes the letter p quite clearly in Stripper, for example))

He progressed to become a cotton overlooker in 1861 and a power loom overlooker in 1871.

Charon

Having realised that my gt-grandfather's job was more likely to be Doffer than Dipper I did a Google search for Doffer. (I thought I could guess what Dippers might do, though I did wonder what they dipped, and what into. Anyway, it seems there was no such job - or was there?).

In an interesting and impressive Wikipedia article on Joseph Wright (Linguist) I found a reference to his early employment as a "doffer" (remover of full bobbins) in a Yorkshire mill.

I wonder if there was a word for the people who put the empty bobbins on?

Charon

Bobbit?

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Maureen
If you can't fight, wear a big 'at

Doffer – worked in the spinning mills, replacing the full yarn bobbins with empties on the looms
http://rmhh.co.uk/occup/d.html

and then if you click on the link you find this.

The cotton (or wool) 'Throstle' is the name of a machine for the continuous
Spinning of cotton (or wool) simultaneously onto long rows of, perhaps 300 or 400, Pirns or Bobbins.

A mill work-room would have many of these machines which the teams of Doffers would attend to. (The actual piecing of the thread during the process was done by another operative, known as a Piecer.)

Later improvements were made and a multi-thread spinning machine, known as
the 'Self Acting Mule' was invented by Samuel Crompton of Bolton in 1779.

The word 'Minder' refers to the operative in charge of the machine.
He ( and it would usually be a 'He' because of the physical nature of the
job!) would also have other assistants known as 'Piecers' whose work would
be to repair the threads as and when they broke during the spinning process.
He also had the help of teams of 'Doffers' when the 'Pirns' or 'Bobbins' became
filled on his 'Mule'.

A Weaver is the name of the operative of a loom which actually made cloth.

Interesting Snippet:-

Liverpool Journal 27th Jan 1849

DEATH OF THE FIRST POWER LOOM WEAVER

On tues last Mr Andrew KINLOCH, aged 89 died at the house of his son in Preston. In 1793 he set up the first power loom in Glasgow, with which the propelling power was his own hand, he managed after an outlay of 100 guineas to produce 90 yards of cloth. This sum, we may explain was jointly subscribed for the experiment by four members of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce. Shortly afterwards Andrew got the loom conveyed to Milton Print-field at Dumbuck where 40 looms on the same principle were erected under his special direction.. These machines can still be seen at POLLOCKSHAWS and PAISLEY. He left for England in 1800 setting up similar looms in different towns in Lancashire, the first at Stalybridge nr Manchester. Fifteen of these in a short time where moved to Westhoughton were they remained till 1812 when the hand loom weavers jealous of their interests being affected burned the factory to the ground along with 170 looms.

Thank, Leaver. Further to "doffer", and employment in the mills, here's an interesting piece about child labour in an American cotton mill around 1914: not very different from Lancashire, I guess, apart from the climate! http://ehistory.osu.edu/osu/mmh/childla ... ndress.cfm

Charon

Actually, it was the tackler's job to make life hell for everyone else !

I come from a long line of twisters (grandfather back to 3-gt-grandfather). The twister twisted or knotted together the end threads of the old warp to those of the new one, threading them as necessary through the healds, (with the help of the reacher, usually a lad). It became partly mechanised around 1910.

In fact my grandfather was Secretary for many years of the Burnley Branch of the Amalgamated Association of Beamers, Twisters and Drawers. He was 75 when I was born, but lived to 94. I can remember he could take two ends between finger and thumb, rub them together for about 2 seconds, and they would be firm together.

My father didn't follow on, he became bank clerk, me a mathematician !!

Rex

This is great, thanks everyone.

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Mel

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I'm sure there is a Throstle Mill somewhere around Burnley, and wasn't there a Throstle wood.
Googled Throstle Mill and it came up with Daneshouse Rd, no sign of Throstle Wood though.

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Gloria

I'd be dangerous with a brain.

Throstle Mill was also known as Elm Street Shed. It dates from 1876, and the building is still standing.

Stephanie.