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STACKHILLS MILL

Hope Street

Todmorden

Map Ref: SD941241

 

 

Known occupiers

 

1848

No building on site on OS 6” map

1853-1858

KNOWLES & SUTCLIFFE

Messrs William Knowles and William Sutcliffe

Pre1856

STANSFIELD Joseph

1856-1861

BARKER William & Co.

Messrs John Brook, William Barker, Thomas Lord and James Lord

1858

LAW & ASHWORTH

Messrs James Law and William Ashworth

1858-1862

DOBSON & TRENHOLME

1858-1864

KNOWLES William

1861-1864

SUTCLIFFE Bros.

Messrs William & John Sutcliffe

1861-1871

BROOK AND LORD

Messrs John Brook and James Lord

1861

HALSTEAD Sutcliffe

1864-1884

LORD Bros.

Incorporated with GIBSONS MILL from 1864 and CANAL STREET WORKS from 1880

1968

OPENSHAWS

2005

demolished

 

Notes

 

It is now near impossible to sort out the complex of mills that developed on the once open land between the main road to Halifax, previously known as Roomfield Lane, and the canal. There were no streets, just open land, meadow and fields. The first to be built were ALBION MILL and CANAL STREET WORKS in 1839. The rest followed on over the next 30 years. One large complex of mills was a solid block, consisting of ANCHOR MILL, FEATHERS MILL, HOPE STREET MILL, CROFT MILL and STACKHILLS MILL, and somewhere in this industrial complex was GIBSONS MILL.

Stackhills Mill, named after the general area of Langfield in which it stood, was a small affair right on the canal bank and set well back from the main Halifax Road (then known as Roomfield Lane).

William Knowles and William Sutcliffe leased land from the Greenwood Estate and built the cotton spinning mill about 1853. They only fitted two rooms with machinery, which they used to make warps. Later, about 1856, they added weaving sheds for a tenant Joseph Stansfield, still leaving an good area of land on which to extend in the future. This land eventually became home to HOPE STREET MILL and CROFT MILL.

William Knowles was a grocer from Causeyside in Langfield. He was born in 1809 in Langfield and was married to Mary. By the 1861 census he was living at 1, Lee Bottom, declaring himself to be a cotton spinner.

Between 1856 and 1864 there were several tenants at the mill, some of them at the same time. John and William Sutcliffe were there in partnership. They later went on the run HARLEY HOUSE MILL will a great deal of success.

Another partnership at Stackhills was that between John Brook and James Lord. James Lord was a product of a successful 18th century landowning family of KNOWL in Walsden. He was born in Walsden in 1824, the son of a joiner. In 1851, James and his wife Hannah were living at Knowl and he, too, was employed as a power-loom overlooker. They had no surviving children. By 1861 they were living at Bank Top, Honeyhole, in Todmorden. His partner, John Brook of York Street, was considerably older than James, and by 1871 had retired. James Lord then moved to DER STREET MILL.

About 1864, the Lord Brothers claimed the mill to use the weaving sheds as a supplementary business to their neighbouring CANAL STREET WORKS. It seems the rest of the building was merged with GIBSON MILL about the same time. The building was demolished in 2005 and nothing remains.

   

 

Additional information

researched, recorded and referenced by Mrs Sheila Wade

Hebden Bridge WEA Local History Group

 

 

Notes from John Travis, contemporary historian

About 1854, William Knowles of Lee Bottom in Langfield and William Sutcliffe of Causeywood in Langfield built a cotton spinning mill at Stackhills on leasehold land, part of the Greenwood Estate. They installed a 20hp engine made by Mr. Sutcliffe Howarth of Burnley. Only 2 rooms of the mill were fitted up with machinery and for several years they only made warps. Then Knowles and Sutcliffe built a small weaving shed on the same land for a tenant, Joseph Stansfield.

Jeremiah Jackson built a weaving shed on part of the land at DER STREET for tenants Brook & Lord. Afterwards, Knowles and Sutcliffe of Stackhills Mill filled up the spare room with mules and went on making both warps and wefts until about 1861 when the elder partner died. Lord brothers purchased Knowles & Sutcliffe’s mill, plant, and spare land.

 

White 1853

Knowles & Sutcliffe, cotton spinners & manufacturers, Roomfield Lane.

Langfield Poor Rates 1856-57

  1. Owned and occupied by Knowles & Sutcliffe; Roomfield Lane; mill etc; 7hp steam; rateable value £118.2s.1d; part empty.
  2. Occupied by Barker & Co; owned by Knowles & Sutcliffe; Roomfield Lane; loomshop; 6hp; rateable value £41.6s.0d.

Todmorden and Hebden Bridge Advertiser June 1857

Partnership dissolved 22nd April 1857 between John Brooks, William Barker, Thomas Lord and James Lord, cotton manufacturers at Stackhills Mill under the firm of William Barker & Co.

Todmorden and Hebden Bridge Advertiser 27th February 1858

To let – Stackhills Mill with cotton spinning machinery now at work in same. Machinery only been in work for 3 years. Apply Messrs Knowles and Sutcliffe on the premises.

Todmorden and Hebden Bridge Advertiser 24th July 1858

Partnership between James Law of Lydgate and William Ashworth of Cross Street, cotton manufacturers trading as Law and Ashworth at Stackhills Mill dissolved. Business to be carried on by James Law.

Todmorden and Hebden Bridge Advertiser 13th November 1858

Partnership of William Knowles, William Sutcliffe and Barnes Sutcliffe, cotton spinners at Stackhills Mill under the name Knowles & Sutcliffe to be dissolved and carried on in the future by William Knowles only.

Langfield Poor Rates 1858

  1. Owned and occupied by William Knowles; Roomfield Lane; part mill; 7hp and 8hp; rateable value £88.15.5½d.
  2. Occupied by Barker & Co; owned by William Knowles; Roomfield Lane; loomshop; 6hp; rateable value £41.6s.0d.
  3. Occupied by Dobson & Trenholme; owned by William Knowles; Roomfield Lane; part mill; rateable value £53.0s.9d.

Langfield Rates Book 1859

  1. Owned and occupied by William Knowles; Roomfield Lane; part mill; 8hp; rateable value £81.10s.1½d.
  2. Occupied by Barker & Co; owned by William Knowles; Roomfield Lane; loomshop; 6hp; rateable value £41.6s.0d.
  3. Occupied by Dobson & Trenholme; owned by William Knowles; Roomfield Lane; part mill; rateable value £53.0s.9d; saw shed 2hp £1.12s.4d; office etc £8.18s.1d.

Langfield poor Rates 1860

  1. Owned and occupied by William Knowles; Roomfield Lane; part mill; 8hp; rateable value £81.10s.1½d.
  2. Occupied by Barker & Co; owned by William Knowles; Roomfield Lane; loomshop; 6hp; rateable value £41.6s.0d.
  3. Occupied by Dobson & Trenholme; owned by William Knowles; Roomfield Lane; part mill; rateable value £53.0s.9d; saw shed 2hp £1.12s.4d; office etc £8.18s.1d.

Todmorden and Hebden Bridge Advertiser 4th February 1860

Treat for workpeople of William Barker, Roomfield Lane.

Post Office Directory 1861

  1. Brook & Lord – cotton manufacturers – Stackhills Mill, Roomfield Lane
  2. Dobson, Trenholme & Co – builders & Joiners – Stackhills Mill Roomfield Lane
  3. Halstead, Sutcliffe – cotton manufacturer – Stackhills Mill, Roomfield Lane
  4. Sutcliffe, William & John – cotton manufacturers – Stackhills Mill
  5. Barker, William & Co. – cotton manufacturer – Roomfield Lane
  6. Knowles, William – cotton spinner – Roomfield Lane

Census 1861

  1. John Brooks, York Street, aged 61, cotton manufacturer
  2. James Lord, Bank Top, aged 38, cotton manufacturer

Langfield Poor Rates 1861

  1. Owned and occupied by William Knowles; Roomfield Lane; part mill; 22hp; rateable value £93.7s.7d.
  2. Occupied by Barker & Co; owned by William Knowles; Roomfield Lane; loomshop; 6hp; rateable value £41.6s.0d.
  3. Occupied by Dobson & Trenholme; owned by William Knowles; Roomfield Lane; part mill; rateable value £53.0s.9d; saw shed 2hp £1.12s.4d; office etc £8.18s.1d.

Todmorden and Hebden Bridge Advertiser 22nd March 1862

Wanted – 30 good weavers, apply W. & J. Sutcliffe, Stackhills Mill, Todmorden.

Langfield Poor Rates 1862

  1. Owned and occupied by William Knowles; Roomfield Lane; part mill; 22hp; rateable value £151.18s.8½d.
  2. Occupied by Dobson & Trenholme; owned by William Knowles; Roomfield Lane; part mill; rateable value £53.0s.9d; saw shed 2hp £1.12s.4d; office etc £8.18s.1d.
  3. Occupied by Sutcliffe Bros; owned by William Knowles; Roomfield Lane; loomshop, warehouse; rateable value £40.4s.4d.

Langfield Poor Rates 1863-1864

  1. Owned and occupied by William Knowles; Roomfield Lane; part mill; 22hp; rateable value £151.18s.8½d; part empty.
  2. Occupied by Sutcliffe Bros; owned by William Knowles; Roomfield Lane; loomshop, warehouse; rateable value £40.4s.4d.

Langfield Rates Book November 1864

  1. Owned and occupied by Lord Bros; Roomfield Lane; part mill; 22hp; rateable value £151.18s.8½d.
  2. Occupied by Sutcliffe Bros; owned by Lord Bros; Roomfield Lane; loomshop, warehouse; rateable value £40.4s.4d.

Langfield Rates Book 1865-1879

Owned and occupied by Lord Bros; Roomfield Lane; mill, shed, power; rateable value £210.5s.0d.

White 1866

Brook & Lord, Gibson’s Mill Stackhills, cotton manufacturers; John Brook’s house 46 York Street; James Lord’s house Bank Top.

Kelly 1871

Brook & Lord – cotton manufacturers – Stackhills Mill, Roomfield Lane

Census 1871

  1. James Lord, 15 Bank Top, aged 48, cotton manufacturer, 110 looms and 40 weavers.
  2. John Brook, 46 York Street, aged 70, gentleman

 

1880 and onwards, Lord Bros. only pay rates for CANAL STREET WORKS, which must include Stackhills Mill as one concern.

 

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