For many years we have sent out Christmas cards to those we wish to remember at the festive time.
It all began with the Victorians; Henry Cole and John Horsley designed the first Christmas card costing 1 shilling.
As printing and transport methods improved the popularity of cards increased and prices were reduced making them more affordable. Images usually depicted the Nativity scene, with the robin and winter scenes also becoming popular.
In our archive collection we have some cards that were sent home by soldiers during the First World War, some of these have beautiful embroidered flowers and messages of love sewn onto them.
Handcrafted cards became more popular in the 20th century, when materials became affordable and gave a personal touch to the greeting. Photographs of the family decorated cards after the Royal Family set the trend.
John Hall and his two brothers created Hallmark cards in 1905 who are now one of the largest greeting card manufacturers in the country.
In 1855, at the end of the Crimean War, the 63rd Manchester Regiment of Foot sailed for Nova Scotia. They were sent by sleighs to Rivere du Loup. This card from 1864-5 was sent to the Regiment HQ. The message of the hill reads ‘God save our noble Queen and her brave army’
Sent from Mr & Mrs Randal Mundy, Fairholme, Mellor Street, Ashton Randal Mundy was a local well travelled naturalist.
A Selection of Christmas Cards from WW1
From the 3rd Battalion Manchester Regiment in 1917, showing the grand dress of a soldier from the 63rd Reg of Foot 1760’s
This card is very informative, showing dress of the 63rd Regiment of Foot from 1882 and a map showing where the regiment travelled to around the world
A Postcard style Christmas card sent in 1944 from Major Edward Hickey, who was a Prisoner of War 206, in Oflag, 1AX Germany, sending greetings to Mrs. Chislom Taylor of Middleton.
Christmas card with a simple front but showing the Queen Mother inside who was the Colonel-in-Chief of the Manchester Regiment
Card sent at Christmas 1968 from the British Olympic Training Swimming Team to Mr & Mrs A Hall from Sylvia.
The Gorse Hall Murder Trials – defending barrister Edward T. Nelson
The enigma of the murder of George Harry Storrs, the wealthy owner of Gorse Hall in Stalybridge, on November 1st, 1909, seems destined never to be solved. With all the ingredients of a favourite Agatha Christie crime novel, namely a wealthy property owner stabbed fifteen times, two mysterious strangers seen in the locality, a mystery assailant, the suicide of a Bavarian Governess reputed to have had an affair with Mr Storrs, the suicide of Mr Storrs’ coachman and an unsolved burglary shortly before the murder, the tale has all the hallmarks of a crime waiting to be solved by Hercule Poirot!
Gorse Hall
Two arrests were eventually made by police based on very little evidence. The trials of each of the men were held at Chester Assizes. The defending barrister for both cases was Edward T. Nelson, acting on the instructions of Mr. W.F. Chambers, a Denton solicitor.
‘The trial of Mark Wilde, an ex-soldier of Stalybridge on a charge of murdering Mr George Harry Storrs, a Stalybridge contractor, at Gorse Hall on the night of 1st November last, is without parallel in the history of criminal jurisprudence in the country, for he is the second man charged with the murder.… Another man Cornelius Howard was acquitted on the same count by proving an alibi….
Mr Nelson addressed the jury on behalf of the prisoner, Mark Wilde… the prisoner was found not guilty and discharged.’
From the Dundee Courier, September 7th, 1910
The trials of the two suspects proved endlessly fascinating to the public. If not these two men, who had murdered Mr Storrs? The account of the murder and subsequent trials were published in all the papers of the day. It was rather a coup for the defence barrister Mr Nelson who had only recently been called to the bar.
Who was Edward Theophilus Nelson?
Edward Theophilus Nelson
Edward T. Nelson was born October 22nd, 1879, son of a wealthy builder in Georgetown, British Guiana (now Guyana). Whilst attending St. Phillip’s School, he won a scholarship to St John’s College, Oxford in 1898. He was an extremely able student and joined the Oxford Union where he held the positions of Secretary and Treasurer respectively, the experience proving invaluable for his future career as a barrister. Called to the bar in Lincoln’s Inn on November 17th, 1904 his name crops up in a variety of court proceedings across Britain over the next few decades. Edward T. Nelson was one of the first black barristers to wear the ‘stuff’ gown (worn by a barrister who is not a Queens or Kings Counsel). He defended a number of significant cases contributing to the body of case law, but there is no doubt that the Gorse Hall murder trial was one of his most famous. His legal practice at 78 King Street, Manchester, was so successful that he was awarded the Queen’s Coronation Medal for services to law. In 1919, Edward T. Nelson came to public attention again when he defended a group of African dockworkers in Liverpool accused of rioting in the city.
In his personal life he was married with two daughters, although the 1911 census states that by this time he was widowed. He lived a comfortable lifestyle in suburban Manchester, having purchased a detached house at 41 Cecil Road, Hale, Cheshire.
Edward T. Nelson’s family home in Hale. Credit: Google Earth. Date of Access: 02/12/2020.
It is clear that, on account of his work, he had a strong sense of public duty and, in March 1913, Edward T. Nelson became a Conservative councillor for the Urban District Council of Hale, Cheshire. He acted as Chairman of the Hale Library Committee between 1921 and 1939, and served as Chairman of Hale Council in 1937. He also lectured at a number of venues around the country.
Newspaper announcement. Credit: British Newspaper Archive.
He died on August 3rd, 1940, at the age of sixty-six and is buried in Bowden and Hale Cemetery.
Edward T. Nelson’s contribution was immense both as a trailblazer for Black people to succeed to the highest offices in British society and as a humanitarian who had a significant and positive impact on both local and national life. He is a figure about whom more deserves to be known.
Bibliography
Hayhurst, Alan. (2006) Cheshire Murders. Stroud: The History Press.
Roberts, Pamela. (2013) Black Oxford: The Untold Stories of Oxford University’s Black Scholars. Oxford: Signal Books.
Statue of Wilfred Owen in Oswestry Park Authors own copy
Wilfred Edward Salter Owen who was born in Oswestry in 1893 served with the Manchester Regiment and died in France, November 1918 just before the Armistice. He became known for the poetry that he wrote during World War 1 and it’s now one hundred years ago since most of his poems were published, only five were published before his death.
Wilfred was one of four children to Thomas and Susan Owen, they moved from Oswestry to Birkenhead, then Shrewsbury and back again. He went to Reading University where he studied Botany and later Old English. Before the war he spent time in Bordeaux teaching English and French.
On completion of his military training , Wilfred was commissioned as a second Lieutenant in the Manchester Regiment and after suffering from Shell-Shock spent some time in Edinburgh hospital, where he met another poet, Siegfried Sassoon and was very influenced by his writings. He returned to active service in France in 1918. He was awarded the Military Cross for leading the 2nd Battalion Manchester’s, over-powering the enemy in the village of Joncourt.
T22849 Wilfred Owen 2nd right on front row with 5th Manchester Regiment (Reserve) TMBC
Wilfred was killed in action on 4th November 1918 while crossing the Sambre-Oise canal in Northern France. His parents received the telegram informing them of his death on the day the Armistice was signed to end the war.
Harold Owen, Wilfred’s brother, inherited all Wilfred’s work and his wife donated them to the University of Oxford’s English Faculty Library in 1975.
Plas Wilmot, Home of Wilfred Owen image courtesy of Shropshire Star Newspaper 2015
The Send Off
Down the close darkening lanes they sang their way
To the siding shed,
And lined the train with faces grimly gay.
Their breasts were stuck all white with wreath and spray
As men’s are, dead.
Dull porters watched them, and a casual tramp
Stood staring hard,
Sorry to miss them from the upland camp.
Then, unmoved, signals nodded, and a lamp
Winked to the guard.
So secretly, like wrongs hushed-up, they were sent.
Nor there if yet mock what women meant
Who gave them flowers.
Shall they return to beatings of great bells
In wild train-loads?
A few, few, too few for drums and yells,
May creep back, silent, to still village wells
Up half-known roads.
From 'Owen the Poet by Domini Hibberd
Wilfred Owen Courtesy of British Library
Further reading –
Wilfred Owen – Jon Stallworthy
Wilfred Owen Selected Letters- Edited by John Bell -(who worked with Harold Owen, Wilfred’s brother, on editing the collection of letters).
Wilfred Owen, A New Biography – Dominic Hibberd 2002.
Reporter Newspaper negatives at Tameside Local Studies and Archives
October is Black History Month, an annual commemoration of the history, achievements and contributions of Black people in the UK. Like many archives, we are focusing on collections and resources that can be used to research areas that are underrepresented in the archive to find stories that may not have been highlighted before including Black History. As October comes to an end, we are looking to improve and highlight these resources going forward, beyond just this one month, and make our holdings more inclusive overall.
The Reporter Newspaper Collection photographs currently being digitised as part of our Smile! Reporting Tameside’s Social History project cover the period from the 1950s to early 2000s. Work has begun on digitising the photographs to make them publicly accessible. The years covered in the collection fall within a lot of people’s lifetimes and so memories and events will be remembered by many people. We have an opportunity, as we digitise and make the images available, to find stories and events that have not been represented in the archives previously, and possibly add to the archives too by incorporating more the many stories which may emerge, and which build up to create the history of Tameside.
Many events from modern Black history that affected communities across the UK occurred during the dates that the photographs cover. These include stories of migration, such as the Windrush Generation, people settling in a new country, working for the NHS, protest, women’s rights, sporting heroes, business and finance, fashion, music and entertainment, visitors from overseas, festivals, foods, sports, and stories of day to day lives of people within Tameside. Whilst we digitise the photographs, we hope that this will allow people to research the collection for Black History and to tell the stories of people that have helped shaped Tameside such as sport stars, celebrities, artists, entrepreneurs, mothers, fathers, aunts and uncles.
Scouts rescued from the Moors at Crowden in the back of the van. Tameside Reporter Newspaper Photograph Collection, 71_11_201
The Race Relations Acts of 1965 which was the first legislation in the UK to address racial discrimination, followed by further amendments in the Race Relations Act of 1968 which included legislation about employment and housing, the Race Relations act of 1976 and more recently the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000. The Equality Act of 2010 aimed to update and consolidate the various Acts, which form anti-discrimination law.
The 70s and 80s marked a rise in the National Front and in turn, the anti-fascist league. Sus laws, race riots and other discrimination would have affected people in Tameside. What other issues arose, and who fought for rights in Tameside?
Arthur Wharton, the world’s first Black professional footballer, played for Stalybridge Rover’s and Ashton North End in the 1890s. The period covered by the Smile! project includes other local sporting heroes, such as Tameside’s first Black football manager, Mike McKenzie, and George Oghani, one of the earlier Black players. There are photos of many sports stars, including footballers, boxers, cricket players, including visiting players, and others whose stories should be told.
Mossley v South Bank 1981
These are some of the stories we hope will be made available as a result of this project, as well as many more. Tameside Local studies and Archives have advice on some useful resources in the collections, and there are also other areas such as the In Brief guides such as researching your ancestors that can also be of use. Along with other resources, they are regularly reviewed and new collections added as they are made available.
We hope family or friends that may have stories to tell of their experiences of living in Tameside and possibly memories of how Black History Month has been celebrated in the past within Tameside. There may have been stories in the newspaper that have not been told for some time and should be told again. There may be stories to tell and items that can be donated to the archive that will tell others in the future their story. If you feel that there are gaps and there is something missing or not represented, please get in contact with us and tell your story.
Did you take part in protests during lockdown? Do you have any stories to tell that could become part of Tameside Local studies and archives, or items to donate such as leaflets and other ephemera that might normally be thrown away? By collecting this material we will be able to tell the stories of these events to future generations. To find out more about what to collect and how to contribute please look at our advice here. If you would like more information, please contact archives@tameside.gov.uk.
Ashton public baths were first opened on 6th September 1870. The women’s facilities opened a month later with a separate entrance on Portland Street.
Ashton Old Baths after closure
The memorial stone for the swimming baths was laid in October 1869 by Henry T. Darnton, Mayor of Ashton, on land donated by the Earl of Stamford. Inside the corner stone, a time-capsule was deposited inside a bottle containing a copy of a local newspaper, a corporation manual and information about the ceremony. The architects were Henry Paull and George Robinson from Manchester. Builders T. Clay & Sons from Audenshaw were employed at a cost of £16,000 (around £1 million in 2017) After much effort to raise the sum required, the council failed to fund the project from public subscription and so the cost was paid through the rates.
The first master and matron were Andrew and Elizabeth Mackereth, both aged 40 years old from Kendal in the Lake District. They had a son Edwin and daughter Eunice.
There were wooden stalls for changing. These were hidden from view of the bathers — a pick-pocketer’s delight! As a result, a policeman had to be on guard during opening hours. The men’s swimming pool measured 126 foot long by 62 foot wide and the women’s 27 foot x 15 foot. Hardly equality!
Inside Ashton Old Baths after closure & floor plan
There were also twenty one first and second class private baths supplied with hot and cold water. Many people in the area did not have access to regular washing facilities. A tin bath in front of the fire was used for those who could not afford the luxury of attending the bath house.
The swimming pool was filled with fresh water on Tuesdays, but had no filtration system. From Tuesday to Thursday the charge was 6d (approximately £1.57 today). The price of admission was cheaper later in the week on Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays, as the water would not have been as clean! Opening hours were 6am to 8pm.
Ashton Old Baths Exterior
The larger pool used by the men was only open during the summer season, from May-September. During the winter months the men would swim in the smaller women’s pool. This took place on different days from the women’s sessions as mixed bathing had not yet come into play. At this time of year, the larger pool area was also used for roller skating. A board was placed over the top of the pool and converted into a rink. The room was also used for entertainment purposes — a stage was erected and seating provided for more than 5000 people! In the 1890s Ashton Old Baths even hosted an exhibition of new inventions including the electric light.
Ashton Reporter 23 February 1877
Samuel Laycock Champion Swimmer
The Turkish Baths contained hot and cold rooms and a massage area. These were closed in the 1920s and replaced by a Jacuzzi style bath.
The first swimming gala was held on 30th September 1871. A further event was arranged to commemorate the centenary which was held on 5th September 1970. The first recorded minutes of the Ashton Swimming Club are from June 1881 and their success included representation at county, national and even Olympic level. Their reputation in the 1930s was renowned throughout the UK, especially that of the water polo team. Records of the Swimming club can be found at Tameside Archive Centre (catalogue number DD376).
After being closed for forty years Ashton Old Baths were given a new lease of life when in 2014 Tameside Council, in conjunction with the management consultancy ‘Oxford Innovation,’ made plans to convert the building into office space and a digital hub. The structure of the building was maintained, in addition to the the original architecture within, signage and balcony. The building houses digital companies and retains the name ‘Ashton Old Baths’. Affinity Media, Zestme and AM Technology are just a few companies at home there.
Do you have memories of swimming at Ashton Old Baths? Share your memories with us.
Inside Ashton Old Baths today
Find out more information from our website which has links to our on-line catalogue and our image archive. You can also get in touch with us by email localstudies.library@tameside.gov.uk
By Jill Morris
Sources: Centenary Brochure- Ashton-Under-Lyne Corporation Public Baths Dept 1870-1970, L797.
Smokestack to Urban Chic- St Petersfield, Ashton-Under-Lyne, History on Your Doorstep Group, L907ASH.
Sense of Place voluteers at Tameside Local Studies and Archives 2017
Until recently, John and Norman, two of our Sense of Place volunteers, came to help at the archives once a week. During lockdown and self isolating, they have been busy in different ways, undertaking research and reading, contributing blog posts and have recently sent us diaries which will become part of the collecting covid archives.
John has been undertaking a lot of tasks, made even harder as he has had no IT access for a lot of the time. At the beginning of lockdown, John wrote about how he was keeping busy, by undertaking research on things he noticed during lockdown.
What’s in a name?
John writes:
Lockdown for me has meant that I am not able to wander the shop and markets as I once did or volunteer in Local Studies and Archives, which I have been doing for once a week over the last few years. Volunteering meant that I was able to discover new stories about business there, or pass on my knowledge about things. Rag pudding anyone?
A visit to Portland Basin Museum meant that I was able to learn about a project using the archives to recreate a beer once brewed at Gartside. And I also learnt about the Black Knight, writing a poem and also creating a cartoon.
But I can still go round and find out about things.
After a recent trip to Tesco I picked up a product with the brand name T.E Stockwell established in 1924 written on it. I got curious about this firm so I decided to find who they were.
To find out I had to go back to the very beginning of the Tesco supermarket story in 1919. Though not from Tameside, there are many Tescos in the area.
A tea business was started by Jack Cohen who sold surplus groceries from a stall in the east end of London. Five years later in 1924 Jack Cohen purchased a shipment of tea from a Mr T. E Stockwell. By using the letters ‘T E S’ from Stockwell and last two letters of Jack Cohen’s surname, Tesco’s business name came into being and the tea was the first product to which had the stores own name on the packaging.
The Stockwell name came back into use after a marketing campaign to rebrand Tesco’s value range of products.
It just goes to show that you can learn quite a lot from a trip to a supermarket, either that or I need to get out more.
I am going to use my time to try and research some more local food names. As I do not have access to a laptop and therefore the digital resources on Tameside Local Studies and Archives, I can make a list of these to research when I can access the archives again and ask neighbours and my fellow volunteers, who I am keeping in contact with during this time, adhering to social distancing measures at all times, of course!
Lockdown
Sense of Place volunteer John Writes:
John using the microfim readers during research, Tameside Local Studies and Archives, 2018
Watching the country grind to a halt in the last few months you can appreciate how much the social and economic conditions will have a profound effect on the future for us all. What did I do over this period of history changing event? Well, I’ll tell you. I started working on a comic book.
In truth I haven’t put pencil to paper properly for a long time, 30 years more or less with a little bit of tinkering here and there but it was while I was looking through Herge’s last unfinished Tintin book and being able to see his rough sketches and notes that I began to see a possible way of using the lockdown time for developing an idea.
I started with rough sketches, almost like matchstick figures and worked out a story involving a completely made up version of Tameside. Into this set up comes a pair of comedy villains known as The Shonky Brothers who aided by a mysterious Big Boss decide to abscond with various statues of famous Tameside notables. I’ve had this potential idea rolling around in me head for quite while never realising that events would begin to become reality over the George Floyd situation and the reaction to historic slavery issues.
John’s comic cover of ‘The Grimmocks Pie’. Image courtesy of the artist.
After the rough sketches came the more tricky problem of redrawing everything in a much clearer version with much improved graphics. Not easy, especially when you try and work out the imaginary camera angles and movements, after that comes the colour, a really time consuming job and quite tedious when you want to get on and be creative.
The comic book is finished now and what happens to Black Knight Mystery is pretty much up in the air. I hope it can find an audience at some point. In any case I’ve started work on the second book entitled The Grimmock Pie Caper. Which at this stage is turning out to be a much bigger book with a lot more bits going on it. The thing is in one big development stage at the minute, central characters and themes are continuing and constantly being built on. At this point there’s the idea for one more story after this and it involves the little green men currently being held in a secure holding facility in deepest darkest Denton, known only as Area 51b. Watch the skies and this screen for an update. I’ll leave you with this thought, if we ever go into another lockdown make sure I can’t get me hands on pencils.
Tatty bye.
John July 2020
John’s comic cover of ‘The Black Knight Mystery’. Image courtesy of the artist.
John created a cartoon based on his research on the Black Knight during the Sense of Place project, a copy of which is held at Tameside Local Studies and Archives.
Norman: On Lockdown in Cell Number 9
Norman researched some local history and came across a couple of stories including one of Tommy Dodd , a stone plinth and gas lamp that was moved from Denton Market place to Betty’s Park in Haughton Green when Denton and Haughton were amalgamated in 1884. He found an interesting article about the plinth from a local MP investigating the story.
Norman cleaning the Stamford maps at Tameside Local Studies and Archives, 2018
Sense of Place volunteer Norman sent a diary that spans from when lockdown started to mid July. Selected entries are below.
On March 23 2020 , I placed myself on Voluntary lockdown due to this Nasty Covid-19 virus that hit the country. Here are some of the things I was doing to keep occupied.
On 24 March 20, It was to be a trip to Tameside Archives, To do some cleaning on the Stamford Papers that are archived there but the session was cancelled due to the Covid-19 virus.
On 25 March 20 , I took the re-delivery of my new Mobility Scooter after waiting 2 weeks for a storage unit to be completed . This was done by contactless handover whereby the delivery driver placed it in the storage unit.
30 March 20 , I was asked by Heather, the Volunteer Coordinator at Adullam Homes and Housing, Ashton U Lyne, if I would do some blog posts for Tameside Archives, and possibly use for the Adullam Newsletter.
20 April 20. Sent Heather at Adullam Office an email with 2 Attachments, Blog posts to forward to Tameside Archives.
20 April 20. Had a phone call from Ingeus Office (Tameside Centre for Enterprise). Sent him a email with six pdf attachments on the voluntary work that we, the volunteers from Adullam Homes, do at the Archives Centre.
24 April 20. Received an email from Heather at Adullam with an attached document for a quiz starting next week, running for 5 days on kindness to the environment.
27 April 20. Working on Quiz for next 5 days, plus doing Word-Search Books.
28 April 20. Registration of mobility scooter with DVLA.
30 April 20. Did some shopping at Tesco’s store, Haughton Green. Went by taxicab.
End of Voluntary Lockdown 30 April 20
Start of OFFICIAL LOCKDOWN. 1st May 2020
1 May 20. Last day of Adullam office quiz. Also received email from Heather at Adullam saying she had sent blogposts to Tameside Archives.
1 May 20. Phone Appointment with the Physiotherapist. This was a quick call to see how I’m getting on.
7 May 20. Adullam Office, Laura called at flat with food parcel.
7 May 20. The Medical Practice Nurse rang informing me that I have C.O.P.D (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and is issuing a nebuliser spray and mask.
22 May 20. Adullam Office called with a food parcel.
27 May 20. Ingeus office appointment, done over the phone.
29 May 20. Doing my electronic documents.
1 June 20. Ingeus office sent an email re online courses available. Tried to connect with them. No good.
9 June 20. New Charter Homes. Warden sends text messages to see how I’m going on.
10 June 20. Ingeus Office phone call.
11 June 20. Gov NHS food parcel service.
13 June 20. Nigel, my mate, went to shop for misc items.
16 June 20. New Charter Homes, Warden sends text messages to see how I’m going on.
17 June 20. Sent texts and phone calls to John.
17 June 20, Sent text message to my sister, ‘How are you doing / keeping?’
18 June 20. Gov NHS food parcel service.
18 June 20. New Charter Homes. Warden sends text messages to see how I’m going on.
20 June 20. Nigel Came round to go to shop for misc items for me. Also did converting of music files for him.
22 June 20. Adullam Office called round with food parcel.
23 June 20. New Charter Homes warden sends text messages to see how I’m going on.
25 June 20. New Charter Homes warden sends text messages to see how I’m going on.
30 June 20. New Charter Homes warden sends text messages to see how I’m going on.
30 June 20. Did online shop at Tesco’s to see how it works.
1 July 20. Cohen’s Chemist delivery of medication supplies for month.
2 July 20. Adullam Office, Heather sent a text message re doing blog post for Tameside Archives on what have you been doing when on lockdown. Also text messages between John and myself.
2 July 20. New Charter Homes warden sends text messages to see how I’m going on.
2 July 20. Gov NHS food parcel service.
2 July 20. John called today, met him outside where we went into garden sitting 2 metres apart on garden furniture. I then opened the shed and reversed out my electric trike and we then took it round the block to the main road with John making a video of me riding it. He also took some photos plus one of the residents here took photographs as he is thinking of getting a mobility scooter.
6 July 20. Rang John for a natter.
7 July 20. Rang John for a natter. Also John sent an email to me to see if I could read it. Had to adjust the format a bit.
8 July 20. This document produced
How can you get involved?
Both contributions will form part of the Collecting Covid archive which is being collated to build up information of how Covid-19 affected all communities around Tameside. If you would like to contribute with stories, photos, interviews and diaries, please click here to find out more.
‘What do you want on your toast, jam or marmalade?’ That was a question I heard a lot and still ask today. Usually the sweet treat on my toast is homemade marmalade or strawberry jam made by my mum.
I remember as a child the traditional jam pan sat on the stove with a hot, gooey, sticky liquid bubbling away with the thermometer sticking out and the plate with the spoon on waiting to do the wrinkle test. The sterilised jam jars were lined up like soldiers. I remember the grease-proof paper circles on top of the liquid, the cellophane discs and the rubber band that sealed the lid. Lastly, the final touch, the sticky label with the name and date written in my mother’s cursive handwriting (often illegible but nonetheless a surprise flavour!).
The homemade production line I would witness as a child has made me admire the love and dedication that was put into her priceless jams and marmalades. Fifty years on the production line continues.
Preserving pan
You may be wondering why I am telling you about my childhood memories. Well, it was only recently that I discovered Robertson’s had a factory in our local town of Droylsden. From working at Local Studies and Archives and Portland Basin I should have put the two together really, as Portland Basin has a selection of Robertson’s memorabilia.
The History Bit…
James Robertson was born in Paisley, Scotland in 1832. He worked in the silk trade and attended night school where he learned to read and write. In 1847 he became an apprentice grocer, establishing his own independent store in Paisley twelve years later.
After his wife Marion had made apple jelly from surplus apples and it was sold in their shop, he noticed that preserves seemed to sell better and more importantly, had a bigger profit margin than fresh fruit.
The invention of their famous marmalade, however, was something of an accident. In 1864 Mr Robertson bought Seville oranges, a type known to be bitter. These were not popular with customers. Mrs Robertson, therefore, keen to balance the books and to prevent her husband from losing money, made marmalade from the unwanted fruit.
Robertson’s Factory, Audenshaw
This was the start of Golden Shred. The couple perfected the recipe by 1874, but the well-known brand name was not used until 1883. A factory had been built several years earlier on land bought in Paisley in 1880. As a result, further products were later manufactured. 1909 saw Silver Shred (made with lemons), Bramble Jelly and Mincemeat added to the range. Thick Cut Orange Marmalade was introduced in 1929. By 1931 Robertson’s employed 1,400 people and by 1970 they were exporting their products to over 70 countries around the world.
Robertson’s was granted the honour of a Royal Warrant in 1933 by King George V for regularly supplying their well-known marmalades and preserves to the royal household. The Royal Warrant continued with both King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II.
To meet a sudden demand for products, the company built their first English factory in Droylsden in 1891. This manufacturing plant was originally run by their son William. By 1970 the factory employed 764 workers who were producing 86 million jars of jam. Sadly, the Droylsden factory closed in 2007 with the loss of 253 jobs and in 2010 the factory was demolished.
The Robertson’s brand mascots have changed over the years. Today, they have that fabulous bear (I’m biased as he is my favourite bear) Paddington from Peru who is particularly fond of marmalade and who famously carries a jar in his suitcase and an emergency marmalade sandwich under his hat.
Tameside Local Studies and Archives holds a fascinating collection of accounts which list the ingredients for some of the products made in the Robertson’s factory. Here are just a few that caught my eye: Green Fig Marmalade (1926), Lemon Curd (1967), Mincemeat (1941 and 1951) and Plum Puddings (1953 and 1968), Raspberry Jam (1970).
The records for Golden Shred dating to 1957 even include accounts for supply of the product to the War Office. Listed in a Government Contract Account book, the figures cover 1917/18 followed by 1943. A letter dated 4th June 1918 is also attached, sent from the War Office to Messrs J Robertson and Sons Ltd., Golden Shred Works, Paisley.
Page from Robertson’s Archive at Tameside Local Studies and Archives
So next time you’re asked if you want jam or marmalade on your toast, or sandwich in Paddington’s case, remember it could very well have once been produced in a local factory on a far larger scale than my mum’s jam pan on the stove.
Find out more information from our website which has links to our on-line catalogue and our image archive. You can also get in touch with us by email localstudies.library@tameside.gov.uk
This took place when factories closed down and gave their employees a week’s holiday. The vast majority of people from the industrial towns all went by coach or train to the seaside. Each town was given a different week.
Ashton, Droylsden, Dukinfield and Hyde took their holiday in the middle two weeks of August with Mossley & Stalybridge doing similar in September, but these varied as the years went by.
Before the nineteenth century the ‘Wakes’ was a religious festival where church goers took a day off from work to celebrate their parish saint, and the congregation ‘waked’ or watched in the church overnight on the eve of the festival. The main event of the ‘Wakes’ was the ‘rush-bearing.’ This annual event saw the ceremonial renewal of the church. The practice ended when churches began to use wooden flooring.
Stalybridge wakes St George’s Church on the right, horse drawn float 1893
The ‘Wakes’ often continued for several days so amusements came to be an important part of the festival. Reports show that these were very varied such as the following unusual entertainment: ‘pulling at the soaped neck of a goose while riding past on horseback (Hole, 1937).’
In Dukinfield horse races took place on a field between Pickford Lane and Dewsnap Lane. The Astley family entered their best breeds, including one favourite named ‘The Old General.’ A public house was named after the horse.
Dukinfield Races, Official Race Card
During the Industrial Revolution, the ‘Wakes’ tradition gradually changed into an annual summer holiday in the mill towns of Lancashire and Yorkshire. The closing of the mills provided an opportunity for the machinery and equipment to be cleaned and overhauled. Air pollution was drastically reduced and views of the surrounding countryside enhanced.
Wakes Savings Clubs were established at the factory or through saving societies such as The PSA Society (Pleasant Sunday Afternoon – these later became insurance companies). Even during the First World War some people were still able to holiday. In 1918 it is reported that 2,000 people left Ashton for Blackpool and withdrawals from the Ashton Savings Bank totalled £25,000.
Milton Mill, Mossley
During this week fairs, circuses and other entertainments would visit the town for those not fortunate enough to go away. People from other towns would travel to the fairs to keep the ‘Wakes’ going.
Stalybridge Wakes, showing fairground ride
By the late-nineteenth century many people began to journey further afield to the seaside, with Blackpool being a favourite. Whole families would stay in boarding houses, some even taking their own supplies to help the landlady with their special requirements. Some shops would take food orders and arrange for it to be taken to the lodgings. This was so they did not lose out on any trade while their customers were away.
Boarding House Ads from June 1914 Manchester Evening News
On arriving in the seaside town, people would rush to buy tickets to see all the shows that had been laid on for their entertainment. The End-of-the-Pier show was always popular and Blackpool had three of them. The Winter Gardens and other theatres, together with Blackpool Tower, meant a show every night was not unusual.
‘Wakes Holidays’ also gave people a chance to meet in different and more relaxed circumstances. Those glances across the factory floor could be given the chance to perhaps develop into something more significant. At the very least new friendships could be made and a good time enjoyed by all.
The Annual Exodus to Blackpool
‘A quarter of Ashton-Under-Lyne’s population of 50,000 people have today migrated to the seaside for the annual wakes holidays. Twelve special trains in addition to ordinary trains have left the town, and 5,000 people have gone to Blackpool alone, and 2,000 to Southport. It is estimated that £100,000 (£2.9 million in 2017) is available for pleasure, two savings banks alone Brookside Brewery and PSA Society having distributed £32,000 between them.’
Sheffield Evening Telegraph – Saturday 16 August 1919
The ‘Wakes Holidays’ finally came to an end with the demise of the cotton mills. People began to prefer to go away at different times and even holiday abroad. A break away from the norm is always welcome, wherever it takes you and whatever you do.
Bibliography
Hole, C. (1937). Traditions & Customs of Cheshire.
Hickey, J. Edward. (1926). Dukinfield Past & Present.
Hudson, J. (1992). Wakes Week: Memories of Mill Town Holidays.
Mitford, J. (1891). Rush-bearing: an Account of the Old Custom of Strewing Rushes.
Poole, Robert (1994). The Lancashire Wakes Holidays.
Find out more information from our website which has links to our on-line catalogue and our image archive. You can also get in touch with us by email localstudies.library@tameside.gov.uk
Tameside Local Studies and Archives and Tameside Culture are asking people to save and share their memories as Tameside follows Government advice to help combat the spread of COVID-19. Items will be chosen to remain in the archives in order to record experiences for the future and will show how Tameside is experiencing these events, in response to a constantly changing situation. We are not just interested in material from the start of the lockdown period, but also as lockdown began to ease up, and moving forward as things will begin to get back to normal. The aim is to create as complete a picture as possible.
Working with interference-art, Tameside Local Studies and Archives have created a series of top tips and templates to help collect your memories, whatever your age. We have seen many stories of people volunteering and helping each other, lots of rainbows, and dancing, and wonder how lives have changed for people as we cope with shopping, looking after family, home schooling and events such as celebrating birthdays and observing Ramadan during lockdown. All stories and experiences from everyone, good or bad, are valid, and we want to collect as much as we can, to have a record from Tameside communities about this time.
We can at this time collect digital items from the Tameside area such as photographs, blog posts, online diaries, interviews, art and poems-anything that represent Tameside at this time. Our tips and templates have more information and give advice on the best format to send in your contributions to the archive. You can download our templates and find more information below. Please send your digital contributions and/or questions to: archives@tameside.gov.uk.
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Laura Smyth, Local Studies Library Assistant writes
As we continue to ‘stay alert’ to limit the spread of the Coronavirus in our community, we are encouraged to think about daily exercise either on our own or with immediate family members, but at all times respecting the rules of social-distancing.
Where we choose to walk has been contentious as some have chosen to drive to beauty spots which had to close as there have been too many people. A booking system is in place at the most popular places. We can now meet up to 6 people, outside our household, according to current Government legislation, though this can change rapidly, we can check the current Government guidelines when planning our walk current legislation
Many rights of way much closer to home are available to walk without the need for a car. This has not always been the case.
How odd then that I came across a 1927 newspaper report in the Ashton Reporter of a large group of people demanding their right to cross a piece of land at Gigg Brook and coming into dispute with a local farmer. This was of course illustrating the work of the Rambler’s Association in pressing for the opportunity to walk in our countryside, something that eventually came to a head in 1932 when over 3000 ramblers trespassed the land at Kinderscout in the Peak District from which actions, the legislation changed.
In March 1927 a group of ramblers, both men and women had gone to earn the right to walk along the Benfield footpath on the Compstall slopes of Werneth Low and were said to have had a ‘thrilling’ experience on that Saturday afternoon.
The newspaper report states that ‘when arrived at the Gigg Brook, they met with the active opposition of the farmer, his son and a dairyman. A barbed wire fence stretched across, and the three opposed a crowd of 150.
Surprisingly, The Reporter newspaper wrote that ‘the struggle was an uneven one. After a series of exciting scuffles in the brook, about a foot deep in water, the ramblers scrambled through and up the opposite bank. There were however, a series of minor casualties, and clothes were torn, and splashed with mud, boots soaked through and one man badly cut his finger on the wire’.
The walk had been organised by the Manchester Federation of Ramblers Association who wished to draw attention to the highly disputed path which they saw as a public right of way. This was supported by local walking groups such as the Hyde Footpaths Preservation Society who met a ‘good section of the ramblers’ at Woodley Station.
From here they walked through Gee Cross to Benfields Farm and were ‘reinforced by a good number of ladies’ along the way whom, like their male counterparts, were well shod, some wearing Russian or Wellington boots’.
The area has been in dispute for over 20 years as the Hyde Footpath Preservation Society had ‘taken steps’ to end the controversy and allow the public the right of way.
Walking became a popular pastime in the 19th century when legislation changed for workers which allowed them a degree of ‘free’ time. As this was something families and friends could partake in without any cost apart from maybe a railway ticket, the public left the confines of their terraced street and ventured into the fresh air of the countryside.
However although the newly used Ordnance Survey maps were clearly marked with public rights of way that were taken from the tithe maps of earlier that century and had been deemed available to travel along for centuries, land owners and farmers alike had not experienced any problems with fencing these off to allow their cattle to roam or crops to be sown.
As the new pastime gathered pace, people viewed to be trespassing grew, and the two parties on ‘either side of the fence’ locked horns.
From this the Ramblers Association evolved and by the 1920s, had sought out areas of contention to ‘fight for’ as a public right of way.
Benfield’s Farm was one such area and on numerous occasions societies interested in the freedom of walking approached the local council to request that any obstructions to that opportunity be removed.
Taken from the Ashton Reporter, 12th March 1927
Opposition to such proposals
However there was stern opposition not just from the farmer in question but also by a Professor Findley of nearby Clough Side Farm and of Manchester University, who shouted at the crowd that they were not rate payers of the Parish as they had travelled in and therefore would make no contribution to the upkeep of the path.
The agitated parties involved became more heated as the Reporter article continues. ‘The most exciting scene occurred shortly afterwards…. the crowd passed through the wicket which led to the rushing Gigg Brook at the bottom which marked the dividing point between the land attached to the Benfield Farm and that of Clough Side Farm…. The ramblers often slipped into holes and then sank several inches into the wet soil.’
Gradually the crowd made their way along the pathway jostling with those in opposition and although fights did not break out, the report suggests that clothing was torn and certainly muddied in the demonstration. However, any barbed wire in their way was cut through and the company proceeded to the end of the disputed path.
In a later statement made by Mr Bury , Chairman of the Hyde Footpath Preservation Society stated ‘The problem was not what it is when we first commenced the agitation. The obstructions originally commenced at the gate leading from Benfield Farm . This gate originally bore the caption ‘No Road’ but this has now been removed and for the first portion of the disputed path, the Benfield side of the brook, the farmer has admitted our claim, and now offers no opposition….. We hope before long the other farmer will be brought to reason, and that arrangements satisfactory to all concerned will be made.’
Today, the farm in the dispute is now known as Far Benfield and the public right of way from the road through to Gigg Brook and beyond is shown on the local Ordnance Survey Maps.
For more information about the Rambling Association history in the area, please check our on-line catalogue and our image archive. You can get in touch with us by email localstudies.library@tameside.gov.uk
