A HISTORY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



to carpet slippers' all were accepted and more 

 demanded. In some cases the invoices were 

 sold at a handsome premium before the goods 

 arrived.^ Boots were sent out unpriced and 

 sold by auction on arrival, realizing enormous 

 profits. Mr. Ebenezer Homan was one of the 

 earliest in the field, sending out huge consign- 

 ments of boots and receiving in exchange wool 

 which he disposed of on this side, thus making a 

 double profit. 



Between 1852 and 1860a very large and profit- 

 able trade was done, after which a less feverish 

 but quite satisfactory business continued for many 

 years. Unfortunately this gradually got almost 

 entirely into the hands of middlemen — the Aus- 

 tralian merchants — who had no practical know- 

 ledge of the trade. By continual agitation for 

 cheaper stock and larger discounts they reduced 

 the standard of the English boot offered for sale 

 in Australia to such an extent, that an opinion 

 came to be formed that high-class footwear must 

 be sought elsewhere. An opening was thus 

 made for those American manufacturers who 

 were turning their attention to this market. 

 They were far ahead of the Englishmen in 

 methods of production, and quite willing to sup- 

 ply any article for which there was a demand. 

 Thus our trade gradually shrank in volume, and 

 the large import duties imposed by the Australian 

 government have rendered it still smaller. 



The export trade to South Africa, which has 

 since attained to such importance, had its rise at 

 a later date. 



INTRODUCTION OF MACHINERY 



In 1859 a new method of bootmaking was in- 

 augurated by the introduction into this country 

 of the Mackay or Blake sole-sewing machine. 

 It did not make much headway until after the 

 exhibition of 1861, at which it was shown at 

 work, but soon after was taken up freely by the 

 trade in Northampton and elsewhere. This was 

 a chain-stitch machine, which in one operation 

 sewed through the sole, middle-sole, upper, and 

 in-sole, the thread passing on its way to the 

 needle through heated wax. For more than 

 twenty years the machine-sewn boot was held in 

 high repute not only in this country but in the 

 United States. The greatest objection brought 

 against it was the fact that inside the boot where 

 the sole of the foot rested was a ring of waxed 

 thread, an insuperable trouble to people with 

 warm feet. Nevertheless, immense numbers of 



' Messrs. Joseph Dawson and Sons (whose business 

 was founded in 1780) had an order for 500 pairs of 

 diggers' boots. Unable to complete the quantity in 

 time for shipment, they filled the indent with carpet 

 slippers and received no complaint ! 



- Messrs. William Hickson & Sons once received 

 a premium of j^ 100 on a single invoice ! 



boots are yearly made after this method, which 

 is the cheapest system, except riveting. 



About i860 a Mr. Crick of Leicester, pro- 

 bably inspired by the pegged boot, worked out a 

 method for attaching the soles with French 

 rivets. An iron plate was placed on the sole 

 of the last, the upper tacked to the in-sole, a 

 middle-sole fixed by the same means, and, with the 

 out-sole placed in position, the whole was fastened 

 together with iron rivets which were clenched on 

 the iron plate. ^ Several Northampton manufac- 

 turers sent workmen to Leicester for instruction, 

 and the riveted boot at once sprung into popu- 

 larity. The men could earn better wages in 

 working on riveted boots than in making cheap 

 hand-sewn, and the boot, though somewhat rough 

 and heavy, would stand a good deal of hard wear. 

 In 1865 iron lasts were used in place of the 

 iron-plated wooden variety, and instead of mak- 

 ing the boot across their knees the men stood at 

 a bench having iron uprights upon which the 

 lasts fitted. 



This new style (as also the pegged) brought 

 about a further division of labour, the laster or 

 riveter, after completing his process, handing the 

 boot on to be trimmed up, blacked at the edges 

 and burnished, to another person henceforth 

 known as the finisher. 



The Mills Turnshoe Machine was next in- 

 troduced into this country to replace hand labour 

 in sewing turnshoes or pumps. Messrs. Turner 

 Bros., Hyde & Co., were the first in Northamp- 

 ton who used this machine, about the year 1868. 

 In 1872 came the first Goodyear Welt Ma- 

 chine and the Goodyear Chain-stitcher. It was 

 claimed that these two machines could produce a 

 boot similar to real hand-sewn. The principle 

 was the same (welt sewn to upper and in-sole, 

 and sole stitched to welt), and after some altera- 

 tions and improvements the machine eventually 

 entirely superseded cheap hand-sewn and hand- 

 welted work. The chain-stitcher quickly made 

 its way, but it was a long time before the welter 

 was taken up largely. Messrs. Derham Bros, 

 were the first firm to start the machine running 

 in Northampton, which occurred in 1873. The 

 Blake & Goodyear Company opened a place in 

 Northampton in 1874 under the management of 

 Mr. Bertrand and Mr. Satchwell, by whose efforts 

 the machines were gradually introduced. 



A further means of sole attachment intro- 

 duced in 1876 must not be omitted in this 

 sketch, brief as it must necessarily be. A Stan- 

 dard Screw Machine, brought into this country 

 by the Blake 6c Goodyear Company, produced 

 a boot of great solidity and durability. It was 

 provided with a reel of screw-threaded wire, and 

 by means of a complex operation united by this 



' In 1 809 David Meade Randolph had obtained a 

 patent for fastening the soles to the uppers and inner- 

 soles by the same means. He also used an iron plate 

 on the last. 



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