INDUSTRIES 



engaged in bleaching in or near Nottingham. 23 

 The lace was carried to and from Nottingham 

 on mules, the goods being laid out on the mea- 

 dows, where they were watched all night by men 

 specially told off for the purpose. 



The following interesting details relative to 

 the leading bleaching establishments in the county 

 have been furnished from the unpublished remi- 

 niscences of Mr. Henry Ashwell of Notting- 

 ham : 



Mr. Joseph Pearson established a bleaching 

 works at Basford on a somewhat extensive scale 

 about 17805. About 1790, at the time of 

 Tennant's patent, he acquired a licence to manu- 

 facture chloride of lime. ' Crofting ' was em- 

 ployed previous to this period, the land now 

 known as the Vernon Public Park having been 

 the crofting-ground. Joseph Pearson bleached 

 the first piece of bobbin net lace produced by 

 Heathcoat. He also served with a number of 

 other gentlemen of the district as one of a guard 

 called ' the Watch Ward,' patrolling the district 

 at night for the protection of the lace and 

 hosiery machine owners against the Luddites and 

 frame-breakers. Pearson also took out a patent 

 for the gassing of lace ; and was the first to 

 finish merino hosiery by fulling and brushing. 

 In this connexion he worked Cartwright and 

 Warner's patent for many years, and invented 

 brushing and other machinery for carrying on the 

 operations above-mentioned. Having amassed 

 a considerable fortune, he transferred the busi- 

 ness to his son-in-law, Mr. Charles Cox, who 

 was associated in partnership with Mr. Samuel 

 Cartledge. About 1855 Cartledge retired, and 

 the firm became Charles Cox & Sons, which 

 title it still retains. The firm of bleachers 

 known as Inger, Brown & Inger was founded at 

 Basford by Robert Hall and Mr. White, who 

 were succeeded in their ownership by John 

 Hall, then by Mr. Amos Fox, his manager or 

 book-keeper. After the death of the latter the 

 works were carried on by Mr. Hall for the 

 benefit of the family, and afterwards for a short 

 time for himself, the present proprietors entering 

 into possession after his death. The bleach 

 works of J. Brown at Basford adjoined those of 

 Charles Cox & Sons. At his death the concern 

 was taken by John Burton, in the employ, it is 

 believed, of Messrs. Heard & Hurst, a Mr. 

 Eames also bringing capital into the business, the 

 firm being then known as Burton & Eames. 

 On the death of Eames Burton continued the 

 business, which passed at his death to a nephew, 

 Mr. Joseph Burton, who eventually disposed of 

 it to T. B. Milnes & Co., by whom it was con- 

 verted into the Vernon Road Bleaching Com- 

 pany. Mitchell's bleaching works were estab- 

 lished by a bleacher of the name who made a 

 considerable fortune by the undertaking. He 

 was also under contract with Samuel Hall, the 



83 Phillips, Personal Tour, 168. 



lace-gassing patentee. His works passed into the 

 hands of Mr. E. Stevenson, who continued them 

 for many years ; at his death they were closed, 

 and are now dismantled. 24 The works of Diggle 

 & Co. were started by a former workman at one 

 of the Basford Works, but owing to low prices 

 in the trade the undertaking failed. The works 

 were then taken by Mr. Richards, who was 

 chiefly engaged in bleaching lace, but finding the 

 water unsuitable for his purpose, he removed to 

 small works in Nottingham, just off the Alfreton 

 Road, where for a few years he was engaged in 

 bleaching hosiery, but trade depression eventually 

 caused the undertaking to be brought to a close, 

 and the works were converted to other purposes. 

 The works established by Mr. Garton at Bulwell 

 were afterwards worked for some years by Mr. 

 John Woodward, then by Garton, Woodward & 

 Co., and a ' Patent Bleaching Company,' working 

 onaclosed kceve principle. This, however, was not 

 successful, and the establishment is now carried 

 on as woollen-finishing works by Messrs. Murray 

 Bros., Ltd. The Staniforth works were predeces- 

 sors of that now known as Messrs. E.Charles, Ltd., 

 at Bulwell. The works now known as Messrs. 

 Henry Ashwell & Co., Ltd., were founded by 

 Mr. John Milnes, brother of the T. B. Milnes 

 before-mentioned, and were afterwards carried 

 on by Messrs. Heard & Hurst, the leading 

 hosiery manufacturers in Nottingham, for the 

 sole purpose of bleaching their own goods. 

 Their successor in 1853 was Mr. Henry Ashwell, 

 by whom they are still carried on as Henry 

 Ashwell & Co., Ltd. Mr. Allcock's works at 

 Bulwell were afterwards carried on by his sons, 

 and later by his sons-in-law, Ebsworth and 

 Walker, under which style they are still existing. 

 Mr. T. B. Milnes, after engaging successfully in 

 the bleaching trade, first at Lenton and after- 

 wards at Basford, and amassing a considerable 

 fortune, failed, owing to unfortunate speculations 

 in the iron trade. On his death his successors 

 were his widow, his head trimmer, W. Culley, 

 and W. Bexon, the chief vanman, also, after the 

 death of Culley, Mr. G. Homer. The firm has 

 now ceased to exist, Milnes' Lenton works 

 passed to Messrs. Manlove & Alliott, who carried 

 them on for a few years, during which period 

 they acquired from a person named Seyrig a 

 centrifugal drying machine which proved a very 

 profitable investment, and caused them to re- 

 linquish bleaching. They sold the business to 

 Messrs. Burton & Eames, who added it to their 

 Basford works. At Eames' death they passed 

 successively to Burton's nephew, J. J. Renals, 

 and to Alfred Cleaver, by whom the lace bleach- 

 ing business is still carried on. The firm of 

 George Farrand, now Arthur Whyatt, was 

 founded by the former in conjunction with a 



14 Mr. Ashwell recollects as a boy, about 1836, see- 

 ing the lace spread on the hill-side at the back of these 

 works. 



349 



