Forest of Rossendale. 287 



feet in length each, inserted in the crevices of the fence walls in a 

 horizontal position, and supported at the other end by upright 

 stakes — or " stanners," as they were called. Rossendale was much 

 more thickly timbered in those days ; and the houses had scarcely 

 begun to be built in unpicturesque rows, but were seen to stud the 

 valley and the green hillsides either in detached groups, or as 

 single residences. With the numerous busy hands arranging the 

 draper}' described above, it is easy to imagine how much more of 

 pleasing variety the landscape, untainted with factory smoke, would 

 present, when compared with its present bare and somewhat 

 monotonous aspect. 



The wool intended to be made into weft was weighed and 

 delivered to the workpeople in its natural state. To prepare it for 

 weaving, it was first oiled or greased ; it was then taken to one of 

 the small mills in the district, where it underwent the operations of 

 devilling and carding — the fibres of the material were made to lie 

 parallel with each other, and the wool was also run into slivers or 

 cardings of three to four feet in length. These were now taken 

 home to be spun into weft on the Spinning- Jack. The latter was 

 turned by hand by the spinner, the Jack-rim being at one end of 

 the machine. Turning the wheel with one hand, he regulated the 

 spinning and guided the winding of the weft on to the cops or 

 bobbins with the other. Behind the Jack was the piecer, con- 

 stantly on the move, keeping up a continual supply of the carded 

 wool, now being drawn out and spun into thread ready for the loom, 

 where it was applied in the ordinary way. On the completion of 

 the piece, it was cut from the loom, hooked on pegs rudely fixed 

 to the joists in the ceiling of the house, folded, and carried on the 

 back of the weaver to the warehouse whence the material composing 

 it had originally been obtained. The web was afterwards subjected 

 to the fulling and finishing processes at mills in the district. In 

 this way the cloths called baize, bookings, super-bockings, and 

 mocks, were manufactured. Bacup was at one period famed for 

 producing these goods. At the present time, within the Borough 

 boundary, there is but one solitary Woollen mill. 



