In England from the time of Roman presence to the middle of this century the trades associated with wool and the production of cloth, flax and the production of linen and the weaving trade in general have been of national importance. Not only did England produce sufficient cloth for its own people and its armies but it exported both wool and cloth to Europe in large quantities. In certain periods of our history its sales had a direct effect on the prosperity and development of England. We were always a great trading nation in cloth. At some periods of history we were GREAT at others, just trading !
The production of cloth from the thirteenth to early part of the nineteenth century underwent very little change. Very similar techniques and processes were used in the cleaning, sorting and combing of wool, spinning of yarn, weaving, dying, fulling, stretching and finally drying. With the advent of steam power and the Industrial Revolution systems change dramatically. Our Walker connections were not as far as we know, involved so no further comment will be made in this respect.
This link article will attempt to give background information on the national wool trade and in particular as it affected the West Riding of Yorkshire. It will however focus on two areas of study.
The first will be to expand the historical details, where records permit, at points in time when our ancestors were involved in the wool trades.
The second will be geographical focus, a area, roughly a triangle between the towns of Leeds, Halifax and Huddersfield, and Wakefield. Within this area all but two of our ancestors “worked the cloth”. Coincidentally it is also the boundary of one of England’s strongest areas of woollen cloth production throughout the period of history in question.
From Wills, Manorial records, Poll Tax, Census returns, detailed reference works and other sources the following Walker individuals can be shown to have “worked the cloth”. Indeed if one says “walked the cloth” we describe the very origins of our surname, that of Walker. Treading, fulling or walking the cloth was the act of thickening or felting the finished material . The earliest recorded use of the name is of one Richard Walker,12** from ***** in *****. This is unusually early and though describing his occupation, as most early second names did, it was at a time when second names were not passed on from one generation to the next. It wasn’t until about **** that second names were hereditary and in the North of England even later, but that must remain the topic for a separate article.
Though individual names have been singled out and listed below two particular points must be born in mind. First that fuller, clothier, shearman or dyer was a description of a mans trade and that hides the fact that in all these cases the job involved the whole family. Secondly, that as the family worked closely together, and an apprentice system was involved from the earliest times in these trades it would be usual to expect the son or sons to carry on the same trade. Father “willing” the tools of the trade on to the next generation. Only the recorded evidence detailed below has been used to produce the list of names. If wills had survived, more information recorded or one could “read between the lines” of history so to speak, then I surmise that many more names would be on our list.
The titles of V A , A and Q fit in with other Link articles and are convenient divisions for this writer. Briefly ….
Words in “itallics”in the following list represent the word , phrases or sentences extracted from source material used to
Johannes Walker, fullo and wife, recorded in the Poll Tax of 1379 for the Manor of Liversedge. A single fulling mill was erected here in 1376.
From his Will we can read that he passed to his sons the following equipment associated with the clothier trade :-
Three pairs of Walker Sheres
The laith with my Tenters.
At least two shereboards and a similar number of handles.
All these were in his shoppe.
His sons were:-
Who received :- three pounds , one pair of Walker sheres and half the shereboards and handles in the shoppe.
Who received :- twenty shillings, one pair of Walker sheres and half the shereboards and handles in the shoppe.
Who received :- ten shillings and a pair of Walker sheres.
Who received:- all the timber and the laith with my tenters as they stand hoping he will suffer his younger brothers to have the use of them.
His Will states that he is of the Hollins in Heckmondwike, clothier. The will does not specify any details of clothier associated equipment. His sons were William, John and Robert.
His Will describes him as of Staincliffe in Batley, clothier, but does not specify equipment. His sons were Wilfrey, Matthias and Barnabus.
In 1735 when he married Sarah Birch he was described as a clothier.
In his Quaker marriage certificate (to Sarah ) he is describes as a clothier of Staincliffe, Batley.
From his Probate Document and a list of his Goods and Chattels we read of his involvement in the clothier trade.
One pair of looms and one pair of geers.
Two pairs of stock cards
Two scribbler boxes.
Seven stone of coloured wool.
Six stone of white wool.
Six stone of copar.
Warpin oak and creel.
One cloth at Leeds.
Two woven lengths at Mr Blads.
One woven length at Davensons.
Much of this inventory was housed in the shop. This would imply from our knowledge of the vernacular houses of the West Yorkshire yeomen clothiers that his business was of a substantial nature.
His sons were William and Robert.
In 1743 when he married Hannah Firth he was described in the Quarterly Meeting Minute book as a clothier of Batley. Following her death he married in 1753 Hannah Hopkins and his Quaker Marriage certificate describes him as of Sunny Bank in Batley, clothier.
In about 1770 Quarterly Meeting use a legacy from William and Ann Ellis “for the putting out of an apprentice”. This was paid to “Robert Walker of Gildersome as an apprentice fee for William Grimshaw….”
In 1779 one Robert Jenkins visited Gildersome and from his diary wrote the following Here I was shown the little cottage in which that excellent man Robert Walker and his family lived, and with their own hands weaved woollen cloth for Leeds market.
Sons of Robert from two marriages, John, Robert, Joseph, Thomas and Benjamin.
Robert Spence a grandson of Robert, wrote in a diary dated 1806:-My grandmother survived him ( Robert Walker ) ……… and continued to reside in the same house where they had lived for many years…… . My uncle Thomas Walker, carried forth the business (cloth manufacturer ) on his own and his mother’s account.
Married Rachel Spence of Darley, Parish of Hampsthwaite in 1779.
Again from Robert Spence’s diary of 1809 we read :- My uncle Robert Walker who married my aunt Rachel Spence went to reside at the house where my grandfather Spence use to live, and commenced the same business nearly as my grand father had before carried forward. From the will of Joseph Spence we learn that he was a linen weaver.
In 1795 Robert’s Quaker convictions lead him to refuse to pay towards the Army Rate so he had sequestrated 7 yards of printed cotton. In 1797 for a similar offence he had taken sugar and flax to the value of £1: 16: 6d. Flax was the raw material for the production of linen. In1800 he lost linen yarn to the value of £1:3:6d for refusal to pay Priest and Warden rate. In private diaries it was said that he sold farm necessities to farmers up and down the dale, buying their wool and selling it, along side the wool from his own flocks, to the markets of Leeds and Bradford.
In his will of 1820 describes himself as shopkeeper and linen weaver.
It is recorded that Benjamin worked in his fathers shop and upon his fathers death in 1820 Benjamin inherited his father cottage and associated property. He may for a short period of time been the last of the Walkers associated with the cloth trade in England. He was later described as a shopkeeper.
“John Walker was engaged in the woollen trade at Rawden manufacturing cloth”
From Charles Walker’s note book.
Thompson was a cashier in his fathers woollen mill at Rawden.”As a young man he went for a year ot more to Germany into the family of Benjamin and Esher Seebohm of Friedenstall and was employed in the Seebohm woollen mills. On returning from Rawden to Birstwith, he for several years went wool buying into Germany, Belgium and France for Bradford firms”. From Charles Walker’s notebook. Charles being Thompson’s son and John’s grandson.