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| Isaac Holden 1809-1897 |
A recently read a book called “ Holden's Ghosts” which tells the story of the 19th century wool magnate Sir Isaac Holden, and gives interesting information about his rise from humble beginnings in Scotland, to being a multi-millionaire in the wool combing industry and describes the way he treated his workers in his mills both in England and France.
Many of our Bancroft ancestors worked in the Yorkshire Textile Mills in Yorkshire in the 19th century after the demise of the cottage industries and although it was a way of making a living, times were hard from wool combing or working with the latest textile machines in the mills. Holden became an enormously wealthy mill owner both in France and later in Bradford, and was a well known local M.P., inventor of textile machinery, philanthropist, particularly to the Wesleyan society but was always reticent with regards to his views of reform for his mill workers. He was radical in matters of electoral and educational reform, but reticent when it came to worker's rights and factory reform. Together with other mill owners in the 1860's he opposed the 'Nine Hour Bill' introduced in Parliament which cautiously proposed to reduce working hours in the textile industry for women and children from 60 to 54 hours per week. They tried to explain, that as manufacturers, they did not consider current hours were excessive but did concede one hour on Saturdays to make the working week 59 instead of 60.
Woolcombers in his factories typically worked a 60-hour week, often in conditions of up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit of heat in the combing rooms. The wages for this work in his Alston Mill in Bradford were 16/- [[£0.80p] a week and women received 9/- [£0.45].
Women would often work to within one week of childbirth and return again within two weeks. Many of the male night workers, often called 'Holden's Ghosts' by the locals were employed on a casual basis and had to attend each night even if there was no work when they got there. One man described this practice as 'white slavery 'because of the casual employment and low pay.
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| Alston Mill, Bradford |
As late as the 1890's Holden was adhering to his theory and was quoted: “ It would be our ruin, at least until the Germans and French, our greatest competitors, reduce their hours....An hours work a day may give the manufacturer his profit. If that is given up, it would mean the capitalist's profit is gone, and with it the labourer's wage is gone too”
Working conditions for women in Holden's French mills were even poorer, as a French journalist describes:
"There are the same beautiful machines the I have seen in operation at the Alston Works in Bradford, but the workers were altogether different. The machines were almost entirely minded by girls, the majority of whom were shoeless and stockingless, besides being scantily clad in other respects. There was nothing in the least suggestive of immodesty about this, however, for the girls certainly behaved very decorously....Combing sheds were rather high in temperature, and the French girls adopted every available means of keeping cool. They came to work as neat as can be....but as soon as they got to the side of their machines they divert themselves of their shoes and stockings and anything cumbersome in the way of upper garments."
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| Holden's woolcombing machine |
By 1875 one of Holden's factories at Croix in France employed 1785 people and his own accounts show his personal net income that year from that factory was £91,982 [equivalent to around £7 million today.....from one factory!] and despite living in a grand style at Oakworth, Yorkshire in his mansion, he continued to promote to the local press that he was living an entirely simple life!
Isaac Holden died 1n 1897, age 90 years, and was buried at Undercliffe Cemetery in Bradford
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| Holden Monument, Undercliffe Cemetery |
Anyone interested in reading the book can buy it on Amazon.
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