How did all this change affect working people of this area?
How far did the development of the needle industry affect the working conditions of the needle makers?
As the needle industry was developing more people were needed to work in the factories and mills. Demand for the different types of needles was increasing rapidly and the workers realised this and knew they could get paid enough to support them. Forge mill had developed and it was now handling larger orders and had many people working there to get the needles delivered on time.
At the Henry Milward & sons LTD, Washford mill is Redditch, women and girls were getting paid less than the men and young boys.
“ Wages of boys and Young men (New entrants to trade).
(See notice dates 29th December 1922)
Age 14-15 3d per hour
- 4d per hour
- 5d per hour
- 6.5d per hour
- 7.5d per hour
- 8.5d per hour
- 9d per hour
Wages of women and Girls. (See notice dated 15th March 1923).
Under age 15 2.5d per hour
Under age 16 3.25d per hour
Under age 17 4d per hour
Under age 18 5d per hour
Over age 18 6d per hour
Pieceworkers wages to yield 25% above these rates for the average workers. “
The hours, which the workers worked for, depended on the time of the year and every day of the year (including holidays) would have to be worked on. The workers from Forge Mill had to work long hours every day and children would also be allowed to work and the jobs that that would have to do were extremely dangerous and would have been for an adult. A typical days work would be roughly about thirteen hours long, depending on your age and the location of the mill.
These are the regulations of the manufacturer, 1851: -
“Working Hours
Leave off working by candlelight on the Saturday before March 10th. To come at 6 of clock morning and leave at 7 of clock evening. Begin working by candlelight on the first Monday after 29th September. To come at 7 of clock in the morning and leave at 8 of clock evening on the first Monday after 15th November then to breakfast previous to coming and come at 8 of clock and leave at 8 of clock evening. Time daily allowed- Breakfast ½ hour – Dinner 1 hour – Teatime ½ hour. To come at 7 of clock on the 1st Monday in February and breakfast at 8.1/2.
Not to go to tea after commencing working by candle till dusk instead of half past 4 o’clock of the same when come at 7 o’clock in the morning.
Holidays
New year’s day leave at Tea Time.
Old Xmas day “
Shrove Tuesday “ Dinner (paid for)
Good Friday leave during morning church
Easter Monday and Tuesday
Whitsuntide Monday Tuesday and Wednesday.
August Fair day – (3rd Monday in September).
All saints’ day leave at Tea Time (Nov 1st)
Gunpowder plot 2 (Nov 5th)
St. Clements day “ (Nov 25th)
Christmas and three succeeding days.
The first Monday night after 29th September
Leave at Tea Time.
1851
Wm. Wall (the engineer) to be in charge of premises during holiday times, unless CB’s who has his meals in the house (during holiday times) is disengaged and takes his place at request – CB’s man to be in charge after 6 o’clock in the summer and after dusk in the winter.”
The most dangerous job was to be a pointer. The workers had no safety and accidents could easily happened which would often be extremely fatal.
This is from an extract from “Household Words”. A weekly journal conducted by Charles Dickens, 1850/2.
“A DESCRIPTION OF THE POINTERS WOKRING CONDITIONS
‘Needle pointers, lived while they worked in an atmosphere thick with stone and dust and steel dust generated by the dry grinding of needles upon the wheel, just under their noses. Instead of windows, there were many little doors in the places where they worked, in order to carry off as much dust as possible; and one consequence is that the men sat in drought. The only precaution was to go out about once in an hour, and rinse their mouths; a poor devise enough, while their noses, throats and windpipes were infested like their dress and their skin with myriads of sharp points of cruel steel’ “
The workers would breathe in the dust of the metal and the stone and they could get pointer’s rot, which was when lumps of steel would form in their lungs. Below is a description of pointer’s rot, taken from “The history of a needle” by Edgar R.S Bartleet, 1890’s.
“ A DESCRIPTION OF POINTERS ROT
‘I shall never forget a true story that was told to me by my doctor about one of his patients who was a hand needle pointer. The man used often to complain that he has a hard ball or something in his windpipe, which rose and fell between his throat and his chest. The old doctor used to laugh, and tell him that it was all nonsense, but the man still persisted it was there, and asked the doctor at his death to examine him. After the poor fellow died a post mortem examination was made with the results that a solid mass of steel and stone dust the size of a blackbird’s egg was found, as he had predicted, in his windpipe; the lungs also were so encrusted with steel that a knife would scarcely pierce them’ “
These diseases were obtained by poor working conditions, without the appropriate and necessary safety precautions.
Young children also had to work at home, this was dangerous because they were small and could get distracted easily.
Here is an extract from “The trade directories of 1868/9”
“However, we know that there were many individuals who stayed at home to work.
They specialised in just one part of the needle making process, for example, spitting was known as ‘outworkers or home workers’.
The young and old of each family would have been involved in carrying out the tasks. A child’s dexterity and keen eyesight was considered invaluable.”
Another description, which shows that spitting was a popular process which young children were forced to do, is from “Household Words”. It is of a young seven-year old boy and what he is required to do.
“Before him lay bits of wire as fine hairs; and these wires he was running through the eyes of twin needles which had come from the punch. He ran the wire through each line of eyes “spitting” two dozen or so on into two wires.”
This shows that children had to put up with so much and they were forced into doing very dangerous work, which could be difficult, even for an adult.
As the steam factories developed conditions changed. In huge factories the conditions were cramped and dimly lit, there was no electricity and few breaks. Each person did not have enough room to work properly and efficiently to get the job done properly and look after them selves at the same time. Money was the key theme that was on everyone’s mind. Mill and factory owners became greedy at the thought of becoming rich and therefore employed lots of people at cheap rates to make all of the needles. Forge mill grew in size and had much more people involved in helping the deliveries to be made in due time.
Other processes, which were dangerous, were the scouring of the needles, stamping and eyeing. After hardening the needles would be taken to the scouring mill, where they would be made bright and shiny. The workers had to have strong backs to lift the heavy ‘runners’; these were heavy slabs of wood, which moved backwards and forwards. The workmen had to work for long periods of time moving heavy loads that could injure them severely if something were to go wrong.
Here is another extract from “The working man”, Saturday 3rd, 1866.
“The rolls are at intervals taken out, opened, the needles removed to fresh pieces of canvas, fresh oil and emery are added, and then whole then replaced under the slab; until, by the end of the specified time, the long continued friction of the needles against each other has brought all to a uniform state of brightness.”
This is a picture from “The working man”; it shows conditions of the workshops and also the concentration in the worker’s faces, which would determine their safety and health.
When the needles were polished, the workers had to be quick and able and get their job done.
In “The working man” it describes what effort was needed in order for this process to be carried out successfully.
“The workman spreads some needles upon his left forefinger, with the points inwards; places his right thumb upon them, and slightly touches the heads upon a very small grindstone, at the same time rolling them over by a movement of the thumb.”
Developments in machinery were made. The extractor fan was one of them. It was invented by Dr. Holland and used by the pointers from 1845 onwards. The extractor fan was invented for safety reasons, to reduce accident, but this meant that they did not need as many workers so more people become unemployed.
This is a description of the extractor fan from “history and description of needle making” by Michael T. Morall.
“The fans constructed with a kind of funnel placed immediately behind the grindstone, which was a metal tube extending to a box at the bottom of the stone, in which the fan revolves, thereby producing a draught of air down the funnel, which takes off all the particles of dust, leaving none to fly about the room.”
This quotation shows that the conditions did in fact begin to improve. Diseases such as pointer’s rot were immediately reduced because the particles of stone and metal were not breathed in. as the conditions to work in became safer, the workers got paid less because when they were dangerous they got paid higher wages to keep them interested because someone had to do the work. They rebelled against the new machinery because they would rather have more money than be healthy and stay alive.
Here is a picture of a worker and the extractor fan.
Automatic stamping machines were also eventually used. Stamping was dangerous so again the conditions were getting better with the development of the industry.
“The introduction of stamping machines threatened to so entirely ruin the hand-workers that they became infuriated, and in 1830 riotously destroyed all the stamps they could find in Redditch. This resulted in the imprisonment of the ringleaders. More machinery was introduced, and very soon the fate of hand-made needles were sealed.”
This is also taken from “The working man” and it describes what the workers went through and just how ‘passionate’ they felt about their money and work.
Pointing machines were introduced but more people wanted ‘danger money’ which they got from poor working conditions.
Here is a statement from William Hemming about how he feels the needle pointing machines improves the conditions in which they work and they should be grateful that their own lives aren’t in as much of a dangerous workplace.
“That an offer of a machine for pointing needles having now been made, (deemed capable of improvement) we agree to adjourn this meeting until a future day, (of which due notice will be given) to allow time for affecting such improvements, and for afterwards taking the same into further consideration, and adopting such resolutions as may be then deemed necessary.”
On the other hand the unemployment of the workers due to the new machinery being used in the 1830’s meant that they weren’t making any money to support their families. They could not afford food because they had no source of income. Therefore this affected the lives of the workers.
Here is a poem that is saying God will reward rich people if they give to the poor (themselves, the needle makers).
Other improvements, which meant that conditions were getting, better was the introduction of the insurance policy. This meant that if you were ill, your family could claim money.
Overall, I find that as the needle industry developed in Redditch and the surrounding area, the working conditions of the workers also developed. The conditions became much safer, with all of the new machinery, which was protecting their health as well as sanity. The conditions became cleaner and there was more space for each and every worker to work properly without becoming claustrophobic and cramped. This then means that the conditions became gradually less dangerous and the environment on a whole was more pleasing. Of course different mills meant different buildings, which meant different working conditions to start with, but the conditions on a whole were becoming more acceptable. Because the working conditions had become better this would also lighten all of the worker’s moods and this would therefore mean that the people who owned the mill would have better needles produced because is they are happy and alert they will be able to concentrate better.
Is the Forge Mill Site an accurate interpretation of the development and how far does it portray the working conditions of the needle makers?
In the eighteenth century Forge mill was a very popular needle mill, which had to cope with high demands, and they seemed to always manage to get the deliveries done on time. Nowadays, Forge mill is the only Needle Mill still working. The east wing is now a museum. It is full of primary evidence, artefacts, which have been found or collected. The west wing is actually still preserved how it used to be found, all those years ago when it produced millions of needles. The west wing is the scouring mill and an office where the barrelling used to be. The purpose of the west wing was to be deliberately left in he original state so that visitors can see exactly how it used to be to work in those conditions.
The purpose of the east wing is to reinforce the west wing and to display and explore the rest of the industry on a whole.
If you visit the west wing now you would be able to find everything how it used to be, the only few differences are that there are safety precautions for the viewers and at the time e it would have been noisy and bust. The conditions are still dim and poorly lit.
There used to be a wooden water wheel but it had to be replaced because it rotted away. Now there is a metal water wheel outside the actual mill but it is almost identical to how it used to be except the wheel an the absence of the steam engine.
Where there is now a museum at the top of the east wing, there used to be the pointing area of the mill. This is to show visitors about all different aspects of the needle industry. There are photographs, which were taken in 1940 of combine machines of cheeking and tickling.
These photos show everyone was crowded and it was poorly lit. There was poor ventilation and young children worked there. The workers look tired and stressed which suggests long hard hours to work. The evidence of this shows that the working conditions have been clearly shown and that it was very hard to work properly when there was hardly any breaks and that you would be expected to be available to work every single day of the year, including Christmas and bank holidays.
Also in the museum there were needle packets in French which shows that there was a huge demand from all over the world and that the workmen would be under a lot of pressure to produce 5 million a week (at it’s peak).
In the bottom half of the east wing there is an exhibition, which shows many, processes of needle making all confined into this small area. In each area the processes have been portrayed very well. They are all in dark, damp and cold rooms. Models of young children are shown working together in cramped conditions with little light and dangerous equipment. Therefore this means that this is an accurate interpretation.
Here is a picture of the young children working as they would at the time and right of it is how it is shown today
The first picture, on the left, shows that these parts of the mill are portrayed accurately and quite precisely.
The museum has been put together for the public to be allowed to see exactly how the conditions were in the 1800’s and in my opinion it is conveyed extremely well and the west wing is especially detailed. This means that the mill portrays the conditions very well and it is like you are stepping back in time and actually experiencing the processes for yourself and this is a very effective way for learning about the needle industry in the past. Here is a picture of the west wing as it is now: -
This is a photograph, which I took when I visited Forge Mill, as you can see it is almost identical and nothing has been changed, except for the barriers for safety.
Overall, I have found that the forge mill site is indeed an accurate interpretation of the working conditions in which the men, women and children had to work in.
This quote is from “Needle making 1700-1800”.
This is a quote taken from “The history of Redditch and the locality”, written by Neville Land.
Quote of wages list of Washford Mill
Quote of the regulations for the manufacturer.
Extract taken from “Household Words”.
“The history of a needle” written by Edgar R.S Bartleet
Extract taken from “The trade directories”
Quote from a young boy taken from “Household Words”
Taken from “the working man”
A picture taken from “The working man”
This quote is taken from “History and Description of needle making”
This picture is taken from “History and Description of needle making” also.
This is taken from the “Working man”.
Here is a quote from William Hemming.
This poem is taken from “Needle Makers Lamentation.”
This is taken from “Britannia Needle Works, Redditch.”
Here is a picture, which I took of the outside of the mill.
Here is a picture, which I took showing photographs of the mill.
Here is another picture of the packets from the museum part.
Here are both pictures showing the differences.
Here is a picture of the west wing as it is now.