For over 200 years, textile production was an important part of the local economy.
We have one of the earliest descriptions of the village in "The First Statistical Account of Scotland, 1791-1799," edited by Sir John Sinclair, where Parish Minister Rev. Lawrence Johnston wrote:
In the 18th century, RHYMER'S MILL was a corn mill before being transformed by the Whale family into a textile mill where the manufacture of gingham was introduced by Thomas Whale, succeeded by his two enterprising daughters Christian and Marion."The principal manufacture is linen cloth. There are between 40 and 50 weaver looms mostly employed weaving linen........ We have only one woollen manufacturer, though no place could be better situated for carrying out that branch of trade. The Leader Water runs along the west and there is plenty of wool to supply 20 manufacturers."]
A carved inscription on the old mill building,
with the names C & M Whale clearly visible.
The
1851 Census identified Christian Whale as a 64 year old manufacturer
of gingham and cotton, employing 60 workers, mainly weavers and winders
of cotton. Also in the business was her sister Marion aged 56.
Rutherfurd’s 1866 Directory of the Southern Counties, commented
Rutherfurd’s 1866 Directory of the Southern Counties, commented
“Earlston produces quantities of the Earlston ginghams. There is no other place in the country where the same class of gingham is made”.
Two surviving examples of the Earlston Gingham in the collection of Auld Earlston.
Rhymer's Mill later became a dye works run by a firm called Sanderson and the path alongside the Leader Water is still referred to as "The Tenters" where the dyed wool was hung out to dry. In 1911 the premises were taken over by John Rutherford & Sons, agricultural engineers, who operated at the mill until the business closed down in 2014.
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In the 1851 Census, at MiD MILL Charles Wilson was owner Rhymer's Mill later became a dye works run by a firm called Sanderson and the path alongside the Leader Water is still referred to as "The Tenters" where the dyed wool was hung out to dry. In 1911 the premises were taken over by John Rutherford & Sons, agricultural engineers, who operated at the mill until the business closed down in 2014.
Young workers listed in the censuses include:""of the firm of Charles Wilson & Sons, blankets and plaiding manufacturers employing 18 men 7 women and 19 girls". Ten years on, the business had extended to making tweeds, and employed "28 men and 44 women, boys and young women".
Piecer in a Woollen Factory (a 13 year old boy)
Machine Feeder in a Woollen Factory (15 year old girl) - sounds dangerous!
Steam Loom Weaver of Wool (18 year old girl)
Subsequently
Simpson and Fairbairn took over the business and greatly extended its
operations. It appears that the firm later adopted the name of Rhymer's Mill. The local heritage group Auld Earlston is fortunate to have a collection of photographs of the mill dating from the early 1900's .
Mill Road where houses were built for the workers
Rhymers Mill weathered the storm of global depression in the 1920's and 30's. The Mill was fuly employed on service and utility clothing during the Second World War. and the post war years saw a boom time for the Borders as world wide stocks of clothes had to be replaced, with the firm employing more than 300 workers, making it the mainstay of the Earlston economy.
But
by the late 1950's and early '60's, the old problems of cheaper
competitors and vulnerability to changing fashions had returned. The decline could not be stemmed and tidal wave of workers along Mill Road turned to a trickle. The mill finally closed in 1969 when a workforce of almost 100 was made redundant.
Earlston's role in the Borders textile industry came to an end.
A current street sign in Earlston reminds us of the village's past
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Fascinating factory/mill photos. Some of my ancestors worked in the glove industry in upstate New York, USA, and I love looking at photos of the glove shop sewing and cutting rooms from the industry's hey-day in the early 20th century.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the history and the photos.
ReplyDeleteAs you know relatives on my father's side worked in the cotton mills in Blackburn. Sometimes dangerous work whether young or old. But I do love gingham prints, and of course wool plaids can be gorgeous. Earlston's Rhymer's Mill had a long run and in the top picture is shown as a rather handsome building. :)
ReplyDeleteI find the history of industrial communities fascinating, from both the workers' and the owners' perspective. Looking at your photos of the work spaces I can hear the factory noise, the whirring hum of belts and pulleys, the grinding crunch of gears and levers.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting pictures and history of the weaving industry in your area. My husband's Neilson ancestors were weavers from Alva and Alloa in Clackmannanshire before they emigrated to Australia in the early 1850s.
ReplyDeleteMy parents in law met while working in a woollen mil at the outbreak of WW2. I really enjoyed reading the history of your local mill. 2014 is very recent for the mill to be closed.
ReplyDelete