Weaving occupation.....

[Russell]

Andrew

Warping was quite a numerate task. The length of each warp strand had to be worked out for the cloth taking into account that 'beating up' i.e. tightening the weave during weaving shortened the overall length.
If a pattern was to be woven the various colours of warp threads had to be positioned. It was done on a frame which was fastened to the wall and consisted of wooden pegs sticking out. As each thread was positioned it would be passed above or below a peg depending on which heddle eye it was to be threaded into. Once made up the whole bundle would be carefully knotted in a chain (ladies - think crochet, simple chain stitch!) and the individual thread ends would be slowly passed in correct order, through the heddles to the front beam roller. The rest would be wound onto the roller at the back of the loom ready to be drawn forward as the weave progressed.
Difficult to describe in words much easier to see it done!

Russell
PS appropriate that your rellie was a Young -so am I but not from Glasgow!

[Andrew Cunningham]

Thanks very much, everyone. Russell, that's a most useful description. I'm curious as to what sorts of places these textile mills were. Were there just a few large ones in Glasgow, each employing hundreds, or were there many small enterprises?

[WilmaM]

Thanks very much, everyone. Russell, that's a most useful description. I'm curious as to what sorts of places these textile mills were. Were there just a few large ones in Glasgow, each employing hundreds, or were there many small enterprises?

Paisley was a the more famous place for cotton mills - thread makers Coats and Clark were the main employers [ the very famous Paisley Pattern] Around the Glasgow Green area of Glasgow by the river Clyde had lots of textile works too.

Around the Ochil Hills, to the north of the River Forth on the East side of the country, are/were lots of textile works too [ Alva's last one closed recently].

I think you'll find most of them were near rivers , used in the process and for power too.

[Russell]

Hi Amndrew

Before the 1830's many families did their own weaving at home or bought cloth from someone else in the village. Some villages like mine became centres of weaving and developed particular patterns or types of cloth. Looms could be set up to weave course cloth, woollen worsted and plaid, cotton fabric, wool, or - top of the range were the silk weavers.. Each house had a large frame loom which took up most of the room and was positioned to get most natural light.. Once cotton was being imported in bulk from the States the newly developed mechanical looms were taking over the weaving of ordinary fabrics and average weavers were being priced/undercut out of work. Home weaving virtually died out by 1840-50 as places like Paisley set up the automated pattern loom (Jacquard) which used punch cards to operate the heddles which were now lifting only a single thread. They could weave the intricate Paisley pattern (pineapple). Only a few specialised weavers made it into the 20th century as a home industry.

If, after my lecture you are still interested there's a brief comment here http://www.happyhaggis.co.uk/kilbarchan.htm

Another link is specific to the preserved weavers cottage in the village at;
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/john.butle ... eavers.htm

Russell

[davran]

Hi

One of my ancestors was listed as a muslin manufacturer. Was he just a plain weaver with delusions of grandeur or would he have been an employer?

[Russell]

Hi Davran


Your rellie would probably have been an employer either having a weaving shed with power looms or earlier sending work out to piece-workers and collecting in the finished material. Muslin was a plain weave so was easily worked on the mechanised looms which eventually put the hand loom weaver out of business.

Russell

[davran]

Thanks Russell,

That's interesting. He was originally a weaver, then cotton hand loom weaver, then muslin manufacturer. His sons didn't follow the tradition, but went into the shipyards instead.

[Russell]

Hi again davran

From about 1840's, as mechanisation took over hand worked cloth was not economic unless it was high quality silks and only a few had the skill to weave that. Clothing styles changed and the Paisley shawl was no longer in fashion.
Other people were brought in essentially as machine minders and much cheaper. Children and women mostly.
Around the same time shipbuilding was booming on the Clyde. Even Paisley had a harbour and built reasonably sized ships on the River Cart. They could be sailed down to the Clyde. The harbour in Paisley was only closed in the 1960's.
For a young man there was probably more money in shipbuilding with the wide range of skills needed and apprenticeships on offer. I know where I would have worked!!

[davran]

The shipyards were certainly good for my family. One of them took his family south of the border to Sunderland, where he became the manager of one of the shipyards. Unfortunately, the decline in shipbuilding during the depression meant his son, my grandfather, was made redundant when the shipyard closed.