Weavers of Coventry

Kaga, glad you got there in the end. As I said I just came across it from a piece in a Coventry newspaper archive when he said he knew my ancestor John Yardley (I would love to find out what happened to his microscope). My interest in the book was because it was written by someone, a man interested in the world around him, who was living at the time, not someone who was finding facts from other books. The book I have does not have a cover so I have no problem with pictures.

SJT The sending of convicts to Australia was considered a great punishment and this came down through the centuries. My great grandad (on here) would have been a boy at that time. One of his grandsons (my uncle) was a tearaway, considered to be heading for jail, still threatened with heading for Australia by my granny, in the 1920/30s, a big family joke. Came the war, my eldest brother in the Fleet Air Arm. Censorship, we had no idea where he was, then we had a letter, "I'm fine, met uncle Bill yesterday", and we all sighed with relief, we knew he was in Australia. Years later, he told us his ship had pieces of Japanese and English planes embedded in its structure, huge holes, it would take three months of repairs. A town of Australia opened its doors, they adopted the whole crew into their homes until repairs were over. He wrote to them for many years. I have no idea of town or harbour, but strongly suspect Sydney. PS. He brought home a pair of Aussie swim-trunks, the ones with the skirt, passed on to me, caused many comments.

There were many frequenters of the stocks in the old days. Amongst them was old Georgie Chittem, alias 'Trodge', a weaver by trade but a simpleton in his own way. If an acquaintance beckoned him to come and have a glass, if the coast was clear, 'Trodge' would slip off his boots, and cleverly wriggle his feet out of the holes of the stocks as if nothing had happened, slip in the back way of the Spread Eagle that adjoined, join his friend and have his glass. On returning he would replace his feet in the stocks as if nothing had happened. If, however, there was a constable alert, then he would say "Don't be a damned fool, yer know I can't come." He was also fond of practical joking. When the buildings in Much Park Street were being set-back and rebuilt to widen the road, a labourer was mixing a large heap of cement in the street. 'Trodge' went capering round him and the labourer held up his shovel as if about to strike him, but 'Trodge's' heels caught him, and a--- over tip he went, head first into the cement. The man pulled him out, choked and blinded with the mixture. He met his death by drowning in a spring near the Smithfield off Palmer Lane.

Re Becks - I found that I had been rescued from the crowd J Gutteridge by my father, who risked his own safety in order to save me. The cavalry from the barracks were driving people before them, completely blocking up the narrow lane that led to our factory. From the windows of this building we could see the fire. Three young men, Toogood, Burbury and Sparkes, were transported to Australia, for this riot. One of these men, Toogood, returned to his native city a very rich man, by steady perseverance and fixed determination to work his way up in the social scale to his former status - he succeeded. After staying in England a short time, he returned to Oz, his wife of so long and his children parted with him. Annewiggy This edition was not printed till nearly twenty years after the first account I read, it also has the diary of W Andrews.

The work, originally called "Lights and shadows in the life of an artisan" first appeared in print as a series of articles in the Coventry Herald. The book of that name was printed in 1892. The book I have which includes the diary of William Andrews was an edited version printed in 1969. It just says that several sections on Gutteridge's hobbies have been shortened. There are just a couple of comments at the end saying generally events recorded are honest and accurate but the editor says that he states that Joseph Beck had employed cheap female labour which is incorrect, though a rumour to that effect may have circulated among the rioters. They also comment that Gutteridge may have been less than frank in recalling his own role in the strike of 1860 but of that fact they are not sure.

Annewiggy Then it's the same edition as I have now. I like it because it describes Coventry so well, the first book I read was around the middle fifties, have no idea of the title. I have read that steam driven looms were installed in 1928 but can't recall what book. He states he was three years into a seven years apprenticeship, when Becks happened, and two and a half years from the finish when Toogood returned. A bit iffy, wouldn't you say - unless I'm reading that wrong?

I think you have read it wrong Kaga. Alfred Toogood was given an absolute pardon in 1847, which is when he returned to England. In 1851 he is living in Shoreditch with his family and his occupation is Colonial Export Merchant. He returned to Australia in 1852 where he died in 1867. Gutteridge says he subsequently returned to England so I think this is just to add to the story, to say that he met him and made him some cases for his collections, and that he returned after staying a short time in England. Gutteridge later says, "at the time of my father's death I had about two and a half years of my apprenticeship", back to his own story, nothing to do with Toogood.

Annewiggy, No I didn't read it wrong, it was written badly - nowhere in the book does he mention the word pardon or the date 1852 twenty years later. This book wasn't printed till twenty years after I read the first version, that must have been the shadows one. In the early fifties I was into all this stuff. I did visit places like Lyon and round that area looking for looms, Silk Worm farm, Man in the Iron Mask, and Lawrence of Arabia history. But there was no help in those days. I remember Lyon was a beautiful city, surrounded by high mountains, the river running through the middle of the town, and the most beautiful pair of eyes I ever did see, staring from a bed just two feet away. I digress. I did find a couple of looms, and what had once been Silk Worm Farm, now an olive farm. God she was gorgeous. I also found the prison of the once Man in the Iron Mask. Gutteridge was never a big owner, he was nothing more than a first class maintenance / weaver, always working for someone like Bray or the ill fated Day, always ill from lack of money. Coventry lost most of its history in the late thirties when they built Trinity Street, when it was badly needed, for most of those places were ramshackle, rat infested places, which you don't think of when those names come to light today.

That all makes sense Annewiggy. In the original accounts of 1831, Beck was not targetted for employing female labour. His 'crime' was deploying the first steam engine powered mechanised looms in Coventry. Other manufacturers like Day and Dodds were accused of hiring women and children (doing skilled weavers out of a job) but not Beck.

The Historian Prest,writing in the fifties, says... Gutteridge's father must have been glad that his son was not involved in the subsequent trial of Burbury and Spark, the ring leaders, but the victory for a time being lay with the weavers. For six years no further attempt was made to introduce steam power to Coventry. And it was left to their rivals at Derby to develop the power loom. Gutteridge was very lucky to be snatched from the mob and taken to safety by his father, who put his own life in danger to save his son.

Prest wrote there were two Charles Brays in Coventry at the same time, one in Much Park St and one in Earl St. But I can find no other historian mentioning such.

I know Rob has seen this on FB but there has been some talk on here recently about Becks Mill. Helen posted a great image in its later form on post#61 and Andy McGeechan on FB has added this which also shows that mill. I hadn't noticed it before.

Neil, when you start off you only recognise the main views but slowly you start to see key buildings around the city that aren't so photogenic and when you get a new image you understand where it is based on small clues. You then start to look again at photos you think you know and spot loads of stuff that you didn't spot before. Welcome to the club. Even in this last 12 months I've spotted buildings I'd never noticed before in photos I'd rejected as of no value to me.

A good tip Helen, thanks. It works for me the birds eye view, only wished it would work when I am on the ground. I need a map round IKEA.

NeilsYard, Gutteridge said the mill was completely burnt down, only blackened walls remained.