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    Summerseat Site

Mills of Summerseat

Welcome to this page of our site, here you can read a little history of some of the mills of Summerseat, there were five in all, Brooksbottoms Mill being the largest.

The first cotton mill to arrive in the previously rural communities of Summerseat and Brooksbottom was built around 1773, though the remaining structure, Hoyle’s Mill (now converted into flats) dates from 1873. Cottages were built by mill owners for their workers and ‘Brick Houses’ (to the west of the railway) are examples of these. Up to the first World War the village was a self-contained community with power and water being supplied through the mill companies.

The importance of the River Irwell to the evolution of the Borough has been considerable. It became possible to apply water power to the new machinery from the 1790's, which strongly reinforced the trend for concentration of the textile industry in factories. The River Irwell and its tributaries offered plentiful sites for water powered mills, which were not widely replaced by steam in the area until the 1840's. A number of local mills retained water power up until the early years of the twentieth century, while Hoyles mill at Brooksbottom, Summerseat used hydroelectricity as a supplement to steam.

Peel and Yates were successful calico printers at Bury and Ramsbottom, thousands of domestic weavers supplying them with cloth. By 1803 Peel had five mills in the area, and a large number of the workers were young children from the ages of 10 to 12 years old, the reason for this was that the young children had a natural ability to do something that needs skill, and were also more nimble. Pauper children were apprenticed by parish poor law authorities, and these children were brought from places as far away as London to work in this area. The row of cottages that used to be in Railway Street near the Lower Mill, as well as cottages at Hall Street which were next to the Upper Mill were no doubt built to house the large influx of these children to the village, these cottages are no longer standing, although you can see a picture of the ones that were on Railway Street in the photo gallery. These children had to work 12 hour shifts in the mills, and as they went to work in the morning the night shift children would then use their bed, the children were kept by their master, Peel in this case, and he clothed and fed them.

The day to day running of the Mills in Summerseat was entrusted to Richard Hamer, who acted as supervisor.

Now in 1812 Peel & Yates sold the Mills to a consortium, namely - Edward Hamer Howarth, Richard Hamer, Thomas Norris and William Hardman.

In 1824 Richard Hamer bought out his partners interest in the Summerseat estate, for himself and his son Daniel. The Hamer family owned much of the land in Summerseat, and in 1836 Richard had Summerseat House built for him, this is in Higher Summerseat, and is still in use today, although it is now a special school. The 1841 census shows that Richards son Daniel was living in Summerseat House.

Robin Road Mill (please see old drawing lower down this page) was one of the five Summerseat spinning mills that provided the yarn. Weaving was the last process of cotton manufacture to be automated, the adoption of the power loom was the cause of the riots that happened in the April of 1826. 

At this time Richard Hamer was the owner of the Robin Road Mill in Summerseat, which had 38 power looms destroyed by the rioters. Richard estimated it as three hundred pounds worth. He was relieved to see there was no other damage. Not a window was broken. He, his son, and his men, started to clear the debris.

Richard Hamer and his son Daniel had run four such small factories in Summerseat.

The Robin Road Mill no longer stands, but there are still some nice cottages on Robin Road from those times. 

(Photos of the cottages today can be seen in the Photo Gallery 1, and you can also see an old photo of Robin Road Mill in the Photo Gallery 2)

Richard Hamer died in 1850 at Summerseat House, his property was divided up between his three surviving daughters - Betsy who was married to John Leigh (Acquired Robin Road Mill), Ann married to William Hampson (Acquired Upper Mill, and lived at Peel Hall) and Mary, who was married to John Robinson Kay (the son of Thomas Kay) acquired the Mill at Wood Road, John Robinson Kay also owned the Brooksbottom Mill. It was around this time that the small hamlets of Summerseat started to become a village.

Thomas Kay had bought Brooksbottom Mill from Richard Hamer in 1829, Thomas bought it for his son John Robinson Kay, at this time John was only 20 years old.

John Robinson Kay died in 1872, and his ornately decorated tomb once stood in the old Wesleyan Methodist Church (That he helped to build), until the church was demolished in February 1978. (Photo can be seen on the Rowlands graveyard photo gallery 1).

By 1880 the Upper Mills and Twist Mill had closed and were no longer trading, and the Robin Road Mill went the same way by 1888, and by 1892 at least one of the mills was in a dangerous condition.

After John Robinson Kay had died, Brooksbottoms Mill closed and was rebuilt using local sandstone from the Fletcher Bank Quarry at Shuttleworth. The mill was now part of the Joshua Hoyle and Sons family business. The new Brooksbottoms mill started its engines up on the Christmas Eve of 1876.

Richard Hamer Hampson, who was a direct descendant from the Richard Hamer family, (who were the owners of the five mills in Summerseat in the early 1800's) owned the gas works in the village which was next to the Twist Mill.

At the beginning of the 1900's, there were only two Mills trading in Summerseat, the larger one being Brooksbottoms Mill, James Hoyle the son of Isaac Hoyle now managed the Brooksbottoms Mill, his stepmother was - nee Mary Hamer Kay.

In the 1940's there were around 690 operatives working at Brooksbottoms Mill, Generations of the same families were often found working at the mill, and by the late 1940's coaches were used to transport workers who did not live in Summerseat, Hoyles provided their own coach to transport night workers.

Brooksbottoms Mill, now had a surgery, rest rooms, and a subsidised canteen. There was also a nursery for 50 children, transport was even supplied for the children, a school was also set up for the children of school age, so that their mothers could continue to work in the Mill during the school holidays. There were works outings and also Christmas parties for the children.

Brooksbottoms Mill finally became part of the Illingworth-Morris Group, and by 1969 there were only about 200 operatives working in the mill, and sadly by the latter end of the 1970's the Mill ceased trading, and the machinery was being dismantled and removed from the mill.

Wood Road Mill was rebuilt in 1842, and in 1888 was owned by James Ashworth. By the 1920's it was producing cotton blankets, which were finished at the dye works, which was on the island in the river Irwell, the dye works was also owned by James Ashworth.

Wood Road Mill is now a luxury home set in acres of grounds.

The dye works on the island is now partly demolished and is being converted into apartments, I will be placing some photos on this site in the coming months,  of the works after it had closed, and some of the finished buildings when the work has been done.

Here are a few Rules that had to be observed by all the workers

in the Brooksbottoms Mill

All the Overlookers shall be on the premises first and last.

For any Bobbins found on the floor - 1d for each Bobbin.

For waste on the floor - 2d

For neglecting to oil machines at the proper time - fined 2d

Any person hanging anything on the Gas Pendants - fined 2d

The masters recommend that all workpeople Wash themselves every morning, but they shall wash themselves at least twice a week, Monday morning and Thursday morning, any found not washed will be fined 3d for each offence.

Any person bringing dirty Bobbins would be fined 1d for each Bobbin

Any person found away from their usual place of work, except for necessary purposes, or Talking with anyone out of their own alley, fined 2d for each offence.

Here is an entry from  the PIGOT'S 1828 DIRECTORY -

Hamer, Richd & Son Bury, Summerseat, cotton spinners

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