Industrial History Online
Birks Mill
Key Words :- water textile cotton wool worsted spinning bobbins brushes food
Address :- Birks Lane, Sedbergh, Cumbria, LA10 5HQ
Grid Ref :- SD 65055 91242
Co-ordinates :- Lat 54.315563 , Long -2.538669
Local Authority :- Westmorland and Furness Council
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - West Riding
Site Status :- Site extant - Protected status unknown
Site Condition :- Site refurbished to industrial / commercial use
Site Dates :- 1796 -
Description and History of Site:-
Three-storey water-powered cotton mill, adjacent to the River Rawthey, currently used for food processing.
Built in 1796 by Charles Holme, Birks Mill as an investment and let it to William Faulkner Brown; Co. for spinning cotton. They were bankrupt by 1807 and it was then occupied by John Upton from at least 1809. John Upton and later James Upton ran most of the mill for cotton spinning until at least 1835, though Charles Holme retained part for his woollen business - he was a hosier and woollen manufacturer in Kendal. From about 1834 the Uptons also ran Goit Stock Mill near Bingley for spinning cotton. In later years it was used for worsted spinning and part may have been used by William & Richard Haresnape for turning bobbins. In 1893 it was used for spinning yarn. By 1909 textile production had ended and part of the mill was used by William Wilson for making bobbins and brush heads.
The mill was subsequently modernised for food processing which currently (2017) continues.
Further Reading and References:-
Ingle, George. Yorkshire cotton: the Yorkshire cotton industry, 1780-1835. Carnegie, 1997
Ingle, George. 'Yorkshire Dales Textile Mills'. Royd Press, 2009
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Grid Ref :- SD 65055 91242
Co-ordinates :- Lat 54.315563 , Long -2.538669
Local Authority :- Westmorland and Furness Council
Pre 1974 County :- Yorkshire - West Riding
Site Status :- Site extant - Protected status unknown
Site Condition :- Site refurbished to industrial / commercial use
Site Dates :- 1796 -
Three-storey water-powered cotton mill, adjacent to the River Rawthey, currently used for food processing.
Built in 1796 by Charles Holme, Birks Mill as an investment and let it to William Faulkner Brown; Co. for spinning cotton. They were bankrupt by 1807 and it was then occupied by John Upton from at least 1809. John Upton and later James Upton ran most of the mill for cotton spinning until at least 1835, though Charles Holme retained part for his woollen business - he was a hosier and woollen manufacturer in Kendal. From about 1834 the Uptons also ran Goit Stock Mill near Bingley for spinning cotton. In later years it was used for worsted spinning and part may have been used by William & Richard Haresnape for turning bobbins. In 1893 it was used for spinning yarn. By 1909 textile production had ended and part of the mill was used by William Wilson for making bobbins and brush heads.
The mill was subsequently modernised for food processing which currently (2017) continues.
Ingle, George. Yorkshire cotton: the Yorkshire cotton industry, 1780-1835. Carnegie, 1997
Ingle, George. 'Yorkshire Dales Textile Mills'. Royd Press, 2009
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Contributor :- George Ingle - 23 June 2017
Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © George Ingle
Copyright :- cc-by-nc-sa 4.0 © George Ingle