Invisible Histories project interview: Richard Haworth and Company - Ida Bede
TitleInvisible Histories project interview: Richard Haworth and Company - Ida Bede
ReferenceSUBJ/INVHIST/1/IH015
Date
27 Feb 2013
CreatorRichards, Trish
Production date 2013-02-27 - 2013-02-27
Scope and ContentAudio file and summary (Word file) of interview with Ida Bede whose mother was an employee of Richard Haworth and Company.
Ida Bede’s mother was a weaver at Richard Haworth’s mill from the age of about 14, and Ida herself visited the mill in order to write about it for schoolwork. In the interview Ida starts with a little bit of background about herself, her family and the area. She goes on to describe the working conditions at the mill; the long hours, noise that damaged her mother’s hearing and chaos in general. Her visit to the mill left many impressions, with various memorable smells as well as her remarking on the level of dirt and dust around. When she came home she couldn’t hear anything.
Because of these factors Ida’s father did not want her to have to be a weaver, and so made sure she received shorthand and typing lessons so she was equipped for other lines of work. Furthermore Ida mentions women working until 9 months pregnant, people being literally blue after working with denim and the many dangers inherent in working with the giant looms. Also the bins new spools were kept in often housed rats that would jump out of them.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this interview are the interviewee’s own, and do not necessarily reflect those of the Working Class Movement Library
Ida Bede’s mother was a weaver at Richard Haworth’s mill from the age of about 14, and Ida herself visited the mill in order to write about it for schoolwork. In the interview Ida starts with a little bit of background about herself, her family and the area. She goes on to describe the working conditions at the mill; the long hours, noise that damaged her mother’s hearing and chaos in general. Her visit to the mill left many impressions, with various memorable smells as well as her remarking on the level of dirt and dust around. When she came home she couldn’t hear anything.
Because of these factors Ida’s father did not want her to have to be a weaver, and so made sure she received shorthand and typing lessons so she was equipped for other lines of work. Furthermore Ida mentions women working until 9 months pregnant, people being literally blue after working with denim and the many dangers inherent in working with the giant looms. Also the bins new spools were kept in often housed rats that would jump out of them.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this interview are the interviewee’s own, and do not necessarily reflect those of the Working Class Movement Library
Extent1 audio file and 1 word file
LanguageEnglish
Persons keywordRichard Haworth and Company, Bede, Ida
SubjectWorkers, Oral history, Cotton workers, Cotton industry
Conditions governing accessOpen
Levelfile
Normal locationDigital Resource - S:\Audio visual archive\Invisible Histories project