Beeston Lace Machine Owners - 1829

The era of 'twist net fever', which started after Heathcoat's patent expired in 1823, was a period of widespread speculation in the financing of lace machines and a large increase in the number of small-scale lace makers, all trying to profit from the boom. This was not to last and, by 1826, the boom had turned to bust with many of the speculators facing huge losses and the producers struggling to find a market for their lace. In 1829. it was proposed that working hours be restricted to 12 hours a day - as many as 20 hours a day had been usual. This was to agreed and enforced by a Restriction of Hours Deed, to be enforced if 7/8 of the owners (or renters in place of the owners) of the 4000 working machines signed the deed. Although the proposal was supported by William Felkin and he worked extremely hard to obtain the required signatures, in the event it failed for lack of the required number of signatories when a few large producers refused to sign.

Nevertheless, the Deed, or at least almost all of it, has survived and is now held by Nottinghamshire Archives and was transcribed and indexed by J Bryan Bailey and published as a booklet, "The First Generation of Nottingham Lace Makers", with an introduction by Professor Stanley D Chapman, in November 2003.

Those who signed the deed who gave their address as Beeston, are listed below. An attempt has been made to identify each of the individuals, some of whom may be owners who were not also lace makers, from other sources. It provides a useful insight in the extent of lace making in Beeston in 1829 although it is noticable that Henry Kirkland, then the largest lace manufacturer in Beeston, was not a signatory.

Surname	Forename	Machines	Born	Died	Married	Occupations (from childrens' baptisms)	1841 Census	1851 Census	Note
BUSH	Thomas	21	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
GEORGE	John	1	c1776	.	Mary ROBERTS, 1795, Beeston	1796-1803, none given. FWK in 1829	Union St, Beeston - Farmer	.	.
HARRIS	Joseph	1	.	.	Ann HARDIN, 1824, Beeston	Twist or machinemaker in 1825	.	.	.
HOLLINGWORTH	William	1	.	.	? Eliza	Machinemaker in 1851	.	.	.
HOOD	James	10	.	.	Mary Ann HODGES, 1826, Beeston	.	.	.	.
FRETTINGHAM	George	1	c1787	1852	Mary WHITTAKER, 1806, Beeston	.	New Bldgs, Beeston - Gardener	Nurseryman	.
ATTENBOROUGH	R	1	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
LEES	Joseph	1	c1796	1882	Mary ROBERTS, 1820, Beeston	Twistworker, 1829/21/27/29. Lacemaker, 1828/36. FWK, 1824	Chapel St, Beeston - Lacemaker	Chapel St, Beeston - Master Lacemaker	1
POWDRILL	Thomas	2	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
BOOTH	William	10	.	.	Emmy	Twistnetmaker, 1831	.	.	.
PEARSON	William	2	c1789	.	Rebecca	Lacemaker, 1826	.	Villa St, Beeston - Lacemaker	2
CRITCHLOW	Thomas	½	.	.	Elizabeth	Millwright, 1826-30	.	.	3
MALTBY	William	2	.	.	Mary BARBER, 1826, Beeston	Weaver, 1813-18. Twistworker/Weaver, 1820. Lacemaker, 1825	.	.	.
MALTBY	Richard	1	.	.	Maria WOOTTON, 1830, Beeston	Twistnetmaker, 1831. Lacemaker, 1832-34, Lace Manufacturer, 1836	.	.	.
JACKSON	John	1	c1802	.	Elizabeth SIBERT, 1825, Beeston	Twistnetmaker, 1825. Lacemaker, 1828, 1830	Church St, Beeston - Railway Police	.	.
MAYFIELD	Henry	2	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
JONES	Thomas	1	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
BRIGHTMORE	James	1	c1788	.	.	.	Turnpike, Beeston - Lacemaker	.	.
MARTIN	William	1	c1801	by 1851	Maria	Lace Manufacturer, 1825	Chapel St, Beeston - Grocer	.	.
CROSS	Henry	6	c1803	.	.	.	.	Villa St, Beeston - Lacemaker	.
THORNHILL	Robert	3	1786	1863	Elizabeth COCKAYNE	.	Villa St, Beeston - Lacemaker	Villa St, Beeston - Lace Manufacturer	4
MUSSON	Samuel	1	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
KIRKLAND	Joseph	1	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
OLDHAM	Thomas	1	c1786	.	.	.	City, Beeston - FWK	.	.
BALL	William	2	.	.	Mary	Framesmith, 1825	.	.	.
Total		74½	.

Notes:
  1  Lace Maker at death - left £63 - Alfred Lees & John SMITH, of Beeston Lace makers, executors
  2  Cross Street, Beeston in 1871
  3  A half interest in a machine with another owner
  4  Robert had been married twice before; his son Richard was a lace manufacturer, employing four, in 1861
(FWK = Frame Work Knitter)

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