Chapter 3

THE COBHAM FAMILY AND THEIR CONNECTION
WITH BASKET MAKING AND GROWING OF WILLOWS
Thelr origin is not known. They were presumed to be strangers. Thomas an Isabel, the first known ancestors of this Cobham family, lived in a cottage which stood in Stockings Croft. This croft is the piece of land situated between Suttons Farm and Meadow Lane End on the west side of Blackmoor Road. It is thought that G.G. Grandfather Thomas had served under Nelson of Fairhurst Hall, who was reputed to have been a ship's Captain. G.G. Grandfather visited Fairhurst Hall where he was given a drink in the kitchen. He had a coat with silver buttons Mr. Nelson would smile when he saw another button was missing.
There were and still are other families of Cobharns who have been basket makers in Mawdesley. No relationship has been known or established. Two at least thess descendants of Thomas and Jane Cobham have married other Cobhams.

The Cobham Family of Mawdesley and their connection with Basket Making.
Thomas and Isabel Cobham, parents of the following:—
Thomas Cobham—born March 8th, 1789. Married Jane Marsden, born February 6th, 1797.
These were engaged in basket making and travelled to St. Helens to sell them with pony and cart. They lived in a cottage (thatched) in New Street where No. 26 now stands.

Thomas and Jane had 10 children, who they agreed for the sons to be brought up in the Church of England and the daughters as Roman Catholics. Jane being a Roman Catholic, being buried at SS. Peter and Paul in Mawdesley in her 90th year. On her death, eight of the children were still living. Her eldest being over 71. She was representative of five generations, grandmother to 40 children, Great Grandmother to 82 children and Great Great Grandmother to two children.

Her death was approximately 1866. The total of her children being 132. She was a woman of good mental ad physical faculties, her memory, eyesight and hearing were good to the last. The family from which she came were remarkable for their longevity.
Her father lived to be over ninety. He lived to see the fifth generation appear, and two of his family connections could say before he died that they had five grandfathers living. Two of her daughters are buried in the same churchyard.

These particulars of Great Grandmother Jane were taken from a newspaper cutting handed to me by a distant relative who lives in Chorley.

These descendants were all involvedt in the basket making and willow growing. The only exceptions being some members of the Holmes family, who were blacksmiths.

The Children of Thomas and Jane.

William, born September 17th, 1815—My Grandfather.
Betty, born October 31st, 1817—Holmes-Heaton.
Isabel, born April 10th, 1820—presumed to be buried at R.C. Chapel.
Ann, born. November 3Oth, 1822—presumed to be buried at R.C. Chapel.
James, born August 16th, 1825—Father of Jack Cobham (Mrs. Barnes).
Thomas, born January 4th, 1829—Father of Robert.
Mary, born February 22nd, 1832—Orrell.
John, born January 25th, 1834—Father of Jane. In business, Lydiate.
Robert, born October 1st, 1840—not married.
Jane, born May 13th, 1843—Hallwell.
Note:—The births extend over 28 years. William, the eldest, being married in 1840, three years before Jane was born.

W1LLIAM COBHAM. My Grandlather, born 1815, was the first to be married in Mawdesley Church in 1840 to Miss Margaret Hunter. He died in 1803 - 87. They had 12 children, 62 Grandchildren, and eight Great Grandchildren. Ellen born December 12th, 1841, married Robert Iddon. Their grandson, Jack Iddon, played cricket for Lancashire. They and their family were in business as basket makers in New Street.

William Cobham, my grandfather, was in business in Gales Lane, employing some of his brothers in the early days. His own children were engaged in his basket shop later. He planted willows in the Longshaws close by (Old Dicks), having to pay an extra premium on rent to the Rector of Eccleston, Mr. Bretherton. He was a very careful and a thrifty man. The family lived very frugally, working long hours up to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. My grandmother complained that when he got paid for a big order for baskets, he banked it. The family had to live on the smaller orders.

Uncle John had washed himself in the evening and put on a clean checked scarf. My grandfather, seeing he was going out, said to him "Wheer are ta pyekin off to?" John said "Awm gooin't street. Awm nod workin oh day un gooin to bed ud neet.

Grandfather cauldn't write, and Margaret had to see to his correspondence. He was much put out about this, as he had to let her know all his business.
He provided houses or otherwise provided for all his children. The houses had land attached to them, being used as orchards with poultry and usually a cow for home use of milk.

Grandfather William's Family
B. Ellen, born December 12th, 1841—Married Bob Iddon.
B. Thomas, born March 15th, 1844—My Father. Married Ellen Moss, born 1863 at the Red Lion. Died 1955, aged 92.
B. Elizabeth (Betty), born November 13th, 1845. Married John Spiby.
B. William, born March 6th, 1847. Married Eliza Cardwell. Isabella, born May 6th, 1848. Married John Alty.
B. Jane, born February 17th, 1850 (married Harry Cobham—no relation)
B. John, born November 8th, 1851 (married Rebecca Cobham—no relation) Mary, born August 4th, 1853 (presumed to have died as a baby).
B. Robert, born December 5th, 1854. Married E. Disley. James, born November lPth, 1856. Married Loxham.
B. Richard, born February 17th, 1858. Married Holmes.
B. David, born February 27th, 1860. Married Boyes. Margaret, born April 16th, 1861. Married Tom Halsall.

BETTY COBHAM, born October 31st, 1817, was married twice; first to Holmes (Blacksmith), who died, leaving her with several children. The Holmes had a smithy at Bispham Green and later in New Street, Mawdesley. Betty was named as tenant in 1850 at Bispham Green. She married again to Heaton by whom she had another family. Holmes was a blacksmith. Some of the descendants were basketmakers.

Two of the Holmes were blacksmiths, being farmers and living at Brook Farm. Their smithy was in the field west of the bridge on the roadsde. Another relation, Ted Holmes, was a basket maker in business at Grimshaw Green, Bispham. Two of his grandsons are still in the basket making business at Parbold. There is another A. Holmes in the basket trade at Bretherton. These three Holmes are the only ones still in the basket making trade, descendants of the originals, Thomas and Jane Cobham. The Cobham family name is now extinct in basket making.
Betty had a large family, mostly girls, who went into service into private houses in Southport. Their descendants still claim contact with Mawdesley.

John's son married Halliwell. They kept a public house in Preston. Presumd to have left no family.
James, born August l6th, 1825. Presumed to have worked for brother William. His wife Ann lived in High Street. Children: Jack Cobham, Mrs. Barnes, Grand daughter Amy Leigh.
Robert, born October 1st, 1840. Unmarried.
Jane, born May 13th, 1843, married Halliwell. Two sons, two daughters. One son, surveyor for Chorley Rural, Mat. Tom was a paviour for Chorley Rural.

Burial Register
Out of 88 burials only 21 were of persons over 50. This was in the years 1841-1843. The deaths were principally of babies and children up to the age of 20.

There were at this time quite a number of hand-loom weavers. A man named Ashton of Croston was a factor supplying the material and buying the finished goods.

My grandmother was a weaver before she married my grandfather, William Cobham, in 1840.
She lived in Dark Lane and walked to Chorley carrying the cloth she had woven.
1860's—There was in this period a big increase in the number of basket makers and a falling off in the number of weavers.

THOMAS, born in 1829—January 4th. He had a flourishing business in New Street. The business better remembered under his son's name of Bobby Cobham. They planted quite a big acreage of willows in Gorse Lane, Bradshaw Lane, Church Fields and behind New Street. Also Moss at Rufford.
Thomas went to Warrington to buy ash trees to be split up for basket handles. He acted as a factor for ash to the smaller basket firms.
On these premises were the site of what once was the Pinfold, which was used for the custody of stray cattle. These were released to the owners on payment of a fine. Reference to the Pinfold was made by saying the basket makers were in the picnic shop in the Pinfold. Picnic baskets were dinner baskets with a lid and a handle on top.
In the 1890's there was the pillar of a stone cross with a base. The base is believed to be under the house window on the corner. The cross was said to be a halting place for funerals to Croston.

MARY, born February 22nd, 1832.—married Orrell. They were basket makers and willow growers at the small farm on the east side of Bradshaw Lane. One of the daughters married Parr, one of whose sons was a basket maker, working for Bobby Cobham. Another daughter married Thomas Slater, who with his two sons were basket makers also working for Robert Cobham.
One daughter married one of the Best family of Chorley, who were greengrocers and also kept a public house near Balshaw Lane Station.
There were possibly more sisters who married and left the village.
There was one son in the business who was unmarried—Thomas.

JOHN, born January 25'th, 1834. He was in business in Lydiate between Ormskirk and Liverpool. He, like my Grandfather William, could not read or write. He had his own system of filling his orders, but if there was a discount he was in difficulties in making an adiustment of the cash reckoning. He hired a lot of casual labour for having his willows peeled, paying them by the day. He realised that many of them were not peeling enough willows for their pay. He then changed to paying them according to the quantity peeled, each worker's willows being weighed. At first he had had a shed full of workers, but after wards there was plenty of room. It is said he was the first to introduce this system of weighing the willows, which became the general practice.

His wooden workshop (36' x 27') was used for dances, the music being a flute and a fiddle—this being in the 1800's. His daughter Jane was his clerk and cashier, accompanying him to Liverpool to deliver the baskets—she retaining the bulk of the cash. She returned home on the train, leaving him in town. His two sons stayed in the Lydiate area, John and Thomas. Old Uncle John was a,n exceptional man. He had his own full set of teeth up to the time of his death. He cleaned them with soot from, the back of the fire.
He came back to Mawdesley around 1900, bringing the workshop with him to Back Lane.
There was a sports day held in 1919 in the Town Field run by the soldiers returned from the War. John, Jack Norris and another, raced in top hats. John was 84. His workshop is still in existence.

In the early days of basket making in the village, the basket makers got the materials from the four streams and pits, over 100. Most of these accounts we passed on to my mother, who lived with my father's parents for a time. She lived to be 92. They told her the basket makers went about like tramps in the winter time when searching out and cutting their supplies of willows, in th early years.
There were quite a few varieties of willows used, common long skein, Old Dicks (Red Buds), Kexies, Randans, Mawdesleys, Black uns (Purple Rods) and I orange-coloured variety. There were a few different strains of longskeins, the common one being the main one. A good straight crop being left to grow two years to provide materials for bows and spelks. These were used in malking the larger baskets, Southport, boat baskets and whiskets (clothes baskets) potato hampers. The Kexie and Randans were mostly growing in waste places, Randans supplying good straight sticks.

The Mawdesleys variety was of high quality but liable to black spots, dead places, caused by insects (clocks) so that growers gradually discarded them. Black uns or purple rods were a later introduction, very rank grow:ng and liable to break in use. Old Dicks or Red Buds were of first-class quality raddling (weaving), being very tough. On more than one occasion I have seen them used by men to lace their clogs when a lace had broken. This variety was first introduced by Old Dick Meadows, who was a worker on the Earl of Lathom's Estate. It was said to have been planted among cover for game on the Estate at Lathom. The orlgin of the cultivated willows in Mawdesley is very vague.
The Cowley family were the largest growers—85 acres in Mawdesley and 40 acres at Ainsdale, near Southport. These were Old Tom and his son.
A Mawdesley man, serving in the 1914-18 War, saw fields of Old Dicks growing in France.

People living on this road were generally using Mawdesley Church as their Par:sh Church. There is a Richard Cobham in the Church Records after 1840 as in Wrightington. The east side of Bentley Lane on to the Hillock is in Wrightington. These first sets were thrown to a Richard Cobham by Richard Meadows across the River Douglas. The first record of Richard Meadows was in 1853, when he was named as a member of the annual jury for the Leyland Hundred from this Parish. There are different versions of the origln of the Old Dicks variety of willows, but all link up with the name, Old Dick Meadows One version was they came from wine jar castings thrown in the River Douglas by the shooting parties of the Earl of Lathom. Some say they came from bands round trees and shrubs, being planted for game cover.

Tom (Cowley) who lived at the Willows in Smithy Lane. The Willows was an Ale House (Jolly Farmer) at one time. I should estimate Old Tom to be slighly younger than my Grandfather and his three sons, the same in comparison to my Father and his brothers.

lt is most probable Old Tom had made a considerable planting before his son Tom took over. The son had 45 acres in Meadow Lane, 17 at White Door Farm (Walmsley's Fold), 8 acres on the Moss, Ainsdale 40 acres, a field in Moody Lane and two smaller areas in Bentley Lane (85 acres).

Hugh Cowley, a brother farming on Bluestone Lane, had quite a good acreage of willows on Bluestone Lane an,d Salt Pit Lane, approx. 25 acres. John Cowley, ancther brother, farming on Rufford Road, also had a considerable area of willows, say 15-20 acres.
In 1914 there were 200 acres of willows in the village. Today there is only one field of longskeins which has reverted to the wild state, not being cut or cultivated.

Hugh, at Bluestone, peeled willows for sale. He had a heated shed with pipes and racks for drying the willows. This shed was kept dark to keep the twigs white, as being exposed to light they would be a buff colour.

Tom and Hugh Cowley combined willow growing with keeping pheasants and wild ducks. The eggs from these were sold to gamekeepers on the large estates, who hatched them out for re-stocking. The willows in Meadow lane, White Door Farm, Moody Lane, Bentley Lane and Hugh's Salt Pit Lane were wire netted to about 9ft. The Cowley brothers were maily growers. hugh had a few men making potato hampers. Tom's son Justin turned to making basket's after the first world war, but after a few years gave it up. Justin served in the first world war, gaining a commission and winning the DCM and MM medals. His son, also Justin , served in the Navy in the last war, winning the DSM and Bar; There were four local men commissioned from the ranks.
Justin Cowley (Senior), James Cowley, 1914-1918, William Bentham and Job. E. Harrison. Justin cowley, Senior received French and Russian decorations.The Russian Order of St. George. He held six decorations. He received seven in all but had to return the seventh because he already held six.

There were about 20 basket making businesses in the village. the main ones being my Grandfather, Wm. Cobham, Thos. Cobham (Bobby Cobham), Thos Mawdley (Jack), Harry Cbham (Sandy Lane), Robert Iddon, Jno. Spiby, Wm. Lawler? Jas. Bentham, Joe Baybutt, Hunter Bros;, T. Holmes, Hugh Cowley, Orrells (Back Lane), Henry Southworth ( Back Lane), H. Heaton (Sandy Lane),H. Edgar (Jay Bank), Thos. Higham (High Street), Orrell ( Anderton Mills), Nellie Haltons, Jesse Cobham.

In later years there were T. Slater, A. Eccleston, W. Dalton, F. Coates, J. Cowley. Including Bispham which is in the Parish, were Bob Christopher, Thos. Welch, Ted Holmes, Thos. Heaton and Wm. Sharrock.

There were a number who worked part-timein their homes raddling, filling in the frames of baskets for full-time workers. Raddling or making lids.

It is doubtful if many willws were cultivated in the early 1800's. A field of willows recorded at Bispham Hall in 1849. Richard Meadows, who is said to be the originator of the variety of willows named after him. Old dicks (Red Buds) is mentioned as a juror in the Leyland Hundred in 1853.

Up to this time there were lzss than six basket makers noted in the Church register. By 1862 there were 11 recorded , and by 1874 there were 20. In 1882 there were 20 names recorded after 1874, From 1883 to 1889 another eight names were added, of course some of these names were repeated. It would appear to be that the number of basket maker was partly due to the introduction of the Old Dicks variety of willows, these being of a finer and better quality. Thus , a greater and better baskets were being produced. A few basket makers came into Mawdesley fro other towns and districts who brought in in new patterns and methods. The baskets made from the longskein variety of willows were practically all of the utillity type.Southports, bbutter baskets, boats, potatoe picking baskets, pigeon baskets and whiskets, clothes baskets.

The ground on which willows were not to be planted was planted the previous year with potatoes and heavily manured. Thiswas plouged and well cultivated the following spring. The willow sets were cut from one-year old willows in 10 inch lengths of a pencil thickness (longskeins). Old Dicks were cut to a similar lenght but of a mor slender thickness. These were planted very carefully along a line. Care being taken that the string (line) was tight and the correct distance from the next. Ths distance between the rows vas 22" for longskeins and 21" for Old Dicks. If rows were not carefully planted and spaced it could result in damage when the twigs were being cultivated, scarified or ploughed up in winter. The ploughing up was done by a small double wrest plough to cover the stocks which were 10" apart in the row. For the first few years the
stocks had to be cut carefully by an experienced cutter, superintended by the grower.

NB.—The scarifies were specially fitted with (duck) feet which then covered all the row.

The willows were cut by hand in winter time, chiefly by the Grower's Staff with the help of casual labour which came from neighbouring villages. There was no dole in those days. The knives used were large-size linoleum knives manufactured by the firms Barnsley or Temporal. The cutter provided his own knife and whetstone at a cost. of 2/6d. Some men, unused to the job, left after the first day, having only earned the price of the knife and stone. The cutters were paid 2d. per score yards for longskeins and 3d. per score for Old Dicks, which had to be gathered together in rucks for loading. The twigs had to be tied in bunches, using a twig for a band (bant). A bant was made by making a loop at the thin end of the twig, taking it twice round the twig and running the end through the 1OGP. 1'he thick end of the bant was pushed under the twigs and passed through the loop, tightened and then twisted to make a coil, the thick End being pushed into the bunch itselI, inside the bant. The bunch would then be given a bump on the base and the bant pressed downwards to tighten it.

The cutter had to load the twigs on to the grower's lorry, which was included in the price of cutting. The grower would inspect the twig stock (roots) to see if these were cut correctly. If these were left with too long ends on them, it would result in too many small twigs and difficulty in cutting for the man cutting the following year.

Owd Tum called to a cutter to look at some rows of twigs which had long nogs (ends) on them. Teddy came and looked and said to Owd Tum, "Eh, thoose ur nowt, thurs some hell of a seet lunger dayun t'field".

The twigs when carted were taken to the yards of the basket makers after being weighed. Mr. Thos. Cowley had an auction sale each year about October, the growing willows being in numbered lots. The basket makers would inspect and bid for those most suitable for their purpose.
The twigs were then sorted into the sizes used in different kinds of baskets.

Old Dicks. A barrel (apple) was the main equipment for these. The bunch was placed across the top of the barrel, the bant slipped up slightly to allow the butts of twigs to be opened. This made it easier for the nogs to be cut off (the nogs were slices from the stocks which joined several twigs together). When this process was done, it left the twigs single. The bunch was lowered into the barrel, drawing off the bant in doing so and putting it on one side for re-use.
The ends of the twigs were grasped and shaken, then drawn out according to size and laid on the ground. This was called drafting. An experienced man could gauge his sizes by the height of the barrel. These were big size, bi,g middle, little middle and liddy. Some basket makers had their sizes by numbers 1-4. In drafting, branched twigs were sorted out before going into the barrel if possible.

Longskeins. These needed a larger barrel, a 40-gallon cask sunk in the ground up to threequarters of its depth. A bench was used for these, so the branched ones could be sorted out first They were then put in the barrel and drafted into their various sizes. The rough and branched ones were put separate to be used in making hampers.

Two year-old Twigs. Bows. These were sorted on a bench, the rough and branched ones being put aside for hamper making. Being two-year-olds, these were branched out at the top which had to be cut off by a chopper or a heavy knife on a block. The remaining bows were graded in sizes according to their lenigth and thickness.

The next stage with the twigs is the peeling of them. The basket makers had boilers for this. made by the local joiner and blacksmith. These were roughly. 3' 6" to 4' in width and varied 3' 6" to 4' in depth and could be up to 15' in length. A few firms had two boilers. These boilers were made of 3" plankin bolted across the ends caulked and studded between the planks A sheet-iron plating half an inch in thickness for the bottom. Ihe boiler stands on a brick base with fire door and fire bars at one end, the wide flue running the full length to the brick chimney at the other end. The boiler is fitted with flanges on each side at the top. These are for the timber which is used to keep the twigs pressed down into the water. One end of the timber is lodged under t Hange on one side, and then pressed and levered under the flange on the opposite side A few boiler tenters have been scalded by climb,ing on top for this operation. This can happen when adjusting a filled boiler. The timber soft and worn after much use, is apt to slip causing the boiler tenter's foot to slip.

BASKET MAKING
Peeling twigs was a busy time in the village, usually in the early spring. boiler tenters emptied their boilers at night and boiled another filling ready the following morning, so as to have some boiled, ready in reserve. The were stoked up after the pillers had gone home and attended to very early 01 morning.
The p:llers, as they were called in the village, were equipped with rough bn made from the sacks which sugar used to come in. These sacks were of a fN and closer weave than ordinary sacks. Their main tool, a pair of pillars m. by the local blacksmith; these had two nrongs joined at the head by the flatted metal which acted as a spring. The inner ridged edge of the prongs served
the gripping edge when pressed on the twigs. Like the men who cut the twigs, the pillers were on piece work, being paid by the wetight peeled. One woman was so keen, she would spend a penny at the bench so she would keep her place Women walked miles to work at pilling, coming from as far as High Moor, Hoscar Moss, Gramshaw Green, B'spham and Eccleston.
This piece work in the basket industry tended to make a thrifty and hard
There were some outstanding experts at both pilling and cutting. Two cutters had a race, each cutting a row of twigs. F`inishing in so short a time, they were afra'd to cut any more that afternoon lest the price should be dropped. These were the two best cutters—W.T. and H.. (both dead).
After the twigs were peeled they were spread out in a grass field to dry and colour. They would turn a buff colour in the light. The next operation was turnng them by passing a strong bow (a thick willow) under them for the underside to dry and colour. After drying they were gathered and bunched on the spot, taking care the twigs lay all one way. Old Dicks were very curved One local man was nickmamed Bundle, and a basket maker who had missed twigs said he didn't know which bun,dle went first. Gypsies always arrived about ,this time of the year, and it was suspected they came to help themselves to the twigs drying in the fields.
The piller's hands were stained dark brown by the sap from the twigs and was very difficult to clean off, only being cleared when pilling had ceased. The smell of newly-boi}ed twigs was not unpleasant but rather pungent, like that from a brewery.

The basket makers who made boat and Southport baskets sat on chairs; this is whera bhe. old ladderback chairs went to. The basket makers used their hand knives to split and dress their snelks for their basket framework. The Southport baskets and whiskets had; ash handles and a strip of ash through the bottom. The ash was obtained by splitting tree trunks, and dressed with a two-handed draw knife on a wooden structure which held the strip. In making square baskets the worker sat on a board at floor level, with a board which served as a clamp when making bottoms. The board when turned over served to hold the basket which was siked to it. Hamner makers had a similar layout, the boards hal ng a heavy block on one end, drilled with five and six holes for making the two sizes of hamper bottoms. These boards, made of oak (3ft. x 2ft.), were turned over and the spike put on, fastened on the underside by a thumbscrew. These boards were bigger and heavier than the ones used in basket making.
For round and other light ba;skets the boards were different, be,ing about nine inches wide with cross piece at each end. The bottom piece served as a footrest and the top portion rested on the knees. The basket being spiked on to the upright board by a bodkin. The tools used were several. Hand irons to knock down the twigs close in both square baskets and hampers. The ones for hampers being bigger end heavier than those used for baskets The knives used were a hand knife, generally a worn-down twig cutting knife, and the snagging knife for trimming off the ends of the twigs when the basket was finished.

There were various bodkins, plain ones used when staking up a basket, another to fasten the basket to the board. Shell bodkins are curved and hollow, used, when putting hinges and fasteners on lids and baskets. This bodkin was put through the side of the basket or lid and the fastening pushed through in the hollow of the bodkin.

Longskein twigs were used for a cheaper kind of basket. These longskeins were split into three by a cleaver made of horn or boxwood. Some cleavers were made to split the twigs into four, some into three, depending on the size required. These skeins were then dressed with a shave consisting of a hard vood block five inches long, with an adjustable blade. The skeins were pulled through under the blade to make the skeins an even thickness, taking off the pith from the centre of the twig. Another tool was the hand shears, used in trimming the basket A much heavier pair of shears was used in hamper work for cutting bottom sticks, etc.

Other accessories were a grease horn for greasing bodkins, which could be a small cow horn or maybe a short end of lead pipe filled with grease So workers would have a cylindrical piece of leather to protect the thumb when dressing skeins. Others woiuld have a square of fustian to tie round the knee when dressing spelks for Southport baskets. Another requisite was a small stone to rest the basket frame on when putting a tack on the joint in a basket. Basket makers were paid so much per dozen for making baskets, prices vary according to the varieties and the sizes The workers used to suffer from sore hands due to the friction in raddling the baskets and the sap from the twigs whic h were steeped in water before use. A club was run for a time by the basket makers to make payments to any one of them temporarily disabled by sore hands. This club was soon discontinued when it was found one family and their relatives were emiptying the kitty regularly. They were allergic to the sap frcm the twigs. Basket makers would draw pay for baskets only part made at the week-end; these had to be finished on the Monday These partly made baskets were called goose, making the following week's wages smaller. One worker, when asked by the boss how many baskets he had made to be paid for, said ' This, thoose, them and that and t'other. Awse eh two dozen".

The basket making trade had its ups and downs, trade being good before Christmas and then a quiet period. Sometimes the basket makers had to called out to cut twigs and other work when there were no orders. Many of them did not like to have to work outside. There were slumps in the basket trade caused by cheap imports from Belgium and abroad. Just before the: war things were poor and work was scarce. There were some large families with children ready for leaving school which started a move to Eccleston,.Where the cotton mill was providing employment. Children could go there halfl-time iat twelve to learn weaving. Some basket makers went to Eccleston with their families and some went to Leyland where there was the Rubber Works and Motor Works

Ihere were several places who only made potato hampers; these gradually faded out as farming systems altered. Potato harvesters becoming more general, doing away with picking by hand; also wire hampers were being used. The wicker hampers varied, some having wire to strengthen them, the wire passing through the bottoms and up through the ends and then combined with the handles. Some hampers were shod with two flat pieces of broad willow on the outer edge of the hamper bottom for protection when the hampers were dragged along the ground. The wiring and shoeing was an extra charge on the ordinarhamper price.


1894. These are some Prices from the Book belonging to my
Great Uncle John Cobham when he was in Business at Lydiate.

Workmen's Wages

These wages compare favourably with farm wages: 12/- for a labourer and 18/- for a horseman. The horseman had to feed his horses at 6 a.m., go back for his breakfast and turn out with his horses at 7 a.m. It also entailedt attending to the horses at week ends.


1850. Basket Makers in Lancashire.

Jas. Ogle, Basket Maker—Prescot
Skelland, Henry—Lydiate—Hamper Maker.
Skliand—Burseough
John Dearden—Bury
John Grandan'—Bury
Markland, John—Hoicombe
Markland, John—Flethers Bank.
Markland, Wm. Ramsbottom.
Bennett & Co.—Preston.
John Cockshot—Preston
James Emery—Preston.
Jacob Sellers—Preston.
Charles Wilson—Preston.
Roughley—Lathom.

This is a List of Basket Makers taken from the 1850 Directory of Lancashire Mannex

John Skelland, Hamper Maker—Lydiate. .
Jolhn Skilland—Burscough
John Bond—Ormskirk.
John Bancroft—Blackburn.
Wm. Smith—Burnley.
Thos. Rcughley—Lathom.
John and William Markland, Skip and Basket Makers—Holcombe.

A family came into Mawdesley about 1890, a father and five sons, three of whom were bastket makers. The Chorley Guardian article claimed they brought basket making into Lancashire from Yorkshire. They came into Mawdesley when basket making was well established and worked for a firm which had be making baskeks for many years—Robert Cobham.

Fron a Bundle of Forgotten Receipts

Willows were bought from outside Mawdesley as early as 1871 from
Tbomas Hutchinson of Warrington—Half ton of bows; £3

Willows by rail from Nottlugley: 15 cwt., 1871.
Brandreth Quarry Machine, 21 cwt.— Robert Hesketh from Enoch Ellison: £8 Os. Od. 1871.
Henry Hunt, Liverpool, 1871—One ton—2-year-old bows: £9 5s. 0d.
10 cwts. one-year-old green.
Henry Hunt, 1872—1 ton 15 cwts. bows.
24 bundles willows on rail from Nottingley, 1873.
Thomas Hutchinson, Warrington— 1 ton butt ends. 1 ton 2-year spelking. - 1 ton 2-year-old bows: £19 lOs. Od. 1873.
Henry Hunt, Liverpool—41 cwt. small green. 1873.

These are some of the prices:—

1871. - 3 lbs. Sugar 1 l/2d. - 1 lb. Tea 9d. - 1 oz. Twist 3d.

1889. - 3 lbs. Sugar 7 1/2d. - 2 oz. Twist 5 1/2d.

1890. - 3 lbs. Sugar 7 1/2d. - 2 oz. Twist 5 1/2 d. from J. Brown, Market Place, Moor Street, Ormskirk.

This firm's Horse Van was still calling on customers in Mawdesley up to the outbreak of war in 1914.

1871.

Joiner, 281/2 hours at 8d. - 19/0d.
Joiner, 18 hours at 71/2d. - 11/3d.
31 yards Lincy at 3/8d. 11 / 11d.
Shoes soled, 2/4d.
Boots soled, 1/10d
New Boots, 15/0d.

John Moon, Eccleston, 1871.

24 ft. of ash at 3/6d.—to be split for basket handles.
32 ft. o£ ash at 2/9d.—1874.
62 ft. of ash at 2/9d.—1874.
 

1853.

You are indebted to shoemaker the sum of 5/2. I beg to say the same must be paid to me on or before the 14th inst. or the proceedings af the law will be taken out against you.
Paid on the 12th inst., 1853.

I873.

An order for baskets from Travers and Pierson.
Please forward by rail in good and dry condition the following goods
(about as usual). We enclose half note for £10. Please acknowledge
and we will send you the other.

1871

To new Mall.
Big Wooden Mallet, 1/6d. - 3 pairs Bands and Gudgeons and 1 Hasp, 3/8d.
from John Holmes, Blacksith.

1872.

One pair Ladies' Shoes 8/6d.
One pair Men's Shoes 12/0d.
One pair Men's Boots 16/0d.
 

1872. Received from'H. by Enoch Ellison of Parbold for Twigs, £14 16s. 0d.
1873. H. received 6 tons 11 cwts. Twigs from Enoch Ellison, £4 ls. 0d.
1873. Land Tax from H., 2/1/2d., received by Lawrence Ashcroft.
1875. Tythe charge from H. to Rev. O. Master, 3d.
Poor rate, 6 d. Highway rate, 7d. Sanitary rate, 1/2d. Payable to Ormskirk Union at the Eagle and Child, Bispham