English Sewing Cotton Company
| Industry | Textiles (spinning, doubling and weaving) |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1867 |
| Defunct | 1924 |
| Headquarters | Oldham, Lancashire, England |
|
Key people
|
Benjamin Wright and Ralph Bagley (founders) |
| Products | Sewing cotton, fishing net twine, crochet and tatting yarn |
| Parent | Bagley, Wright & Milne |
Bagley & Wright was a spinning, doubling and weaving company based in Oldham, Lancashire, England. The business, which was active from 1867 until 1924, 'caught the wave' of the cotton-boom that existed following the end of the American Civil War in 1865 and experienced rapid growth in the United Kingdom and abroad.
In 1897, the business split into two with the sewing cotton operation being subsumed into the newly formed English Sewing Cotton Company (ESCC). The remainder of the Bagley & Wright business remaining independent in the form of Bagley & Wright Manufacturing. Although the Wright and Bagley families lost influence on the ESCC part of the business following a scandal over the distribution of dividends in 1902, they remained in control of Bagley and Wright Manufacturing until it was finally dissolved in 1924.
Throughout the existence of the business, the influence of the Wesleyan Church in Oldham was substantial in the formation of the friendships and partnerships that were the engines for business success.
Benjamin Wright and Ralph Bagley were born in 1837 and 1839 respectively. Wright was born into poverty in Ashton-under-Lyne (also known as Ashton). His father William and mother Mary were both born in 1803 in Ashton and, by 1841, were living in the village of Lees, on the border with Oldham, with their nine children; Hannah 17-years, John 15, James 14, Sarah 11, Nancy 9, Eliza 7, Betty 5, Benjamin 3 and William aged 1.[2] The three oldest children were working as cotton piecers, the middle three were at school and Benjamin and William junior were of pre-school age. Father William was an operative cotton spinner but Mary was not employed. Despite three of the children being employed, the family was poor. The father would command a 'reasonable' wage but the children would contribute little to family income. With six dependent mouths to feed, the family would have found life a struggle and the fact that Sarah at age 11 was still at school suggests that the parents were committed to their children's betterment. Financial pressure increased in 1843 with the birth of Joseph who was to play a major part in the business.
Benjamin started work at the age of seven 1845. His first job was as a little piecer in Henry Atherton's Woodend Cotton Mill on Woodend Street in Lees. This involved fetching and carrying for the spinner and piecer as well as keeping the mules clean by sweeping behind the carriages. He worked his way through the usual progression from little piecer to piecer and, sometime around the age of 20, was working as a qualified spinner. He moved to work for Daniel Collinge and Sons at Moorhey Mills (known locally as Dan Coll's factory) on Moorhey Street, Glodwick, and must have impressed, because he was given the position of 'Outlooker' at Dan Coll's and subsequent to that became manager of the mill.
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