HARDSOUGH MILL
History of this mill covered in John Simpson’s book – History of Edenfield & District.
1798 John Bowker of Bowker Bank, Manchester – a merchant and baize and flannel manufacturer bought part of the Hardsough estate. He built a fulling, scribbling and carding mill, dryhouse and dwelling.. His partner was John Haworth, an Edenfield clothier, no doubt responsible for the day-to-day running of the mill. He died in 1804 and the mill was let to various tenants. John Bowker also built Irwell Vale Mill.
1827 Mill let to William Sagar, fulling miller, who ran it for next twenty years or so. (He was previously in business at Chatterton Mill but had gone bankrupt in 1821 along with his father and brothers). Sagar retired late 1840s and his place was taken by John Hindle from Haslingden – a cotton spinner and woollen fuller. He died in 1857 and his sons Abraham & James took over but concentrated on dealing in cotton waste.
1833 Mr William Sagar woollen mill [1833 Irwell Reservoir Scheme]
1861 James Hindle & Sons fulling millers, Hardsough [Drake]
1861 Rawtenstall and Hardsough Spinning and Manufacturing Co took over and converted entirely to cotton. Due to cotton famine it went into liquidation in 1864
1872 James Rostron, a woollen manufacturer at Tunstead Mill, Stacksteads bought it. Ran both mills for a couple of years but reited in 1874 and leased Hardsough to his sons William, James, Edmund and Jordan. The Rostron family considerably extended the mill and also built a detached house called ‘The Grange’ to replace an earlier dwelling
1888 James Rostron - woollen manufacturer Hardsough Mill. James Rostron Junior lived at The Grange. [Slater]
1889 Jordan Rostron took sole charge and ran it for 13 years. And then sub-let to John Stansfield. After a few years the mill had been sold to Mitchells, Ashworth, Stansfield & Co Ltd, a combine of the largest woollen firms in Rossendale. (MASCO). (John’s uncle William Stansfield one of those involved).
1916 Rented to Lancashire Book Cloth Co.
1919 Belgian paper merchant living in London took over Hardsough and set up Pulpine Ltd – making paper pulp. Two of the shareholders in the new company were Constance Milne and her son, John Rothwell Milne, who was the great grandson of John Bowker, mills original owner.
1920 Business failed and receiver appointed. Hardsough Mill empty until it was demolished in 1938/9.