Batley woollen workers, Germany 1880s

[mjn]

In the early 1880s, my ggrandfather took his family from Batley to Grünberg, Silesia (then in Germany but now called Zielona Gora and part of Poland). As far as I know, Messrs Oldroyd and Blakeley from the Batley/Dewsbury area founded a woollen mill there and my ggrandfather was in charge of the scribbling department and machinery. Via another website, I’ve been contacted by someone whose husband’s ancestors, from Dewsbury, also worked in the woollen trade in Germany in the 1880s. We’re both curious to know more. Can anyone help, please?

[Berlin-Bob]

Hi mjn

I tried googling "zielona gora wollindustrie" and got a .pdf document about Schlesien /Silesia, which tells a bit about the wool industry there. It mentions the introduction of the "spinning jenny" (in english, in the german document) but doesn't mention english workers. Part of the document is in english, so I've included the URL here:
http://www.pz.nl/nemo/pdf/riesenisergebirge.pdf

That will give you background info. but it's probably not what you are really looking for.

I then tried "grünberg englische wolle"  and got:
http://www.drmartinus.de/menu.php?topic=ahnen_gruenberg_wirtschaft&no=0
Die Grünberger Tuchfabriken wurden Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts von englischen Industriellen gekauft. 1884 wurde die "Englische Wollenwaren-Manufactur" gegründet, die 1914/1915 mit der "Schlesischen Tuchfabrik" vereint und so zur "Deutschen Wollwaren-Manufaktur AG".

ie: The Grünberg Cloth Factoy was was bought up by an english company, at the end of the 19th. century. The "English Wool Products Factory" was founded in 1884 and was merged with the "Silesian Cloth factory" in 1914/1915 to become the German Wool Products Factory

(the english factory names will probably be a bit different, my english gets rusty sometimes, in areas where I don't use it often)

I also found a site with a long article about William Cockerill and his family, engineers, who introduced english machines into many processes, in many areas of Europe, including the cloth trade in Grünberg.
http://www.luise-berlin.de/bms/bmstxt98/9801proe.htm

This is in german, but Google may provide a workable translation. If not, and you are interested in the Cockerills, let me know and I will do a rough translation of anything relevant.

Hope this helps
Bob

[mjn]

Thanks very much, Bob. I'll have a good look at the English pages and get back to you if I need a translation of the German! I did pass 'O' level German but it's a long time ago now.

[emv]

I also have ancestors who left Batley to go and work in the textile industry in Germany. One was my great Grandfather James Hodgson Chew who took his family there around 1878. He was joined by two cousins, Edwin and Dixon. They were dyers and worked in a suburb of Berlin called Stralau. On their return to Batley they set up a firm selling chemical dyes to the textile industry. The firm Dixon Chew still exists in Batley.

I have not understood the impetus for this move to Germany. Was there a period of recession in textiles during the 1880's?

[Berlin-Bob]

Hi emv,

welcome to RootsChat.

That is a good question. I don't know the answer, but in the stuff I looked up for mjn, I had the impression that the british textile industry was much more advanced than the Silesian, so it was a good opportunity to make a lot of money, by introducing "modern" machinery into an older system.

[genjunction]

While doing some photographing of MI's in Woodkirk Churchyard I came across a headstone for a Johanna Hahn the dau of Otto and Johanna Hahn who was born in Hamburg 1899 and died in Morley 1904.

I was curious as to why a German family were in the area, could this be a reason ?  They were workers in a woollen mill.

If anyone has a connection to this family and wanted the MI and a piccy of the headstone - just let me know.       

Carol
www.wakefieldfhs.org.uk
Wakefield Family History Sharing

[Vet]

It seems that some of the first British owned mills in Germany were Shoddy (recycled wool) mills, and this was because there were import duties on woollen rags.  This could be avoided if the rags were made into Shoddy in Germany.

One of the first was set up initially by a group of Batley people but within a few years, in the early 1850s, my gg-grandfather had become the owner.   By 1870 he bought a mill at Kopenick which had been owned by the Blakeley family,  and, probably  in 1869, he established a business at Niederschoenweide.  According to his obituary hundreds of Batley people were employed there until he sold the business in the 1890s.

We visited Kopenick a few years ago and got some information about that mill from the Heimatsmuseum, and were then directed to the buildings!,  which were still standing, although rather decrepit.  I know very little about the other mills,  and am not sure exactly where the first one was;  possibly Johannisthal.   Stralau  isn't far from here or Nieserschoeneweide,  so might be relevant.

The Blakeley involved in Grunberg was a relative of the Kopenick ones, and I have a contact who would be most interested in this reference if you could get in touch privately

[Tyke2]

It seems that some of the first British owned mills in Germany were Shoddy (recycled wool) mills, and this was because there were import duties on woollen rags.  This could be avoided if the rags were made into Shoddy in Germany.

One of the first was set up initially by a group of Batley people but within a few years, in the early 1850s, my gg-grandfather had become the owner.   By 1870 he bought a mill at Kopenick which had been owned by the Blakeley family,  and, probably  in 1869, he established a business at Niederschoenweide.  According to his obituary hundreds of Batley people were employed there until he sold the business in the 1890s.

We visited Kopenick a few years ago and got some information about that mill from the Heimatsmuseum, and were then directed to the buildings!,  which were still standing, although rather decrepit.  I know very little about the other mills,  and am not sure exactly where the first one was;  possibly Johannisthal.   Stralau  isn't far from here or Nieserschoeneweide,  so might be relevant.

The Blakeley involved in Grunberg was a relative of the Kopenick ones, and I have a contact who would be most interested in this reference if you could get in touch privately

I am descended from the Grunberg Blakeleys', George Blakeley (1837-1891) younger brother of Benjamin (1829-1900) is my ggg grandfather. My uncle has done quite a bit of research into the family history. please let me know if your contact wants to get in touch.

[john.luem]

I have found out that my relatives Thomas Barker and his family left Batley to work in Germany, some time after 1881, with his wife and children.  Two children were later born in Germany (William and Edwin).  My Great grandfather, was the head Woollen dyer at Carlinghow Mill, Batley, before he left for Germany.

Did all the workers from Batley, who left in the 1880's, go to the same area/Mill in Germany?