My grandfather, Colin Healey, wrote briefly in his memoirs about the Healey family’s cotton mills in the village of Smallbridge, near Rochdale, Lancashire. His grandfather, Thomas Healey, was one of the four brothers who ran the mills in the mid-19th century. By the time my grandfather was born, the Healey family had got out of the cotton industry, and at least his branch of the family were no longer living in Lancashire. It’s unlikely that he knew where the mills were located. Earlier this year, my Mum was musing that we didn’t know much about the mills, and we speculated that even if we could find out, the buildings were probably long gone. I set myself the task of discovering what I could about the Healey mills.
The Healey family history
We begin this part of the family history with Thomas Healey, born around 1691 in the Rochdale area of Lancashire. Thomas married his first wife, Elizabeth Smith, in Rochdale on the 29 October 1716. They had at least 6 children together, prior to Elizabeth’s death sometime in the late 1720s or early 1730s. Thomas then married Sarah Rhodes, on the 3 May 1732. Thomas and Sarah had about 6 or 7 children.[1]
On the baptismal records of his children, Thomas’ occupation was recorded as clothmaker and weaver. The residence was sometimes recorded on the baptismal register. The family’s earlier records state that they were of Chadwick and Broad Halgh, while later records state Stones or Stoney Heys. Among the property that Thomas left in his Will was the leasehold of Stoney Heys.
Chadwick is a hamlet within the township of Spotland, in the large parish of Rochdale.[2] Broad Halgh (or Broadhalgh) is the name of an estate in Chadwick.[3]
By the 1730s, the family of Thomas Healey had moved from Chadwick to Stoney Heys, still within the Spotland township, but closer to Smallbridge.
Among the children of Thomas and Elizabeth Healey were the two brothers, Abraham and Robert, who set up the Healey mills in Smallbridge. Abraham was the second-born son (born 1722) and Robert was the third-born son (born 1723). Like their father, Abraham and Robert were also woollen weavers. Thomas must have done reasonably well for himself, and was able to leave property to his sons, thus making it possible for them to set themselves up in the burgeoning textile trade.
Development of Cotton Spinning/Cotton Mills in Lancashire
Before the industrial revolution, cloth-making in England was a cottage industry, using mainly wool or linen. It is likely that by the early 1700s, the Healey family supplemented their income from farming by woollen-weaving done in their own home. They may have raised their own sheep, though it is likely they were part of the “putting-out” system, whereby merchants would provide weavers with the raw materials, and later pick up the woven products to sell on.[9] Generally, there was a division of labour in woollen clothmaking. Women and children did the spinning, and the men did the weaving on a handloom.
The late 1700s saw the rise of an early form of factory system, whereby textiles could be produced at a larger scale and at lower cost than by individual, home-based weavers. Loomshops, also knowns as Weaver’s Houses, were built in hamlets, villages and towns and rented to entrepreneurs or co-operatives, who gathered together a number of handlooms into a workshop, and paid workers a fixed rate to produce cloth. These “Weaver’s Houses” were built two or three storeys high, with long rows of windows. The lower storeys were often for domestic use, while the upper floors, with better access to natural light, were for weaving.[11] More than one of the Healey first mills began as loomshops.
A number of things contributed to the growth of the textile industry in Lancashire. Among these were the importation of cotton to England first from India and later from the Americas; the repeal in 1774 of a heavy tax on cotton thread and cloth made in Britain; the availability first of fast-flowing steams for water-power, and later coal for steam-power; and the improvement in transportation, such as was brought about by the building of canals. Technological advancements also played a large part. A number of inventions from the mid-1700s made the spinning and weaving of textiles more efficient, such as the spinning jenny, the water frame, the cotton gin, and eventually steam power.
A big development was the move from the Weaver’s Houses to water-powered mills. The first water-powered cotton-spinning mill was built in 1777 by Edward Chadwick, and leased to Arkwright, the inventor of the water frame. From that year, more and more textile mills began to pop up in villages and towns along Lancashire’s fast-flowing rivers. These mills were long and narrow, and taller than the Weaver’s Houses, often with five storeys instead of two or three. These also used regularly-spaced windows to maximise daylight. In urban areas, they were constructed of brick, while in some rural areas they were made of stone. They featured the addition of a waterwheel, which was fed by a system of dams or reservoirs and leats (artificial watercourses) conducting water to the mill.[16]
Over time many water-powered mills were rebuilt or repurposed – for example, from a woollen mill into a cotton mill.[18] The biggest change came with the advent of steam-power. In 1789, the first steam engines were introduced into cotton-spinning factories. At first, many existing water-powered mills built wings onto existing buildings, and the end product was usually L or U shaped. By the early 19th century, as new factories were built, they tended to be wider than the earlier mills, to accommodate larger machinery. As the technology improved and became more efficient, the most successful mills grew to enormous sizes. [19]
The Healeys and their businesses
Abraham Healey and his brother Robert moved in the late 1760s or early 1770s from Stoney Heys to Smallbridge, where they built their mills along the River Roche. The Healey’s first mill may have been called Smallbridge Mill. Over time, the Healeys also built Greengate Mill, Green Mill (later called Dob Wheel Mill), and Riverside Mill.[20]
Abraham had married a woman named Jane, and they had only two daughters, who died young and unmarried. He died in 1791 at the age of 69. His Will was long and detailed. His widow was to have the enjoyment of many of his properties during her lifetime, then upon her death, all the property passed to his brother Robert. He also left funds to the overseers of the poor in Hunderfield, and directed that in the first instance, the interest on the invested funds should go to any of his poor relations who stood in need of help, and if there were none, then to the “industrious poor” in the township of Hunderfield. He also left legacies to his siblings, including the half-siblings from his father’s second marriage. Abraham’s Will named a number of properties (including dwellinghouses in Smallbridge) and leasehold properties, but does not specifically name the mills, nor even describe the nature of his business.
His brother Robert died only a few years later, in 1799. To his eldest son, named Abraham after his uncle, he left the leasehold of his property in Buckley, along with cattle, household goods, husbandry tools, “ingins” (presumably “engines”) for carding wool and all things belonging to the corn mills. He made various legacies for his daughters Mary, Betty and Sarah, and gave (after his wife Alice’s death), the remainder of his property to his youngest surviving son, Robert. Presumably this included the mills, though they are not named in the Will. As there are several generations of Roberts, I will name this one Robert II.
Robert II was born in 1771, and married in 1801 to Sarah Butterworth. Although we don’t know when it began, we know that by the late 1820s, Robert II was in a business partnership called “Robert Healey and Company,” which may also have been referred to as “Healey and Butterworth,” which included Thomas and Henry Butterworth (his brothers-in-law), and George Thompson, his sister Betty’s husband. Thompson left the partnership in 1829.[21]
Robert II died in January of 1830. In his Will, written a few weeks before his death, he described himself as a Woollen Manufacturer and a Cotton spinner, indicating that he had continued to carry on in the woollen trade even after expanding the business to include cotton. At the time of his death, Robert and Sarah’s children were still quite young. The eldest son Robert (III), was only about 21 years old. Henry was 11, Thomas 6, and Edward 4. As a testimony to how well he had done in business, he was able to give legacies to each of his four daughters of over £1000[22]. The residue of his estate was to be divided between the four sons, with each to receive his share when he turned 17 years of age. The Will further stated that included in that residue was to be “the proceeds arising from the trades and businesses to be carried on by my said son Robert with such other of my said sons as may be able to render such assistance therein for their mutual benefit.” The wording seems to imply that Robert III was in charge and the younger brothers, when they came of age, would play a lesser role in the business.
It appears that Robert III made the decision to concentrate on the cotton spinning and leave the woollen weaving behind. According to an advertisement in the newspaper in 1832, he was “declining in the woollen business,” and intended selling off the woollen-related machinery, such as a carding engine, tumming machines, billies, spindles and a teaser.[23]
Robert III continued to operate under the business name “Robert Healey and Company” with his uncles, Thomas and Henry Butterworth. Thomas left the partnership in 1837,[26] and Henry left the following year, leaving the company in the sole hands of Robert Healey (III).[27] At some point after 1838, the name of the business was changed to “Robert Healey and Brothers,” to include his younger brothers as they came of age. By one account, Robert ran Riverside Mill, while the younger brothers ran the other mills.[28]
There is every indication that the brothers did reasonably well with their businesses in the mid-1800s. For example, it appears that they introduced modern machinery into their mills. A series of advertisements in 1850 mentioned to interested parties that the firm Robert Healey and Brothers in Smallbridge were using the “Improved SLUBBING and ROVING FRAMES,” where “two frames performed the work of three ordinary ones.”[29] Another ad in 1853 mentioned that Royde’s patent stop motion for drawing frames could be seen at the Healey’s mill in Greengate.[30] They introduced steam-power, at least to their Dob Wheel Mill, in 1854. [31] Another indication of their success is in the value of the probated estates left by the two older brothers. When Robert III died in 1874, his estate was worth £12,000 (equivalent to more than £751,000 now). Henry Healey, the only bachelor, died in 1878, leaving an estate worth £30,000 (nearly £2 million today).
The “Robert Healey and Brothers” partnership was dissolved in January 1874,[32] only months before Robert III’s death. According to Grandpa Healey’s memoirs, there was a dispute over money, and in particular, Thomas and Edward fell out with each other. Robert’s sons carried on their business in a partnership known as Robert Healey and Sons. They ran Dob Wheel Mill and Riverside Mill, until they went bust in 1902[33]. Thomas Healey ran Greengate Mill, under the business name “Thomas Healey and Son”, with his son Howard. This business did not last long – they went bankrupt in 1879.[34] It appears that Edward took on Smallbridge Mill.
According to my Grandfather’s memoirs, the Healey brothers mismanaged their mills. He also said that the Healeys’ mills remained too small, in comparison to the huge mills developed in and around Manchester.
The Mills
Smallbridge Mill
According to the obituary of Ellen Gertrude Healey, the first Healey mill was “the Smallbridge Mill.” I have not found much information about this mill, nor could I identify a mill by that name on the 1840s Ordnance Survey maps. It was mentioned in Slater’s 1869 directory in the section for cotton spinners[36]:
After the split between the brothers, Edward Healey ran the mill. “Mr E. Healey, Smallbridge Mills,” was mentioned in a list of firms who had erected lightning conductors on their premises, by “the Lancashire Steeple-Jack.” [37]
Tragically, the mill caught fire on the 13 March, 1883, at 10:30 in the morning, and within an hour was completely destroyed, “with the exception of the scutcher-room and engine and boiler house, which were saved.” The damage was estimated a roughly £8,000[38] (about half a million pounds today). The mill was fortunately insured, and there was no report of any deaths or injuries. It does not appear that the mill was rebuilt by Edward. His occupation for the next few decades was that of yarn agent.[39] When he died, he left a modest estate worth £1500.[40]
Greengate Mill
Greengate Mill was located northeast of the other mills, closer to the hamlet of Greengate, and near Robert Healey’s home, “Husted” (also known as Hurstead). Greengate is where his partners, the Butterworth brothers, were born, and where their father Edmund was a shoemaker. When this mill was built isn’t clear, but it was listed in the 1828-29 Pigot & Co’s National Commercial Directory, the Rochdale section for cotton spinners[41]
After the split between the brothers in 1874, it appears that Thomas Healey and his son Howard took on Greengate Mill, under the business name “Thomas Healey and Son.” It appears from modern maps that the area was developed for housing, and the mill buildings are no longer there.
Green Mill, later renamed Dob Wheel Mill
Located on the north bank of the River Roche, Green Mill was established in the late 18th Century (some accounts give it as 1790, others 1796). According to an archaeological survey, the earliest building was a stone water-powered mill with a slate roof. In about 1800 a brick three-storey handloom weavers’ shop was built, with windows in pairs. It began its life as a woollen mill, and was later converted to cotton production. Further buildings were added until the late 19th century. By the 1840s, Green Mill was renamed Dob Wheel Mill. In 1854, the mill became steam-powered with an engine house and a boiler house. There is also a weir along the river, constructed to divert water through the leats. Sadly, the handloom weaving block was destroyed by fire in 2014.[45]
It is now a Heritage II listed building, as it is considered “an important site representing the development of aspects of textile production through hand, water and steam power.” [46] Follow this link for the blurb from the Historic England website https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1084231?section=official-list-entry.
The fact that Dob Wheel Mill is one of the few remaining cotton mill buildings still standing is extraordinary, considering that it faced its share of drama. In 1881, when the mill was in the hands of Robert Healey and Sons, a fire broke out on the top floor of the old, three-storey section. The news report explained that “it is thought that either the friction of the spindles or of the tin rollers was the cause of the fire.” Fortunately, no one was seriously injured. “Hose was quickly connected with a steam fire engine at River Side Mills [nearby], and a large volume of water was soon pouring on the flames from this source.” A fire engine was on the spot within 10 minutes of the alarm being sounded, and people from the village and nearby mills were on hand to help put the fire out. There was considerable damage to the top two floors, but the mill was fortunately insured.[47]
Another drama of note occurred many years after the mill had passed out of the Healey family’s hands. In December of 1930, the flywheel (which weighed several tons) began to disintegrate while in motion. It went crashing through the brick wall at the end of the engine house and rolled out onto a meadow near the building. It left a hole in the wall twenty feet by ten feet, and debris strewn everywhere. The newspaper commented that “it looked as though an explosive shell had struck the wall.” A part of the wheel went through the roof and ended up in the lane next to the mill. Luckily no one was injured.[48]
The Ordnance Survey Map of Lancashire for 1847/48[50] shows the location of Green Mill (described as a Woollen mill):
On the 1890 Ordnance Survey map, the mill’s name is shown as Dobwheel Mill: [51]
Riverside Mill
There isn’t as much information about this mill. It was built in about 1860 as a cotton mill, on the southern bank of the River Roche. On the 1890 Ordnance Survey map, it can be seen positioned across the river and a little bit down from Dob Wheel Mill. It was likely built as a steam-powered mill from the start.
A survey done in 2014 described Dob Wheel and Riverside Mills in their present setting:
“Both mills are accessed via Dye House Lane, and provide a strong sense of a semi-rural industrial settlement based on textile manufacturing, with open fields to the south reinforcing the rural character of the surrounding area.” [53]
Here it is on the Ordnance Survey map of 1890[56]:
After the split between the brothers circa 1874, both Dob Wheel and Riverside Mills were run by Robert Healey and Sons. Here is a description of the mills from 1891[57]:
In 1903, Dobwheel and Riverside Mills were sold by liquidators. The sale notices give a good description of the mills:[58]
ENDNOTES
[1] The names of Thomas’ children were extracted from his Will, and the Will of his son Abraham. Not all of the baptismal records have been found. It is unclear whether one or two of the children were Elizabeth’s or Sarah’s.
[2] Wilson, John Marius: Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72), transcribed on the GENUKI page for Rochdale.
[3] “Townships: Spotland”, in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 5, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1911), pp. 206-213. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol5/pp206-213 [accessed 30 April 2023].
[4] Ordnance Survey Map, Lancashire Sheet LXXXVII, surveyed 1844-1847, published 1851, accessed at National Library of Scotland website, https://maps.nls.uk/view/102344027
[5] Ordnance Survey Map, Lancashire Sheet LXXXVII, surveyed 1844-1847, published 1851, accessed at National Library of Scotland website, https://maps.nls.uk/view/102344006
[6] “Healey Stone Circle,” Komoot website, https://www.komoot.com/highlight/3232307
[7] “Stoney Heys Cottage, Road Lane,” HomeOnFilm website, https://homeonfilm.com/property/road-lane-rochdale-ol12/
[8] “Stoney Heys Barn, Lower Healey,” Barton Kendal Home, https://www.expertagent.co.uk/asp/in4glestates/%7B0ee0e60f-231c-4d2a-99bf-45cfd9ddcc82%7D/%7B333de12e-1e70-4732-8233-50b71de42ce1%7D/External.pdf
[9] Phelps, A., Gregory, R., Miller, I., and Wild, C.; The Textile Mills of Lancashire: The Legacy; Oxford Archaeology North; Lancaster, England.
[10] “Pre-Industrial 1785 Handloom,” Student Handouts, https://studenthandouts.com/world-history/industrial-revolution/pictures/pre-industrial-hand-loom.htm
[11] Hartwell, C., Hyde, M, Pevsner, N, Pevsner, Sir N.; Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East; Yale University Press:, 2004; Phelps, A., Gregory, R., Miller, I., and Wild, C.; The Textile Mills of Lancashire: The Legacy; Oxford Archaeology North; Lancaster, England.
[12] Phelps, A., Gregory, R., Miller, I., and Wild, C.; The Textile Mills of Lancashire: The Legacy; Oxford Archaeology North; Lancaster, England.
[13] Phelps, A., Gregory, R., Miller, I., and Wild, C.; The Textile Mills of Lancashire: The Legacy; Oxford Archaeology North: Lancaster, England.
[16] Phelps, A., Gregory, R., Miller, I., and Wild, C.; The Textile Mills of Lancashire: The Legacy; Oxford Archaeology North; Lancaster, England.
[17] Phelps, A., Gregory, R., Miller, I., and Wild, C.; The Textile Mills of Lancashire: The Legacy; Oxford Archaeology North; Lancaster, England.
[18] Hartwell, C., Hyde, M, Pevsner, N, Pevsner, Sir N.; Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East; Yale University Press: 2004.
[19] Phelps, A., Gregory, R., Miller, I., and Wild, C.; The Textile Mills of Lancashire: The Legacy; Oxford Archaeology North; Lancaster, England.
[20] “Death of Miss E.G. Healey,” Rochdale Times, 11 Feb 1922.
[21] The London Gazette, 16 Oct 1829, p. 1901.
[22] This equates to about £67,000 as of 2017. Check out this website to see how many horses, cows or wheat this would buy you: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/currency-converter/#
[23] Manchester Courier, 10 Mar 1832.
[24] “Textiles: a carding machine,” Engraving by W. Lowry, 1809, after J. D. Herbert., as seen on https://wellcomecollection.org/works/rt5akmk2
[25] “Slubbing-billy to spin carded wool,” Science Photo Library, https://www.sciencephoto.com/media/690311/view/slubbing-billy-to-spin-carded-wool
[26] The London Gazette, 24 Oct 1837, p. 2701.
[27] The London Gazette, 19 Oct 1838, p. 2236.
[28] Obituary of Col. Robert Healey, Rochdale Times, 16 Apr 1910.
[29] Bolton Chronicle, 7 Sep 1850.
[30] Manchester Times, 19 Nov 1853.
[31] Hartwell, C., Hyde, M, Pevsner, N, Pevsner, Sir N.; Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East; Yale University Press, 2004; Tarnside Close, Smallbridge, Rochdale, Greater Manchester Archaeological Assessment and Heritage Statement; Issue No: 2014-15/1585 Oxford Archaeology North; Prospect (GB) Ltd.; Nov 2014; Brogan, A; Historic Environment Assessment: Places for Everyone, Land Allocations, Rochdale, University of Salford Manchester, 2020.
[32] The London Gazette, 6 Feb 1874, p. 561.
[33] The London Gazette, 16 Sep 1902, p. 5983.
[34] The London Gazette, 28 Mar, 1879, p. 2521, and The London Gazette, 9 Sep 1879, p. 5439.
[35] “McConnel & Kennedy Mills,” Wikipedia, accessed 30 Apr 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McConnel_%26_Kennedy_Mills
[36] Slater, Isaac, Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Cumberland, Lancashire and Westmoreland, Manchester, Isaac Slater, 1869 accessed on Ancestry.com https://www.ancestry.com.au/imageviewer/collections/1547
[37] Stanley, “The Lancashire Steeplejack,” [blogpost 22 Apr 2012], One Guy From Barlick, https://www.oneguyfrombarlick.co.uk/viewtopic.php?p=13181&sid=3b620df4af7f5f1e5a7d6ee642c5c7a2#p13181
[38] “Mill Fire Near Rochdale,” Manchester Courier, 14 Mar 1883.
[39] According to the 1891 and 1901 census records.
[40] National Probate Calendar, 1909, accessed on Ancestry.com.
[41] J. Pigot & Co, Pigot and Co.’s National Commercial Directory for 1828-9; comprising … Cheshire, Cumberland, Derbyshire, Durham, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northumberland, Nottinghamshire, Rutlandshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Westmoreland, Worcestershire, Yorkshire … North Wales … [Part 1: Ches – Northumb], 1828-29, p. 448 accessed on the University of Leicester Special Collections website https://specialcollections.le.ac.uk/digital/collection/p16445coll4/id/233467/rec/5
[42] Photograph provided by Touchstones Rochdale
[43] Ordnance Survey Map, Lancashire Sheet LXXXI, surveyed 1847 to 1848 published 1851, accessed at the National Library of Scotland https://maps.nls.uk/view/102344006.
[44] Ordnance Survey Map, Lancashire Sheet LXXXI.SW, surveyed 1890, published 1894, accessed at the National Library of Scotland https://maps.nls.uk/view/101102630
[45] Hartwell, C., Hyde, M, Pevsner, N, Pevsner, Sir N.; Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East; Yale University Press, 2004; Tarnside Close, Smallbridge, Rochdale, Greater Manchester Archaeological Assessment and Heritage Statement; Issue No: 2014-15/1585 Oxford Archaeology North; Prospect (GB) Ltd.; Nov 2014; Brogan, A; Technical Report no 2020/91 Historic Environment Assessment: Places for Everyone, Land Allocations, Rochdale, 2020
[46] “Dob Wheel Mill,” Historic England website https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1084231?section=official-list-entry
[47] “Fire at Dobwheel Mill,” Rochdale Observer, 12 Nov 1881.
[48] “The Mills” information provided by Touchstones Rochdale; “Flywheel Bursts”, Rochdale Observer, 6 Dec 1930.
[49] “The sizzling steam engine”; University of Cambridge. http://mi.eng.cam.ac.uk/IALego/steam.html
[50] Ordnance Survey Maps, Lancashire Sheet LXXXI, surveyed 1847 to 1848 published 1851, accessed at the National Library of Scotland https://maps.nls.uk/view/102344006.
[51] Ordnance Survey Maps, Lancashire Sheet LXXXI.SW, surveyed 1890, published 1894, accessed at the National Library of Scotland https://maps.nls.uk/view/101102630
[52] British Listed Buildings, https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101084231-dob-wheel-mill-wardle-and-west-littleborough-ward#.ZCkGyPZBxXR
[53] Tarnside Close, Smallbridge, Rochdale, Greater Manchester Archaeological Assessment and Heritage Statement; Issue No: 2014-15/1585 Oxford Archaeology North; Prospect (GB) Ltd.; Nov 2014
[54] WikiCommons website: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Riverside_Mill.jpg
[55] “Riverside Mill off Dye House Lane, Smallbridge,” Geograph website https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2146623
[56] Ordnance Survey Map, Lancashire Sheet LXXXI.SW, surveyed 1890, published 1894, accessed at the National Library of Scotland https://maps.nls.uk/view/101102630
[57] The Cotton Spinners and Manufacturers’ Directory, and Engineers and Machine Makers’ Advertiser; with the approximate number of spindles and looms, and the telegraphic addresses, telephone nos., and pay days of the principal firms …, John Worrall (pub.), 1891
[58] Rochdale Observer, 4 Jul 1903.
Some Heirs and Graces 
