Now! Then! 2024! - Yorkshire On This Day

Excerpt

More than 200 of the weavers in the employ of Messrs Gott and Sons, Leeds, turned out on 15 February for an advance of wages, and continued on the strike until the 4th of October, exactly thirty-three weeks from its commencement. Messrs Gott’s met a deputation from the workmen, and after a most frank and amicable discussion, agreed to give the advanced prices which had originally been required, and which amounted to 5d. per string on the first eight sets of gears, and a corresponding increase on the other sets, with the customary 8d. per web for knotting and cleaning. Between five and six thousand pounds were contributed in the town for the support of the weavers during the strike. In May, Messrs Gott’s employed some weavers from a distance. This led to serious riots and the workmen had to be conducted to their homes by constables.

Comment

Comment

Wikipedia provides the meat better than any contemporary source I have found, so far:

In 1826 Gott & Sons reduced their weavers’ wages by 15% “with an understanding that they should be advanced when trade improved”. Around the end of January 1831, the patient weavers finally applied for the belated wage increase, and were required to wait for two weeks for a reply. Having no answer, they sent a deputation to John and William Gott and their manager Mr Dixon at the compting house in Guildford Street (Benhamin Gott having withdrawn from the matter), along with a list of the expected wage increases – these prices represented on average a 12% wage rise. On its third attempt, the deputation was received at the Bean Ings Mill by William Gott and Dixon, who refused the wage rise. Gott’s several hundred weavers then left their looms and went on strike on 15 February 1831.[45] To avoid accusation of theft, the 237 broad cloth weavers completed their assignments and handed in their piecework before leaving. Gott & Sons sacked all the women and children workers who were connected with the weavers. The Evening Mail compared local wages and found that Gott & Sons were on average paying lower wages than neighbouring woollen mills.[46]

Leeds Mercury, 8/10/1831 – overshadowed by anticipation of the defeat of the Second Reform Bill by the (Church of England bishops) in the Lords.

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Original

More than 200 of the weavers in the employ of Messrs. Gott and Sons, Leeds, turned out at [on 15 February] for an advance of wages, and continued on the strike until the 4th of October, exactly thirty-three weeks from its commencement. Messrs. Gott’s met a deputation from the workmen, and after a most frank and amicable discussion, agreed to give the advanced prices which had originally been required, and which amounted to 5d. per string on the first eight sets of gears, and a corresponding increase on the other sets, with the customary 8d. per web for knotting and cleaning. Between five and six thousand pounds were contributed in the town, for the support of the weavers during the strike. In May, Messrs. Gott’s employed some weavers from a distance, this led to serious riots and the workmen had to be conducted to their homes by constables.

150 words.

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• Benjamin Gott (3) ·
• Gott, William (1797-1863) (4), Leeds wool merchant, mill owner, philanthropist, and art collector ·
• 📌Leeds (235) ·
• Police (10) ·
• Reform Act 1832 (11) ·
• Strike action (9) ·
• Strikebreaker (4) ·
• Textile manufacturing (59) ·
• Thomas Becket (2) ·
• Weaving (5) ·
• Woollen (21) ·

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