Thurgoland Wire Mills

[SteveHB]

About three miles north of Stocksbridge,

Thurgoland Wire Mills once stood on the river Don upstream of Wortley Forge,

where five generations the JAGGER family owned and operated a wire drawing business.

More about the Jagger family history and the mill in this link to Barnsley Family History Society.

The 1871 advertisement states that cast steel wire for sewing machine needles,

fish-hooks, springs, gimlets, awl blades etc,

was manufactured in the mills.

The Thurgoland Local History Group web site shows some

exellent photographs of village life in the local community and of the old once working mills,

along with an old photograph of George Jagger .. link here Thurgoland in Times Past

[Guest Jeremy]

Thanks for the link... they have a photo of the new wire mill, which was run by my GGGGrandfather from about 1853 to his death in 1864.

[Guest paul ballinger]

Thanks for the link... they have a photo of the new wire mill, which was run by my GGGGrandfather from about 1853 to his death in 1864.

Thanks for all the info. about the Jagger family and the Old Wire Mill. I am a descendant of the Wordsworths who ran the New Wire Mill, and having done some research, I believe it is quite likely that some of my earliest Wordsowrth ancestors from Thurgolamd worked in the Old Wire Mill before the New Mill was started. Robert Wordsworth,b.1773 in Hoylandswaine, was certainly a wire-drawer of Thurgoland and Dungworth and may well have been employed together with his brother Thomas,b.1771 in Hoylandswaine, in the Old Wire Mill. They were both sons of Thomas,b.1746, who was known as Thomas Wordsworth of Thurgoland Hall. Do you have any record or have you seen any record of Wordsworths working for the Old Wire Mill, and if so, how far back? Who owned the mill before the Jaggers in the years going back to 1613 - the date found on the stonework?

Regards, Paul Ballinger(born Dronfield)

[Bayleaf]

Thanks for all the info. about the Jagger family and the Old Wire Mill. I am a descendant of the Wordsworths who ran the New Wire Mill, and having done some research, I believe it is quite likely that some of my earliest Wordsowrth ancestors from Thurgolamd worked in the Old Wire Mill before the New Mill was started. Robert Wordsworth,b.1773 in Hoylandswaine, was certainly a wire-drawer of Thurgoland and Dungworth and may well have been employed together with his brother Thomas,b.1771 in Hoylandswaine, in the Old Wire Mill. They were both sons of Thomas,b.1746, who was known as Thomas Wordsworth of Thurgoland Hall. Do you have any record or have you seen any record of Wordsworths working for the Old Wire Mill, and if so, how far back? Who owned the mill before the Jaggers in the years going back to 1613 - the date found on the stonework?

Regards, Paul Ballinger(born Dronfield)

Hi Paul, welcome to the Forum. I can't add anything, but your contribution is very welcome, and hopefully some of our 'experts' will be along shortly.......

[Guest Jeremy]

Hi Paul, I'm sad to have missed your post. George Wordsworth, my GGGGrandfather, ran the New Wire Mill from some time around 1853. Before that he was at the wire mill at Ringlinglow, which is discussed in this topic. George's father was Robert Wordsworth (I assume the same Robert that you mentioned). At the end of his life Robert Wordsworth was also living at Ringinglow, and I think that he was buried in the graveyard at Ringinglow church in 1845.

Before they were at Ringinglow, the Wordsworths were wire drawers in the Loxley valley:

The 1841 census shows Robert Wordsworth, age 65, as a wire drawer at what looks to be Yew's fold:

I'm not exactly sure where Yew's fold is (was?), but it is on the same page as entries for Dungworth, near Bradfield.

George Wordsworth was at Storrs Bridge:

and his brother Joseph Wordsworth was in Dungworth:

George and Joseph went into partnership at Ringinglow, they continued this partnership at Thurgoland until 1861, when Joseph took on the wire mill at Owlerton (George continued to work the New Wire Mill until his death in 1868):

Other researchers have given me the male line of this family back to 1656. Last time I was in the area I visited the church at Silkstone, where there is a cluster of graves from this family. The grave inscriptions show that the family had been in Thurgoland going back to at least the early 1700s, but I'm not sure of any link to the Old Wire Mill. (The grave inscriptions are on page 18 of: Genealogical memoranda relating to the family of Wordsworth)

Jeremy

[Guest paul ballinger]

Hi Paul, I'm sad to have missed your post. George Wordsworth, my GGGGrandfather, ran the New Wire Mill from some time around 1853. Before that he was at the wire mill at Ringlinglow, which is discussed in this topic. George's father was Robert Wordsworth (I assume the same Robert that you mentioned). At the end of his life Robert Wordsworth was also living at Ringinglow, and I think that he was buried in the graveyard at Ringinglow church in 1845.

Before they were at Ringinglow, the Wordsworths were wire drawers in the Loxley valley:

The 1841 census shows Robert Wordsworth, age 65, as a wire drawer at what looks to be Yew's fold:

I'm not exactly sure where Yew's fold is (was?), but it is on the same page as entries for Dungworth, near Bradfield.

George Wordsworth was at Storrs Bridge:

and his brother Joseph Wordsworth was in Dungworth:

George and Joseph went into partnership at Ringinglow, they continued this partnership at Thurgoland until 1861, when Joseph took on the wire mill at Owlerton (George continued to work the New Wire Mill until his death in 1868):

Other researchers have given me the male line of this family back to 1656. Last time I was in the area I visited the church at Silkstone, where there is a cluster of graves from this family. The grave inscriptions show that the family had been in Thurgoland going back to at least the early 1700s, but I'm not sure of any link to the Old Wire Mill. (The grave inscriptions are on page 18 of: Genealogical memoranda relating to the family of Wordsworth)

Jeremy

[Guest paul ballinger]

Hi, Jeremy. Thanks for your post earlier in January this year on this topic. Your additional info., census links and photos are very interesting. I see you are something of a photographer - especially of Chicago! I have a feeling that Robert Wordsworth,b.1773 in Hoylandswaine, who was the father of George(your 4xgrandfather,b.1807), may have worked with his brother Thomas,b.1771, for the Jaggers in the Old Wire Mill at one stage. I am sure that I read somewhere that Thomas,b1771, was a wire drawer at the Old Wire Mill. Bearing in mind that Robert and Thomas were both born in Hoylandswaine and that their father was Thomas Wordsworth,b.1746, of Thurgoland Hall, perhaps its wouldn't be at all surprising they both once worked for the Jaggers, and then later in his life, having brought up his sons George and Joseph in Thurgoland, George decided to join his two sons who went to work in the Dungworth wire mill. Incidentally, you mentioned that other researchers had traced your Wordsworths back to 1656 - I may be able to help. Although not proven, it is widely accepted by Wordsworth researchers and my relatives in Thurgoland(past and present) that our George,b.1807, was descended from Robert,b.1660, probably brother of Robert,b.1656, who died very young, and who was probably descended from William Wordsworth of Falthwaite(3xgrandfather of the poet). My full tree is on Genes Reunited if you want to view the descendancy in detail.

Many regards, Paul

[syrup]

The 1841 census shows Robert Wordsworth, age 65, as a wire drawer at what looks to be Yew's fold:

I'm not exactly sure where Yew's fold is (was?), but it is on the same page as entries for Dungworth, near Bradfield.

YEWS FOLD is shown as Ecclesfield in the 1841 census.