Bamford & Norden June 2021

to move the whole operation to
Greenbooth and expand those premises.
Very soon, the sheer expense of rebuilds
on the Oldham Road site and the
extensive construction in Greenbooth
lead to their downfall and resulted in
bankruptcy.
James, unlike his brothers, had not joined
his father in the family business. James
was already a successful Wool Stapler and
was a wealthy man in his own right. He
had however, financially supported his
family by providing the second mortgage
on the premises when they fell into
difficulties. No doubt as a Wool Stapler
James may well have provided much of
the raw material involved in their
manufacturing process. By 1848 James
owned a substantial amount of land in
the Naden Valley, including East Knowl
Colliery, Naden Farm and other farms and
land in the areas surrounding Greenbooth
itself. He also owned Lower Tenterhouse,
Tenterhouse and Upper Tenterhouse.
Following their bankruptcy, the mill
and the few surrounding buildings had
initially gone up for sale in 1847. James
already holding financial interest in the
property, by this point, decided to take
over full ownership of the business.
Already at the age of 62 and having
been widowed for many years, this was
a massive commitment but he was loyal
and wanted to continue what his father
had started. He was known to be a great
orator with a kind and philanthropic view
of life and the village he wanted to create.
He provided housing and a shop for his
workers, there was also a small Co-op
shop. Rent was deducted from wages,
as was payments for milk which was
delivered daily from Naden Farm. Meat,
cheese and eggs were all readily available
from local farms. James did his best to
ensure viability of the village by paying
the workers half their wages in tokens
that had to be spent in the village. This
provided the opportunity for the village
to be as self-sufficient as possible. There
was no pub or church in the village and
villagers made the regular walk to Norden
to worship and to obtain any provisions
not readily available.
Each Monday morning, a large copper
tub of hot water was provided in the
mill yard for the ladies of the village to
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