Prelude

Preamble

In the 1800's many changes occurred in people's life; Many previous hand-craft skills became mechanized.

It was a time for speculation and investment. Fortunes were made; and lost, when projects failed to match the promises made, or, at times; never took of when unscrupulous persons, simply took the money and disappeared, with it.

Transport was being improved by the development of steam driven vehicles and railways to transport goods around the country.

Existing villages were extended to the size of towns.

With the factories built by the streams, houses were built around the factories; often the factory owners had domestic premises built alongside or within the factory buildings.

Eventually factory owners and managers, built homes on the slopes and higher ground.

In the textile industry several small firms set up to provide a single product from scouring the raw wool to spinning; dyeing; weaving and finishing the woven cloth.

This often led to delays and variation of the product.

New firms opened where they combined all the various stages into one firm where they bought the raw wool completed the whole process including sales of the finished cloth on one site.

New firms opened where they combined all the various stages into one firm where they bought the raw wool completed the whole process including sales of the finished cloth on one site

 

One such was Stubley’s {Stubley: Ward; Worth}

 

Stubley An international sales representative; they had inherited: Property; Money and land.

 

Wards were Blacksmiths and engineers. They repaired farm machinery, modified existing machines or built new at customers’ request.

 

Worth were small farmers/ landowners: Hand loom weavers. They used their knowledge of the Yorkshire Dales farmers to buy the best quality fleece.

 

This is the story of how they moved from their established role to build a new life from scratch.

The tribulations and their successes on the way

 How they met and overcame various obstacles on the way