Four Loom Weaver
Encyclopedia
Four Loom Weaver probably derived from "The Poor Cotton Weaver" is a 19th-century English lament on starvation. One source also names it Jone o Grinfilt
though this title usually refers to different lyrics and score, which is about the naiveté of country folk. According to Axon website (Axon) Jone o Grinfilt was written by Joseph Lees of Glodwick
, near Oldham
in the 1790s.
The earlier version, the Poor Cotton Weaver, was probably written before 1800, after the Napoleonic wars
it was revived or re-written, due to economic hard times, when weavers were reduced to eating nettles. This could refer to the war itself any of the periodic economic downturns in the cotton industry. It was featured in Mary Barton
published in 1848, then later referred to the Lancashire Cotton Famine of 1862. It is found on broadsides
in Manchester
up to the 1880s, it did not survive into the 20th century. In the folk revival it reappeared. The version by Ewan MacColl
probably influenced the version by Silly Sisters
and by Unto Ashes
. Jez Lowe
performed it under the name "Nearer to Nettles".
s in a Lancashire weaving shed. They probably would be Horrocks
, or Howard & Bullough
. The rewrite of four loom weaver refers to the years of the Lancashire Cotton Famine, when the weaver was totally dependent on his income from the millowner- unlike the handloom weaver who would probably have a vegetable patch and a few chickens. The Cotton Famine was caused by the cotton trade being interrupted by the American Civil War
. The Lancashire man- three generations in the mill
could not comprehend how the cotton stopped, and still had the quaint belief that the great man (PM perhaps) only needed to tell the shipowners to bring in some more cotton.
Many Lancashire folk, can give personal testimony of relative having worked in such a role.
There is also a version called the Oldham Weaver in Mary Barton
, by Mrs Gaskell in 1848.
Jone o Grinfilt
Jone o Grinfilt is a poem in the Oldham dialect of English. It was written by a man named Joseph Lees from the Glodwick area of the town in 1805. "Grinfilt" is a dialect pronunciation of Greenfield, a village in the neighbouring parish of Saddleworth. The poem was intended to ridicule country folk...
though this title usually refers to different lyrics and score, which is about the naiveté of country folk. According to Axon website (Axon) Jone o Grinfilt was written by Joseph Lees of Glodwick
Glodwick
Glodwick is an area of Oldham, in Greater Manchester, England. It is south-east of Oldham town centre.Glodwick is a multi-ethnic residential area in the south of the Oldham, home particularly to a large community of Pakistanis and British Pakistanis....
, near Oldham
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amid the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock, south-southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of the city of Manchester...
in the 1790s.
The earlier version, the Poor Cotton Weaver, was probably written before 1800, after the Napoleonic wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
it was revived or re-written, due to economic hard times, when weavers were reduced to eating nettles. This could refer to the war itself any of the periodic economic downturns in the cotton industry. It was featured in Mary Barton
Mary Barton
Mary Barton is the first novel by English author Elizabeth Gaskell, published in 1848. The story is set in the English city of Manchester during the 1830s and 1840s and deals heavily with the difficulties faced by the Victorian lower class.-Plot summary:...
published in 1848, then later referred to the Lancashire Cotton Famine of 1862. It is found on broadsides
Broadside (music)
A broadside is a single sheet of cheap paper printed on one side, often with a ballad, rhyme, news and sometimes with woodcut illustrations...
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
up to the 1880s, it did not survive into the 20th century. In the folk revival it reappeared. The version by Ewan MacColl
Ewan MacColl
Ewan MacColl was an English folk singer, songwriter, socialist, actor, poet, playwright, and record producer. He was married to theatre director Joan Littlewood, and later to American folksinger Peggy Seeger. He collaborated with Littlewood in the theatre and with Seeger in folk music...
probably influenced the version by Silly Sisters
Silly Sisters (band)
The Silly Sisters is the name of the English folk music duo, formed by Maddy Prior and June Tabor. Initially they performed together under their own names, and as such released their first album, Silly Sisters, later taking this name as the name of their duo. As such they released a subsequent...
and by Unto Ashes
Unto Ashes
Unto Ashes is a musical ensemble based in New York City that incorporates madrigal, folk, and elements of neo-medieval and dark wave. Founded by Michael Laird and Susanna Melendez in 1997, the band has released five full-length CDs on the Projekt label...
. Jez Lowe
Jez Lowe
Jez Lowe is an English folk singer-songwriter. Lowe was born and raised in County Durham, in a coal mining family with Irish roots. He is known primarily for his compositions dealing with daily life in North-East England, particularly in his hometown of Easington Colliery. He performs both as a...
performed it under the name "Nearer to Nettles".
A Four Loom Weaver
A Four Loom weaver is power loom weaver using 4 Lancashire LoomLancashire Loom
The Lancashire Loom was a semi-automatic power loom invented by James Bullough and William Kenworthy in 1842. Although it is self-acting, it has to be stopped to recharge empty shuttles. It was the mainstay of the Lancashire cotton industry for a century....
s in a Lancashire weaving shed. They probably would be Horrocks
Horrocks
Horrocks may refer to the following people:* Brian Horrocks , British military officer* Dylan Horrocks , New Zealand cartoonist* Geoffrey Horrocks, a mathematician...
, or Howard & Bullough
Howard & Bullough
Howard & Bullough was a firm of textile machine manufacturers in Accrington, Lancashire. They were the world's major manufacturer of power looms in the 1860s.-History:...
. The rewrite of four loom weaver refers to the years of the Lancashire Cotton Famine, when the weaver was totally dependent on his income from the millowner- unlike the handloom weaver who would probably have a vegetable patch and a few chickens. The Cotton Famine was caused by the cotton trade being interrupted by the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The Lancashire man- three generations in the mill
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
could not comprehend how the cotton stopped, and still had the quaint belief that the great man (PM perhaps) only needed to tell the shipowners to bring in some more cotton.
Many Lancashire folk, can give personal testimony of relative having worked in such a role.
My maternal grandmother was a four loom cotton weaver until the mill, where she worked, in Rawtenstall, Lancashire, was closed and relocated to India in the 1920s approx. Mill workers worked their way up to four looms which were rented from the mill. Four was the maximum so my nan told me, so a four loom weaver was an indication of the level of attainment in the industry. So I think the title is probably correct and not a corruption of a poor loom weaver.
Will Lever, Malpas, Cheshire
PoorCotton Weaver
The Norton version gives an earlier set of words the Poor Cotton Weaver which refers to the hand loom weaving.
- Old Billy O' Bent, he were telling us long
- We mayn't had better times if I'd nobbut held m' tongue.
- Well, I held m' tongue til I near lost m' breath,
- And I feel in m' hear that I'II soon clem to death
There is also a version called the Oldham Weaver in Mary Barton
Mary Barton
Mary Barton is the first novel by English author Elizabeth Gaskell, published in 1848. The story is set in the English city of Manchester during the 1830s and 1840s and deals heavily with the difficulties faced by the Victorian lower class.-Plot summary:...
, by Mrs Gaskell in 1848.