Sykes Bleaching Company
Encyclopedia
The Sykes Bleaching Company was a cotton
bleaching business established in Edgeley
, near Stockport
in 1792 which grew to become one of the largest bleaching enterprises in the United Kingdom.
and had been active in the cloth industry at Halifax
and Manchester
. On 27 November 1792 an advertisement appeared in the Manchester Mercury to let land at Edgeley
, Stockport
, Cheshire
as
William Sykes took the land, first renting, but later purchasing it, and built a bleach works. To bleach cloth, it was repeatedly steeped in natural alkaline solutions derived from ash, called "bucking". It was then washed and exposed to sun and air by being hung out in the bleachfield
s (known as "crofts"). After being immersed in buttermilk
, called ‘souring’ it received final washing, stretching and drying. The process could take up to eight months and with cloth in the open, a watchman was employed to guard Sykes crofts at night. Theft of cloth from a croft was an offence liable to capital punishment. Handloom weavers from Edgeley, Stockport, Adswood
, Cheadle
and Cheadle Hulme
brought cloth to the works for bleaching and these were sold on to Manchester and London merchants. An early list of Sykes customers includes well-known names as Oldknow of Nottingham, Radcliffe of Stockport (a pioneer of the fine muslin industry) and Cadbury of Birmingham, a silk mercer and father of the founder of the well-known chocolate firm. The list also mentions names of customers as far afield as Boston, Massachusetts America and Messina Italy.
When Sykes settled in Stockport, there were few trees in the area. As wood was needed in the drying process, he undertook extensive tree-planting on land which later became public property in Alexandra Park. He built a "stately house" Edgeley House, which was the home of the family for succeeding generations. The works were originally driven by water power, but in 1803 the works was provided with a 12 horse-power steam engine. By 1804 new chemical methods had been introduced using calcium hypochlorite
which eliminated the need for grassing the cloth in the fields but required more water.
Edmund Sykes succeeded his father in the business some time before 1809. In 1812, Luddite
demonstrators attacked the works and threatened the Sykes family in their home until they were dispersed by the militia. Edmund Sykes employed Pickfords and other proprietors of stage-wagons to distribute the wares. In 1820, Edmund's younger brother Richard joined the business which was then carried on under the name of E & R Sykes. In1828 Edmund Sykes retired from the business and went to live at Mansfield Woodhouse
, Nottinghamshire. Under Richard Sykes' ownership, the business at Edgeley developed rapidly and every effort was made to modernise the plant. Wells were sunk including the "Silver Well" was sunk, and by 1830 these had quadrupled the water supply. Reservoirs were also built. These undertakings were of great value to people in the area in times of excessive drought. Richard Sykes also took a keen interest in public affairs. He was Justice of the Peace for Cheshire, Alderman for Stockport, and Mayor in 1850-1851. He was an active member of the Society of Bleachers. Sykes and Co were interested in the use of science in the bleaching industry, and their books include exhaustive tests made by them comparing different manufacturer's bleach. They also employed John Dalton
, the chemist, as consultant on the quality of their water supply. Richard Sykes died in 1876 and his son Thomas Hardcastle Sykes
succeeded to the business, undetaking speculative ventures at home and overseas.
. However there was severe internal competition within the bleaching trade, which discouraged long-term investment, so the business did not develop the technical and scientific knowledge as much as foreign. As a result, the Bleacher's Association was created in June 1900, amalgamating around 60 businesses in bleaching and finishing of cotton goods. These were mainly in Lancashire to exploit the monopoly of water supply, but included some in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Jack Sykes became one of its original directors together with his cousin Frank Sykes, the son of Edmund. After the retirement of Thomas Sykes, Jack continued the management of the Edgeley works following the longer-term interests of the Association, through a cautious financial policy. After its formation, the Bleacher's Association continued to buy up its competitors and to make trade-sharing agreements with the Calico Printers and Bradford Dyers. Between 1901 and 1910 nine works were purchased and a further 21 works were purchased after World War I. The Association opened its new headquarters, Blackfriars House, in 1926, and its silver jubilee was commemorated by the publication of Jack Sykes's "Concerning the Bleaching Industry". However the success of the Bleacher's Association, in maintaining high profits on a declining volume of trade, could not last. Prices were reduced in 1928 and from then on trade was severely restricted by the long term decline in export of British textiles.
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
bleaching business established in Edgeley
Edgeley
Edgeley is a residential area within the town of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. The suburb is characterised largely by Victorian close-packed terraced housing and council estates with some larger properties around Alexandra Park. Edgeley includes Edgeley Park, home of Stockport County F.C...
, near Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
in 1792 which grew to become one of the largest bleaching enterprises in the United Kingdom.
Origins
The bleaching business was established in 1792 by William Sykes. Sykes had been born at WakefieldWakefield
Wakefield is the main settlement and administrative centre of the City of Wakefield, a metropolitan district of West Yorkshire, England. Located by the River Calder on the eastern edge of the Pennines, the urban area is and had a population of 76,886 in 2001....
and had been active in the cloth industry at Halifax
Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
and 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...
. On 27 November 1792 an advertisement appeared in the Manchester Mercury to let land at Edgeley
Edgeley
Edgeley is a residential area within the town of Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. The suburb is characterised largely by Victorian close-packed terraced housing and council estates with some larger properties around Alexandra Park. Edgeley includes Edgeley Park, home of Stockport County F.C...
, Stockport
Stockport
Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on elevated ground southeast of Manchester city centre, at the point where the rivers Goyt and Tame join and create the River Mersey. Stockport is the largest settlement in the metropolitan borough of the same name...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
as
An Eligible situation for Bleach Ground or Print Field in which there are a number of Fine White Sand Springs with a Rivulet capable of Turning Wash Wheels etc. The Grounds lie very contiguous to the populous Manufacturing Town of Stockport where Bleachers and Printers are both much wanted and every encouragement will be given to a good tenant
William Sykes took the land, first renting, but later purchasing it, and built a bleach works. To bleach cloth, it was repeatedly steeped in natural alkaline solutions derived from ash, called "bucking". It was then washed and exposed to sun and air by being hung out in the bleachfield
Bleachfield
A bleachfield or croft was an open area of land used for spreading cloth and fabrics on the ground to be bleached by the action of the sun and water...
s (known as "crofts"). After being immersed in buttermilk
Buttermilk
Buttermilk refers to a number of dairy drinks. Originally, buttermilk was the liquid left behind after churning butter out of cream. It also refers to a range of fermented milk drinks, common in warm climates where unrefrigerated fresh milk otherwise sours quickly...
, called ‘souring’ it received final washing, stretching and drying. The process could take up to eight months and with cloth in the open, a watchman was employed to guard Sykes crofts at night. Theft of cloth from a croft was an offence liable to capital punishment. Handloom weavers from Edgeley, Stockport, Adswood
Adswood
Adswood is a suburb of Stockport in England in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, Greater Manchester. Adswood has a civic amenity site.The name Adswood is said to be derived from 'Adders wood'...
, Cheadle
Cheadle, Greater Manchester
Cheadle is a suburb in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport in Greater Manchester, England. It borders the districts of Cheadle Hulme, Gatley, Heald Green and Cheadle Heath in Stockport, and the East Didsbury area of Manchester. As of 2001 it had a population of 14,261.-Early history:There has...
and Cheadle Hulme
Cheadle Hulme
Cheadle Hulme is an area of the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport, in Greater Manchester, England. It is southwest of Stockport and southeast of the city of Manchester. It lies in the Ladybrook Valley on the Cheshire Plain, and the drift consists mostly of boulder clay, sands and gravels...
brought cloth to the works for bleaching and these were sold on to Manchester and London merchants. An early list of Sykes customers includes well-known names as Oldknow of Nottingham, Radcliffe of Stockport (a pioneer of the fine muslin industry) and Cadbury of Birmingham, a silk mercer and father of the founder of the well-known chocolate firm. The list also mentions names of customers as far afield as Boston, Massachusetts America and Messina Italy.
When Sykes settled in Stockport, there were few trees in the area. As wood was needed in the drying process, he undertook extensive tree-planting on land which later became public property in Alexandra Park. He built a "stately house" Edgeley House, which was the home of the family for succeeding generations. The works were originally driven by water power, but in 1803 the works was provided with a 12 horse-power steam engine. By 1804 new chemical methods had been introduced using calcium hypochlorite
Calcium hypochlorite
Calcium hypochlorite is a chemical compound with formula 2. It is widely used for water treatment and as a bleaching agent...
which eliminated the need for grassing the cloth in the fields but required more water.
Expansion
Luddite
The Luddites were a social movement of 19th-century English textile artisans who protested – often by destroying mechanised looms – against the changes produced by the Industrial Revolution, which they felt were leaving them without work and changing their way of life...
demonstrators attacked the works and threatened the Sykes family in their home until they were dispersed by the militia. Edmund Sykes employed Pickfords and other proprietors of stage-wagons to distribute the wares. In 1820, Edmund's younger brother Richard joined the business which was then carried on under the name of E & R Sykes. In1828 Edmund Sykes retired from the business and went to live at Mansfield Woodhouse
Mansfield Woodhouse
Mansfield Woodhouse is a large village about 2 kilometres north of Mansfield itself, in Nottinghamshire, England. With a history dating back before the Romans, it is still noteworthy for its stone built town centre...
, Nottinghamshire. Under Richard Sykes' ownership, the business at Edgeley developed rapidly and every effort was made to modernise the plant. Wells were sunk including the "Silver Well" was sunk, and by 1830 these had quadrupled the water supply. Reservoirs were also built. These undertakings were of great value to people in the area in times of excessive drought. Richard Sykes also took a keen interest in public affairs. He was Justice of the Peace for Cheshire, Alderman for Stockport, and Mayor in 1850-1851. He was an active member of the Society of Bleachers. Sykes and Co were interested in the use of science in the bleaching industry, and their books include exhaustive tests made by them comparing different manufacturer's bleach. They also employed John Dalton
John Dalton
John Dalton FRS was an English chemist, meteorologist and physicist. He is best known for his pioneering work in the development of modern atomic theory, and his research into colour blindness .-Early life:John Dalton was born into a Quaker family at Eaglesfield, near Cockermouth, Cumberland,...
, the chemist, as consultant on the quality of their water supply. Richard Sykes died in 1876 and his son Thomas Hardcastle Sykes
Thomas Hardcastle Sykes
Thomas Hardcastle Sykes was an English bleacher and businessman and was High Sheriff of Cheshire.Sykes was born at Edgeley House Stockport, the third son of Richard Sykes, owner of the Sykes Bleaching Company, and his wife Jane Hardcastle. He went to Rugby School and then joined the family...
succeeded to the business, undetaking speculative ventures at home and overseas.
Bleachers Association
Sykes became a limited liability company in 1892 but management remained in the family including Thomas Sykes son JackSir Alan Sykes, 1st Baronet
Sir Alan John Sykes, 1st Baronet was an English businessman in the bleaching industry and Conservative politician in Cheshire....
. However there was severe internal competition within the bleaching trade, which discouraged long-term investment, so the business did not develop the technical and scientific knowledge as much as foreign. As a result, the Bleacher's Association was created in June 1900, amalgamating around 60 businesses in bleaching and finishing of cotton goods. These were mainly in Lancashire to exploit the monopoly of water supply, but included some in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Jack Sykes became one of its original directors together with his cousin Frank Sykes, the son of Edmund. After the retirement of Thomas Sykes, Jack continued the management of the Edgeley works following the longer-term interests of the Association, through a cautious financial policy. After its formation, the Bleacher's Association continued to buy up its competitors and to make trade-sharing agreements with the Calico Printers and Bradford Dyers. Between 1901 and 1910 nine works were purchased and a further 21 works were purchased after World War I. The Association opened its new headquarters, Blackfriars House, in 1926, and its silver jubilee was commemorated by the publication of Jack Sykes's "Concerning the Bleaching Industry". However the success of the Bleacher's Association, in maintaining high profits on a declining volume of trade, could not last. Prices were reduced in 1928 and from then on trade was severely restricted by the long term decline in export of British textiles.