Industrial unrest in Yorkshire woollen mills

Croppers’ songs: Cropper Lads & Foster’s Mill

Song of Industrial change.
A turning point in Yorkshire industrial life.

Diane Taylor
Leeds

Industrial song
folkleads.org.uk

Cropper Lads’ song

The song dates from 1811-12, a rousing song reflecting the social unrest and violence in West Yorkshire textile towns in response to the introduction of mechanised shearing frames in woollen mills.

There were many lively broadsides and ballads along these lines collected by Frank Peel in the 1870s, The Risings of the Luddites and by DFE Sykes of Huddersfield.

Sykes records in his book ‘Ben O’Bill, The Luddite’ one Jack Walker singing this song lustily in the Shears Inn, Hightown (now a Tetleys and CAMRA pub) with his men banging their pewter mugs and sticks on the tables as a rousing end to a day practising drilling on the Hartshead moors, M62/A649. From this pub and others secret meetings were held, oaths taken and plots hatched to destroy local mills which had introduced shearing machines.

Night attack on Rawfold’s Mill

The croppers from Hightown planned to meet up with those from the Crispin Inn, Halifax and make a night attack on Rawfold’s mill at Roberttown. Locals remembered the tramp of feet as they passed in the dead of night. They were to meet up with the group from Leeds who were to have walked from Roundhay but did not make it in time - too many pubs on the way ? - and who retreated at the sound of cannon.

Spiked rollers .. tubs of vitriol ... and hangings

Rumours had resulted in Cartwright, the owner, having the militia sleeping in the mill for the previous six weeks. They placed spiked rollers on the stairs and tubs of Vitriol to be poured on the attackers.

The croppers hammered on the doors with their Enochs and broke in. Windows were smashed and the mill damaged. The militia opened fire and two were badly wounded. There were eight arrests, resulting in trials in York. Three were hanged and dissected.

Croppers successful - wielding the Enoch!

They had successfully resisted the introduction of Gig mills in Leeds, which raised the nap mechanically, by refusing to finish cloth prepared mechanically. They were not prepared to lose their jobs to shearing frames.

Ironically the local manufacturers were blacksmiths Enoch and James Taylor of Marsden, who also made the large sledgehammers, nicknamed Enochs, the croppers used to smash the machines.

Great Enoch shall lead the van
Stop him who dare, stop him who can.
Press forward every gallant man
With hatchet, pike and gun.

Leeds Mercury reports

The Leeds Mercury reports that mobs accosted market dealers in Briggate.

Mechanically finished pieces of cloth were seized and destroyed. Mobs accosted market dealers in Briggate.

The croppers were joined by other groups of depressed workers with the trade war with America, rising food prices and the aftermath of the Napoleonic wars resulted in much poverty and unemployment.

Army mobilised ... and afterwards

The situation in Leeds was seen as potentially explosive in 1812 and the army was sent in.

In 1819 Parliament financed the building of permanent barracks in Leeds. (Barrack Road Chapeltown) William Hirst successfully introduced a Gig mill and Shearing frame into his mill near Leeds Bridge in 1816, protected by armed guards at night. Others followed suit and the factory system became established. In 1817 only 860 out of 3,625 croppers had employment.

In place of skilled hand finishers, a handful of employees, mainly boys, could operate machines for 5 shillings a week.

The song

Oh the cropper lads for me,
The gallant lads for me,
Who with lusty stroke, the shear frames broke
The cropper lads for me

The Croppers’ song is sung to the tune of The Gallant Poacher Which came first, Tune or song?

The Croppers’ Song clearly dates from 1811-12 and Roy Palmer, The Sound of History, can find no trace of The Gallant Poacher as early as this - so the jury is still out.

Who though the specials still advance
And soldiers nightly round us prance,
The cropper lads still lead the dance
With hatchet, pike and gun.

Holbeck Mill burnt down In 1799 a Gig mill in Holbeck was burnt to the ground Benjamin Gott was asked by the Leeds’ authorities not to install Gig machines or Shearing frames in his mill in 1802 and delayed doing so until after 1813

In January 1812 Men with blackened faces were seen on Leeds’ Bridge and Oatlands Mill was destroyed by fire a few days later. Leeds Intelligence reports many thousands went to watch.

The Enoch (below), the sledgehammer manufactured by Enoch and James Taylor, Marsden, Leeds

1
Come, cropper lads of great renown,
Who love to drink good ale that’s brown,
And strike each haughty tyrant down
With hatchet, pike and gun.
Chorus

Large music notation (pdf) and lyrics