Did you treat male and female workers equally?
Well, men are stronger and more hardworking than women that means they do more work and should be payed more. However sometimes I thought that it was unfair as some women worked hard and produced lots of material. Punishment wise, women were treated better then men as they were not as bad. I also think that young lady apprentices had less work than boys as they did embroidery rather then hard outdoor labour.
As you had children, why did they not work in the Mill?
They did not work in the Mill as I had the money to fund a good education for them. I do not wish for my children to work with the lower class of people who can barely read and write their own name. I think it is perfectly reasonable that if I have the power to give my children the best chance in life , I should give it to them.
Did you ever visit other Mills around the country?
I once visited another Mill. I was quite frankly disgusted about how they treated the workers and apprentices! The children slept on the cold stone flags - on the floor! They also were not given enough food so were frail, weak and lethargic. The Doctor rates were extremely high - the children could not afford them, so slowly and sadly sank away. They were kept in their own filth and had no clean clothes.
As you had visited that Mill, how would you have improved it?
Well! To improve it, i would make it like my own Mill , Quarry Bank! I think my mill is run cleanly, safely and with good hygiene standards. I know now it was not perfect but it was a lot better than most of the other Mills in the country! I never told the Mill owner how I felt about how his Mill was run, however I lost sleep over the welfare of the Children and Workers there... I wish I had told the owner though!
Quarry Bank Mill.
The Cotton Factory
