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William Hatton, Chowbent Nailmaker

Friday 19th March, 2010

The 1851 census is the only one which mentions the village of Chowbent by name. It was in the township of Atherton in the area clustered around the church. Sometimes the name “Chowbent” seems to be applied to the whole of Atherton.

For centuries the area had been a centre for nailers. By 1851, however, a factory based bolt making industry was attracting employees who had previously worked in the domestic nailmaking system. However, many traditional craftsmen still followed their trade.

William Hatton was one such worker. In 1851 he was 22 years old and lived in Crab Tree Road, Chowbent – a centre for the industry. His father (William Senior) was also a nailmaker and probably worked with his son.

William Junior had worked as a nailmaker for at least 10 years previously even though in 1841 he was only 12 years old. At that time he probably helped his father by doing tasks such as working the bellows.

The Hatton's household was very crowded in 1851. There was William Senior, his wife Betty, their three daughters, Alice, Ann and Martha, two sons, William Junior and Henry, and five young grandsons.

Alice, Ann and Martha, like many Chowbent women, worked in the cotton industry. Alice and Martha were power loom weavers and Ann worked in a cotton factory card room.

The youngest son, Henry, then aged 12 worked as an errand boy.

In the 1850s, like many former cottage-based nailmakers, William seems to have quit the nailmaking industry to work in one of the many new bolt making workshops which were becoming established in the area.

By 1861 Betty Hatton had become a widow and was now a midwife. William, aged 32 was still unmarried and lived with his mother, sister Alice, brother Henry and two nephews Major and James.

Henry, Major and James had not followed the family's traditional occupation but had become employed in one of the several Atherton coal mines.

Surprisingly, William's sister, Alice, who previously had worked in a cotton mill, was then described as a “nailmaker”. I'm not sure what her role would have been in that capacity and whether or not she worked in a cottage based forge.

Eventually William married Rose Anne and the couple had four daughters and one son. They named their son William after his father and grandfather.

The 1901 census showed that William, despite advancing years – he was 72 - was still working as a bolt maker.

It would have been nice to say that young William followed his father and grandfather into the nailmaking or boltmaking industry, but he decided that his future lay in mining and by 1901, he had become a “collier below ground”.

However, two of William's daughters, Ann and Mary followed him to the bolt works. In 1881 they are both described as “screwer of bolts”.

Summary

William followed his father into the nailmaking industry when he was still a child. With the decline of this domestic based business he began working in one of the small bolt making factories which were being established in Chowbent.

Altogether William spent at least sixty years of his life working in the nail and bolt making industries, his brother, son and nephews became miners.

Most of William's female relations worked in cotton mills. His daughters, however, worked in a bolt making works as “screwers of bolts”.

William's life, and those of his family, reflected the employment changes in the Chowbent area during the 19th century.

Chowbent

Chowbent Nail Makers.