Wage Forfeits at Strutt Mills

Whilst cataloguing the D6948 collection relating to Messrs W G and J Strutt, the cotton mill owners in Belper and Milford, there have been some interesting records to look at, including lots of employee records. You may have seen some previous blog posts relating to the child mill workers, which are part of this collection. …

Catalogue Available for Messrs W. G. & J. Strutt and English Sewing Cotton Company Limited Collections

We have recently been reworking the catalogue for two collections connected to the mills owned by the Strutt family, which were later taken over by the English Sewing Cotton Company. Both collections relate to the various mills in Belper, Milford and Derby, which were once thriving workplaces within Derbyshire. Snippet view of the D6948 catalogue …

Education of Child Workers at the Strutt Owned Mills

Back in November, I wrote about the registers of child workers I came across during the renumbering of our D6948 collection, which relates to W. G. and J. Strutt Ltd. There was little information in them about the children they referenced, besides when they were taken on and possibly their age. Recently I came across …

Child Workers at the Strutt Owned Mills

Recently I’ve been busy renumbering our D6948 collection, which relates to W. G. and J. Strutt Ltd, who once ran mills at Belper, Milford and Derby. There is a collection which we are currently re-cataloguing, and there is a lot of material to get through, comprising of fifty-one boxes and eighty outsize volumes. Whilst going …

Records of enslaved people

The following guide contains language which you may find offensive. Between the early 16th and mid-19th century, at least 12 million African people were enslaved and taken to the Americas.  These individuals were used as enforced labour in areas of major industry including the cultivation of sugar, tobacco, cotton, and coffee, on plantations, and in …

Charted Territory – celebrating the maps of the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site

The Derwent Valley Mills and the surrounding landscape were inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2001. This recognition is well deserved as the valley saw the birth of the factory system, when new types of building were erected to house new technology for spinning cotton. Snaking 15 miles down the valley of …

Being Human – a festival of the humanities

Being Human is the UK’s only national festival of the humanities. The festival showcases how humanities researchers work every day on issues that shape the world that we live in. The 7th annual Being Human Festival takes place between 12-22 November with the theme of ‘New Worlds’, perfectly timed to reflect on the radical global …

A talk for Black History Month by Dr Susanne Seymour

Belper North Mill Trust are hosting a free talk on Zoom on Thursday 22 October at 7.00pm in which Dr Susanne Seymore will be discussing the contribution of enslaved African lives to the Strutts' cotton spinning industry at Belper. Susanne is Associate Professor in the School of Geography and a Deputy Director of the University …

Secondary and FE Learning Tours – Derwent Valley Mills

Are you a teacher, teaching assistant or group leader working with KS3, 4 and Post-16 students? Staff from the World Heritage Site invite you to take a learning tour with them on Friday 13th March 2019 - Free of charge, thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund and Arts Council funded Great Place Scheme.   Visits and free …

Derwent Valley Mills celebrations in Belper

This Saturday, 11 March, the Derwent Valley Mills celebrates fifteen years of recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Between 11 am and 4 pm there will be all kinds of events at the Strutts Centre in Belper, including children's activities, guided walks, talks, and stalls from forty heritage organisations.  We'll be there with our stall, …