By the Start of the 19th Century...

...there were over one hundred needlemakers in the district which covered a large area around Redditch itself. These needlemaking groups came in all sizes from only a handful of needlecraft workers to a few hundred.

Over 250 years ago, scouring and grinding , creating the high polish and ‘points’ of the sewing needles were very labour intensive, back-breaking processes. Water power from the areas many rivers and streams meant that water mills were eventually converted to the use of new methods of driving machinery.

Up to this stage, grinding the points involved the 'pointer' skilfully tapering the ends of cut wires against a spinning grindstone, to a long point.

It was not pleasant work - the fine particles of dust and sand would be inhaled by the pointers and by the children who used to turn the grindstone by hand. Pneumoconiosis, known as rot or ‘pointers disease’ meant that few would live to see their 35th year.

Despite advances by the mid 1800s meaning that water power turned the grindstone, releasing the children from this dangerous work, it was still to be many years before modern high-powered fans would extract the dust efficiently.

Even so, the workers were unhappy with the introduction of water powered machines, seeing them as a threat to their livelihood. In 1846, the pointers began a strike which would last for a year and cripple trade across the industry.

Eventually pressures of loss of income forced the pointers back to work where of course they began to live longer and demand rose along with the factories producing higher volumes than before.




Go to Part Two