The Life of Benjamin Shaw in Preston
Below is a timeline of Benjamin Shaw’s life in Preston from 1793 until 1836. After the timeline is a summary of the main events of each year.
1793 Benjamin’s first visit to Preston to see girlfriend Betty.
1795 Mill in Dolphinholme closes, Shaw family moves to Preston.
1796 Benjamin’s injured leg gets worse.
1797 Wages are increased and new machinery is introduced.
1799 Benjamin moves to the mechanics shop at Lords Factory.
1800 Quarrel with boss, Benjamin goes to work at Frank Sleddon’s shop.
1802 Bread prices are high, shop relocates to Stanley Street, Benjamin disapproves of the Preston Guild.
1805-6 Death of Benjamin’s daughter Mary.
1807 Trade is bad and wages are reduced.
1809 Trade is bad, Benjamin’s unable to work because of his leg, town Dispensary opens in Preston and Benjamin’s leg is amputated.
1815 Trouble with Benjamin’s son William and the Napoleonic wars end.
1818 Trade improves and Benjamin’s daughter Bella becomes pregnant.
1820 Benjamin’s daughter Hannah becomes pregnant aged 18 years old.
1821 Benjamin looses his job and four of his grandchildren die.
1823 Benjamin discovers his wife’s debts and Hannah becomes ill.
1824 Hannah dies of consumption (tuberculosis).
1826 Family troubles and Betty becomes ill with consumption.
1827 Betty’s health gets worse.
1829 Benjamin’s daughter Mary becomes pregnant at 17.
1830 Trade is bad and Mary and Agnes gets Benjamin into debt.
1831 National Cholera outbreak begins, Benjamin injures his thumb but trade is good.
1833 Trade is good, then bad and the Factory Act is passed.
1834 Benjamin’s three daughters are pregnant and two of their babies die.
1835 Benjamin’s daughter Agnes gets pregnant and is discharged by Horrockses.
1836 Benjamin’s daughter Agnes becomes ill and his granddaughter Betty dies.
See below for details.
Summary of selected events in the life of Benjamin Shaw
1793 Benjamin’s first visit to Preston to see girlfriend Betty.
“I went to Preston on Shrove Tuesday, February 11, 1793 to hear what these folks had to say of my Betty. They told me many things not so pleasing, but there was a young woman, who lodged with them, who told me not to mind them and that it was not true. This woman told Betty I had come to Preston … and later urged me to go and see her. At last I went and we spent the day together … I stayed all night with her, and went home the next morning. She soon after let me know that she was with child. We wrote to each other frequently, but I saw her no more until the middle of July, when she came to Dolphinholme. …. This spring trade was very bad and the government was raising all the men that they could for the war.”
Benjamin married Betty in Lancaster in September. They then moved back to Dolphinholme.
1795 Mill in Dolphinholme closes, Shaw family moves to Preston.
“We continued at this very dreary place, until I was turned out of work in January 1795, then I was forced to try my fortune. Still unwilling to leave this place, I went first to Lancaster, then to Caton, but I could get no work. So I set off to Preston, with little money, and a sorrowful heart to search for work. – Soon got work at Horrockses Yard and at the weeks end I got 14 shillings a week. – In about 3 weeks my wife came to Preston and we took tow rooms at the corner of Dale Street where we have lived for 31 years.”
Betty was now pregnant with their second child, the war was effecting the price of bread and they were struggling to make ends meet.
1796 Benjamin’s injured leg gets worse.
“This spring my leg became much worse, and broke out into holes (ulcers). In April I went to Whitworth (to see a doctor). I stayed until the Election, which took place in May, when John Horrocks stood against Lord Stanley and Sir Henry Hougton, but failed at that time.”
Benjamin suffered with a leg injury sustained in 1792 for the next 15 years. John Horrocks was elected MP at the next election.
1797 Wages are increased and new machinery is introduced.
“In the summer of this year, I got my wages raised to 16 shillings per week. Spindle and fly frames came into use in this town, they began at Horrockses, and factories increased fast. The last year spinning by steam on mules likewise began and the hand spinners thought that their trade was ruined. The throstle spinning frame was much improved at this time. The old factory at Spittles Moss was built and Frenchwood at about this time.”
1799 Benjamin moves to the mechanics shop at Lords Factory.
“Last summer Riley and Paley went into partnership in the machine making business and took a shop at Spittle Moss in Horrockses factory and me and the men in the shop at the Yard had notice to leave or go to the new shop. I did not like to go to the Moss and had an offer of a shop in Dales Street at the Lords Factory. – At this place I got acquainted with Frank Lambert, a spinning master, of the Baptist religion who was frequently talking of religion. I likewise pretended to defend the Church of England and pratted much though seldom went to church. - On May 7th my wife brought me a daughter, we called her Bella (Isabella). This year bread was dear and in the summer my oldest child, Joseph had some sort of blood vessel burst within him - we never expected him to recover.”
Joseph recovered.
1800 Quarrel with boss, Benjamin goes to work at Frank Sleddon’s shop.
“There was a great scarcity of corn this year and many subscriptions were made for the poor, and soup shops (soup kitchens) appeared. In February our master Ainsworth ordered us that we should not go out to our drinkings, and at the end of the week stopped two shillings of our wages for not complying. – We all got together about this trifling thing and sent him a summons and had it tried before the Mayor. – He (Ainsworth) being much offended with our conduct discharged us all together. Some submitted and begged their work again, but I and another got work with Frank Sleddon at his shop at the bottom of Bolton Court, .. for 1 Guinea a week. - About this time I began to meet in one of the Methodist Classes, - this was a great blessing to my soul. I was truly alive to god and delighted in the religious meetings and conversation.”
1802 Bread prices are high, shop relocates to Stanley Street, Benjamin disapproves of the Preston Guild.
“This spring the poor were full of complaints, on the account of bread, it was so uncommon and dear, but work was plentiful, which made it more tolerable. - In March this year we shifted our shop, the factory in Stanley Street was in a rough condition, the windows were not in, we were ‘ill starved’ (cold). I was now much nearer my work and had more leisure time. – This year the Preston Guild was held in August, but such was my deadness to pastimes and austonation, that I never went up the street, or saw anything belonging to the Guild all the time, for such was my contempt for such things.”
1805 –6 Death of Benjamin’s daughter Mary.
“1805, this year, I had good work and wages, but my leg continued to be very bad, on the whole it was worse, but I was hard and still stuck close to my work. This year I had another child born on the 18 September and called her Mary. This was the loveliest child of all the others, healthy and good humoured and in all respects a lovely creature, but she died the year following in July 23 1806 of the measles. We had all the help we could get and made use of every means but it was in vain. - In this year – Admiral Nelson’s engagement with the combined fleets of Spain and France took place, he took 19 ships of the line, and 1 French and Spanish admirals, in which he engagement he was killed – this was Trafalgar.”
Benjamin and Betty had 8 children. Mary was the only one who died in infancy. She was only 44 weeks.
1807 Trade is bad and wages are reduced.
“Trade continued to be very bad and work scarce, the machine making was very bad and wages pulled down, but I had work at the old shop. My wife was with child with Thomas and had a bad time of it, … she got lighter on 7 May…. we had a great deal of trouble with him, for he was a cross child and weak and much inclined to looseness (diarrhoea). - In October this year, I became so lame I could not work, was off for about 10 weeks.”
Benjamin recovered by Christmas but soon became lame and was forced to give up work. He tried to claim relief from Preston authorities but was removed to Ellel where he had lived during his apprentice. The authorities in Ellel then appealed to Preston and the Shaw’s were allowed to return.
1809 Trade was bad, Benjamin’s health was getting worse but the town
opened a Dispensary and his leg was amputated.
“By this time I was very weak, and not likely to get better. At this time trade was bad and a great deal of tradesmen were failing. I continued to grow worse, slept little and helped my wife to wind twist. The children went into the factory. - In autumn of this year, the gentlemen of Preston, had taken measures to establish a Dispensary in this town. In Winter it began to admit persons sick and lame. – This was a lucky time, the physicians then visited the sick themselves, so he came to our house to see me and ordered something for me. - I continued this way for two months then one day he came to me and asked me if I would consent to have it taken off, for he said it could not be cured. - So I consented and a day was fixed and the doctors came and it was taken off, this was on the 21 April 1810. There was 6 or 7 doctors and physicians, the operation was 40 minutes work and I was put to bed.”
Within a month Benjamin’s health returned, but he became confined to the house. For the next few years the Shaw family were very poor.
1815 Trouble with Benjamin’s son William and the Napoleonic wars end.
“This year I don’t remember anything remarkable in our family except our son William who had two chance children fathered on him when he was only 19 years old. - His first child by Martha Johnson was born June 20th 1815 and Sally Coyls child was born October 20th the same year. He afterwards married Sally Coyls, I think about 2 years afterward. - Though peace was made last year, with all the powers, trade did not go well and people were full of complaints. Indeed we now found the effects of the destructive war, the Corn Law prevented bread from being cheap and there was an immense National debt. - Towards the end of 1815 Thomas Hope and Henry Park machine makers had took at shop in Stanley Street and as I was well acquainted with them, they agreed to give me an invitation to come and work for them. They were very kind to me and gave me work that suited my state and paid me after 20 shillings per week. I had not worked for 7 years and four months”.
William later separated from Sally. The war soon ended but a nationwide depression soon followed which lasted the next 3 years.
1818 Trade improves and Benjamin’s daughter Bella becomes pregnant.
“This spring trade revived a little and work was more plentiful. –This year we had trouble from a new quarter and of a new description, our oldest daughter Bella was with child, which gave us now small concern for her, as we feared and it was proved so that she did not get married soon. This summer the famous meeting at Manchester took place, on the 16th August, called by some Peterloo. Our Bella fathered her child on William Roberts and on September 18th went to Dolphinholme to lie in and her child was born on the 9 November 1819.”
William eventually paid maintenance to her of 2S 6d a week. He married Bella in 1822.
1820 Benjamin’s daughter Hannah becomes pregnant aged 18 years old.
“This year we had the misfortune to know that our second daughter Hannah was with child, by Samuel Whittle and she was not quite 18 years old. This was a matter of grief and trouble for us. At the beginning of winter our Mary began to work (aged 15) and we had Bella’s child to keep and all the trouble of attending it, and now likely to be another. Parents trouble is not done when they have reared their children”.
1821 Benjamin looses his job and four of his grandchildren die.
“At the beginning of the year, trade again sickened and early in this year the wages were reduced 2 shillings in the pound. January the 10th I was dropped and on the 16th our Hannah went to her town for lying in – On the 24 February got her bed a daughter and called her Betty after her mother, She came home on the 17th March and the child was a very little one and seemed not likely for life, but it continued to live until the 8th of May and died, we thought of whooping cough”. In August Joseph’s son Benjamin died, then Betty and Mary, he buried 3 children in one week.”
For the next year Benjamin drifted between jobs and frequently had no work. He only got 19 shillings for his work. This was the least he had got in 20 years. His wife Betty was in debt at this time. His father also died. Wages later improved in 1823.
1823 Benjamin discovers his wife’s debts and Hannah becomes ill.
“About this time, I was resolved to know the bottom of our family affairs, I had long awaited thinking our debt would be paid and we should be better off, but I saw no amendment. On the 5th of April I turned tyrant and would part with no more money until my wife gave us an account of the family affairs. She owed 16 and 17 pounds, she had 4 scotch mens bills (credit traders). All the cloths we could spare were pawned and she had taken my coat and waistcoat and had robbed my box of money, … this was a sad discovery. - But now we had come on a trying time to come on, our daughter Hannah began to be badly she came home on 20 of March and never was able to go to work, or do anything she lived for the next 11 months after.”