Catch up on the full story of last weeks NEWS...........
*The sewing machine –
An actual patent for a model of a sewing machine was
first issued to English man named Thomas Saint in 1790. He had developed the idea for use in sewing
leather and canvas and it is not known whether an actual machine was ever
built. Thomas was a cabinet maker by
trade and his skill was shown in the way he used his knowledge to design the
sewing machine.
Over the next decade numerous sewing machines were built
all around the world; Austrian tailor was able to produce an actual working
machine in 1814. In America Elias Howe
was the first to patent a working machine in 1845 which caught the eye of Isaac
Marritt Singer. Back in England, many
years later in 1874 a man named William Newton Wilson found the patent of
Thomas’s machine and with slight amendments to the looper, he built his own
machine.
Over the years ahead the machine was adapted and improved
until it became more able to undertake various different types of stitches including
crochet and even stitching button holes.
Just a year earlier than the sewing machine was being shown to the
locals of Chesterfield the four main companies who each manufactured sewing
machine came together as one; the sewing machine combination was formed on 10th
March 1856. The companies were Singer, Howe,
Wheeler and Wilson and Grover and Baker.
The combination meant that the men would pool their patents as
previously there had been much suing for stealing ideas. From 1856 to 1877 any other manufacturer had
to pay a fee of $15 per machine and obtain a licence.
To read more –
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*The happy couple –
Martha Manknell and Leonard Worrall married on 1st
February 1857 at the Holy Trinity Church, Chesterfield.
Leonard was born in Chesterfield in 1835, the son of
Stephen and Mary Agnes Worrall who lived on Newbold Road. Stephen was a watchman in 1851. Leonard was baptised at St Marys and All
Saints Parish Church in Chesterfield on 7th March 1835.
At the young age of 16 years old Leonard obviously had
artistic talent as on the 1851 census he was described as a “painter composition”. By 1861 and after only 4 years of marriage
Leonard and Martha have 4 children; Alfred aged 3 years, Mary E aged 2 years,
William Joseph aged 1 year and baby Herbert Foster aged just 1 month at the
time of the census. The family live at
Lievesley Yard off of Portland Street and Leonard is employed as a printer.
Move on 10 years to 1871 and Leonard and his family have
moved away from Chesterfield to nearby Sheffield. They are living at 3 Montfort Street at
Brightside Bierlow and Leonard is employed as a printer compositor. They have 3 more children; Alice aged 5
years, Leonard aged 1 year and Agnes a new-born at less than 1 month old.
The family still live in Sheffield in 1881 at 45-47
Fitzalen Street at Brightside Bierlow.
May be the printing business was not earning a decent living, but now
Leonard runs a grocery and provisions shop as well as being a printer
compositor.
Leonard died on 28th October 1890. His address at the time was 31 and 33
Fitzalan Street and he was described as a “compositor and provision dealer”. He left a personal estate of £181 7s 3d to
his widow Martha. Leonard was buried at
Burngreave Cemetery on 2nd November 1890, grave number 82, section
P1 (1)
Martha remained running the grocers shop on Fitzalen
Street until at least 1901. In 1911
Martha has retired and is living with her widowed daughter Agnes at 56
Bressingham Road, West Brightside, Sheffield.
She died a few years later in 1914 aged 78 years old.
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