The English Sewing Cotton Company Scrapbook

 I recently took advantage of a free weekend on one of the genealogy websites to investigate a few families in Skipton.  The first port of call had to be The Dewhurst family, resident at Aireville Hall.  In 1901, the head of the household was 81 year old John Bonny Dewhurst,  grandson of the company founder Thomas Dewhurst and son of the John Dewhurst whom the company was named after. He is listed as being a retired cotton spinner. Also resident at Aireville that cenus night was 49 year old Algernon Dewhurst.  He was the heir to the company and was the first Chairman of the ESCC on its formation in 1897. His occupation is given as Sewing Cotton Manufacturer.  Two of his siblings are also resident  - Frances (45) and Harold (39). Both are listed as being unmarried. Harold is in the family business as a cashier. In the 1911 census, 59 year old Algernon is now the head of the household and is now marked as being retired from the cotton spinning business. ...

When the English Sewing Cotton Company began publishing their internal newsletter in January 1966, it counted 21,000 employees. In this first newsletter the company made a statement: "From Monday 3rd January 1966...ESCC will become a holding company and parent company of the following:  1) Textile company to be known as English Sewing Limited 1 which will cover all textile operations   2) UK non-textile companies which will contine to be known under the present titles - Thermo Plastics Ltd, Yates Duxbury Ltd and Lithopak Ltd. 2 3) The overseas companies which will continue to operate under their present names." Notes: 1 - Therefore all Sylko reels labelled English Sewing Ltd date from 1966 onwards 2 - Lithopak was the Hazel Grove manufacturer of ESCC packaging, therefore making the Sylko boxes The locations of the textile company operations were given as follows: Spinning - Portwood, Bolton, Pendlebury,  Lisnaskea, Stanhill Thread - Neilston, Skipton, Belper, Dulwic...