Life in the Jute Mills of Dundee in 19thC

[Keith Sherwood]

Hi, Everyone,
I've recently been researching the life of a friend's ancestor who seems to have been very much a self-made man in the true tradition of the Victorian age.  From employing a mere handful of people in 1861, by 1881 he had over 600 employees working for him in his jute spinning factory, of whom over 200 were children.
Now, I'd very much like to discover whether life in such a factory was as harsh as the cotton mills, like the one highlighted by Mrs Gaskell set in Manchester in 1851 in her novel "North and South".
Did the owner have an influence over how well the workers were treated and looked after?
Any links that would provide interesting reading on the subject of the jute mills would be much appreciated...
Very best wishes,
Keith
N.B. The man I've been tracking down was a William CLEGHORN, by the way, born in 1830, died in 1895

[ev]

hi keith

try this site for some info. -

http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/dundee/verdantworks/index.html

i'm sure someone recently posted about dundee jute mills but i can't
find it

ev

[Keith Sherwood]

Ev,
Thanks very much for helping me - and it might have been me re the Jute Mills as I was asking for help with finding the CLEGHORN family on one of the Scottish County Boards earlier today. (Angus County)
In the 1861 Census he had been mistranscribed as a "Gaher Haste Derber", which presumably was meant to be some kind of Dealer, but I've been unable to find the original page to check it out yet...
keith
Reading my own post through, I'm beginning to think that it's complete gobbledegook, but William CLEGHORN certainly went on to do very well for himself in the Jute Spinning business in Dundee by 1881...

[Christopher]

Hi ev and Keith,

There's a post about the  Dundee Mills is on the Angus (formerly Forfarshire) board.

William Cleghorn, head, 44, Jute Spinner & Manufacturer, b. Dundee, Bayfield, Dundee Road, Alyth, Perthshire is listed in the 1901 Census. The information is on the Blairgowrie Sacrifice site. Click on A-C to find him.

The Cleghorn name is remembered as there's a Cafe Cleghorn and a Cleghorn Street.

Christopher

[Keith Sherwood]

Thanks for that, Christopher,
That was William CLEGHORN, junior, son of the William born in 1830.  Nice to think that the family name is remembered by place names...
keith

[coops46]

I realise this topic is rather old but I am interested in this Cleghorn family because my great aunt stayed with them, in Logie House, in 1892. We have the diary she kept when she went 'home' for a visit (from Australia).
William was illegitimate and was born in Berwickshire. He was looked after by a family who took him to Dundee where they had a confectionary business. He trained as a confectioner then became a waste dealer before going into the jute business. My great aunt's grandmother was a Cleghorn but I can't find the link between her family and that of William.

[Keith Sherwood]

Hi again, Coops46,
I realise even more time has now elapsed (8 years) on this thread since you posted.  But do you have the name of your aunt, for I've recently been trying to piece together William CLEGHORN'S family tree, armed with more information.  I might be able to fit her in somewhere!
Keith

[coops46]

Hi Keith
I have since cleared up the mystery. My-g-great grandmother was Jane Cleghorn.  I discovered that William was the illegitimate son of Jane’s brother John, and was born in Chirnside, Berwickshire, 29 January 1830. His mother was Jean Waters. On 2 June 1832 John Cleghorn married Margaret Simpson, the daughter of Peter Simpson and Elizabeth Dewar. Her sister Isabella, who had married John Bonthron in 1829, took the young William to Dundee where she and John had a confectionery business. William trained as a confectioner then became a waste dealer before going into the jute business. He was a very successful businessman as shown by his occupation in the 1881 census; “Merchant & Jute Spinner emp 108 Men 284 Women 213 Children”. When William’s father, John Cleghorn, died in 1874, William was the informant so he obviously kept in touch with his family back in Berwickshire. This is also evidenced by Maggie’s visit, as recorded in her diary. William died in 1895. There is a street in Dundee named after him, near where Logie House used to stand.
Cheers
Russell Cooper

[Keith Sherwood]

Oh, good, Russell!
I was concerned that after 8 long years you might not be contactable still on Rootschat.  I'm still trying to carefully piece the CLEGHORN tree together, and I realise there is much erroneous info on those Ancestry Public Member trees to wade through.  Can I confirm with you that the John (1813-1874) who was father of William (1830-1895) was the son of William CLEGHORN (1778-1833) and Christiana (nee BROWN, b.1780-184?).
At the moment I have John's siblings as Peter, b.1798, Mary b.1800 and a Janet b.1806.  Might this Janet be your gt-gt-grandma Jane, or were there other further siblings, including her?
And I've come across more conflicting "facts" about John CLEGHORN (1813-1874) regarding who and when he married.  Though the fact that he had a child (William, who did so extraordinarily well for himself) by Jean WATERS when he was still 16 years old, and she 23 or 24, seems  pretty much accurate.
However I read somewhere - though I don't think this actually happened - that he afterwards married Jean.  Then there is the 1832 marriage to Margaret Simpson that you mention.  But I have also come across a 14-08-1836 marriage at Hutton to a Helen Richardson.  Can you possibly clarify things for me?  Or debunk any of this?
And finally, does your family still possess what must be a fascinating diary that your great aunt wrote in 1892.  Can I also ask where in the world you are now.  If Australia, I must take into account the time difference between us in regard to getting swift responses to one another!
We can always continue this fascinating conversation via PM on Rootschat if you prefer...
Very best wishes, Keith