What did a 'Striker' do in a cotton mill?

[PabloC]

Morning All,

Might anyone be able to tell me, within the context of the 19th Century Lancashire Cotton Industry, what the job of a ‘Striker’ would have involved please?

The individual in question was residing in Hulme, Manchester at the time of the 1841 Census, with almost all other individuals residing in the street (and other adjacent streets) being employed within the cotton industry.

Having, browed multiple pages either side of the census page relevant to my research, I can find only one other man who has the term 'Striker' against his name.

NOTE: I have looked at the thread on here specific to Spinning and Weaving Mills, however, there seems to be no mention of the term 'Striker'.

Might it just be that he was 'on strike'??

Regards

Paul

[heywood]

Hello,
Do you have him later to check?
I have only ever seen a Striker in connection to a 'Blacksmith's Striker' - an assistant I suppose.

Heywood

[conahy calling]

http://rmhh.co.uk/occup/s.html

list of old occupations on link.  Striker listed but job not related to cotton mill work.  In alphabetical list the following job "Stripper" is cleaning the carding machines in mills. Could that be a possibility?

[PabloC]

Hi Heywood,

Here he is on the 1841 Census, livign with his family in Agnes street, Hulme, Manchester.

HO107/ 583/13/35 p16.

Unfortunately I can not be certain of anything after this. I have his wife and some children in 1851, still in Hulme, where she is living in Howard Street, and stated as being 'Married', however, Patrick is not present.

HO107/2221/559 p 50

There is however, an entry for a Patrick Terrall, lodging with a family in the same area (Silver Street), whose year of birth differs with that of Patrick from the 1841 Census by four years (Stated as 1811 compared to 1807 in 1841) although his occupation is unclear - could be Lay/Say Sawyer (?):

HO107/2221/282 p 30

(Apologies for not posting transcriptions of the relevant families - am in work and, well, should be working) 

Paul

[PabloC]

I had considered 'Stripper' but on studying and comparing the entry against others on adjacent pages, I think it's 'Striker'.

Open to differences of opinion of course...

[stanmapstone]

A cloth striker straightened the nap on cloth on a gigging machine after the cloth had been dyed. "A Dictionary of Occupational Terms"

Stan

[heywood]

Yes, it does look like Striker - there is a Cotton Stripper above him and the difference is quite clear.
My grandfather and uncle both had the occupation of  'Stripper and Grinder' 

[PabloC]

Thanks Stan.

I have also just found the folllowing on the Dictionary of Occupational Terms:

Striker-out

Tends machine that removes moisture or wrinkles from felt sheets or hides: Places material between rollers of machine and depresses pedal that rotates lower roller against upper roller to press moisture or smooth wrinkles from material. Releases pedal to separate rollers and stop machine. Removes material from rollers and places material on cart. May move controls to adjust rollers according to thickness of material.

Could this be it I wonder?

Paul

[stanmapstone]

Gigging is a process for raising a nap or pile on the cloth.

The only entries for Striker-out, in "A Dictionary of Occupational Terms" are for leather and flax.
A Striker, striker-out, (leather manufacture); (i) lays wet hide or skin on a slate or marble slab or table, and rubs with a hand "slicker" tool, of  stone or steel, to stretch it, drive out excess of moisture, smooth it, and to close grain; (ii) sets rollers of a machine (resembling a mangle) in motion by working a treadle or by switching on power drive, and passes skin or hide between revolving rollers to stretch and smooth them.
Striker-out (flax); divides scutched flax into small lots ready for hackling.

The definitions are from "A Dictionary of Occupational Terms- Based on the Classification of Occupations used in the Census of Population, 1921, Ministry of Labour" Printed and Published by His Majesty's Stationery Office, 1927, issued, on CD-ROM, in 1998 by the OSFACH Research Group, The Open University. It defines 29,106 terms covering 16,837 different occupations of people who worked in the nineteenth and early twentieth century.

Stan