Work & Industry

Bolton has a strong industrial heritage not least because of its strong links with the boom in the cotton era. With the textile industry came many other subsidiary industries related to the production of cotton.

Even so there are stories to be told about other areas of work in the town. This section will reveal these aspects of Bolton's past.

Bleaching - Bolt Labels & Stamps

Bolt labels, also called tickets, were stuck to the ends of bolts of cloth. The labels acted as a sort of trade mark or brand, identifying a particular producer or merchant’s wares in the market place.

Fire Fighting

Many local textile mills had their own private fire brigades to deal quickly with fires. Mills were at great risk of catching fire because of the presence of dry cotton and because of the large amounts of wood used in their construction.

Caddow Quilts

The caddow (or caddy) quilts are thought to have developed from quilting traditions brought over from Europe by refugees fleeing religious persecution.  It has been suggested that the design of the caddows is derived from the Spanish ‘macadow’ or ‘mackado’ quilts of the 16th and 17th centuries.