The founders Bagley & Wright

benjamin wright in 1897

benjamin wright , ralph bagley born in 1837 , 1839 respectively. wright born poverty in ashton-under-lyne (also known ashton). father william , mother mary both born in 1803 in ashton and, 1841, living in village of lees, on border oldham, 9 children; hannah 17-years, john 15, james 14, sarah 11, nancy 9, eliza 7, betty 5, benjamin 3 , william aged 1. [1] 3 oldest children working cotton piecers, middle 3 @ school , benjamin , william junior of pre-school age. father william operative cotton spinner mary not employed. despite 3 of children being employed, family poor. father command reasonable wage children contribute little family income. 6 dependent mouths feed, family have found life struggle , fact sarah @ age 11 still @ school suggests parents committed children s betterment. financial pressure increased in 1843 birth of joseph play major part in business.

benjamin started work @ age of 7 1845. first job little piecer in henry atherton s woodend cotton mill on woodend street in lees. involved fetching , carrying spinner , piecer keeping mules clean sweeping behind carriages. worked way through usual progression little piecer piecer and, sometime around age of 20, working qualified spinner. moved work daniel collinge , sons @ moorhey mills (known locally dan coll s factory) on moorhey street, glodwick, , must have impressed, because given position of outlooker @ dan coll s , subsequent became manager of mill.

it not known how benjamin wright , future business partner ralph bagley first met. however, known both worked @ dan coll s.

ralph bagley in 1897

ralph born @ cow hill, oldham, son of thomas bagley (born 1798) general labourer , hannah (born 1799) cotton hand-loom weaver. thomas had been born in manchester , hannah in cheshire. in 1851, ralph 12 years old , , younger sister ann @ school. ralph not in full-time employment @ age twelve unusual working families of time , reflects fact family small , children @ age both parents able work. possible family had loom in home hannah work on , have been important factor. known ralph had older sister called sarah have been 17 years old in 1851. however, sarah not appear in 1851 census resident @ cow hill , may have been living somewhere else live-in housemaid. 1861, had returned family home (defined 59 cow hill) live thomas (65-years), ralph (21-years) , ann (19-years). 1861, there no record of ralph s mother hannah have been 62 years old. @ time, average age @ death working class women 53 , men 47, possible hannah had died between 1851 , 1861. 1861 census shows ralph employed iron turner, working in factory , using lathe turn iron produced in foundry bars. ann had found employment power loom weaver. followed mother s occupation but, @ same time, reflected inexorable move towards automation.

although ralph bagley iron turner in 1861 not know working. largest employers of iron turners in area large textile machinery manufacturing companies. seems possible might have changed job work in dan coll s factory. unlikely that, @ age of 22, have been able retrain spinner, may have found employment in workshop @ moorhey mills repairs mill machinery have been undertaken. whatever nature of ralph s job @ moorhey, here met benjamin , formed partnership flourished on next 40 years.

the presence of cotton spinning, coal mining, , iron founding can seen in jobs wright , bagley families involved in 1861. in addition bagley s job iron turner , wright s cotton spinning, wright s daughter hannah (benjamin s sister) had married jacob marland ashton family related marland family owned bower colliery. jacob ran small operation employed 5 miners in ashton, 2 of employees living lodgers in house.