Robert Gregory
1830-1913
Machinery was taking over the manual horse driven ways of the previous centuries. Robert became an engineer in the Cotton Mills and later transferred to Russia prior to the Communist uprising in 1917.
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Robert Gregory 1830-1913 Machinery was taking over the manual horse driven ways of the previous centuries. Robert became an engineer in the Cotton Mills and later transferred to Russia prior to the Communist uprising in 1917. |
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Robert Gregory II was baptised on 3rd January 1830 was married to Jane Gerrard on 12th June 1853, After the wedding the young couple lived at 166 Waterloo Street, Little Bolton. Robert died on 13th March 1913.
Around 1845 there was a lot of industrial unrest among Lancashire cotton operatives who wanted better working conditions. Robert when he was 84 still remembered as a youth seeing the mob coming up from Bolton and drawing the plug from the boiler at the old textile factory in Market Street facing Bolton Road, to cut off the steam and stop the plant. The idea of collective revolt in those days was something of a novelty that must have impressed young Robert for the rest of his days.
Robert married 21 year old Jane on 12th June 1853 at the Deane Parish Church witnesses at the marriage were his brother Richard and sister-in-law Hannah. A copy of the marriage certificate shows that he was living with his parents at Over-Hulton and that his occupation was engineer.
Jane was the youngest daughter of John and Hannah Gerrard of Great Bolton. Her parents had six children and John’s occupation is described as a ‘Smith’
Robert served his time as an engineer at the Union Foundry, Bolton, after which he went to be foreman at Musgrave’s Globe Ironworks where he stayed for many years. Musgrave’s was at that time the largest manufacturer of steam engines in the world.
Later, when the family was grown up and were able to fare for themselves with the aid of their sister Emma, Robert went by request from ?????? to Belfast in Northern Ireland where he remained the Chief engineer for some time with The Belfast Spinning Company. His knowledge of textile engineering by now was considerable. So that Musgrave’s prevailed upon him to go to Russia where they had installed plant at a large cotton mill at Yakroma, about forty miles from Moscow. All the large steam engines used in the Cotton Mills were of Musgrave’s manufacture, including two of 3000 hp each.
Jane had never become accustomed to the severe winters in Moscow and developed TB and died was buried by the rites of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Robert returned to England in 1901 and lived with Mr & Mrs Thomas Smith of ‘Tithe Barn Cottage’ 4 Barn Hill Westhoughton. Robert was reputed to be a hale and nimble old man of independent means but very deaf. On one occasion at the age of 76 he walked seven miles from Westhoughton to Bolton to see his grandson Tom, Richard’s eldest son.
Phyll, (Richard's [1860_] grand daughter) remembers it being said that the old man was "stone deaf but loved playing the piano"
In 2005 Phyll wrote "Now about Greatgranddad Robert he of '' piano-playing '' fame. My dad used to go to West Houghton most Saturday mornings to ''help'' him with the piano. Dad had to hold the fire poker to the hinge of the piano and the other end to GreatGrandy's ear while he thumped away greatly enjoying himself, while my daddy set out for Bolton again with his ears fairly ringing."
