Magnates, Merchants, Millowners & Other Notables
The early mill owners and merchants were little removed from the workers in lifestyle although some did attain the position of Mayor. There's a story of one such who, although now very rich, affected the appearance and manners of one of his workforce. So much so that when he called at an inn on his estate he was asked to leave by the landlord on the grounds of his unkempt appearance. Needless to say it was the landlord who was shown the door. Early mill owners lived a very different life-style to that of the workers. Read about a day in the life of a mill owner and one of his workers.
Later generations of mill owners were very different, aping the lifestyle of the aristocrats, buying castles in Scotland and imposing grandiose monuments on the local community such as India Mill Chimney and the Ashton Memorial in Lancaster.
Charles Tiplady is probably most famous for the diary which he kept from 1839 until his death in 1873. It covers the history of Blackburn during that time detailing various subjects including the weather, his own health and the events in mill owners lives.
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