Weft a bit ....

A visit today to Quarry Bank Mill at Styal in Cheshire where we learned the origin of ‘doffing’ ones’s cap, ‘carrying the can’ and the art of lip reading called mee- mawing.

We toured the mill and the Apprentice house, where children as young as 9 were housed as Mill workers. Although it seems like a hard life, 12 hour working days, no pay - just food and board, they fared better than if they’d remained in the workhouses or orphanages.

Try telling that to the youngsters of today!