John Wood

John Wood, the eldest child of John Wood, a successful comb manufacturer from Bradford was born in 1793. At the age of fifteen he was apprenticed to Richard Smith, Bradford's largest spinner of worsted yarn. After finishing his apprenticeship Wood started his own business in 1812. By the 1820s he employed 500 workers and owned the most successful worsted spinning business in Britain.

Wood had a reputation as a man who took good care of the children who worked in his factories. Wood wanted to reduce the hours that his children worked but feared that if he did this his cloth would be more expensive than his competitors. In 1825 he made his first efforts to persuade fellow mill owners of the benefit of a shorter working day, particularly for women and children.

John Wood told Alfred Kydd, the author of The History of the Factory Movement: "Little children in my mills work from six in the morning to seven o'clock in the evening. In some mills in the neighbourhood little children are working 14, 15, 16 and even 18 hours a day without a single minute having been set apart for meals. Besides all this, in many mills they are cheated out of portions of their scanty wages by fines and other means of fraud."

On 28th September, 1830, Wood had a meeting with Richard Oastler , who at the time was involved in the campaign against slavery. Wood told Oastler: "You are very enthusiastic against slavery in the West Indies and I assure you there are cruelties daily practised in our mills on little children which if you know I am sure you would strive to prevent." As a result of this meeting, Oastler agreed to become involved in the campaign to end child labour in Britain.

Wood also became friendly with Michael Sadler and it is claimed that he donated £40,000 to his campaign for a ten-hour bill, aimed at reducing the excessive hours worked by children. According to his biographer, Gary Firth: "At a public rally in 1831 he recruited to the cause the young Revd G. S. Bull, who was to become a leader of the movement and Wood's lifelong friend. Throughout 1832 Wood canvassed for Sadler at Westminster, and that year he attended a large Easter rally in York.... In October 1832 Wood employed the Revd Matthew Balme as schoolmaster of a purpose-built school adjoining his mill. Financed by Wood from the legacy of £500,000 left to him on his father's death in 1832, this was the first-ever factory school, attended half-time by 500 children."

A local doctor reported: "John Wood pays particular attention to the health of the children employed in his mills. I regularly visited them, generally once a week, to ascertain the state of their health. Mr Wood also provides them all with seats, so that they may sit down when they have the opportunity. At Mr. Wood's mills the children only work from six till seven, with half an hour for breakfast, and forty minutes for dinner."

In the 1832 General Election, Sadler's opponent was John Marshall, the Leeds flax-spinning magnate. Marshall used his considerable influence to win the election and Sadler was now without a seat in the House of Commons. Sadler's report was published in January 1833. The information in the report shocked the British public and Parliament came under increasing pressure to protect the children working in factories.

John Wood asked Lord Ashley, son and heir of the 6th Earl of Shaftesbury, to take over from Michael Sadler as the leader of the factory reform movement in Parliament. The 1833 Factory Act considerably improved children's working conditions but did not reduce the working day to ten hours. Wood now decided to lead by example at his own mill, where he introduced a ten-hour day without reducing wages.

William Dodd reported to Lord Ashley in 1841: "I went to see the Bradford factory of Mr. John Wood. The work people generally looked more healthy than factory people usually do; this is accounted for by the regulations of the establishment being of a mild and generous kind than those to be found in most factories. Their hours of labour, even when times are brisk, are not more than eleven per day. A surgeon is provided by the firm, for the purpose of inspecting the hands daily; this gentleman goes over the works, and if he notices any one looking ill, he makes inquiry As to the cause, and should it be anything requiring rest or medicine, they are ordered home immediately. During the time they may be off work, their wages are sent to them, the same as if they had been at work. Seats are placed along both sides of the rooms, in addition to which every spinning frame attended by any young person has stools attached to it."

John Wood died at his home, Thedden Grange on 28th February 1871 and was buried at Shalden Church, Alton.

Primary Sources

(1) Richard Oastler describing a meeting with John Wood, a factory owner from Bradford, in September 1830.

John Wood turned towards me, reaching out his hand and in the most impressive manner pressed my hand in his said: "I have had no sleep tonight. I have been reading the Bible and in every page I have read my own condemnation. I cannot allow you to leave me without a pledge that you will use all your influence in trying to remove from our factory system the cruelties which are practised in our mills." I promised I would do what I could. I felt that we were each of us in the presence of the Highest and I knew that that vow was recorded in Heaven.

(2) John Wood was interviewed by Alfred Kydd in his book The History of the Factory Movement.

Little children in my mills work from six in the morning to seven o'clock in the evening. In some mills in the neighbourhood little children are working 14, 15, 16 and even 18 hours a day without a single minute having been set apart for meals. Besides all this, in many mills they are cheated out of portions of their scanty wages by fines and other means of fraud.

(3) William Sharp, a Bradford doctor who was interviewed about John Wood on 20th June, 1832.

John Wood pays particular attention to the health of the children employed in his mills. I regularly visited them, generally once a week, to ascertain the state of their health. Mr Wood also provides them all with seats, so that they may sit down when they have the opportunity. At Mr. Wood's mills the children only work from six till seven, with half an hour for breakfast, and forty minutes for dinner.

(4) William Dodd, letter to Lord Ashley (4th October, 1841)

I went to see the Bradford factory of Mr. John Wood. The work people generally looked more healthy than factory people usually do; this is accounted for by the regulations of the establishment being of a mild and generous kind than those to be found in most factories. Their hours of labour, even when times are brisk, are not more than eleven per day. A surgeon is provided by the firm, for the purpose of inspecting the hands daily; this gentleman goes over the works, and if he notices any one looking ill, he makes inquiry As to the cause, and should it be anything requiring rest or medicine, they are ordered home immediately. During the time they may be off work, their wages are sent to them, the same as if they had been at work. Seats are placed along both sides of the rooms, in addition to which every spinning frame attended by any young person has stools attached to it. The plan of having seats was originally suggested by Mr. Richard Oastler, the friend of the factory children; and as a compliment to that gentleman they are called 'Oastlers'.