Samuel Marsland
of Manchester
1804 Advert: 'TO BE LET, And entered upon immediately,
TWO Cotton Spinning FACTORIES, and Steam Engine of the power of 30 horses, made by Bolton and Watt, late the property of Samuel Marsland, Esq.
These premises are situated within a mile of the centre of the town of Manchester, are each 45 yards in length and 18 yards in width, running parallel to each other, with a large yard 26 yards wide betwixt them; the whole are lighted on three sides, and the lights well secured. They are six stories in height, besides having excellent rooms in the roof. In the yard is a packing room, joiner’s shop, smithy, and every other necessary appendage. The supply of coal is from two or three different sources, and is brought by water carriage to within 100 yards of the Factories. There is a forcing pump attached to the Steam Engine, as well as two large cisterns on the top of the buildings, with pipes for the conveyance of the water, so that they may be inundated in a few minutes; and in addition to this security, there is a stone stair case in one of the Factories, three stories of which are constructed with flagged floors and ceilings, and doors of sheet iron, consequently the necessity to be insured against fire, and the premiums upon it, will very trifling.
In the premises there are now at work 136 mules, containing upwards of 24,000 spindles, with all the necessary preparing machinery ; they are of excellent construction, and under a good system of management, and will be sold to the person who may agree to rent the Factories.
For further particulars, apply to Mr Peter Marsland, of Stockport.' [1]
The mills were built in 1795. It seems odd to have two similar mill buildings separated in the way described in the above advert. This is explained by the mills originally having two separate owners. Robert Owen built the first as the Chorlton Twist Mills, and Samuel Marsland built the second as a 'mirror image', with the intention of sharing one steam engine. These represent the start of a large concentration of mills in this area.[2]. Reference to coal 'brought by water carriage to within 100 yards of the Factories' clearly refers to the River Medlock.
1825 Samuel and Henry Marsland listed in Baines's Directory as cotton spinners and manufacturers, Chester Street. House: Grosvenor Street, Chorlton Row.
Presumably the Chorlton mill was taken over by John Marsland.
Location
The 1804 advert does not identify the location of the mills, but other evidence points to Cambridge Street in Chorlton-on-Medlock. Bancks's 1831 map shows a large cluster of mill buildings at the junction of Cambridge Street and Chester Street, identified as Marsland's Cotton Mill.
The 1844 60" O.S. map shows practically the same group of buildings, identified as three businesses: Chorlton Mills on the north of the block, Cambridge Street Mills on the west, and Chester Street Sugar Mills on the east. It is clear that the main buildings on the west and east, and the distance between them, correspond to the dimensions in the 1804 advert, although the yard has largely been filled with additional buildings.
The 1804 advert's mention of coal 'brought by water carriage to within 100 yards of the Factories' clearly refers to the River Medlock, which meandered to the north of the mills and was, surprisingly, used for the transport of coal at that time.
Goad's Insurance Plans show that the eastern mill had gone, but the western mill, or a rebuilt version of it, was in use by shirt makers, cotton bag makers, and printers, and was called Imperial Works. Same dimensions as the original, 5 storeys plus attic and basement. Stone stairs inside and outside the building.
The western building has survived as part of Chorlton Old Mill. On the 1844 map it was identified as Cambridge Street Mills, along with a smaller mill on the opposite side of Cambridge Street.
See Cambridge Street Mills for a broader picture of the mills in this area.