David Howarth and Sons
of Great George Street, Rochdale
1835 'Dreadful Accident — On Monday last, the boiler makers in the employ of Mr. David Howarth, Mountpleasant, Rochdale, were in the act of winding up a large boiler, for the purpose of rivetting it on the underside, when the teagle gave way, and the boiler fell with a tremendous crash on a young man who was under at the time, and crushed him almost to death. When the boiler was lifted from him, the body presented a shocking spectacle, the head being literally severed from the body; he was about eighteen years of age.' [1]
1841 Bankruptcy sale of stock-in-trade and tools of the business, which included machine tools, foundry equipment, patterns for engines up to 30 HP, etc. 'ALL the Valuable STOCK IN TRADE and TOOLS of the said David Howarth and Sons, as iron founders, engineers, and millwrights, consisting of one small planing machine, bed four feet nine inches long, two feet wide, and two feet high, self-acting in the horizontal and vertical cuts; one capital slide lathe, bed 17 feet long and 21 inches wide; one 24-inch double-geered lathe, with cast-iron bed 26 feet feet long and 2 feet broad, with boring bar, for boring cylinders up to 35 horse power, two 9-inch double-geared turning lathes, with boring bars and faceplates; one slide rest; one 8-inch and one 7-inch do. with face plates for same; ......'[2]
1848 'Charge of Nuisance.— At the petty sessions, on Wednesday, Messrs. Robert and David Howarth, boiler makers, were summoned by Mr. James Butterworth, inspector of nuisances, under the improvement commissioners, for laying iron in the street, and working it there into large boilers, contrary the provisions of the act. Mr. Butterworth said there were now 5 or 6 large boilers in the new street, intended to be called King-street, a continuation of Saint James's-street. — Defendants were ordered to pay expenses, and allowed one month to remove the boilers.' [3]