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Category Archives: Stone
Strikes and sewing machines
Before 1855, most shoemaking processes took place in people’s homes, with outworkers carrying out work in their own houses. Women and children would sew together the leather uppers, made from pieces of thin leather, while men would carry out the … Continue reading
Posted in Bostock, Stafford, Stone, Strike, Working life
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Trade Unions
Early workers’ organisations Early trade societies in Stafford and Stone appear to have been friendly societies, which provided benefits for members and their families when they were sick or unemployed. There were a number of these organisations in the 1850s, … Continue reading
Posted in Stafford, Stone, Strike, Working life
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Invogue Shoes of Stone
Invogue was the only shoe manufacturer apart from Lotus Ltd. to survive beyond the Second World War. By 1932 the company, which belonged to the Reinli family, had taken over Perry’s shoe factory which stood behind 59 High Street. Perry’s … Continue reading
Posted in Boot & shoe making companies, Stone
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Richard Vernon of Stone
In Stone, Richard Vernon was second only to the Bostocks in the boot and shoemaking trade. He was born in 1812, the son of George Vernon, cordwainer of Church Street, Stone. The 1841 census shows he was working as a … Continue reading
Posted in Boot & shoe making companies, People, Stone
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Thomas Benson Elley
Elley’s of Stafford were one of the largest businesses working in the area’s leather industry in the mid 19th century. In the 1860s they had branches in Stone, Northampton and Kettering. They were involved in a wide range of leather … Continue reading
Lotus Ltd
For most of its life, Lotus Ltd was the biggest shoe manufacturer in Stafford and Stone. The closure of the Stafford factory in late 1998 effectively ended the area’s long history of shoemaking. The company’s origins lie with Thomas Bostock … Continue reading
Posted in Boot & shoe making companies, Bostock, Lotus, Stafford, Stone, Strike, Working life
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Tanners and Curriers
Tanning is the process of turning animal skin into leather. Currying is the process of improving the quality and appearance of leather after it has been tanned. Tanners and curriers provided the leather shoemakers needed to make boots and shoes. … Continue reading
Posted in Associated industries, Stafford, Stone
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History of Shoemaking in Britain – Napoleonic Wars and the Industrial Revolution
Shoemaking during the Napoleonic Wars and the Industrial Revolution. Continue reading
Posted in History, Stafford, Stone, Strike
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