Mechanisation and Northampton’s shoemakers - BBC

"The association between Northampton and shoemaking dates back to the 15th Century, when the 1452 Assizes regulated prices and weights for various trades included cordwainers (medieval name for shoemakers):

"The Assize of a Cordwainer is that he make no manner of shoes nor boots but of good neats leather and that it be thoroughly tanned."

Northampton’s access to the raw materials necessary to shoemaking was guaranteed by the large cattle market held in the town. Its central location also enabled a wide distribution network to be established; as a result shoemaking developed into the town’s major industry. By 1642, there were enough shoemakers in Northampton to secure a very large order. 

In that year, a group of 13 shoemakers, led by Thomas Pendleton, obtained a contact for 600 pairs of boots and 4,000 pairs of shoes to be used to equip the army going to Ireland. The existence of the order is known to us because the shoemakers had difficulty getting paid for their work and were still complaining about non-payment in 1651 – link to Legacies Legends Northampton article. 

The 1841 Census lists 1,821 shoemakers in the town. At this time clues are evident, hinting the transformation taking place in the town’s shoe industry. Some shoemakers were beginning to be described as manufacturers, as opposed to shoemakers. These manufacturers would normally employ a large number of shoemakers, supplying materials and collecting the finished product from shoemakers, and then selling on to buyers. 

As mechanisation and the factory system became accepted practise in fellow industries, Northampton’s shoemakers began to fear the onset of machinery. They perceived mechanisation as a threat to their craftsmanship and livelihood. The nature of the town’s shoemaking industry meant that a smooth transition from artisan’s workshop to employee’s factory was not on the cards. 

In the 19th Century, the process of making shoes had differed little from earlier centuries. Charles Mahor described how a hand shoe worker worked in the 19th Century:

"All the raw parts – soles, insoles, uppers, welts – come in skips, and my cousin and me, we used to fetch it… The women closed the uppers on a closing machine donstairs and then took them upstairs to the shoemaker.”

Shoemakers worked individually, collecting raw material from a manufacturer and then returning the finished product in return for payment. The work was carried out by hand, usually in a workshop in the shoemakers’ own home. Other family members, including wives and children, were often engaged in assisting the shoemaker. 

Therefore, shoemakers enjoyed a largely autonomous, independent position. They decided themselves what days and hours they worked, often deciding to work on Sunday in order to have more cash to spend in the pub on Sunday night. The habit of taking off Monday, St Monday, is testimony to the freedom enjoyed. 

As shoemakers effectively ran their own business, they had to keep business records and conform to measurements to ensure shoes fitted correctly. This high level of literacy combined with the fact that many had been granted freeman status meant that any perceived infringement on their autonomy and flexibility would be vigorously opposed." 

read the full text here : http://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/work/england/northants/article_4.shtml