Collection of records reveal family's legacy

MEET the Mellodews . . . (back, from left) William Hartley, Michael Hawley, Jo Robson (archive officer) and Norman Deakin. Front: granddaughters of James Arthur Mellodew, Carolyn Deakin and Nicky Hawley

1 More Image(s) In Gallery

THE history of Moorside is synonymous with the Mellodews and, thanks to a unique collection of archives which have been donated by the family over the years, that history is now fully available in fascinating detail.

Descendants of the Mellodews visited Oldham Local Studies and Archives centre in Union Street to view the display on the archive before taking a tour of Moorside.

Depth

Archive officer for Oldham Council, Jo Robson, has since catalogued the records and the resulting archive gives a great overview of the business, family and the area of Moorside.

She said: "Working with the Mellodew archives has been an extremely interesting task. The new archives add such depth to the business records we already hold but also add an incredible personal aspect with the members of the Mellodew family revealing their own individual characters.

"This family was very innovative. The collection gives a good insight into the family.

"You can't look at the family without looking at the firm."

In 1999 the records relating to the Thomas Mellodew and Company Limited velvet manufacturers were donated to Oldham Local Studies and Archives.

The pattern books, deeds and patents which formed the core of this collection were the subject of a grant which included the conservation of the pattern books and the cataloguing of the collection. Then in 2006 William Mellodew Hartley began research for his book "The Mellodews of Moorside, An Oldham Velvet Dynasty" and as a result, a large amount of additional records came to light from within the family.

The story of the Mellodews begins when brothers Thomas, John and James Mellodew moved from Castleton to Royton in 1838 to begin their own business. Forced out by the Plug Rioters in 1842 they relocated to Moorside.

Despite the American Civil War of the 1860s which threatened to derail the company, the Mellodews consolidated their position as the premier velvet manufacturer in the area. In the 1870s and 1880s they funded the building of St. Thomas' Church, Moorside, including the donation of bells and the clock, and the development of Moorside Cricket Club.

Legacy

By 1955 the mills were running at a loss and were closed, and although the mills are now demolished the legacy of the Mellodew family can still be seen in Moorside today.

Nicky Hawley (73), who is descended from Thomas Mellodew, came up from Mansfield, Nottingham.

She said: "I would rather other people were allowed to see this, than it just sitting in my loft. Other people may benefit."

The exhibition has been taken down but the collection can still be seen at the archive centre, Union Street.