Birth: April-June 1846 Wortley, Yorkshire, UK
Father: Joseph Foster 1818-1890
Mother: Mary Fawcett 1819-1852
Christening: Unknown
Marriage: 3 December 1864 Parish Church, Bradford, Yorkshire, UK
Wife: Mary Ann (Polly) Waterhouse 1846-1931
Death: 10 May 1919 Olive House, Westfield, Yeadon, Yorkshire, UK
Buried: 13 May 1919 Horsforth Cemetery, Yorkshire, UK
Mary A Foster 1866-a1881
Joseph Foster 1868-1869
Annie Elizabeth Foster [Leslie] 1870-1953
Lavinia Foster [Smail] 1872-1950
Birth of Joseph Foster in FreeBMD in April-June 1846 in Hunslet (23 355).
In the 1851 census as Josh Foster aged 5, born in Wortley, and living with his parents (Josh and Mary) and two sisters (Elizh and Sarah) in Low Wortley, Leeds. Also in the Wortley 1851 Census as Joseph Foster aged 5 and born in Wortley.
His mother died in 1852 and his father married Martha Austin in Leeds in 1854.
*He worked in a mine when very young.* This must have been before 1861.
In the 1861 census as Joseph Foster aged 15, born in Wortley, employed as a woollen Weaver and living with his father (Joseph), stepmother (Martha), two sisters (Elizabeth and Sarah), brother (William), half sister (Annie), and half second cousin (John Austin) in Wapping, Wortley.
Marriage of Joseph Foster and Mary Ann Waterhouse in FreeBMD in October-December 1864 in Bradford, Yk (9B 127).
Entry in Ancestry West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1813-1935 for Joseph Foster aged 22, father Joseph Foster, and Mary Ann Waterhouse on 3 December 1864 at Bradford, St Peter (Bradford Cathedral), Yorkshire. "Page 79 [...] 1864 Marriage solemnized at the Parish Church in the Parish of Bradford in the County of York [No.] 158 3 December Joseph Foster [aged] 22 [a] Bachelor [and] Overlooker [of] Bradford [father] Joseph Foster [an] Overlooker, [and] Mary Ann Waterhouse [aged] 21 [a] Spinster [and] Weaver [of] Bradford [father] Mathew Waterhouse [a] Weaver. Married in the Parish Church according to the Rites and Ceremonies of the Established Church after Banns [he signed his name, she made her mark] in the Presence of us William Holmes [and] Christopher Gilson [who witnessed several other marriages].
His daughter was registered in April-June 1866 in Wortley.
His son was registered in October-December 1868 in Wortley and died in July-September 1869.
On a copy of the entry of birth of Annie Elizabeth Foster Number 124 of 1870 Yealdon, Wharfedale, Yorkshire on 18 May 1870 he was her father, employed as an overlooker at a woollen mill, and her mother was Mary Ann Foster formerly Waterhouse.
In the 1871 census as Joseph Foster aged 25, born in Leeds, employed as a power loom tuner and was living at Guiseley Station Cottages, Neatherfield with his wife (Mary Ann) and daughter (Annie C). His daughter Mary was living with his father in Low Wortley.
His daughter was born in Guiseley, and registered in April-June 1872 in Wharfedale.
*He taught himself to write after he was married, He was a weaver and was taught how to use a power loom. Because of that, he was stoned by the cottagers of Guiseley who were hand loom weavers. He went to Hattersleys of Keighley where he made looms which he demonstrated and sold. Fitters went to the factories to fix them and then he followed to teach the weavers how to operate the looms.*
In the 1881 census as Joseph Foster aged 35, born in Leeds, employed as a cloth designer, and living with his wife (Mary A) and two daughters (Hannah E and Lavinia) at 5 Gloucester Terrace, Wortley in Bramley. His daughter Mary was living with his father at the Bull Ring, Wortley in Bramley.
*In 1886 he was living at 210 Tong Road, The Hollies according to a directory.*
*He "invented" a Jacquard tapestry loom which wove pictures while working for Hattersleys. He travelled widely selling the loom and teaching the buyers how to operate it. He went to France and made friends with Mr Herbe at Lille. Anne Elizabeth (his daughter) went to nurse Vinnie there prior to 1892. He also visited Barcelona and Austria before 1890. In Milan he had a photograph taken on the steps of a cemetery. In 1908 he went to the White City to show the loom at the Franco-British exhibition. The picture woven by the loom was of monks in Bolton Abbey receiving gifts of venison.* (See below)
Not living with his wife in the 1891 census and I cannot find an entry for him (possibly abroad).
On Annie Elizabeth's marriage certificate 19th December 1894 he was living at Cambridge House, Calverley Lane, Bramley with his daughter, and was employed as a commercial traveller.
In the 1901 census as Joseph Foster aged 55, born in Leeds, employed as a traveller for looms, and living with his wife (M A) and daughter (Lavinia) at Bromley View, New Road Side, Horsforth, Yorkshire.
*Between 1901 and 1908 he was living at Hazeldene, Bramley View, New Side Road, Horsforth and Woodnook, Rawden according to directories.*
*He went to America twice around 1909 taking three weeks on the voyage. The children prayed for his safety on the journey. The firm wanted him to go to China, but he refused. His wife would not travel with him so chinese men - one called M R Wong - came to visit to learn weaving and stayed as paying guests at Hazeldene.*
In the 1911 census as Joseph Foster aged 65, born in Lower Wortley Leeds, Yorkshire, a traveller, and living with his wife (Mary Ann), daughter (Lavinia) and a servant (Kathleen Garrity aged 20, born in Golborne, Lancashire and single) in nine rooms at Woodnook, Rawden, Wharfedale, Yorkshire West Riding.
*In 1917 he was living at Springfield House, Westfield Villas, New Road, Horsforth according to directories.*
Entry in FreeBMD for the death of Joseph Foster in April-June 1919 aged 73 in Wharfedale (9A 191).
On a copy of the Death certificate in 1919 in the subdistrict of Yealdon in the district of Wharfedale, Joseph Foster aged 73 years died of a malignant disease (cancer) of the stomach on 10 May 1919, at Olive House, Westfield, Yealdon, West Riding. He was employed as a traveller for loom makers. The death was informed by Annie E Leslie (daughter) of 26 Breck Road, Blackpool who was present at his death.
Entry in Ancestry England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995 for Joseph Foster died 10 May 1919 in Yorkshire probate 14 June 1919 in Wakefield. "Foster Joseph of Olive House Westfield Yeadon Yorkshire died 10 May 1919 Probate Wakefield 14 June to Annie Elizabeth Leslie (Wife of William Leslie) and Lavinia Smail (wife of Walter Smail). Effects £1245 0s. 9d."
There is a receipt no 749 from Horsforth Cemetery, Leeds dated 26 May 1919 for £12 3s 6d from Mrs Joseph Foster of Westfield, Yeadon, £9 9s of which was for the freehold of 718a (this presumable now belongs to Felicity, because there is a letter re the convertion into a lawn cemetery to her father stating him to be the freeholder).
Entry in Find a Grave for Joseph Foster born 1846 died 13 May 1919 and buried in Plot Green 718A, Hosforth Cemetery, Leeds, West Yorkshire, a note adding "Age: 73 years, Abode: Olive House, Westfield, Yeadon, Description: Traveller, Grave Type: Unconsecrated, Death date listed may be the interment date".
There are forty six entries in Ancestry Family Trees for Joseph Foster.
Caroline Anne Ewles-Whitham has an entry for Joseph Foster born in 1846 in Leeds, married to Mary Ann "Polly" Waterhouse and two children Annie C and Lavinia.
Entry in https://gw.geneanet.org/rdleslie?n=foster&oc=&p=joseph">Geneanet Community Trees Index for Joseph Foster.
All the places mentioned above are to the northwest of Leeds, Wortley being near the centre, Bramley, Horsforth, Rawdon, Yeadon, and Guiseley increasing distances away.
*-* Information from Mona Chadwick.
The following is copied from Hattersleys Web Site (without correction):
The original power loom met its end at Nab Wood, near Shipley, en route to Hattersley's first customer in Bradford where it was smashed by a group of "Luddites" - revolutionary hand loom weavers - fearful of their future livelihood. Not to be deterred by this temporary setback, the company soon manufactured a replacement machine and successfully delivered it to their customer, and it was not long before they went into full time production of their revolutionary looms, ironically creating jobs for many of the former hand loom weavers who had tried so hard to stop their progress at the outset.
In 1867 Goerge Hattersley and Sons created a major breakthrough for the textile industry in the form of the "Dobby", a mechannical heald lifting device which allowed weaving of much more intricate patterns on any looms to which it was fitted. "Hattersley's" continued to prosper with the number of employees peaking to around 1100 just prior to the First World War.
I am not sure what the last paragraphy refers to, but I assume it is the Dobby Loom which is used for repeating geometric patterns. I don't think this is what Joseph Foster is meant to have invented, but I am not sure what it is. The Jacquard Loom which weaves more complex patterns was patented in 1804 - typically some 4000 punched cards contained the pattern. By 1812 there were 11,000 Jacquard looms in France and in 1832 there were 600 in England. In the 1830s the loom was driven by a steam engine and was known as a power loom. Although used mainly to produce patterned cloth, by the 1850s they were being used to produce pictures. There is a portrait of Jacquard in the Science Museum Library produced on a sheet of woven silk which looks just like an engraving, and another in the Lyons Museum of Textiles showing the Duke D'Aumale receiving a copy of this portrait at the Croix Rousse study of M Carquilllat with the Jacquard Loom and its punched cards in the background (see Jacquard's Web by James Essinger OUP 2004). By the 1908 Exhibition this technology was over 50 years old, and Landseer's picture also belonged to the Victorian age. So what was new?
Attached is a photograph of the picture, on the back of which is written:
For the production of this panel two Jacquard machines are used containing 2,680 needles with 11,600 cards for the design. The warp is composed of 10,250 different threads and 30 colours of weft are employed, the number of picks being 175 per inch.
The loom producing this tapestry can be seen in operation at North Brook Works, Keighley at any time.
The original picture was by Landseer.
A leaflet adds the folowing information:
This picture derives additional interest from the fact that all the figures were painted from life.
The "Monk" was a Mr Callcott; the man on the left was Sir Edwin Landseer's brother; the young man with the heron and bustard slung over his shoulder was Lord Ossulston who became Earl Tankerville, and the "Keeper" who is kneeling beside the deer was a Russian servant whom the seventh Duke of Devonshire brought back with him when he represented the English Court at the Coronation of Nicholas I in 1825.
The lady holding the tray of trout was the celebrated and beautiful Lady Louisa Russell (a member of the Duke of Bedford's family) who became Duchess of Abercorn and grandmother to the present Duchess of Devonshire.
The following information comes from emails received from Ian Gibson, Head of Collections, Lancashire County Museum Service and Margaret Nowak, a Trainee Weaving Technician at Queen Street Mill Textile Museum, Burnley:
Some loom makers constructed their own dobbies, and dobbies were offered from various sources to add to existing looms. Being much more complex and specialised, jacquard machines were less widely produced.
The two "siamesed" jacquard machines on the loom we have were made by Dracup of Bradford and their successors completely overhauled these machines for us a few years ago.
The loom is within the public areas at Queen Street Mill. The refurbished jacquard machines are in position and re-harnessed but there are no warps on the loom so it is a long way off being fully gaited up. Drawing-in the three warp beams will be a nightmare for someone!!
The "originality" of the concept was in the connecting of two fine-pitch jacquard machines side by side and close together and then weaving the tapestry as a "split" (that is two, at once, side by side). Without that feature the two jacquard machines would have had to be "line astern" rather than side by side, but "line astern" would have produced an impossibly deep region for shedding --- it just would not work!! This is much more easily explained standing in front of the loom!! I don't think there is any part of the concept that would have been patentable (or worth the effort & expense of patenting), but I might be wrong. The problem is that from 1853 onwards patent numbering re-started every calendar year, so if you don't know the year of a patent then searching is very time-consuming.
My understanding is that Hattersleys never sold one of these looms. Such a loom would only be useful in creating a "pattern" of great complexity.
The loom was kept at the Hattersley works and customers purchasing a good number of their standard looms were given a tapestry with the explanatory card.
When Churchill called upon the country to scrap as much metal as possible for the Second World War war effort Hattersleys scrapped the original tapestry loom but retained the jacquard machines. After the war they re-set up using the original jacquard machines above a suitably adapted post-war Hattersley loom --- which is how it can now be seen at Queen Street Mill.
When Hattersleys were sliding into decline one of their directors (Mr Simpson) uplifted the loom and set it up in a small brick-built building in North Wales. I am confident he never got it working there and I removed it from that building many years ago.
This picture shows the loom at Queen Street Mill Textile Museum, Burnley in 2009.
An email from Margaret Nowak, Trainee Weaving Technician, Queen Street Mill Textile Museum, Harle Syke, Burnley BB10 2HX states
Note that Wortley is an inner city area of Leeds and not in Barnsley.
Joseph Foster was Felicity's great grandfather.
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