My 3xGt Grandparents are in Manchester in 1861, surrounded by workers in the Cotton Mills, so I assume that their jobs relate to that same Industry. In their 60's, both husband & wife are described as a MANGLE TURNER. What the heck?? In the 1950's, my mum used to put our washing through a mangle to get the water out. Is that what it refers to? Surely nothing to do with turnips & swedes? (The mind boggles!) Can anyone point me to somewhere that describes the factory processes? Jane
From Old Occupations:- Mangler - Worked a mangle for wringing out water from washing - as they were both in their 60's it could be this was one way to earn a living. There was a cotton famine in the early 1860's and mills were not producing so the workers were laid off - there is a lot about it on wiki.
I do have a mangle-turner somewhere in my bunch, but something sticks in my mind that it was an occupation linked to the cotton industry. Just need to re-discover the info. Have a gander at the folowing: "A Dictionary of Occupational Terms Based On The Classification of Occupations used in the Census of Population, 1921" compiled by the Ministry of Labour and published by HMSO, 1927. Lots of variations on mangling terms connected with cotton and worsted mills.
Thanks Guys - especially for "A Dictionary of Occupational Terms Based On The Classification of Occupations used in the Census of Population, 1921", BH. That is REALLY useful (maybe I won't ask so many daft questions in the future!) Jane
