Joshua Fielden (1748 - 1811)

Born Dec 1748 in Todmorden, Lancashire, England

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 1811 at about age 62 in Todmorden, Lancashire, England

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Biography

Joshua was born in December 1748 to [[Fielden-265|Joshua Fielden] and Mary Fielden, either 29 Oct 1748 ^[1] or 29 Dec 1748. ^[2]

He was a Quaker who set up as a cotton spinner in Todmorden. He started cotton spinning in a small way, but by his exertions and those of his sons Fielden Brothers grew to be one of the largest cotton manufacturers in England. But first he followed his father making a living from spinning in a small way at Edge End Farm in the Upper Calder Valley, and as a clothier, carrying his "pieces" to the Halifax market every weekend, a distance of 12 miles.^[3].

On 4 June 1771 Joshua Fielden (1748–1811) and Jennifer (Greenwood) Fielden were married.

They probably had 9 children. ^[4]

1. Samuel 1772-
2. Mary 1774-1812
3. Betty 1776-1869
4. Joshua 1778-1847
5. Salley 1780-1859
6. John 1784-1849
7. Ann 1786-1786
8. James 1788-1852
9. Thomas 1790-1869

In 1803 he retired, leaving the running of the firm to his sons. Samuel, the eldest bought the Lumbutts mill as his own in that year, but still joined his brothers in the partnership formed in 1816, which saw Samuel, Joshua and John receive 2 shares each, and James and Thomas, the younger brothers, 1 share each.

Sons: Samuel, Joshua, John, James and Thomas, the Fielden Brothers ran their father's cotton mill business after his death.

He passed away in 1811 aged about 62.

ADDITIONAL NOTES

Sibling

Samuel Fielden, birth: 25 May 1746 Hardshaw Society of Friends M. M., Lancashire, ,to Joshua and Mary Fielden.

Samuel Fielden married to Hannah Barnes

Name Samuel Fielden

Spouse's Name Hannah Barne

Event Date 26 Mar 1769

Event Place Society Of Friends. Marsden, Lancashire, England

They had 4 children who are listed in the Quaker birth register, Hardshaw Society of Friends, Lancashire. These births are about the same time as Joshua and Jennifer's children

Two additional births to Samuel and Hannah:

• Joshua Barnes Fielden, Brighouse, Langfield, Halifax, York, England, Born 24 Jan 1777 (died 20 December 1845, Stamford, Lincolnshire)
• William Fielden, Brighouse, Langfield, Halifax, York, England, Born 13 Apr 1779

The 5 brothers Archives Hub - the Fielden Family of Todmorden

Joshua had been apprenticed to an engineer in Oldham and was an engineer capable of making and improving the machinery used in cotton manufacture, which was subject to continual modernisation.

James remained at Waterside and became the family member in charge of the day to day running of the mills, and the Partners' representative.

Thomas, the youngest brother, was the market man in Liverpool and Manchester, responsible for selling and marketing the cloth, and buying the supplies of raw cotton. This role had originally been John's, but as time went on, he took over precedence from Joshua, and was in overall charge of the firm, providing leadership and authority.

All the brothers were self-taught, frugal, honest, hardworking and formed a true partnership. At this point, and for a long while afterwards, the firm was one of the most important and profitable in the country, with markets abroad, and a good deal of property in England, including at least six mills.

In 1832 John Fielden was elected, with William Cobbett, as MP for Oldham. ... His entry into politics meant that Thomas took over much of his role in Fielden Brothers.

The firm of Fielden Brothers continued to expand, despite crises such as the 1839-42 depression and the cotton famine of 1861-5, with the third generation of Fieldens becoming partners as their fathers died or retired. The most notable figure in the boom years of the 1850's and 60's was Samuel Fielden, eldest son of John, although other family members, such as John Junior, Thomas Fielden Uttley and to a lesser extent Joshua (who was also an MP from 1868-80) all played a part.

As the family grew in prosperity, however, it failed to produce sons who were interested in running the company; the children of the fourth generation preferred to invest in land and live the lives of gentry, as typified by John Ashton (1859-1942) son of Samuel, who inherited the bulk of the Fielden fortune. To combat this, the second partnership was wound up in 1889, and a private limited company was formed under the name of Fielden Brothers Ltd, to be run by Edward Brocklehurst Fielden (second son of Joshua and cousin of John Ashton). The company continued under the control of the family until 1966, when its involvement in the cotton industry ended.

Sources

1. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NYMW-L9Q)
2. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NVLM-D5J)
3. ↑ Edge End Farm visitor's information
4. ↑ Ancestry.com entry

• Wikipedia: John Fielden
• My Ancestry tree with records attached.