16 PENNINE IDENTITY 4:5 Great, Empress of Russia, had been encouraging workmen from Britain to visit Russia and impart their expertise to her own subjects. William Cockerill, in the company of others of like mind, travelled to St Petersburg, then capital of Russia. Catherine died in Novem- ber 1796, and with her the policies of developing an industrially-trained workforce. Her successor, the Tsar Paul, who was known as a lunatic, caused William Cockerill to work on a Commission for some public works. When it wasn't completed within his time limit, Paul determined to impri- son Cockerill in the famous Fortress of St Peter and Paul. Fortunately, William was forewarned and managed to escape from. Russia. Where exactly he went to next is uncertain. He may have returned to England, or made his escape from Russia by sailing to Sweden. By 1797 he was definitely working in Sweden making machinery for a woollen mill 1 on the outskirts of StockhOlm. In the 9- same year his two eldest sons, William and Charles James, left England to join ll 175 i r him there. About a year later he left ke Sweden after failing to make a success Coc of machinery making, or the timber m trade, and travelled to Hamburg. It llia was there that he met a Belgian named Wi Mali from a woollen firm in Verviers, Belgium. In 1799 he moved to Verviers and began to make machines for the firm of Simons and Biolley. In 1800 he echanical delivered twelve machines to the firm which proved so successful that more and more were ordered. He began to Missionary have the monopoly of the trade. ALAN HITCH tells the remarkable story of a Rossendale man In 1802, he returned to England to who helped bring the Industrial Revolution to Europe. bring his wife and other children over to Belgium. His son-in-law James Hod- son entered into business near Verviers William Cockerill was born about baptism of his daughter Alice describes on his own account and both families the year 1759. For reasons unknown him of "Haslingden Green" but in rapidly began their rise to business no record of his baptism can be found later years he is of "Town". It was prosperity. In 1807, William Cockerill in either Haslingden, Goodshaw or probably at this time that he turned moved to Liege where he set up new the surrounding parishes. He was the his hand, and his mind, to the textile engineering workships at the Pont des second son and sixth child of William business and commenced making "ro- Arches, and later at the Pont des Cockerill, of Cribdenside, who died ving billies". Jesuits. Two years later there was an in 1773. Very little is known about his By April 1791, he is described as a attempt by the government to put him early life except that he was brought "maker of Jennies". Two separate under police surveillance, but Cock- up surrounded by men who were traditions say that he learnt the trade erill's integrity and the obvious benefit stonemasons and joiners by trade. of a blacksmith at a smithy in Whit- which his business was bringing the In December 1779, he married at worth run by his cousin James Cock- community, won the day. Bury Parish Church a girl called Betty erill and that he invented a "sheeting Charles. They set up home in Higher shuttle, run by pulleys". He certainly He himself wrote a report to the Lane, Haslingden, where from 1780 did learn the trade of a blacksmith for government on his business develop- to 1784 three children were born. In that was the description given of him ments. In 1810, he was granted French 1785 they moved house, coming down in later years and, by the time he left citizenship and by 1813 was financially into Haslingden town centre, where England, he was extremely proficient so secure that he retired, handing the another five children were born. From in making machinery. business over to his sons John, James 1780 to February 1786, William is Sometime about 1796, tradition says, and. William. For the rest of his life he described variously as a joiner or lab- he decided to improve his circumstan- lived as a gentleman in Brussels, dying ourer. On November 22nd 1785, the ces by going abroad. Catherine the in 1832 aged 73. PENNINE MAGAZINE 4:5 PENNINE IDENTITY 17 John Cockerill, his youngest son, born in Haslingden in 1790, began .rt ,ettIctlt,tccuciTek-7,51a4 . lux. Rut 14x VIXfitittliCkaracturiat ,. 7 1,K A ,)..1. 4,' working for the "firm" when only a .1.-YPI:rff grabMig ti i g ,-A , :“."‘M.T.t7WAVei r W...W7 tA • :-.74° ,..'4?: ca teenager, and by the time his father ''''! PASSE-PORT k. retired was very ambitious, full of ideas 4.: r . q /f; @--.. and the obvious choice for future . L'ETRANGER. i----•y ..tr---Thitg-) ce . : 2.,, :ace 1 (I t e u erriN,111(111 > -• ),-, t_ 0_,•,- 3- . .7... ,-., manager. Under his leadership the .,,... ..... firm of Cockerill developed into one „k„ns 6Nrataltaa-, of the largest enterprises in Europe. :::..M.- .),.... • A/44/-7277 • :' ,.;.V -; In 1812 they already employed about 1 two thousand workers and by 1815 they n, „„,.,,, 6...,..-,..:.,,,, ......). 1Pd - ., ....„, . were making machinery for firms /j. — throughout Belgium and parts of ....................___ France, including steam engines and k c SIGNALEMENT. it„,,,,it„,,, De'De ciS:.cjioCeo-9 1 hydraulic presses. In 1814 John Cock- V1q el.3 -.N.., li , / ' .1 yllAkt.tuC erill founded a woollen factory and .,....td„4.. 3s .•rtc\JAkccuxo, machinery works in Berlin. In 1820 ,,, . x, /.: .11 ()IIS , they produced the first steamship in ',..' h '. " • /An..." -- . ... P - -9:eA-.7 A tz:re ,,.,:e-t-1,__/;erez..?- Belgium which was launched on the 0 •,..if.t, f. '' , Meuse, where the works was situated. '`. A • / O.' • I. j , In 1824, 1825 and 1827 three more 1,..,,, - 01 faux, Offrienn (9;•;16 et-, cigi/Ilatie..o. cliaty.!..oDe.2 mamtemo ... ...7 „"„. _ Porthe) 9ate.c> 4.0:, `Jifren,c, t.De;parienfor.ra 'JO li., eliance.9 , CI, .1... - ships were produced, the "Seetander", d . r. "..r 0 t'":"U 4<1.11".'''"'-'-i--.. OC,..9 piio reyedev IL9 tuna c7iancen;c, che, razailjev. "Atlas" and "Ludwig". In 1825 King p 11 c.,,i,. — r• ..: William the First of the Netherlands r, .(1 ...to ,,,...,--, .61.,,,,i,./a.wv 46cutem..... .._ , , ,..,.2,74..,,,..„,..._.....) invested a million francs in the Seraing .44 ..t.,,,y, .e.,-,, 7,4e {1:e ks.; ,7:e• e.,1,e..... 4,.. works, becoming a partner in the firm. - traV 'D.- • Age,.., 4., 4; , > cs itS I, A RTICULIERS. Den.a,umilk, 'i t_iie .„7, is-- . Ten years later, the Cockerill busi- lip is si / ness produced its first railway engine, - .g. `, ---, am-- A, ,, Z,_, b'oe.,e.f ,e7 e,"/"-) named "Le Beige", the first in Bel- /0/e .e_Le... -•-e... 4.. \`- 1 _C-/ C) gium, and rails and rolling stock for a b ex.., coitnei- iiti., atile_.9 er.., inolecliolu en, cam Pc) Sy...v..n.>. twelve mile state railway from Brussels 1...''.. JO f gt.:rent, 4ea.me.., - jou, accor.AL ..?;Ptsu .....- 77 ..46e./..... ,Z.frd .SiGNATURE DU POIValli. to Maline. Around the same year a C.II, vaA/i4.2 jeudanA., iii.,..; / ..e._ _ / e.fe.. ta — ronv fothu• Dii new factory was opened for producing tij C7-L,A,A-p t'cudotie..9 grancal;o. (- / locomotive boilers. In 1834, John s=7"---- , D 5.?/-e,-c- 4/.. -7,-.1.,-) wiz_ km.,,,<,_ -) .1 Cockerill agreed to buy out the state's 9142 0 4-2 kak / _9 , share in his works by paying 3,500,000 i -_.. /..--)' -,, . } francs in twenty instalments. A- ) In addition to steamships, railways and textile machinery, the Cockerill ''' .re, Jec titt.4.616.11, ., " .- ) .' brothers financed enterprises in cloth ..., . / 1 1424:, It 1./. i ii.t.f.et.. factories, cotton mills, calico-printing '41 ... .4V. LSSZAITIE4 mills and even had a sugar plantation ;•51; .. I' E,..<, :7..'.'. in Dutch Guinea. By 1837, the assets "-•-• e ....._e....,, .• of the company were valued at twenty; , ......,2 -24• L^ ''''' six million francs. ,49..4,,,t.m.,.. 44., &2„%kll'A.A9Ke" ,,_ ,,,y ALVATect 4169AMIWARAWAKAR t '1 2.31...u...01.1., IM22}.1.01,. .,,,,,512Y10.2103'.2. 71,21113,112.3,11.6,}InA,MIAU,:”},:}}".01.,,,,,1102.}1,, .. : . John and James Cockerill married two sisters in 1813, John marrying Joanne Frederique Pastor, and James Caroline Frederique Pastor. John had no children whilst James had seven, six of whom survived to bear future descendants. William, the eldest son, * Value for money lived most of his life near Guben in Skipton Sports * Quality sports goods Germany. He married twice, firstly to & Leisure * Helpful friendly service Ernestine H von Scheible, who was blind and bore him one son who was drowned when four years old, and secondly to Wilhelmine von Marsen Quality sports, clothing who also had one child who died when and equipment at low young. It isn't known when William prices. An extensive range died, but he was alive in 1840, the year of trainers and sports of John's death. In that year John sub- shoes and a stylish collec- mitted plans to the Czar of Russia for tion of leisure wear and the construction of railways. On his traditional knitwear. return journey he died of typhoid fever High Corn Mill, Chapel Hill, Skipton, Tel: (0756) 69560 on June 19th, in Warsaw. Although buried at Warsaw, his remains were removed to Seraing, his home, in June 1867, and a statue was erected to him there.