The Three Js: The Backroom


THE THREE Js: THE BAR
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three craws on 24-Jun-10 10:54:57

Learnt more of Mary Brooksbank who composed this song from this URL http://www.dundeewomenstrail.org.uk/stories.php?id=18
Any one know more of Mary who lived in Mid Craigie and fought capatilism from an early age.
Oh, dear me, the mill's gaen fest,
The puir wee shifters canna get a rest,
Shiftin' bobbins, coorse and fine,
They fairly mak' ye work for your ten and nine.

Oh, dear me, I wish the day was done,
Rinning up and doon the Pass is no nae (sic) fun;
Shiftin', piecing, spinning, warp, weft and twine,
Tae feed and cled my bairnie affen ten and nine.

Oh, dear me, the warld's ill-divided,
Them that work the hardest are aye wi' least provided.
But I maun bide contented, dark days or fine,
But there's no much pleasure living affen ten and nine.

Tattie houker on 24-Jun-10 12:46:43

I have a copy of her book of poems, with some info of her life .very down to earth stuff and well written.

law hill on 25-Jun-10 08:28:48

yes tattie got a copy of her book woman work hard in the mills, i remem ber during the war my mother use to have to work in the canteen after a full days work the canteen was in bright sreet

law hill on 28-Jun-10 08:00:07

its a pity the old jute workers cant come in here to hear the stories the will die with the vhistory its a pity

kirrie kiwi on 04-Jul-10 06:38:04

Every Dundonian should visit the Verdant Works and learn about the Jute industry. Try this site for you xpats http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/dundee/verdantworks/index.html.I was amazed when we visited it a few years ago. kk

wee davie on 05-Jul-10 01:35:52

I took the tour of Verdant Works last time I was in Dundee about ten years ago, and it was really interesting.

The tour guides were all former mill workers and had lots of stories to tell about life in the mill.

Most of the young girls started off as half timers, mornings at school and afternoons in the mill. The mothers were allowed to take them into the mill on Sunday mornings to show them the ropes. Our guide told us a story about one mother who got so exasperated at her dachters inabilty to catch on that she turned her up and skelped her erse in the middle of the mill flair.

It's funny but its sad too.

three craws on 05-Jul-10 08:48:40

Agree a trip to Verdant works is a must for all Dundonians. Having served my time in most of the Sidlaw works scattered through Dundee in the early 70s I found the noise and the smell took me back to previous era.

Barney Boko(II) on 05-Jul-10 12:40:12

HI, three craws.
"Sidlaw works scattered through Dundee..." What does that mean. ie What is Sidlaw works? The only mills outfit that was scattered (if thats the word) around in my time in Dundee was the mighty JUTE INDUSTRIES.

I worked in 'Stoory Broons' South Mills, 1946. One of those fill in jobs we used to have before starting apprenticeship. I am trying to picture Lawside Works. Would it have anything to do with T.C. Keay? I dont know if I've got the spelling correct.

Tattie Houker on 05-Jul-10 12:47:27

Thats right the smell, the noise , the heat and the dust they are hard to forget. what some people miss when they visit Verdant however is the sheer size of some of the mills.Take a wee walk ( even a google walk ) from the corner of Lyon Street and the Dens down past Eagle Round the Vickie and down Dens Brea Then St Roukes Lane as far as the end of the building with the East Port Arch. Cross the road which is not there now But allow a bloch Foe two big warehouses and now walk back up Dens Street, Cresent street and on up to LYon Street again and that was Baxters. and a lot of that was four and six story buildings. Their weaving shed had 560 looms in one room, now thats noisy.
And one has to wonder how small the workers housing was. It had to be to get the required number of people as close as walking distance to the mills.

Tattie Houker on 05-Jul-10 13:28:26

Barney;

Lawside works was/is on Paterson Street.
Its claim to fame is that it was the first jute mill to have its on dye works .

I think T. C Keay were engineers that made jute machinery.

They also made sugar crushing rolls. and Have seen one of their machines on this side of the pond in Martineque.

Tattie Houker on 05-Jul-10 13:29:50

Sorry Barney T C KEAY were engineers.

Doon the Toon on 05-Jul-10 15:28:37

Jute Industries Ltd was renamed Sidlaw Industries Ltd in the 70s, to reflect the fall off in jute production, to be replaced by polypropylene.

kirrie kiwi on 06-Jul-10 09:02:14

Aye Jute was king all through Angus,we had 2 factory's in Kirrie one still operating.Both my parents spent the the latter years of their working life in the factory as we would say.You could always tell folk who worked in the jute industry by the smell of the jute which got into skin.kk

Tattie Houker on 06-Jul-10 12:40:32

Kirrie.

Yes you could.
If I could smell jute in a lassie's hair at the dancing, the next thing I would try to guess was if she was a spinner or a weaver based on the feel of her hands.

Spinners had the skin of their left hand worn down, calloused and shiney.All of this with stopping the flyer " to put up her ends " The right hand held the spinning hook.

Weavers had smooth palms ( after a few years ) of running their hands over the cloth; but their sissors/shears fingers on their right hand were calloused. And like lobster claws if they pinched you,

Barney Boko(II) on 06-Jul-10 13:27:15

Thanks for the info, Doon. That all happened when I was gone to pastures new.

I knew T C"s was the jute machinary engineering, OK. But I was trying to remember the name of their works. I remember at one time there was a sign on the roof you could see from one of the streets around tannadice? By the way, It's awfy easy for the old brain tae slip a gear and with 'Sidlaw' in mind to bring 'Lawside' to the fore! Excuse the pun....

Jock on 07-Jul-10 06:32:35

Barney, it was Densfield Works. N. Isla St. and Fairbairn St.
Cheers, Jock.

Barney Boko(II) on 08-Jul-10 14:23:15

Thanks Jock! I couldn't remember the street name either. Ta very much.

Tattie Houker on 25-Aug-10 13:22:47

This referrs to Mary's poems but not to the Jute mill song.
In her book page 16 poem the Guid auld Bad Days she mentions "Madams Pattullo Flawcraig and Miss Grant.""

Who were they ???

I guess Pattullo was the Spud merchant but who were the other two.

googled the other two but Flawcraig seems to be a place. Grants just too many.

any help welcome

Jock on 26-Aug-10 22:26:50

Tattie, don't know if it's any connection but there is a W.G. Grant & Co. (Jute mills) 31, Constitution St. and Panmure Works, Carnoustie in the Dundee St. directory.
Cheers, Jock.

Tattie Houker on 27-Aug-10 11:39:39

Thanks Jock what threw me wes the reference by Mary tyo " Miss Grant."

And just by coincidence we have just opened a new section of cross city highway in north west Ottawa as the PANMURE road.

Somebody up there still thinks of Dundee.

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