James Bay

2nd Great Grandfather, 1850 - 1907 

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James Bay was born in 1850 in Langley, Cheshire to William Bay and Maria Barnett.  Langley is a village near Macclesfield which grew around the silk industry.  The young James lived at 5 Langley Hall, Sutton.  

 

Langley Mill, founded by William Smith in 1826, was the biggest silk printing, dyeing and finishing works in the world.  By age 11, James was working at the silk mill.  Children were sometimes employed as helpers to 'silk throwers' running 14 miles a day barefoot!    The illustration above shows a child silk thrower.  To find out more about the silk industry click here.  

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At age 18, James married Hannah Jackson.  Hannah is shown on this

photograph (permission to use kindly given by her great granddaughter, Wendy

Davies).

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The couple went on to have six children: Fred, Sarah, Daisy, Marie, Gertrude

and John William.  The 1871 Census showed James, aged 21, working as a

blacksmith.  Blacksmiths were employed in the silk mills at the time.   By the

time James was 24, he and his family were living in Silverdale, Staffordshire 

and he was working as a collier.   The family had moved to Salford by the time

James was 30.   The 1891 Census showed the family living at 18 West Park

Street, Salford with their six children.   The 1891 Census listed James, aged 41,

working as a carter (I think) for the Health Department.    

 

James's life must have been a hard one. He started work at age 11 and worked 

in a variety of jobs, including as a miner.   Wendy Davies said that Hannah was

a proud woman who worked hard to feed and clothe her family.

 

During his lifetime, the Bays links with the silk industry was finally broken.  For the first time since the 1600s my ancestors did not work in the silk or weaving industries!  

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James died, aged 57.  

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To follow the story and find out more about James' son, John William click here.