The Holden and Illingworth Album

Inventions such as the square motion combing machine developed by Isaac Holden and Samuel Cunliffe Lister but patented by Lister made a massive difference to productivity which enabled their businesses to become dominant in this area of manufacturing. By 1867 Holden's factories in Bradford and France had become the largest wool combers in the world.

As for the Illingworths. Daniel Illingworth had taken his two sons Alfred and Henry into business at Providence Mill in Tetley Street, Bradford. After Daniel died in 1854 the mill passed to the two sons. In 1865 a new mill, Whetley Mills on Thornton Road was completed. This was one of the largest spinning mills in Bradford and was directly opposite Holden's Alston Works which covered eight acres and employed some 700 people. The Alston works opened in 1864. We can only speculate as to what the circumstances were that led to the construction of these two huge factories next to each other but it is a fact that close family links had been established between the Illingworths and Holdens and that Daniel had died which left Isaac as the father figure to them all. Perhaps Isaac whilst building his wealth in France had made it his ambition to set up his two sons in business in England and also allow all the family now including the Ilingworths to live in luxury in their newly acquired homes. He gave generously to allow this to happen.

The money that was being generated by the hard work and enterprise of these families brought many advantages such as the ability to buy, build and renovate grand houses such as Oakworth House (Isaac Holden and Sarah Sugden), Lady Royde Hall built in 1865 for Henry Illingworth and Mary Holden, Daisy Bank a house that was originally built by George Greenwood Tetley but extended by Alfred Illingworth and Margaret Holden, and Woodlands on Toller Lane and later Nun Appleton Hall (Angus Holden and Margaret Illingworth). The money also allowed the ladies access to the latest fashions and as can be seen from the portraits below to dress their children extremely well. As you would expect these large households employed many staff and servants, the 1911 census shows us that Angus Holden now Baron Holden of Alston, referred to in the census as Lord Holden, Peer of the Realm aged seventy eight was employing twenty four staff at Nun Appleton Hall including a housekeeper, butler, three footmen, nurse, two sick nurses, governess, three ladies maids, cook, two kitchen maids, one scullery maid, one still room maid, six housemaids and a hall boy. Daisy Bank, Lady Royd Hall and Nun Appleton Hall still exist but unfortunately Oakworth House and Woodlands have been lost, although some of the gardens at Oakworth can still be visited.

Top row left to right, Margaret Holden nee Illingworth, Sarah Sugden, and unknown girl most probably a member of the family.

Bottom Row left to right, Ernest Illingworth Holden (Angus Holden and Margaret Illingworth's son), Mrs Edward Holden's children and Harry Holden Illingworth 1872 (Henry Illingworth and Mary Holden's son)

There is great history to the Holden and Illingworth families and to Lister which can be researched further by reference to the special collections section in the Brotherton Library at Leeds University and to the J B Priestley Library at Bradford University and also to books published on the subject such as the Holden and Illingworth letters by Eustace Illingworth, Biles and Best, which was published by Percy Lund Humphries in 1927, Holden's Ghosts by Tony Holden 2015, Technology and Enterprise by Honeyman and Goodman 1986 and to some extent Manningham, Heaton and Allerton by William Cudworth 1896. The information above has been drawn from these sources.