The origins of ropemaking in Upper Wensleydale
Askrigg parish records describe John Brenkley of Setbusk (Sedbusk, near Hawes) as a ropemaker at the time of his death in 1725.
The surviving records of Hawes church include detailed accounts for the years 1726 -1802. The church's expenditure on bell ropes and related work has been extracted from these records.
In 76 years, Hawes church bought 39 bell ropes and two ropes for the font. Cord was purchased on four occasions and in 1757 and 1798 payment was made for hanging and putting up the new bell rope. Work done included mending the bell wheel (1/- in 1734), work "about the steeple" (11/9d in 1765) and " Repairs at Bell and Clapper" (2/- in 1800).
In 1765 Isaac Metcalfe was paid 4/6d for a new Bell Wheel - a substantial figure at that date when two men's board for 29 days whilst working cost the "chappell wardens" 16/6d (82½p).
Most tantalizing are the names in the church records, mentioned only occasionally in connection with bell ropes, though often in the case of builders, joiners and other workmen. The following people are known, from the records, to have been paid for supplying ropes:
• 1734 To James Constantine for a Bellroap - 1/2d
• 1761 To Thos. Archer for a Bell Roap - 2/-
• 1775 To Thos. Archer for cording - 2d
• 1781 To Mr. Stubbs a new Bell Rope - 1/9d
These men may have been ropemakers in Hawes or district, or merchants who dealt in rope. When did ropemaking begin in Hawes? Perhaps information from local sources may yet come to light to provide an answer.
The Wharton Era
Clear evidence of ropemaking in Hawes begins with the household census returns for 1841 in which Thomas Wharton, aged 60 (In the 1841 census ages were rounded off to the nearest five years.), and his sons Richard, 30, and John, 20, are listed as ropemakers. Information in other census returns suggests that it was at least 1830 before the Wharton family moved to Hawes, probably from a neighbouring dale.
The Wharton's ropemaking business was based at the Old Toll Bar, later known as the Gate House, which still exists on the outskirts of Hawes on the road leading to Ingleton. The family, including Thomas's wife Mary and youngest children Thomas, 16, and Mary, 15, may have been toll-keepers as well as ropemakers. The ropewalk ran parallel to the toll-road, allowing passers-by to watch the family at work.
As well as the regular trade at the fortnightly cattle markets, which until 1919 took place in the main street, extra demand for ropes was created during the special fairs in June, September and October, for horses, cattle and tups (rams) respectively. Every rope made required the labour of two people, one to turn the wheel and the other to lay the rope.
By 1851 Thomas had employed a thirteen year old boy, William, as a wheelturner † to help John in the manufacturing process. The business also had to support at least four younger members of the Wharton household, including a future ropemaker of the third generation.
Following his father's death in 1852 John (1) took over as head of the household and trained his nephew, John (2), Thomas's grandson, as an assistant ropemaker. Having successfully served his apprenticeship John (2) graduated as a journeyman, making way for another of Thomas's grandsons, John (3), to follow the family tradition. At the age of 14, in 1881, the latter was already an assistant ropemaker, eventually succeeding his father John (1) as proprietor of the business at the age of 28.
† Electricity now supplies the power formerly provided by an apprentice, who turned the wheel that put twist into the rope.
The ropemaking business continued to support John Wharton (3) and his family for a further ten years until, at the age of 38, having spent at least twenty-four years making rope, he `retired' and sold the business in order to pursue his profound interest in specialist poultry breeding. His successor, Mr. W. R. A.Outhwaite, took over the ropemaking concern in 1905.
William Outhwaite (1905-1922)
The origins of the Outhwaite family, to whom John Wharton sold the ropemaking business, can be traced back two hundred and fifty years, during which time there have been several changes in spelling. Over this period Outhwayt, Outhett and Outhwaite have all been recorded in the registers of the family's births, deaths and marriages.
The Whartons had practised the ropemaking business from its Gate House site on the Ingleton road, and it was here that W. R. Outhwaite made ropes until about 1922. He also had a regular stand in Hawes market where his first Tuesday's trading brought in only 3s.9d (18½p), but the second a more satisfactory £5.
The railway had made a significant difference to trade in the area during the final quarter of the nineteenth century, but Mr. Outhwaite still travelled to Kettlewell once a year by pony and cart with a load of ropes. By staying the night with relatives at Stalling Busk he was able to make the journey over Stake Pass into Wharfedale and return to Stalling Busk in one day. There he was met by Tom and his sister. The success of this annual venture was measured, naturally, by the reduced load on the cart.
The period of the First World War saw the beginning of the changes which the twentieth century brought to Hawes. Mr. John Blythe of Hawes, who was a young man at this time, describes the war years as a period when "goods and materials were all in short supply. Most of the young and middle-aged men had gone to the forces or to munition work, and community activities were carried on largely by the older people and `teenagers'. The whole emphasis was on keeping things going, not on enterprise and development."
William Outhwaite cont... (1921-1950)
Life was not made any easier in the 1920's when John Wharton decided that the Gate House would eventually be needed for his married son, thus forcing W. R. Outhwaite to find a new site for the ropemaking business. After negotiations with T. T. Iveson, a local land-owner, Mr. Outhwaite acquired Banker's Field, the present site of the ropeworks at Town Foot. This land had the advantage of being on the route between the auction mart and the railway station. The new ropeworks, a wooden shed, was built on this ground and extended nearly as far as the footbridge beside the present building. Longer ropes were made in the field behind the shed but Mr. Iveson imposed the condition that all outdoor ropemaking equipment was to be stored out of sight at the end of each working session.
All through this difficult period - the business moving out of the Gate House in 1922, followed some time later by the family - W. R. Outhwaite continued to trade at the market, but he was convinced that the move to Town Foot would finish the business. The first week's trading was a disaster but trade gradually picked up until in later years he was able to admit that the move had been a blessing in disguise. As a young man his son Tom was not keen to follow in his father's footsteps; he had experienced too much wheel-turning in his youth and, as a result, he moved into the grocery trade as an alternative means of earning his living.
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Gradually the Town Foot premises became a base for social activity as well as business. Many farmers coming to the auction mart caught up with local affairs over a pint in the pub. Methodists, however, used Billy Clement's boot repair shop under the Conservative Club and Outhwaite's ropemaking shed as a regular meeting place to discuss religion, politics and gossip, while at the same time keeping warm.. The ever-open door was not only an invitation to adults; children enjoyed Mr. Outhwaite's company and turned the handle for him while he made ropes. Several people have recounted their happy memories of these times to us.
W.R Outhwaite & Son (1921-1975)
In spite of a move to more mechanised farming, the manufacture of the ropes and the products for sale were just as they had been thirty years earlier at the Gate House site. Mr. Outhwaite Snr. had devised a self-adjusting rope halter for cattle and horses but, to Tom's regret, it had never been patented. The raw materials for the ropes at this time came from Burnley and the finished products were sent off by rail from the Hawes station.
By now Hawes agricultural merchant, Mr. Alan Irving, was taking rope products to different markets each day of the week, and on Tuesday - market day - the Outhwaites displayed their goods on a stall on the pavement outside the ropeworks. In addition to the ropes there was always a good selection of hay creels, buckets, walking sticks and general farming equipment. In 1952 Tom applied for a grant from the Yorkshire Rural Industries Council. This enabled him to install an electric motor to power the twisting machine, thus replacing the wheelturner and speeding up the manufacture of the ropes without changing the traditional method. "It just does the same work as I've done by hand and I fancy it makes a better job of it," his father remarked of this innovation. Mr. W. R. Outhwaite continued to take an active interest in the business until a short time before his death in 1956 at the age of 81.
Tom Outhwaite was now the Hawes ropemaker although he continued to trade using his father's initials. He soon found out that the business of ropemaking could be very lonely and recalls days on end, particularly in winter, when he had no visitors and no-one to talk to.
Peter & Ruth Annison (1975 - 2022)
As Tom neared the age of retirement with no obvious successor it seemed that the ropemaking tradition in Hawes, as in so many other places, was doomed. However, two visitors to whom he described the situation, in the summer of 1974, saw that it might provide the opportunity that they had been seeking to move to the area. By the end of the year arrangements had been made for the sale of the business. It was agreed that the firm would continue to trade under the long-established name of W. R. Outhwaite and Son.
When Tom Outhwaite retired in 1975, the business was bought by two college lecturers, Peter and Ruth Annison. They had no knowledge of the ropemaking process, nor any experience of running a business. For a few months newspapers ran astonishing stories of "drop-out teachers" moving to Wensleydale.
For the record, it is worth saying that the Annisons' move was much more carefully thought out than the unsought publicity indicated. Both came originally from the north of England and already knew the area intimately from holidays, including the rigours of winter. The change of life-style was planned in detail to make good use of their previous joint experience - and especially Peter's specialist knowledge as a textile chemist. And for four months they overlapped with Tom Outhwaite before he retired, learning about ropemaking and the business.
An additional advantage was that Tom, still living nearby, continued to be readily available with advice and practical help after his retirement - and gave both willingly. This was especially important in an agricultural business, for even after the four month changeover period each fresh farming season brought some unfamiliar situation. During this period the new owners found the support and interest of Tom Outhwaite, his wife Mrs. Laura Outhwaite and his sister Miss Mary Outhwaite invaluable.
At about the same time as the business changed hands, the success of the James Herriot vet books contributed to an increase in tourism in the area. Visitors who came into the ropeworks to watch ropes made by the traditional method often asked for rope souvenirs, and so multicoloured skipping ropes and macrame (knotted) plant pot hangers were produced to meet this demand. A growing range of locally-made rope items was then developed to add to the list of agricultural rope products.