Today  the house is simply known has Hawthorn House situated on the road to  Bacup across the road from  what most people will know as E Sutton & Son's Riverside works once the home of Joshua Hoyles India Mill. Hawthorn House if it could talk could tell the tale of the building and demolition of India Mill. Joshua Hoyle  was born in 1796 son of Abraham and Sarah Hoyle. He went into business with John Maden at Midge Hole in 1834 two years later they built Throstle Mill and by 1841 Joshua had built Plantation Mill living across the road from the mill in the house pictured right until  he built Hawthorn house  between the years 1844 and 1849.

 

Joshua and his wife Elizabeth nee Bentley  had  four sons James, John born 1823, Isaac born 1828 and Edward born 1834 ( who would become owner of Moorlands House) Alice born 1831,  At the age of twenty Six Joshua  moved to Manchester to take charge of the firms business marrying Elizabeth Smallpage in 1854.

 

In 1870 Mrs Issac Hoyle died leaving five sons and two daughters, two years later he remarried the daughter of John Robinson Kay near Bury. Through this marriage developed Brooksbottom Mill, Summerseat built in 1873-76 by Joshua Hoyle & Sons.  Isaac died in 1911.

 

 

 

 

John married Elizabeth Ashworth in 1848 they had a son Richard Ashworth Hoyle born in 1850. Shown here with his daughters.

 

 

 

 

Joshua died  at the house in 1859  at the time of his death India Mill had yet to be built and  wasn't actually built until three years after his death at which point the business was named Joshua Hoyle & Sons and consisted of Sharneyford Mill, New Hey Mill .  Both Edward and  Isaac took a keen interest in the welfare of their  workforce  and  by 1873 the workforce held one fourth of the  concern as partnership shares.

 

 

 

By 1881 Hawthorn House was occupied by Samuel Ashworth Cotton Mill Manager and his wife Susey along with two servants.