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Meadows Mill stood four storeys high, and was said to be in existence before 1833 and many men have had their name associated with the working of it. Namely John Waddington, John Earnshaw, Edmund Lord and James Lord. But in 1879 the mill was bought by Messrs Hoyle and Crapper who already owned Olive Mill. Benjamin Crapper retired in 1881 leaving Joshua Hoyle of Olive House Bacup in full control of both mills. A notice appeared in the press for the dissolution of the partnership. Meadows mill would be under the control of Joshua Hoyle the elder and his sons, John, Henry, Robert and Joshua the younger, otherwise known as J&J Hoyle Brothers. .In 1885 workers at Meadows Mill went on strike but were forced to return back to work after three weeks and this was one of the longest strikes known in Bacup. After the first world war Meadows was sold to a company styled Hoyle Brothers Ltd. The mill continued to operate throughout the war years employing about 120 operatives. But in April 1946 the mill closed with the loss of the operatives jobs. The machinery from Meadows was subsequently dismantled and sent off to Syria.
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Accidents and Fires Meadows Mill 1879 Young boy killed from falling three floors down a lift shaft.
January 1905 Robert Buckley, a carter at Meadows was delivering cotton, as one of the bales was being hoisted to the fourth floor, the wire around it broke and it fell down onto the lurry knocking him on the head, Buckley died a short time later from a fractured skull.
November 1946 William Smalley a evacuee, living at 18 Stanley Street, was rescued from Meadows Mill lodge. He fell in whilst looking for fire wood.
1950 Fred Clemment was struck in the chest by a bale of cotton and died at Rochdale Infirmary from his injuries.
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