'If we wanted to climb,
we had first to make our own ladders'

Co-written, compiled and Edited  by Jim McMahon

Thanks to David Huk, Author of 'Ben Brierley 1825-1896' for his wealth of information.

It is agreed by most that Failsworth’s most famous son was BEN BRIERLEY, the 19th century writer of humorous verse and prose carried out in the South—east Lancashire dialect of the day as spoken in the area. He also wrote perfectly well in literary or “plain” English.

Above: The Rocks, Failsworth

For the most part self—taught he rose from bobbin winder, handloom weaver and silk warper to author, ~journalist, and politician. Ben was born first surviving child of James and Esther Brierley at the “Rocks”, Failsworth, Lancashire, on 26th June 1825. The unnumbered and unnamed weaver’s cottage where he first saw the light of day still stands not many yards from Failsworth’s famous Pole. Since then the dwelling has had an extra floor added to bring it in line with the road when it was raised to go over the Rochdale Canal, and is now numbered 466 Oldham Road.

He was baptised. at All Saints, Newton Heath, on 2nd August 1825 by the Reverend Gaskell, whose name is remembered. in the Gaskell Street of Newton Heath.

James Brierley was born in Middleton Parish and was a handloom weaver and ex—soldier, having fought at Waterloo in 1815. He also attended the Peterloo massacre in Manchester on August 16th 1819, being a member of Sam Bamford’s Middleton contingent of weavers. By coincidence Samuel Bamford. who led roughly the same life-style as that of Ben - i.e. weaver to politician/writer, was born in Middleton 28th February 1788 and died in the same street (Hall Street, Moston, Manchester) as Ben did, though some 24 years previous on 13th April 1872. He is buried in Middleton Churchyard (St Leonards) and the stone survives.

Esther Brierley, (nee Whitehead), was Ben’s mother and was possibly from the Failsworth area. She was born c.1796 and died in her canal— side home in Hollinwood. in the Autumn of 1854. James and Esther were married at Manchester Cathedral on 25th November 1816, as were Ben and his wife in 1855. It does not mean to say that they were moving in high society, but rather the opposite, as in Ben’s case ten other couples were married at the same time — all answering yes or no at the appropriate moment. At James’s wedding he signed the register with an “X”, the mark of James Brierley.

Ben had a younger brother, Thomas, born in the “Rocks” c.August 1828, who became an Oldham police officer, and died of Typhus Fever in Coldhurst Street, Oldham, 19th April 1867 aged 59. He is buried in Chadderton Cemetery plot 04.117, but there is no stone to be seen. Thomas married Maria Taylor at Manchester Cathedral 15th October 1849. This was the total of the Brierley family — four.

When Ben was about three years old the family removed to Canal Street, Hollinwood, where Ben was employed by his father as a bobbin winder the spinning wheel. As soon as his legs were long enough he was placed in front of a hand loom to earn his living. Through all this time, very young as he was, he craved to read and write, and as mentioned, though he was mainly self—taught he attended old dames night classes where they sat by her fire and learned what little th’owd dame had to teach. He also attended a class run by the Primitive Methodists at Bourne Street, Hollinwood. From here and there he educated himself, and indeed as he put it “My education finished at an age when present—day children are just starting theirs”.

Plying the handloom and working at a Hollinwood Mill which he describes as being so gloomy that his candle made the darkness just visible, he carried on reading all he could in his spare time. He once remembered reading a scrap of paper by the light shed by the fire at home, and as the room got darker, and the fire got lower he leaned further and further forward to catch the last glimpses of light, but sat up rather suddenly when his hair caught fire.

Times were very hard for all the handloom weavers at this time - having to wait for weeks for the putter—out to give them weft to weave at home, and even longer for payment when the cut of cloth was “takken whom”. (Taken home to the man who supplied the weft ready spun or still as “cotton wool^").

The wages of the handloom weaver were poor at the best of times, and they were fined for any faults — a sixpence fine for a hole for example. Ben’s friend Sim Schofield, born Holebottom, Failsworth, 25th August 1852, describes in his book “Short Stories about Failsworth Folk” of 1905 how a weaver got two holes in his piece of cloth, and was going to be charged sixpence a hole, but the angry weaver ripped the two holes into one.

After Ben left his loom which was handed down to him by his father as an “heirloom”, he took a job as a silk warper at a mill in York Street, Manchester. Warping involves lining up the thousands and thousands of silk threads parallel to each other to be fed into the rear of a (by this time) power loom ready for the weft to be thrown across carried on a bobbin in a shuttle.

It was at this mill that he met Esther Booth (Firth is sometimes mentioned). She came from Bowlee Heights above Middleton. However, she married as Esther Booth at Manchester Cathedral on April 29th 1855. Her father was Reuben Booth (joiner) of 10 Briddon Street off Frances Street Strangeways, Manchester, and she signed the register with the familiar X.

Ben’s wedding present from his employers was the sack, but Ben had been offered the post of a sub editor of the Oldham Times. They moved to Collyhurst, Manchester, and here on the 7th November 1856 Annie Brierley, their only child, was born. Sadly she died of TB at 12 St. Oswald’s Grove, Collyhurst on the 15th June 1875, and was buried aged 18 years and 7 months in plot 3259 NC of Manchester General Cemetery, Harpurhey. Annie was their only child, so obviously there are no direct relatives of Ben’s alive today. Ben’s brother in law James Firth (This is why Esther’s surname Booth! Firth is so confusing) is buried in plot 5258NC of the same cemetery next to Annie. He died in London on 14th December 1876 aged 44 years, and at one point was in partnership with Ben as Brierley & Firth, Publishers, Deansgate, Manchester.

His health began to decline, and this, coupled with the fact that most of his life’s savings had vanished due to the collapse of a building society, he and Esther with his sister in law removed to “The Poplars”, 17 Hall Street, (now Hillier Street), Moston. Here he died on the 18th January 1896, but the dwelling no longer stands.

Above: Copy of Ben Brierley's death certificate - click on image for large copy

He is buried in the Manchester General Cemetery (Harpurhey cemetery) in plot 5260NC next to his daughter. Most of the Manchester City dignitaries along with figures from the Manchester Literary Club, which he helped to establish, attended, as did rep­resentatives from various Masonic Lodges. Ben himself was a Mason, and had no less than three Masonic institutions named after him,. he being a member of the Arthur Sullivan Lodge.

Esther, his wife, died on the 25th May 1914 (her 80th birthday) and is buried in the same plot as Ben.

The one true gift to Failsworth is that of Daisy Nook.

Ben’s first writing of any note was published as “A Day Out,” or “A Summer’s Ramble to Daisy Nook”. He began writing this following a day’s holiday given by his employers in rejoicing following the fall of Sevastapol in 1855. He asked Charles Potter (b. Primrose Bank, Oldham 16th March 1852 — d. Llanbedr, Wales 21st September 1907), the Oldham artist to provide a vignette or small illustration for the book depicting Daisy Nook. Potter asked him where the Nook was and Ben replied “Thou con fix it onywhere thou likes,” so the artist set up his easel at the picturesque hamlet of Waterhouses by the River Medlock and depicted that, making it “the spot that has lived on daisies ever since.”

Original Statue 1898 - 1995
New Statue 2006 - present

The Bust

The Painting 1905 -1950 (or perhaps to present?)

Ben's Birth Place

As mentioned previously, Ben was born at 'the Rocks' in Failsworth. The building shown in the photo to your left shows how it looked then, now however, the building serves only as a foundation for the new shops which where built to street level. A blue plaque now marks the position of the building on Oldham Road, along the canal. Next time you pass take a look, for those with little geographic knowledge its now a pizza shop - tut tut! On a more positive note a new housing development has been named in his honour - 'Ben Brierley Wharf' no less!

Ben, Esther and Annie's final resting place

Above: Brierley's Grave CLICK HERE FOR LARGER IMAGES

As previously mentioned, Ben s buried at the old Manchester General Cemetery, Rochdale Road, Harpurhey. The grave in located in plot's 3259 (Annie) and 3260 (Ben and Esther). The stone is large although not that easy to find due to the amount of overgrown Ivy. As the cemetery is no longer maintained it has become a little unsettling. Most of the larger graves have been looted - yes looted, and you can't help but feel saddened that he third grave along from the Brierley's seems to be a meeting point for the local drug addicts, judging by the unthinkable collection of syringes and larger cans. The grave features the following words; In loving memory of Ben Brierley, who died Jan 18th 1896 in his 70th year. Also Esther beloved wife of the above Ben Brierley who died on her 80th Birthday may 25th 1914. ------------------ It came up late in the Spring and bloomed at harvest time, the reaper wept as he gathered the shorn flower and bound it with the ripened grain in the sheaf of the eternal, B.B. (Ben Brierley). ------------------ In loving memory of Annie, Only child of Ben & Esther Brierley of Collyhurst who died June 13th 1875 aged 18 years & 7 months. ------------------ Base: Erected by his loving wife. Please do go and visit the grave, but please, never go alone and always in the daytime.

Ben's work

Out of Work, Cotters of Mossburn, Marlocks of Merrito~i, Cast Upon the World (partly autobiographical), Home Memories, Ab o’th Yate’s Diction­ary, Ab o’th’ Yate in Yankeeland. (describing his two trips to America and Canada in the early 1800’s),Spring Blossoms (verse), and many more books streamed from his pen. Most of the volumes started life being serialised. in newspapers and other publications. A set of three books entitled “Ab o’th’ Yate Sketches” was published by WE Clegg of Cldham after the author’s death. Ab o’th’ Yate, or Abraham of the Gate was the alias Ben used when writing many of his humorous pieces.

Most, if not all, his books can still be quite easily found in good second hand book shops and should cost around the £10 mark each. “Home Memories” and “Out of Work” have been republished as one public­ation in 2002 by Reword Publishers of Bramhall, tel 0161 440 8350, or copies may be purchased at Failsworth Public Library for £7.50.

More on Ben Brierley

David Huk has produced a Biography entitled 'Ben Brierley 1825-1896'.

The book can be purchased from all major bookshops and online priced £3.75.

ISBN: 1 85216 103 5

For more information please contact the Publisher:

Neil Richardson, 88 Ringley Road, Stoneclough, Radcliffe, Manchester, M26 1ET