Forgotten Crafts and Trades of Ballymena 1800–1925

During the 400 years that Ballymena began its growth from a simple ford to an industrial town, businesses and their craftspeople have come and gone. We have been looking at the forgotten crafts and trades that have disappeared because of time, change and industrialisation. So, as a last part of our Linen Trade pieces, we have researched the documents that are available and have not only discovered the jobs that are no longer used but that are also forgotten. While in the process we have tracked down the names of some of those who were masters of their trades and the area of the town, that they lived in.

With advancements and the advent of industrial machinery, certain trades vanished. Additionally, as the home-based linen industry transitioned to factory production powered by water and steam, many trades became obsolete. Some people found employment in these factories; however, linen was either imported or became less popular. This shift occurred because cotton, which required less labour due to the faster and cheaper process of separating its fibres from seeds, replaced linen. Cotton was also easier to cultivate, harvest, and spin.

Linen trade

In certain areas, the linen trade and production involved the participation of all family members, such as the following:

The Anderson family      Flax Growers    Tully, Ballykeel, Drumfane, Ballymena 1850

The Bell family                  Flax Growers   Drumfin, Kirkinriola Ballymena 1850

The Christie family            Flax Growers    Dunclug, Kirkinriola   Ballymena   1850

The Beattie family             Flax Growers     Drumfane, Kirkinriola Ballymena 1850

It is interesting to see that there was an area in Ballymena, where flax was grown as a crop and close to the town for processing. The areas are now housing estates, where those who live there may be unaware that they live on a historical area, which was fundamental in the building of Ballymena, the new industrial town of the 1800’s.

D. Mulhollan   Scutcher / Hackler     Paradise Avenue    1900   

Prepared flax for spinning, an important stage in linen manufacture.

T. Longmore    Scutcher / Hackler     Bridge Street   1900   

Prepared flax for spinning, an important stage in linen manufacture.

H. Knox           Scutcher / Hackler     Ballymena       1900   

Prepared flax for spinning, an important stage in linen manufacture.

S. Boyd            Scutcher / Hackler     James Street   1910   

Prepared flax for spinning, an important stage in linen manufacture.

J. Conway        Scutcher / Hackler     Alexander Street   1910   

Prepared flax for spinning, an important stage in linen manufacture.

Mary McKinley    Flax Spinner          Ballymena district     1850   

Spun flax yarn. Part of the domestic linen production chain before mechanisation.

Henry S. Flax, Spinning Master shows how specialised spinning had become. As the need for different types of spun yarn was needed. Linen yarn produced thread for local weavers.

J. McDonald, Roughing Master, preparing linen yarn for weaving, dealing with rough or uneven fibres, ensuring yarn was sufficiently smooth and strong. Supervising workers involved in the preparation and checking the quality of yarn before it went to the weaver. A scutcher prepared flax fibre by removing the woody material from flax before spinning. A hackler combed the fibres, reading them for spinning.

John Smith       Hand Loom Weaver.                  Church Street, Ballymena   1861

Worked from home or small weaving shops.

Robert Boyd    Weaver              Ahoghill area,  1800s  One of many handloom weavers recorded in the district.

Another weaver, who became quite a celebrity of the times was “The Bard of Dunclug”, David Herbison. Herbison lost his sight as a child due to smallpox, later recovering the use of one eye. At about fourteen he learned linen weaving and spent much of his life in the weaving trade. In 1827 he attempted to emigrate to Canada. The ship Rob Roy was wrecked on the St Lawrence River near Quebec. Herbison survived, but after only a few weeks in Canada he returned home to Ballymena, where he married Margaret Archbold of Dunclug and settled there permanently.

Herbison wrote about local people, rural life, emigration, and the landscape around Ballymena. He was one of County Antrim's most important nineteenth-century poets and his is work linked the linen-weaving tradition with literature.

John Adair        Flax Merchant / buyer              Ballymena       1800s 

He would buy the brown linen so that he could get it bleached and beetled before getting it finished to be ready for sale

Kennedy           Linen manufacturer & bleacher    Ballymena       1880   

McKendry         Linen manufacturer & bleacher    Ballymena       1880

W. Gihon          Bleacher           Lisnafillen/Ballymena    1880   

Bleached linen              

A. Ferguson Beetler 1910

Finished linen cloth by beetling, part of the linen finishing process.

J. Livingstone, Preparing or Finishing Master, another forgotten stage of textile manufacture, where the linen was inspected for faults, fixed by beetling and rolling, ironing and packing it for sale.

P. M. Owens, Finishing Works, where Linen Finishers finished linen fabric. Preparing the cloth for sale and export.

Gilmour          Yarn merchant              Broughshane Street   1880   

Linen yarn and part of the textile supply chain.

I have added these Factories & manufacturers, as they have now also disappeared:

J. Pryde         Weaving factory proprietor/manager    Leighinmohr, Ballymena       1910

Woven textiles              Ballymena Weaving Co.

J. H. Bellis      Weaver/manufacturer           Braid River / Harryville, Ballymena               1910

Woven textiles. Associated with Braid River Weaving Factory.

George Bellis  Weaver/manufacturer           Braid River       1910    Woven textiles.

Partner in Braid River Weaving Factory.

J. N. Lamont    Weaving manufacturer        Railway Street, Ballymena    1910   

Phoenix Weaving Co. The Factory, itself was built around 1889 and run first, by the Gault Brothers, but was bought by Joseph Lamont and his sons and went on to buy the following other factories.

Riverside Factory, Antrim, Leighinmohr Factory, Ballymena, Braidriver Factory, Ballymena and G. H. Bellis yarn bleach works and closed in November 1990.

R. Ferguson     Weaving manufacturer           Slatt      1901    Woven textiles

Slatt Weaving Factory.  Please note that a weaving factory owned by James & John Boal, originally built the factory, in around 1876, Ferguson, then ran it till 1924, when it went into liquidation.

As the decline and demise of the linen industry faded into the town’s history, so did other occupations. Ones that in one way or another had relied on linen trade were now finding either little business or being replaced by the town’s new industrial era.

Wood & Metal

James Mc Neice Cooper (Barrel Maker)         Toome Road, Ballymena.  1800.

Wooden barrels, casks, tubs, Supplied barrels for breweries, merchants, distillers, and agricultural use.

John Cameron              Cooper              Henry Street, Ballymena        1910   

Barrels and casks. Cooper associated with Ballymena and its distilleries.

Robert Young .             Blacksmith         Broughshane Street, Ballymena    1870 Horseshoes, farm tools, ironwork. Essential trade supporting agriculture and transport.

John Young      Wheelwright   Ballymena       19th century  

Built and repaired carts and wagon wheels. Essential trade in an agricultural district.

Blayney Adair    Carpenter     Ballymena, Church Street area         1856   

Building and carpentry work. A deed of 1856 specifically describes Blayney Adair of Ballymena as a carpenter. The property was on Church Street, fronting Wellington Street.

William McNeill           Carpenter        Ahoghill / Broughshane area               c.1800

Luke McQuitty              Carpenter        Ballymena       1854   

William McKeown       Blacksmith      Ballymena       19th century   Produced horseshoes, tools and agricultural ironwork, gates, Central to rural life.

J. Thompson    Whitesmith      Henry Street, Ballymena     1910   

Light metal goods. Whitesmithing was a specialist metalworking trade, who shapes thin sheets of iron or steel coated in tin, or works with pewter, lead, and silver to make items like cups, plates, and lanterns.

John Kane        Iron foundry    Harryville         1880   

Cast iron goods/machinery. Foundry work became increasingly important with industrialisation

William Gildea Riddlemaker & Basket Weaver, Springwell Street Ballymena 1900

An excellent genuinely forgotten craft.

Robert Moore  Tinsmith           Broughshane Street, Ballymena       1910

Tinware, household utensils, repairs to metal goods

A. Watson        Tinsmith           Broughshane Street, Ballymena       1910   

Buckets, cans, kettles, roofing and sheet-metal work. Listed as a tinsmith and resident/trader in Ballymena.

Transport

John M'Ilhenney    Farrier         Ballymena              1910   

Horseshoes/horse care. Skilled trade supporting horses and transport.

John Weir         Saddler             Windsor Terrace, Ballymena      1910                  

Saddles/harness. Specialist leatherworking trade.

William Adair    Saddler & Harness Maker      Ballymena       1880

Saddles, harnesses, bridles Served farmers, traders and transport operators.

William Craig  Saddler      Ballymena       19th century  

Produced saddles and harnesses for transport and farming. Supported horse-powered transport.

David Wilson  Tanner and Currier     Charlotte Street, Ballymena  1868               Slater's/Ulster Directory. Worked in tanning and currying, Finished leather. Prepared leather for saddlers and shoemakers.

Matthew Montgomery    Coach maker    Church Street, Ballymena     1880

Coaches and carriages         

Malaghan Bros.            Coach builders    Broughshane Street, Ballymena    1880

Coaches          

Food & Household

James Ross     Miller   Ballymena       Flour & Grain 1800s Operated water- and steam-powered grain mills. serving local farmers

James McAllister    Distiller             Ballymena       Early 1800s     Required coopers, maltsters and labourers as part of the distilling trade.

John Wilson    Maltster & Brewer       Ballymena c.1854–55

A maltster is the professional who performs this craft, turning raw, hard grains into "malt," which provides the fermentable sugars, colour, and flavour needed to make beer. Served as a Town Commissioner; one of the few recorded maltsters linked to Ballymena's civic leadership. Town Commissioners were the forerunners to councillors that we have now, they began giving the commissioners powers to decide on how the town was ran in1828. These powers lasted till 1899, when Ballymena became an Urban District Council.

M. Kilpatrick         Spirit dealer                Mill Street, Ballymena           1880   

Connected with the town's licensed trade.

George S. Wilson        Aerated-water manufacturer    Ballymena1888 Mineral/aerated waters. Early local manufacturing business.

David McCartney        Butcher/grocer             Linenhall Street Ballymena  1888

Meat/provisions          Market-town food trade.

Charles Armstrong     Woollen draper            Church Street, Ballymena     1888   

Woollen goods           Textile retail/manufacturing connection.

T. G. Watson    Grocer               |Church Street, Ballymena   1888                  

Provisions. Local commercial trade.

Andrew Martin     Soap & candle manufacturer   81 Church Street, Ballymena    1843

Soap & tallow candles

John Strahan  Soap & candle manufacturer       Church Street , Ballymena 1843

Soap & candles            Also linen-yarn merchant

James Beatty  Soap & candle manufacturer   Wellington Street / Bridge Street    1862

Soap & candles           

Andrew Martin              Soap manufacturer   Church Street , Ballymena 1862

Soap Manufacturing premises, stores, offices and yard

Samuel Strahan           Grocer & chandler      Church Street , Ballymena  1861

Chandlery/candles.

Other Trades

Hugh Davison     Rope Maker.  Rope and cordage.  Bridge Street, Ballymena 1843

John Davidson Ropemakers Bridge Street Ballymena 1868

Supplied farms, mills and transport businesses. Coach Proprietor, Rope & Twine Manufacturer, and Grocer

Samuel Gault                Tanner                Ballymena       Mid-1800s      

Converted hides into usable leather. for local trades.

Harold A. G. Frew — Artificial Teeth Maker — probably one of the most unusual trades on the list.

Morton & Co.  Mill owners      Brookvale, Also Galgorm Road, Ballymena    1880        Flour/textile milling    Closed in the early 1990’s

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Robert Kernoghan      Veterinary surgeon     Broughshane Street, Ballymena               1880                   Veterinary services. Specialist rural trade/profession.

S. Hood             Auctioneer      Church Street Ballymena    1880                     

Auctions Important to the market-town economy.

Pearce Lannigan         Stationer           Bridge Street, Ballymena       1880               Stationery/books. Specialist retail craft/trade.

John Wier         Newspaper proprietor/editor      Church Street, Ballymena    1888

The Ballymena Observer was established in 1855.

Clothing

John Collins    Tailor   Church Street, Ballymena     1888   

Tailoring Men’s and Women’s Clothing

Robert Tinsdale  Boot & shoemaker     Ballymena       1888   

Boots and shoes. Skilled footwear maker. Often operated small workshops.                                          

John Hildich   Tailor   Harryville         1880    .

Produced made-to-measure garments.

Mary Jane Kennedy    Milliner        Church Street, Ballymena     1880   

Hats/headwear. One of the women recorded in skilled clothing trades.

H. Hardy           Woollen & linen draper           Church Street, Ballymena     1880   

Textiles/clothing. Sold locally produced and imported textiles.

Furniture

B. Laird             Cabinet maker             Henry Street, Ballymena        1910   

Named cabinetmaker.

James Knowles   Cabinet maker & upholsterer       High Street, Ballymena 1880

Furniture & upholstered goods         

Hugh Montgomery     Cabinet maker             High Street, Ballymena           1880   

Furniture Maker

Building trade

William  Liggett            Plumber            Bridge Street, Ballymena                      1880

Plumbing/metalwork Specialist building trade.

Johnston           House painter               Bridge Street, Ballymena       1880

Painting/decorative work       Skilled finishing trade.

Joseph Bonar   Stonemason    Cullybackey Road, Ballymena        c.1900–1946

Ballyclug Interments   Dressed stone, building stone and masonry

James McNeice           Brickmaker     Kirkinriola / Ballymena             c.1800–1830s

Handmade clay bricks           

Throughout the 400 years of Ballymena becoming the industrial town, that we know of, today, there are many other jobs that have been replaced or no longer needed and have become forgotten to the realms of industrial history. Jobs such as:

Bobbin boys: Young boys worked in textile mills during the 18th and early 19th centuries. They carried empty and full bobbins of thread to and from the women working at the looms. The work was dangerous and involved long hours.

Knocker-upper: Before affordable alarm clocks existed, these workers used long sticks or pea shooters to tap on factory workers' windows at dawn. They charged a small weekly fee and made sure their clients woke up on time for early shifts.

Thatchers, this trade disappeared as thatch was replaced by roofing tiles, a few thatchers still exist, as there are a few cottages such as the one in Galgorm and on the Clady Road, Dunadry, Co Antrim.

Basket Makers were lost to metal and then plastic, as in the 1800’s Baskets were used for many things, from carrying clothes, bread, food, fish and other saleables. They were also made for the fishing industry, but that also found itself with another product.

Lamplighter: Before electric lighting, these workers walked the streets at dusk and dawn. They used long poles to manually light and extinguish oil or gas streetlamps.

Stone Mason who built stonework and worked on churches, bridges and homes in the early 1800’s as Ballymena began to grow.

Nail Maker hand-forged nails which were gradually replaced by machine production.

As progress became more faster and the need for things to be available faster, the slow, quiet life of the handcrafted items, that Ballymena was built on, disappeared as industrialisation overtook those who had toiled in their homes to create world class cloth and goods. With this new age of business, which later on in their history, were replaced, as did countless other occupations, lost and forgotten.

With these article that are written, the hope to keep history of Ballymena alive, is the main purpose. To let those who live today, that their families had something to do with the Heritage of the town, that they live in.

The History of Ballymena is a wide and long history, which still winds onwards and because of that there are things and people that I have overlooked and because of that I apologise, but each one of you are important in the future of Ballymena, keeping the stories alive.

Thank You, Jim.