The Mill Workers and their Lives
Many of the residents of the village of Harbertonford in the 200 years up to the 1950’s either worked in the mill, or had close connections with it. The klaxon calling people to work and the sound of the machinery were a constant reminder of the mill’s important influence in the local resident’s lives. A job in the mill was thought to be a good one with the only other work prospects being mainly service or agriculture.
There were all sorts of different specialisms in the process of making the mill’s products which included a good trade in serge for military uniforms. All of our participants in the oral history project have stories about their experiences working at the mill, or memories of their relations working there. Often several members of the same family would be employed at the mill.
Here are a few snippets from our archive.
