When Cotton Was King

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When the great engineering brains and entrepreneurs of the 18th century set their sights on a little hamlet lying on the banks of the River Ayr, they turned the sleepy village into the bustling epicentre of the cotton trade.

In its heyday, the Catrine mill fed and clothed the 2,700 people who lived there.

The great businessman David Dale, father-in-law of New Lanark"s Robert Owen, and local landowner Claud Alexander first set the wheel in motion in 1787 and James Finlay & Company kept it turning until 1968.

It was Claud Alexander, Squire of the Ballochmyle estate, who first considered erecting a cotton spinning mill at Catrine, sensing the industrial opportunities of the day.

With the benefits of water power coming to the fore, Catrine was in a perfect location.

The landowner"s smartest move by far was entering into a partnership with the high profile David Dale. Having already built the now famous New Lanark, Dale started to weave his magic in Catrine.

A weir was constructed up river and what are now the Voes were used to store the considerable volume of water needed to power the mill. The impressive building itself was five storeys high with attics and houses for the workers built around it to form the Square, Catrine"s most recognisable feature.

DAVID DALE WAS DESCRIBED AS A MAN RESPECTED BY THE WEALTHY AND BELOVED BY THE POOR.

It is perhaps no surprise his daughter should have married one of the greatest figures in the industrial revolution, Robert Owen - who became the greatest thinker of his time, practising a form of socialism before it was even a word.

Dale"s philanthropy was practical and his good deeds included bringing the poorest children of the big cities to be educated and clothed in New Lanark.

His influence rubbed off on Claud Alexander who also saw a moral purpose in his enterprises.

Children were looked after with some care in Catrine and there was a large schoolhouse in the village where they were taught in the evenings.

He also encouraged adults to continue their learning and ruled that all workers injured in the course of their employment should receive full wages and free medical treatment till they had recovered - 100 years before the government caught up.

In 1801 Kirkman Finlay brought Catrine Mill, and all the prosperity that came with it. It remained in his company"s hands until the very end.

This was an important phase in the life of the mill because he installed his friend and kinsman Archibald Buchanan as resident partner.

He was indeed the brains behind the longevity of Catrine, with an inventive mind and an eye for the impossible.

He patented two pieces of machinery which improved power loom weaving in Catrine and most significantly he engineered the world"s biggest waterwheel to produce greater power.

It was one of the greatest wonders of its time. Made up of two massive wheels, each 50 feet in diameter, which when working in tandem was as strong as 500 horses. Every minute, 240 tons of water surged in and around the wheel, powering the mill.

Sadly the wheels vanished when electricity came to the works in 1946.

In another moment of historical significance, he installed gas lighting in the mills in 1814. This extended to the streets of the village - four years before it was in the streets of even London.

Work was steady, for Kirkman Finlay had his own policy of full employment and refused to restrict works when trade was slack.

Meanwhile Buchanan, who was buying land in Catrine, assisted workers by providing a house-purchase scheme by which many became owners of the dwellings.

The standard of health was said to be higher than that of their agricultural neighbours.

During industrial unrest in the early 19th Century, Buchanan behaved with generosity, and good relations were restored with employees when strikes broke out, while other employers simply saw workers as a threat. There was one black spot in 1812 when striking union leaders were arrested, however.

The Finlay Company kept going throughout the glory days and certainly tried to make an impact in the 20th century, even expanding considerably after the second world war.

But changes in international trade eventually got the better of them and as the 1960s progressed they cut their losses as manufacturing faltered in Scotland. The great Catrine Mill stood until it was hauled down following a fire in 1963.

But the weaving tradition is not forgotten. Mill Street stands, St Germain Street owes its name to the trade"s patron saint and the Voes are now a nature reserve.

And in the square there is a sculpture reminding residents and visitors alike of Catrine"s proud past.

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