James Stewart Schofield was born in Royton, Lancashire in 1917. He was educated at Repton school and continued his studies at Clare College, University of Cambridge where he attained his masters degree in chemistry in 1939. On graduating from Cambridge, he was employed as a research chemist in the Calico Printers Association Research Department, based in the St James's Buildings in Manchester. He later moved to the research laboratory at Broad Oak Printworks in Accrington. He was appointed the Manager at the CPA's Dinting Vale print works in Glossop in 1952. He took up the same role at Chadkirk Printworks in Romiley, near Stockport, in 1955. From the autumn of 1958, he worked as the Works Executive at the CPA Head Office in Oxford Street, Manchester. By 1969, he was a member of the Board of Directors of the English Calico Industrial Division. Between 1972 and 1980, he worked on a joint venture between English Calico, Tootal, ICI and Storey Brothers in Levenshulme, Manchester, known as Transprints UK Ltd. He retired from English Calico in 1982, but continued his involvement with textile manufacturing through the management buy-out from Tootal of Strines printworks. The company operated under the name Strines Textiles Ltd until it was sold to the Leeds Group in 1992.
In 1986, Schofield was awards a Master of Science Honoris Causa by the Scottish College of Textiles. This honour was followed in 1989 by his Honorary Membership of the Society of Dyers and Colorists, where he had been President in the period 1978-1985 and had been awarded a Silver Medal in 1977 and a Gold Medal in 1984.
The Calico Printers' Association Ltd was established in Manchester through the amalgamation of 46 textile printing companies and 13 textile merchants in 1899, in reaction to increased competition within the textile printing market and a decline in quality of goods and profit margins for manufacturers and wholesalers. The amalgamation was an attempt to preserve the tradition and standing of calico printing and to produce textiles of a high standard at reasonable prices. At the time of its inception, the company accounted for 80% of the printed cloth produced in Britain. The company's first chairman was F F Grafton, and the headquarters were located on Charlotte Street, Manchester. The company moved to more suitable premises in Mosley Street, Manchester, and in 1912 built the St James' Buildings on Oxford Street, Manchester. The company also had premises on Princess Street, Manchester, where designers from some of the individual producers represented by the Calico Printers' Association had design studios.
As well as representing manufacturers of printed cloth, the Calico Printers' Association engaged in research and development of textiles, including the development of polyethylene terephthalate in 1941, manufactured as Terylene by ICI and now known as PET.
By the 1950s, the company had expanded its operations to include spinning, weaving, merchanting, finishing, making-up, and wholesale and retail distribution of textiles, textile engineering, and the manufacture and distribution of chemicals.
The company merged with the English Sewing Cotton Company in 1968, and became part of a new organisation, English Calico Ltd.
English Calico Ltd was a textile business formed in 1968 when the Calico Printers Association merged with the English Sewing Cotton Co. The founding chairman was Sir Cyril Harrison, and the company was reportedly valued at £90 million.
In 1973 the company became Tootal Ltd. (later Tootal Group Plc).
Walter Hough was the Principal of the School of Cotton Fabrics, which is known to have been active between 1922-1933. Initially based at based at 36 Spring Gardens, Manchester, by 1926 the School had moved to 41 Faulkner Street. The School of Cotton Fabrics appears to have been a small tutoring business based in central Manchester offering vocational training for the textile trade.
Hough reportedly began his career in the textile industry at the age of 10, when he began working half time hours at the Bentinck Street Mill Company's cotton mill. By taking evening classes he obtained his City and Guilds qualifications and was promoted to the position of pattern-maker and designer. He also began teaching evening classes, working as an evening assistant at Salford Technical College for 14 years before resigning to start his own School of Cotton Fabrics.
Hough was also the author of the "Encyclopaedia of Cotton Fabrics for Students and Others in the Cotton Trade", first published in the 1920s, which went into at least seven editions.
Drapers' Record Ltd was the publisher of a magazine, The Drapers' Record, which covered the fashion business. The magazine was acquired by EMAP Publishing and became known as 'Drapers'.
Thomas Matthews Ltd was originally known as Thomas W. Matthews of Imperial Ironworks, Hyde Road, West Gorton, Manchester, before moving to Imperial Iron Works, Pendleton c 1900. The business was established by Thomas William Matthews, millwright, and was subsequently operated by his son, Rex Matthews. Thomas Matthews operated as artesian well engineers, brassfounders, and steam pump manufacturers for 97 years, before closing in 1967 following the passing of the Water Resources Act (1963). At the time of its closure, Thomas Matthews was the last remaining private artesian well drilling company in Manchester.
Date
1939 - 1991
Scope and ContentCollection of papers relating to the work of James Stewart Schofield with the Calico Printers Association, English Calico and Tootal, including his research notebooks from 1939, the publication CPA Range of Standard Designs, CPA Annual Reports for 1960-1961 and 1964, and correspondence and papers relating to the merger of the CPA with English Sewing Cotton to form English Calico in 1968.
Extent3 notebooks, 2 volumes, 3 documents and 6 booklets
Physical descriptionAll items are in a fair condition, with some surface dirt and minor creasing to documents. Two notebooks in ring binders have had their covers removed where these were in a poor condition. A third notebook is in fair condition, but the bookcloth has significant surface damage with the spine beginning to work loose at the bottom edge.
Archival historyThese papers were created by or issued to James Schofield during his employment with the CPA. They were inherited by his wife, Margaret Schofield, in 2000 and were subsequently passed on to her heirs.
The English Sewing Cotton Company Limited was a union of fourteen firms who combined to form the company in 1897.
The fourteen companies initially involved in the union were;
John Dewhurst & Sons Ltd of Skipton and Airton, Yorkshire. Established in 1789
Ermen & Roby Ltd of Pendlebury and Patricroft, Lancashire. Established in 1837
S Manlove & Sons of Chesterfield and Belper. Established in 1829
W G & J Strutt of Belper and Milford. Established in 1776
Sir Richard Arkwright & Co of Cromford, Matlock Bath and Mellor. Established in 1769
C A Rickards of Bell Busk and Skipton. Established in 1862
Bagley & Wright of Belgrave Mill and Crooklands Bobbin Mill, Oldham. Established in 1867
Edmund Ashworth & Sons Ltd of Egerton Mill, near Bolton. Established in 1800
Crawford Brothers of Barr Mill, Beith, Scotland. Established in 1775
J and E Waters & Co of Hulme, Manchester and Carlisle. Established in 1835
William Waller & Co of Britannia Mills, Manchester. Established in 1830
Marsland, Son & Co of albert Mills, Manchester. Established in 1789
John Thomas Raworth of Crown Cotton Mills, Leicester. Established in 1820
George Wigley & Co of Old Silk Mill, Derby. Established in 1867
The company was established in order to unite the principal English firms and companies engaged in the manufacture of sewing, crochet, knitting, mending and other cottons as well as subsidiary businesses engaged in cotton spinning, doubling, dyeing, bleaching and polishing.
After the amalgamation further companies joined the union, they were;
R F and J Alexander & Co Ltd, Glasgow. Established in 1820 who joined the new organisation in 1898
Lawrence Arden Ltd, Hazel Grove who joined in 1899
Portwood Spinning Co Ltd, Stockport joined the organisation in 1929
The Stanhill Ring Spinning Co (1920) Ltd joined in 1946
In 1968 a change of name was registered and the company became known as English Calico Ltd.
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