Timeline
People 1732 - 1900
1836 John Sherliker, Horrocks employee (1836- nd)

Horrockses Yellow Factory, Dale Street, Preston

Horrockses Yellow Factory, Dale Street, Preston.

Most of the people who worked for Horrockses did not become rich or famous. They were not written about in the newspapers when they died. Most of the records from the Horrockses company are now at Lancashire Record Office in Preston. These documents help to give us some clues about the lives of ordinary cotton workers.

Among the records is a small book. In the book there are the details of young apprentices who were employed in the mills from the 1850s. John Sherliker was one of these apprentices. Below is a summary of his working life in Horrockses from 1851-1881.

Date Details Wages
26 February 1851 John Sherliker starts work as an apprentice with Horrockses, Miller and Company, he is 15 years old. 6 shillings
26 February 1852 Pay rise. 7 shillings
26 February 1853 Pay rise. 8 shillings
26 February 1854 John's apprenticeship is completed and he was made an afterlooker. 9 shillings
26 February 1855 Pay rise. 10 shillings
28 May 1855 John is promoted. He takes over from Thomas Ashton as a taker-in. 12 shillings
1856 Pay rise. 14 shillings
1857 Pay rise. 16 shillings
1858 Pay rise. 18 shillings
1859 Pay rise. 20 shillings (£1)
14 November 1864 John is promoted. He gets a job once held by a workmate called Livesey. 24 shillings
1866 Pay rise. 27 shillings
28 August 1869 John takes over Thomas Ashton's place in the warehouse at the Field Mill. 30 shillings (£1.50)
12 January 1870 Pay rise. 32 shillings
April 1870 Pay rise. 33 shillings
March 1871 Pay rise. 34 shillings
17 June 1872 Pay rise. 35 shillings
20 September 1879 Wages are cut (no explanation is given) 34 shillings
1 May 1880 Wages are cut (no explanation is given) 32 shillings

To change John's weekly pay into modern day wages you have to change the number of shillings into pence and then multiply by 45.

For example, a shilling is equal to about 5 pence so 10 shillings - John's wage in early 1855 - changes to about 50p a week. So, by multiplying Johns 50p by 45 gives him a modern wage of £22.50 a week or about £1,170 a year.

How much was John Sherliker earning in 1880?

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