Edmund Potter & The Origins of Dinting Vale Print Works - Part One

Our Great Local Heroes & Pioneers

Edmund Potter & The Origins of Dinting Vale Print Works - Part One

Edmund Potter was born into the third generation of the Potter printers in 1802. There is very little known of Edmund’s early life but there is an acknowledgement later by himself in a letter to his cousin that his father gave him a ‘sound education and a severe apprenticeship ’. It was in 1823 when Edmund saw an advert in the Manchester Guardian: “To Cotton Spinners & Manufacturers”. "To be let for a term of years, which is to be entered upon immediately, a valuable and newly erected Cotton Factory “. This mill was in fact built in 1817 by Joseph Lyne of Simmondley Hall, for the spinning and carding cotton but it was never used. As it was left standing empty for many years some locals named it ‘The Boggart Mill’. It was said that even locals were too frightened to pass during the dark nights.

The advert also describes, in great detail, the layout and the surrounding area: ‘the mill is situated in the populous neighborhood of the cotton manufacturing town of Glossop that has around 12,000 inhabitants ’

Edmund started production using the block method of printing. All patterns and colours were printed by hand using the huge wooden print blocks. There were very few colourings used in the early period of production at Dinting Print Works but it is documented that amongst the first was indigo blue and madder which made it possible to make red, pink, black, violet, lilac and puce. During the first year of production in 1824 Dinting Printing Works produced 171,487 miles of cotton products to a value of 13 million pounds.

Mr Potter also had a reading room and library built on the site for employees to learn but he was keen that the teachings were not under the influences of religion. Workmen also congregated here and formed The Dinting Vale Glee Club in 1849 which performed all over town including a huge show at the Town Hall. The club name changed later to The Dinting Vale Choral Society in 1853.

Edmund Potter took his growing business to unbelievable heights as he was asked to be featured in The Great Exhibition in London in 1851 and to The Paris Exhibition in 1855. He led the Dinting Print Works to be the largest printing company in the world. He went on to be a Member of Parliament for Carlisle, had seven children and his Dinting Vale Empire continued till 1966.

"Next month I am traveling to dive deep within archives that have not been seen in over 30 years thanks to a private collector who is letting me share her collection." 

Matthew Cox

- Advert was from 'Edmund Potter and Dinting Vale by J.G. Hurst 1949'