No commentary on old Worcester can ignore the glove trade which here was very ancient. The first mention of a Glover's Guild dates back to 1497, but the trade existed in Worcester before that. Two Worcester glovers, Francis Fincher and Alexander Beardsley, were prominent Quakers who after much persecution sold all their possessions and emigrated in 1683 with several other local Quakers, and their families and servants. They were the first purchasers of land in Pennsylvania. Fincher was elected the first speaker under Penn, but declined the post. There were still Fincher's working in the glove trade there in the 1970's.
John Fownes and John Dent, two apprentices to James Perkins, a glover in the 1770's, founded businesses which became world famous. John Dent had three sons who became prominent in Civic affairs. Tradition says that the Dent family lived and worked in houses adjoining Angel Court, Sidbury.
In the 1840's gloves were made in 'workshops' where the master, an all-round man, laboured at the bench with three or four journeymen and apprentices, cutting out the gloves, the sewing being done by outside workers as piecework in homes all around Worcestershire. The gloves were then hawked around by the master who called on regular customers, and attended fairs and markets. Even the Dents carried on business like this, with John Dent concerned with the workshop, and William Dent travelling.
In 1796, Green stated: 'not less than 5,000 persons are employed within the City and surrounding towns and villages'. By 1825, the masters were estimated as between 100-140, and the number of workers in villages and towns as 30,000. The export trade was very large, but in 1824, which was the turning point, foreign gloves were allowed to come in- undercutting the local trade, which never recovered. Work in Worcester was almost brought to a standstill. The small master glovers were driven out of business, and as the 19th century developed, the trade was concentrated in a few large firms.
John Allcroft joined Dents, and became the controlling partner. They moved to Palace Yard and the Warmstrey Slip site in 1853. The Dents and Allcroft earned great wealth, and each acquired a historic country seat; the Dents at Sudeley Castle and Allcroft at Stokesay Castle.
Before the advent of large firms a craftsman often worked very long hours, working all out for days on-end, then he would break the monotony by taking days off and 'going on the drink'. In early days the only non-working days were Saint's days or Holy days, so the day they took off came to be known as 'Saint Monday'. In 1810, a complaint was made that some workers now worshipped 'Two Saints a week'. Saint Monday was kept in the gloving trade up to modern times.
From 1810 wages began to fall, and a union was formed , but this daring combination' was fiercely resisted by 56 masters. Two workmen were committed to solitary confinement for three months for supporting apprentices who were on strike. It seemed strange to us today, that while masters openly combined to resist, when the workers did so, it was illegal.
In the early years of the 19th century Gloving was the most important trade in Worcester, and almost the only one except for China making. Several attempts were made to introduce new manufactures without success, and it was clear that Worcester had become absolutely dependent on gloving.
Dents Glove Factory, Warmstrey Slip