nly maintained herself, but her husband and
her family. She did this by means of a boarding school which she
kept,--one of the best in the neighbourhood of Halifax.

One of her sons, the father of John Crossley, was brought up to
carpet-weaving. He learnt his business with Mr. Webster, of Clay-pits,
one of whose daughters he afterwards married. John Crossley himself also
became a carpet-weaver with his uncle; and when his apprenticeship was
finished, he went to weave for Mr. Currer, a large carpet manufacturer
at Luddenden Foot. While working at this factory, his master built a
large fine house to live in. He thought he had money enough saved for
the purpose, but circumstances proved that he had not. Mr. Currer told
his foreman that he had kept an account of its cost until he had spent
L4,000, and then he became so disgusted that he burnt the memorandum
book, although the house was not nearly finished. He said "he had done
all that to please a woman,"--meaning his wife. Although Mr. Currer was
an excellent man of business, his wife was too fond of show, and the
large fine house in which she was to live proved her husband's ruin. He
died shortly after it was finished, and then the whole of his
establishment was broken up.

After leaving Mr. Currer, John Crossley removed to Halifax to take the
management of Mr. Job Lees' carpet manufactory in Lower George Yard,
Halifax. He began to look out for a wife, and the history of his
courtship is curious as well as interesting. The Crossleys seem to have
had the good fortune to fall in with excellent wives; and the prosperity
of the family is quite as much due to the Crossley women as to the
Crossley men.

Martha Crossley, the future wife of John Crossley, was born at Folly
Hall, near the Ambler Thorn Bar. Her great-grandfather, Thomas Turner,
was a farmer. He lived at the Upper Scout Hall, Shibden, and the
farm-house which he occupied, at the head of the Shibden Valley, is
still in existence. The eldest son was brought up to his father's
business. The youngest son, Abraham, was brought up to farming, weaving,
and combing. He married, and had three children--Abraham, Thomas, and
Martha. Abraham, the eldest, was father of Mrs. John Crossley, _nee_
Turner.

Abraham was also brought up to farming and manufacturing; but it must be
remembered that manufacturing was in those days conducted on a very much
smaller scale than it is now. He afterwards went into partnership with
his bro