page_title: Glen Williams, Ontario
section_title: Beaumont Knitting Mill
hierarchical_section_title: Glen Williams, Ontario / Early industry / Beaumont Knitting Mill
caption_attribution_description: English: Beaumont Knitting Mill workers - Glen Williams, Ontario - 1893 - Lindley Beaumont 3rd from right, back.
context_page_description: Glen Williams is a hamlet in the Credit River valley in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is part of Halton Hills in the Halton Regional Municipality. Glen Williams is home to many visual artists, contains a collection of artist's studios and is a major draw to the area. Glen Williams has a compact community core that includes commercial uses, a restaurant and bakery, a community centre, parks, churches and homes. The character of the hamlet of Glen Williams is largely defined by the heritage buildings, which help give Glen Williams its distinctive look and feel. These buildings help create an environment that is distinctive and lays the foundation for a cohesive community. The Credit River which flow through the village extends over 1,500 km from the Niagara Escarpment, emptying into Lake Ontario at Port Credit, Mississauga. Glen Williams is also home to many species of birds, mammals and fish, with the river providing an exemplary habitat for them.
context_section_description: At the time that Benajah Williams was having financial difficulties, an Irish millwright named James Bradley bought the old Tweedle Saw Mill upstream from Benjah, along with five carding machines and the largest picker. Bradley found he was spending most of his time erecting a mill in Limehouse, so he rented his Glen Williams establishment to George Ross. Ross, however, took sick, and Bradley then rented the mill to Samuel Beaumont. Beaumont was a native of Holmfirth, Yorkshire in the heart of the woollen manufacturing district. He was taught his trade by his father and after working a few years in Scotland, came in 1840 to Canada. Here he worked at Galt and Ancaster; in 1875-1876 he operated the woollen mills at Kilbride, and in 1877 did the same in Norval. The mill there was destroyed by fire in 1878 and as he had no insurance he lost heavily. It was from Norval that he came to the Glen. By 1882, Beaumont was able to purchase the mill. He had not been long established, however, when, in the early 1880s, fire struck again. It had been impossible to insure such inflammable stock, and there was only $750 insurance. But he started again, erected substantial buildings and made three trips to England to purchase the best machinery to outfit them.
  As had happened at the Williams woollen mill, the fires seemed to cost too heavy a toll, and Samuel Beaumont also got into financial difficulties. His son Joseph (1863-1943) took over the operation and in 1906 Joseph acquired the Dominion Glove Works which had been operating about a quarter of a century. It was a related business for the machines which knit the socks also knit the mitt cuffs. The mill used mostly New Zealand wool which was judged to be finer and more uniform than Canadian; and the leather was mostly imported from the States. About 200 dozen pair of socks which would sell at 25 to 50 cents a pair were made daily and about 40 dozen pair of mitts and gloves, selling at 50 cents to a dollar. The mill employed eighty to a hundred workers. When Joseph died his son Arthur carried on the business until 1957 making it a three generation family business. The Knitting Mill was carried on by the family until 1957, when it was sold to Grew, Penrice and Graham . The Beaumonts produced socks, blankets and mittens in this mill for over 100 years. In 1982 the mill was sold and closed. Today the building serves as the Beaumont Mill Antiques & Collectibles market. Visitors can see the ongoing restoration work of the mill from the inside as they shop at the market.
caption: Beaumont Knitting Mill workers - 1893
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