The Marland Family

Obediah Marland of Park Bridge

Mr Lees was strict, he was not unkindly, he would never discharge a man without good and ample reason. Obediah Marland was a puddler, and served the firm for 66 years, he boasted that he had puddled enough iron to make a battleship, and supped enough ale to float it in. Before the turn of the century a new manager was employed to take charge of the Top Forge, and the old man scoffed at him, whereupon the new manager sacked him. Obediah continued to puddle iron and said nothing. The manager mentioned the incident to the general manager, who was aghast at what his under manager had done. "You can't sack him" he said. "I can't sack him, no-one but Mr Lees himself can do that, and he would not for £100. Listen lad, our iron is reckoned best in't world, and yon's chap as maks it. Go and apologise to him and you'll learn something." Needless to say the new manager did not reign long, and Obediah continued to puddle iron. He continued well into his seventies, and his son fearing for his safety, asked Mr Lees to sack him for his own good. Mr Lees could not do it however, so they compromised, and Mr Lees asked Obediah to take a few weeks holiday with pay. This Obediah did and never returned to his work, ending his days peacefully pottering around the village.

collected by Geoff Marland

Photograph of the remains of Park Bridge Ironworks, Ashton under Lyne, from the Park Bridge web page, http://www.ashton-under-lyne.com/parkbridge.htm.

For more on Park Bridge see Tameside Borough's publication Park Bridge Remembered, and the Tameside website at http://www.tameside.gov.uk/parkbridge