Amelia Oldroyd came from a family deeply embedded in the industrial success of West Yorkshire. Her grandfather, Mark Oldroyd, started a cloth manufacturing business, and by 1851, their mill in Dewsbury employed 30 men.

It was Amelia’s father, George Oldroyd, who significantly expanded Sprinkwell Mill, creating immense wealth for the family.

However, this prosperity came at the expense of local workers, who often endured long hours in dangerous, unhealthy conditions.

Mills were typically noisy, dusty, and hot, with children as young as eight working alongside adults.

George’s death in 1876 was recorded in the Dewsbury Reporter:

“George Oldroyd, Esq, was a hand-loom weaver in his early years and by his diligence and a remarkable aptitude for business he, his father and his brother John succeeded in raising themselves to a position of great affluence, establishing the firm of M Oldroyd and Sons, the largest of its kind in the world.” (Dewsbury Reporter, 26 August 1876)