There was a glove factory in Bow Street from at least 1907 until 1971, employing mainly women. Originally owned by the Vaughan family, who came from Martock, in the 1930s it was taken over and run by Southcombe & Co. Sidney Warner managed the Langport factory from 1952, and in 1971 he bought it from Dents Gloves, who had owned it since 1967.
Many outworkers also made gloves in their own homes, even after the factory closed. This ‘piece work’ provided a valuable source of income at a time when agricultural wages were low. It was also a social activity, as can be seen in the many group photographs that have survived.
More details can be found in: Hand in glove: Langport’s place in gloving history. See our Publications page. As well as a history of the factory, it includes many images of the ‘glove girls’ and some first hand accounts of what it was like working there.
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