Marjorie Knowles, Cotton Queen of Burnley

iBase ID

323148

Reference identifier

EBU-U01-M3-3-1

Title

Marjorie Knowles, Cotton Queen of Burnley

Place

Burnley

Personal names

Marjorie Knowles

General notes

Marjorie Knowles was named Cotton Queen by the Daily Dispatch in 1932 - effectively a ‘queen of queen’s’ title organised by the long-defunct Manchester national newspaper. Then aged 18, she worked for Sharples and Co Ltd and had been named Burnley’s Cotton Queen that same year - each town would have its own title-holder. Her reign saw her undertake a number of official duties and she wore a coat and gown specially woven by her employers, who also crafted a commemorative serviette for the occasion. Marjorie, who had three sisters, Gladys, Renee and Hilda, and a brother, Jack, later married a university lecturer and moved abroad, working in the Virgin Islands and New York. She is thought to have died in her mid-70s in Florida.

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Medium

Photographic print

Colour

Monochrome

Year of image

1932

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Subjects

Place Names > Burnley

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