Industrial settlement in Braddan, on the outskirts of Douglas, developed around a nineteenth-century textile works.

A note added to the Manx Society edition of Feltham’s Tour through the Isle of Man described the works at Cronkbourne as having changed considerably from their earlier use. Linen manufacture had ceased, and the factory was instead producing sailcloth and fishing nets using both water and steam power.

The proprietor, William Fine Moore, employed about 200 people. For the workforce he built what the editor called “quite a village” of superior cottages. A schoolroom and accommodation for its mistress were also provided. The schoolroom was licensed for public worship, with a service held there every Sunday evening at half past six and on other occasions.

The same account remarked that the countryside around Tromode and Cronkbourne had been greatly altered since Feltham’s visit and described the valley looking towards the mountains as particularly beautiful.

William Fine Moore also appears in the membership lists of the Manx Society as a member of the House of Keys, resident at Cronkbourne in Braddan.