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THE
JOURNAL OF THE WILKINSON SOCIETY No. 4, 1976 Programme
of Events for 1976-7 GLASSMAKING
IN BROSELEY by T. C. Hancox BOAT-BUILDING
IN THE IRONBRIDGE GORGE by N. J. Clarke COAL,
IRON AND CLAY . . AND THE LAW! by N. J. Clarke
JOSIAH
J0HN GUEST, 1785-1852 by N. J. Clarke BROSELEY
MORRIS DANCERS 300 YEARS AGO by E. H. Pee Editor
.. N. J. Clarke The WILKINSON SOCIETYThe
Society was formed in 1972 to meet the need for an organisation to preserve the
material and documentary evidence of Broseley’s industrial past. Since an
important part in this industrial past was played by John Wilkinson, who lived
for a time at ‘The Lawns’, it was decided that the organisation should be
known as 'The Wilkinson Society'. The
aims of the Society are:- (i)
to act as custodian of any
relevant material and information and
to make such material and
information available to interested individuals
and organisations; (ii)
to promote any relevant preservation
activity and to assist individuals
or organisations in such activity
where deemed appropriate; (iii)
to provide a link with the community of Broseley for
individuals or organisations undertaking local historical research. Any
available material will be added to the existing collection of Broseley and
Wilkinson relics at ‘The Lawns’, Broseley. This collection is open to the
public on Saturdays and Sundays (2 to 4 pm) and by appointment. Administration
of the Society is by an annually elected committee. Membership is open to anyone
interested in the Society's aims and activities. These activities include
illustrated lectures, social evenings, researching and exhibiting the
Collection, field trips and coach -tours. Members are
kept informed by a Newsletter, and an
annual Journal presents articles on the history of the Broseley area, John
Wilkinson and industrial archaeology in general. NOTES AND NEWSThe Year's activitiesThe
third Annual General Meeting was held at "The Lawns" or. Friday 24th
October 1975. The serving committee was unanimously re-elected for a further
year. It
was agreed after a good deal of discussion that most subscriptions should be
raised for 1975-6 and that at the same time a new rate for married couples
should be introduced. The subscriptions agreed were: Adult
- £1.00 Husband
and Wife - £l-50 Senior
Citizens - £0.50 Junior
- £0.25 It was also agreed that the price of the Journal to non-members would have to be raised to 20p (plus postage) A
Museum Committee was set up to look at the problems involved in running the
museum. After
the formal meeting, our Secretary, Mr. Maurice Hawes, gave an illustrated talk
which he called "One Man's View of the Severn Gorge" On
Friday 21st November Mr. Barrie Trinder paid his second visit as a guest
speaker, his subject being "L'Ecomusée at Le Creusot in Burgundy".
His informative and scholarly talk was greatly appreciated. A 'Members'
Evening’ was held on Friday 6th February, following the pattern of the
previous year. By an odd coincidence, three different members between them
brought along a considerable number of items relating to the Benthall Potteries,
and. this made the evening most successful. Sherry was provided, and two 1917
Coalport floral-decorated saucers were won in a raffle by Mrs. Morris of
Tollgate Cottage, Coneybury. On
Friday 12th March Mr. Stuart Smith was our visiting speaker and his subject "Art
in the Severn Gorge" proved highly entertaining and enlightening. During
the months of March, April, May and June a small party of members, led by Chris
Pointon, set about the task of redecorating and reorganising the Museum.
This tremendous effort is described in more detail elsewhere in this Journal The
Annual Outing planned for Saturday 5th June 1976 to the Gladstone Pottery
Museum had to be cancelled because of lack of support.
This was the first time a Society function had suffered such a fate. However,
the Weekend Trip to the Backbarrow and Lindale areas of Cumberland was
esteemed a great success by the 12 members who tool part, on Saturday/Sunday 26th/27th
June 1976. The
Second Annual Celebrity Lecture., in association with the Broseley Gala
Committee, was held in the Church Hall on Friday 2nd July. Mr. Neil Cossons,
Director of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum, spoke on "Preserving our
Industrial Heritage" to a large and enthusiastic audience, who were
stimulated into a lengthy question and answer session after the lecture proper.
This was a most successful event on a, very pleasant summer evening and
refreshments, provided as usual by Mrs. Pee and Mrs. Hawes, were enjoyed outside
the Hall in the sunshine after the talk. During
July and August a Brochure was produced to publicise the newly-decorated
and reorganised Museum. The credit for this really belongs to Mr. Ralph Pee,
whose brain-child it was. Your secretary, with the expert help of Mrs. M. Rees-Boughton,
acted as Midwife when it came to the typing and printing. The
last event of the year was the Official Opening of the New Museum on
Saturday 4th September 1976. The ceremony was most capably and elegantly
performed by County Councillor Mrs. Natalie Hodgson, who had clearly done her
homework on John Wilkinson. Her address was warmly received by a gathering which
comfortably filled the Museum and included most of the members who had helped
with the work and a number of distinguished guests. In
addition to the foregoing, Committee Meetings were held on 7th
January, 20th February and 22nd July, 1976. Programme of Events for 1976-7 22nd
October Fourth Annual General Meeting followed by a 'blow-by-blow' account of the
Weekend in Cumbria., given by Messrs. Chris Pointon, Howard Griffiths, and
Maurice Hawes. 12th
November Dr. Ivor Brown - "Old Mines, Miners and Mining Machinery on the
Banks of the Severn Gorge". February
Members' evening (details to be announced) March
Talk (to be arranged) Spring/Summer
Coach Trip (to be arranged) The JournalDespite
increased costs of stencils and duplicating papers, we are able to maintain the
price of the Journal to non-members at 20p We are grateful to Mrs. Rees-Boughton
for the typing of this issue. Copies
of this issue of the Journal and back numbers can be obtained from the
Secretary, Maurice Hawes, Salop Street, Bridgnorth (25p including postage). Contributions
to further issues of the Journal would be welcome and should be sent to the
Editor, N. J. Clarke, Cranleigh, Little Wenlock, Telford. GLASSMAKING IN BROSELEY BOAT-BUILDING IN THE IRONBRIDGE GORGE COAL, IRON AND CLAY . . AND THE LAW!The
following list is the entry for Broseley and its neighbourhood in William
Bailey's "Western and Midland Directory" of 1783 (pp. 365-6). The
original spelling has been retained. "Broseley,
Shropshire, and Neighbourhood. Market Day, Wednesday. Banck,;Wm.
and Co., Iron-masters., Benthall. Bill
and Thirsfield, Potters., Brosley. Blakeway,
Edward, Esq., ditto. Bradley,
George, Pipe--makers, Benthall. Ferriday,
Wm., Iron-master, Medley. Firmstone,
Joseph, Potter, Brosley. Goodwin,
Wm. Esq., Coal-owner, Coalbrookdale. Legg,,
Richard, Pipemaker, Brosley. Legg,
Richard, ditto, ditto. Legg,
Benj., ditto, ditto. Matthews,
George, Iron-founder, ditto. Parry,
John, Attorney, ditto. Rathbone,
Joseph., + Co., Iron-masters, Coalbrookdale. Reynolds,
Richard, + Cal, ditto, Ketly Roden,
Samuel, Pipe-maker, Brosley Wood Simpson,
Aaron, Potter, Brosley. Simpson,
Richard, ditto, ditto. Stanley,
John, Attorney, Coalbrookdale. Turner
and Gallimore, Porcelain Manufactory, Brosley. Wright
and Jepson, Iron-founders, ditto An
interesting omission is John Wilkinson and the New Willey Company. N.
J. C THE JOHN WILKINSON SCHOOLLocal readers will be aware that the name selected for the new primary school in Coalport Road, Broseley, is that of John Wilkinson. In view of the fact that his name was also selected a few years ago for one of the, "houses" in the Secondary school at Much Wenlock, it must be concluded that some sort of breakthrough has at last been achieved to balance the Victorian prejudices against J.W. Whether this is a result of the Society's activities or not, we can only be pleased at this turn of events, which is bound to make local children curious about our hero, and may well lead some of them to take an interest in our activities. M.A.H. OUR NEW MUSEUM"Strike
while the iron is hot" could well be considered an appropriate motto for
the Society, and it can most certainly be applied to those members who, under
the dynamic direction of Chris Pointon, took up where last year's Annual General
Meeting left off on the question of reorganising; the Museum. After
two lively committee meetings examining the highly professional plans prepared
by Mrs. Claire Morley, it was decided to go ahead along the lines suggested by
her. Messrs. Pointon, Cragg, Whall; Burns, Silvester and Hawes put on their
overalls and started stripping and making good the walls and ceiling; of the
main room. Meanwhile, Mr. Pee had
organised the provision of new electrical wiring. At this time the weather was exceedingly cold and the party
were extremely grateful for the copious hot coffee supplied by Mrs. Pee.
After several Sunday mornings, the preparation was complete and the
painting commenced. "Sandtex everywhere" and the transformation was
well under way. The
next stage was to erect the frameworks for the new stands, using "Handy
Angle" material most generously donated by the manufacturers through the
good offices of Mr. G. Whittaker. To do this, the volunteers were given a crash
course by Chris Pointon, covering the intricacies involved! Thanks to this
instruction, none of the party lost any fingers, though once or twice it was a
near thing. The
stands were then clothed and fitted with fluorescent lamps. Meanwhile., the
woodwork was painted and the huge kitchen range was re-blacked. The floor
presented quite a problem, but in the end, thanks to the prodigious efforts of
Ralph Pee, all was well. Whilst
the main party concentrated on the large room, Ralph, when not otherwise
engaged, performed small miracles on the two smaller rooms and the cellar to
complete the scene. Last but not least, Neil Clarke organised most effectively
the labelling of the newly arranged exhibits. Thus,
after six months' hard work, the Museum was ready for the official reopening in
early September. I
know that all members of the Society will agree that this effort for which
thanks are due to all concerned., must now be backed up by a readiness on the
part of every member to help as much as possible with the day-to-day manning of
the Museum. Help is needed not only to staff the museum on Saturday and Sunday
afternoons, but also to assist in the general tidying and cleaning and in
looking after the exhibits. I am sure that this will be seen as an opportunity
for everyone to take an active part in our effort to stimulate interest in
Broseley, in its place in the industrial history of the Severn Gorge, and in the
special contributions of John Wilkinson to the iron industry. JOSIAH JOHN GUEST, 1785-1852BROSELEY MORRIS DANCERS 300 YEARS AGOThe
adventures of a party of Broseley morris dancers in the time of the Commonwealth
are thus detailed in the sessions records of Wenlock: 'August 9th 1652. To the Wor'full the Baylife and Justices of the Towns and lybertyes of Much Wenlock certifying: That
all wee whose names are subscribed Inhabitants of the Parishe of Astley Abbots
doe certifye that upon Munday in Whitsunday week bein`g the 7th of
June last past there came a Morrice daunce forth of the Parish of Broseley with
six sword bearers and a rude.companye of followers throwe ye whole bodie of this
our said Parish being uninvited or desired by any one within the said Parish
that wee doe know of. And coming to Nordley unto the house of Richard Pensham a
lycensed ale seller calling for what drinke they pleased left most party thereof
unpaid and nott onely inseulted the people of the house butt also al the rest of
the neighbors and people there present with sour that were absent that have bine
aproved frendes and servants to ye Parliament of England as likewise Mr.
Crowther who desircing they to pay
ye poore woman for their drinke they there upon presentley called her bad names
many tymes and in this way misbehaveing themselves in letting theire tongues run
at large that yf there had bine a considerable partye to have mashed them yt is
beleeved there would have bine a Create fray and blood shed yf nott murder
comitted many of those rude persons haveing borne armes against ye Parliament as
will be mad to apeare to your worships. Subscribed
with our hands ye day and yeare above written Signed AMS
X CROWTHER GEO
X FELTON KATHEREIN
X POWELL Many
other witnesses might be presented butt conceive these to be sufficient. The
leader of them or lord of misrule was William Homes junior; the vice called the
lord's son was John Johnson junior. The
most abusive were Thomas Lee sword bearer who formerly and also in ye last
service att Worcester bore armes against ye Parliament: John Eavens badger of
flanen a revolted Parliament souldier as hee confesseth and sayes hee will now
continue a cavelleire as long as he lives, and William Neve a trayned souldier
being upon the states service upon the 7th of October last past was forelaid
upon the high way by the said John Eavens being armed with a very large pike.' E.
H. PEE CURATOR'S REPORTThe
re-opening of the redecorated and re-designed. Museum was unfortunately too late
in the. year to assess the effect of the new layout on the visiting public. The
few late season visitors we did have after the re-opening-were very enthusiastic
and we can, I believe, look forward to a successful season in 1977. The
job is now to keep it bright and attractive, improve the exhibits, sell it to
the public as something worth seeing; and lastly to keep it manned during
opening hours. We'
now have a very welcome and enthusiastic assistant curator, Mr. Peter Mugridge,
but it seems likely that more help will be required when the season opens. Mr.
Mugridge has brought some welcome additions to our collection of tiles and
pipes. Some five specimens of tiles have also been obtained from among the
effects of Mr Jim Roberts of Delphside, an enthusiastic and knowledgeable member
who died recently. Also
from these effects we have obtained a fine specimen of a disappearing tool, a
tinman's blow pipe; a few augers, important tools not represented until now in
our collection. These items have come to us by courtesy of Mr F. Ball who has
also renewed the loan of the models made, and previously owned, by Mr Roberts. Two
outstanding items have been given by Mr J. Horley, a brass tilemaker's stamp
from the Tileries and a unique little photographic tile from Craven Dunnhill
depicting one of the Chamberlain brothers. Mr
E. H. Pee has started a scrap book to be kept in the Museum for the collection
of newspaper cuttings, etc. dealing; with events and places in Broseley and
district. It is already very interesting, but as the maintenance of a scrap book
is a continuous process it is hoped that members will contribute items of
interest. R.
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