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THE
JOURNAL OF THE WILKINSON SOCIETY No. 8 :1980 The
Year's Activities (1978 - 79)
Programme
of Events for 1979 - 80
"A
LATERAL LOOK AT IRON AND STEEL":by W R V GALE
SOME
MINING INCIDENTS IN THE BROSELEY FIELD BY I J BROWN
BARGES
IN VICTORIAN SHROPSHIRE by R.A. BARKER
A
GRAVEYARD OF BARGES ? R. Pee
JACKFIELD
IN 1851 by S. PERFECT and V. WEST
(AN
ANALYSIS OF THE CENSUS RETURNS FOR THE RIVERSIDE PORTION OF THE PARISH OF
BROSELEY
NEW
HADLEY COLLIERY AND IRONWORKS by Dr I J BROWN BOAT-BUILDING IN THE IRONBRIDGE GORGE by H WATERHOUSE "KING
OF THE IRONMASTERS" by L F PELTOR
THE
IRON BRIDGE BICENTENARY by R CHAPLIN
JOHN
WILKINSON'S TRADE TOKENS by P CRIDDLE THE
SEVERN IN SOUTH SHROPSHIRE by R C Pee.
THE WILKINSON SOCIETYThe Society was formed in 1972 to meet the demand 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", Church Street, Broseley.
This collection is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays between
Easter and September, from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m., or at other times 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 newsletters, and this annual Journal presents articles on the
history of the Broseley area, John Wilkinson, and industrial archaeology in
general. NOTES AND NEWSThe Year's Activities (1978 - 79)The
sixth Annual General Meeting was held at the Cumberland Hotel, Broseley on 27th
October, 1978. At this meeting Mr.
N.J.Clarke indicated that he would wish to retire from the Chairmanship at the
end of the season. The existing committee was re-elected for a further year. In
order to simplify the annual subscription system, the Adult Subscription was
fixed at £1 per head, uniformly, and the Junior Subscription was raised to 50p.
After the close of business, Mr. John Cragg gave a most, interesting talk on
"The Broseley Association for the Prosecution of Felons". The
next meeting was on 10th November, 1978. Mr. W. Smith, of The Polytechnic,
Wolverhampton, gave an illustrated lecture on "The Bradley Ironworks of
John Wilkinson". After the meeting Mr. S. Smith, Deputy Director of the
Ironbridge Gorge Museum, showed members an 18th century oil portrait of John
Wilkinson recently acquired by the I.G.M.T. The
joint meeting with the Friends of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum took place on 8th
December, 1978 at the Severn Warehouse, Ironbridge. The
subject was "Thomas Telford, the Uncommon. Genius". Members
enjoyed particularly an amateur colour cine film made on the Caledonian Canal in
the late 1930's. The
usual Social Evening was held at "The Lawns" on 9th February, 1979.
The theme was "Decorative Tiles", and some very unusual
specimens were brought along by members for our inspection. The
next indoor meeting was to have taken place on Friday, 16th March, 1979, at
"The Lawns". Mr. Ernie Harris, a member of the Society, intended to
speak on "Broseley as I remember it". Unfortunately, there was
very heavy snow in the Broseley area on the day, and when 4 feet had accumulated
the meeting was postponed at extremely short notice using the members grape-vine
as far as was possible. As
an experiment, the Summer Excursion was planned as a joint venture with
the Friends of the I.G.M.T. on Saturday, 21st July 1979, to the Piece Hall,
Halifax, Shibden Hall and the Wainhouse Tower. The
fifth annual Celebrity Lecture took place on 31st August 1979, at "The
Lawns". Mr. W.K.V.Gale gave "A lateral look at Iron and Steel"
which was much appreciated by a somewhat smaller audience than usual. ( It
appears that this event might be better served by arranging it for a date in
early July. - Sec.) The
Ironbridge Bi-centenary celebrations were held during the week commencing
2nd July, 1979; and although the Society did not participate formally, many
members, including the Chairman and the Treasurer, took a very active part in
the celebrations at the Broseley end. In
addition to the above, Committee Meetings were held at "The Lawns" on
6th October, 1978 and 6th July, 1979. Programme of Events for 1979 - 8012th
October : Seventh A.G.M., followed by a talk - "Broseley and the Iron
Bridge" - by Mr. Ralph Pee. 9th
November : "Broseley as I remember it" - talk by Mr. Ernie Harris
(postponed from last March). 13th
December : Joint meeting with the Friends of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum at the
Severn Warehouse - film evening. 15th
February : Members' social evening at "The Lawns". 7th
March : Illustrated talk - "The work of Thomas Farnolls Pritchard in
Shropshire" - by Mr. J.B. Lawson. 27th
April : Annual summer outing - joint visit with the Friends of I.G.M.T. to the
model Industrial Village of Styal, Cheshire, and the Anderton Boat Lift. July
Sixth Annual
Celebrity Lecture (details to be announced). The
Journal Our
"Iron Bridge Bi-centenary Number" devoted to the life and work of John
Wilkinson (Journal No.7, 1979) appears to have been well received and we had
requests for it from near and far. In our
present issue we revert to our standard format, with three major articles, two
shorter notes and a lengthy correspondence section. Further
copies of the Journal and back numbers can be obtained from the Secretary,
Maurice Hawes, 18, Salop Street, Bridgnorth, price 40p each (including postage).
Contributions to future issues would be welcome, and should be sent to
the Editor, N.J. Clarke, "Cranleigh", Little Wenlock, Telford "A LATERAL LOOK AT IRON AND STEEL":The
1979 Celebrity Lecture. In
a stimulating and provocative lecture Mr. W.R.V. GALE selected some of the major
developments in the history of iron and steel and tried to relate them to the
events of the present. In particular, he pointed out the economic folly of
regarding any raw material as inexhaustible - be it coal iron ore or oil! He
gave as an example of wasteful exploitation by the iron industry of his own
native Black Country; and it is this part of Mr. Gale lecture that we have
pleasure in publishing in this issue of the Journal. "In
the first half of the 19th century the iron trade of the Black Country grew at a
remarkable rate and for a time it was the biggest iron producer in the world. It
had every possible advantage. At very shallow depths all over the area there
were vast quantities of coal, ironstone, limestone clay and sand - everything in
fact that was needed to build and operate blast furnaces, ironworks and
associated iron-using factories. The
famous Thick Coal or Ten Yard seam which was 30ft (9 m) thick and yielded, even
allowing for the wasteful method of working at times, 20,000 tons to the acre.
Ironstone was less abundant, the seams providing about 1,200 tons to the acre.
The other minerals, which were needed in much smaller quantities, were more than
sufficient for the industry's needs Working
the Thick Seam was difficult. Because of its thickness it was not possible to
use the longwall system (or Shropshire system) which took out virtually the
whole of the seam. The Thick Coal was worked by the pillar and stall method,
which took, on the first (or whole) working, about half the coal. A second
working (the broken) should, in theory, have enabled second half of the coal to
be won. In practice this often failed and half or more of the seam was lost for
ever. The
problem was that the market only wanted lump coal and all the slack produced in
winning the seam was very nearly unsaleable. So most of it was left behind; its
only useful purpose being to act as a platform for the miners to stand on while
they worked the upper part of the seam. Black Country Thick Coal has a high
sulphur content and as the air could get at the piles of slack they often caught
fire by spontaneous combustion. Such a fire could never be put out - not that
anybody tried very hard. So the slack, the pillars left for the second working,
and often enough large areas of virgin coal were destroyed. The fire simply
burnt on until it reached a worked out or waterlogged area or a natural fault.
It is impossible to say how much coal was lost in this way but it was probably
millions of tons. The 'Fiery Holes' public house, in Great Bridge Road, Moxley,
Bilston, marks the site of one of the worst areas but there were many others. It
is easy - in fact it is now fashionable – to blame our forefathers for our
present troubles. But while they certainly wasted irreplaceable fuel by bad methods of
working that the situation was unprecedented. They found themselves in trouble
and had no past experience to guide them. They did the only thing they could.
They abandoned the burning areas and opened up new ones. The coal was still
cheap and - here we come across a word which had great currency in the 19th
century and which we hear even now - there was so much of it that it was
'inexhaustible', or so people said. What we have learnt from their experience is
another matter. In time, of course - and sooner than some people expected - there were signs that the raw materials for ironmaking were not inexhaustible at all. Iron ore was the first to cause trouble. By the 1840s some of the seams in the older part of the Black Country were worked out and ore had to be transported from the newer, western, part of the area. Coal, for the time being, was still abundant though a few more farsighted people were beginning to realise that the supplies were finite. By the last decade of the 19th century the end was in sight for the Black Country. The iron had gone and the amount of coal that remained was too small to be of significance. Of course, this was inevitable. Use any finite natural material and it is bound to be worked out sooner or later. My point is that by using it wrongly, the end comes much sooner than it need. The
Black Country was the first area to get into trouble in a way which has
since become familiar. With the exhaustion of the Black Country natural
resources the iron trade simply moved on to places where it could still get
cheap raw materials and energy. Teeside was a particularly favoured area and
from the 1850s onwards the iron industry developed there in much the same way as
it had done in the Black Country half a century earlier. It
is true that more efficient ways of making iron were developed but the goal was
always either increased production or lower costs - or both. Nobody gave any
real thought to the idea of using less raw materials or energy simply because
they were still thought to be inexhaustible." SOME MINING INCIDENTS IN THE BROSELEY FIELD by I J BROWN BARGES IN VICTORIAN SHROPSHIRE by R.A. BARKER(from
photographs in the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Collection) The
Ironbridge Gorge Museum's collection of photographs now contains a considerable
number which depict boat types formerly in use in the Gorge, few of which have
been published. The more important items
are cited at the end of this note, which also draws upon some of the better line
drawings. They reveal almost without exception a type of barge unnoticed by
historians. The better known version of the Severn Crow (as in 'crow'; c.f.
Shropshire trow as in 'cow') is conspicuous only by its absence. While this is
not unexpected, granted the probable dating of the collection (1860 - 1900 say)
and the economies of transport at that period, it is remarkable how quickly the
old up-river boats disappeared from the collective memory of maritime writers. This
occurred to such an extent that a renowned scholar could write in questioning
terms of, for example, trow topmasts being set up behind the main masthead - as
clearly seen in many eighteenth century drawings. This is indeed an unusual
feature, but a photograph now vindicates the accuracy of some drawings, at
least. This feature also serves to indicate the great differences which occurred
between the up-river boats of the late nineteenth century (themselves remarkably
like, but more heavily built than, the boats of the lower river in the
eighteenth century) and the popularly received connotation of trow as an
estuarial and coastal vessel, fore and aft rigged, 'carvel' built, often
'boxed', and of considerable draught and solidity. Since most features of the
up-river trows are different from their estuarial descendants, I shall not
attempt to compare them directly in this note. (The classic source for more
general information is Grahame Farr's "The Severn Trow", in Mariner's
Mirror Vol.32, 1946, pp.66 - 95. Earlier items in Mariner's Mirror are
regrettably unreliable - describing, for example, the great traffic down the
Severn from the coalmines of Worcestershire in the century before the opening of
the canals, and locating the Bower Yard at Shrewsbury or if you prefer, Bristol
!) The
photographs show a class of boat which from other evidence may be "barge:
rather than "trows" (there is no satisfactory definition to
distinguish how many vessels registered at Gloucester after 1850 under local
owners are "barges", and these were arguably among the larger craft in
use. Those photographed are demonstrably of the order 65 - 70 feet long, 14 - 16
feet wide and all very shallow (Registered lengths were up to 80 feet, and
depths were frequently less than three feet). They are clench built, and
the individual strakes are exceptionally wide - the width after cutting to shape
as much as 16 inches, with bevels of about 30 degrees on the plank edges at
bilge, also unusual. The hulls are clearly round-bilged, and parallel-sided
for most of their length. Their stems are
perhaps straighter and more vertical than drawings suggest; their transoms are
upright and a very shallow "D" in elevation. The sterns are formed
without a concave tuck but with a skeg formed in the deadwood. There are
mouldings as rubbing strakes; capping rails; and small washstrakes at stem and
stern. All have completely open holds (with in one case side cloths rigged);
there are the usual short working decks fore and aft, perhaps fifteen feet long.
The bulkhead at the forward end of the hold, at least, is not complete; there
are small hatches on each deck; and in several cases a suggestion of a stove
chimney. The
shape of the hull leads to conjecture about the run of the planking: the
Hartshorne drawing in the collection and some folklore from down-river boats
suggest that the floors could have been laid with carvel planking, merged into
clinker planking on a different alignment at the bilge, to get round the,
problem of the planking runs at the very full, shallow bows. It would certainly
be reasonable to employ flush planking on the flat floors in such shallow, rocky
stretch of river. Rudders
are massively constructed, and because the barges were operated primarily by
towing from the banks, at low speed and often shallow draft, they are very long
- possibly as much as eight feet. The tillers are correspondingly long to reduce
the effort and were evidently cut from carefully selected timber to elegant
curves. The top edge of the rudder blade was also curved, in an "S"
from. The sheer size of the rudder makes it unwieldy, and problems must have
arisen in eighteenth century locks. The
single masts, usually with one square-sail yard, are set up by simple rigging:
two shrouds and a relieving tackle (set up for alternative use as a cargo gear
?) each side is typical, all necessarily led aft of the tabernacle (of which
little can be seen). No ratlines can be seen : largely superfluous if the whole
mast can be lowered (at least if there is no topsail fitted), but nonetheless
are seen in several drawings. There is no evidence that the heels of the trows'
masts were counterbalanced (as for instance in wherries) and the load in the
stayfall tackle is consequently of the order of half a ton when the masthead is
lowered - heavy work, and the forestay has massive sister blocks leading to a
simple timber-framed winch on the foredeck (there is also a heavy timber
windlass in the eyes of the vessel for handling an anchor or warps). Backstays
and running rigging to the yard appear from what evidence there is to run to
timber-heads set on the quarters: but it must be said that the rigging is not
generally clear - and only two photographs actually show sails, which are not
set. The standing rigging in at least two photographs is seen to be formed of a
long-link chain, which Stuart Smith considers to be colliery winding chain -
doubtless near the end of its life! One
photograph and several excellent drawings show topmasts, set up behind the
lowermast, probably to gain a couple of feet clearance under old stone arch
bridges, which would often have to be negotiated in high water conditions; but
possibly for other reasons also. For example, to facilitate the lead of the
mast-head tow ropes, led high to allow the rope to clear obstacles and scrub on
the river bark (the heavy tree growth in the banks: along the old towing paths
cannot be a long-standing feature!), or to be able to lower the topmast without
first lowering the main yard. The topmasts could be struck independently of the lowermasts, perhaps to reduce the load on the stayfall tackle when raising the
masts, or for clearances again. The
square sail yard is slung centrally and is generally seen stowed fore and aft
between the shrouds, rather than crossed. This might indicate several things:
habit formed of long necessity when lying against warehouses or other vessels,
clearance on bridges, general disuse of sails, or normal use of the spar as
cargo gear. Again there is too little evidence. Strangely the topsail yard is
stowed in a similar fashion, but below the main yard, which would have called
for some intricate handling to get it across the forestay: even the main yard
would require some direct handling to stow it between the shrouds. Little
can be seen of internal structures: the floors would be ceiled (certainly,
except that one drawing shows two barges both with unceiled holds and a heavy
sheer-clamp can be distinguished. There is no ceiling between the bilge and the
clamp and the frames are seen in the gap. These are single timbers regularly
spaced in the hold. All
else is conjecture: a light keel-plank, massive keelson, and framing on a
largely ad-hoc basis, probably. Some at least of the later down-river trows were
also lightly built; although the planking was flush-laid in these latter boats,
it is quite clear that the frames were not pre-erected as in strict
"carvel" fashion: much of the framing was fastened only to planking
which must have preceded it. The frames were single, and (away from the crutch
and cant timbers at bow and stern) comprised floors cut from straight timber
with only slightly up-turned ends, futtocks to form the bilge, and top-timbers
from there to the capping rail, with timber-heads and rail stanchions added
separately. As the size and range of trows increased the frames and fixings
became correspondingly heavier, up to double frames in the style of large ships.
Examples of various styles can be seen in hulks-in the Lydney - Sharpness reach. The
following is a note of the more important items in the collection. A word of
caution is necessary: many photographs are clearly different views of the same
barge; the number of different barges represented is unknown. Few can be dated
with any confidence. Science
Museum 33/39. Barge and Iron Bridge. Bow view with considerable detail.
(Seen from a different angle in A1476 and probably in A902). A9.
"The last Severn trow" ("William", of Broseley),
with a punt. A fine study from the port quarter, seen opposite Coalport. The punt is of the old Severn style, having deep sides, marked sheet, and undecked – the type can still be seen in Gloucestershire. The barge is also seen broadside-on in A623. A11.
Coalport ferry. Appears as a small flush-decked barge, and in A116 with
curious repairs to the clinker hull. Also seen in A569, and A627, and in a
poignant distant view in A1481. A282.
View of a barge at Ludcroft Wharf, from Benthall Edge. A352. The classic view of the Severn Warehouse with three large vessels and a punt. The nearest is of much larger burthen than the other vessels seen in the collection; one of the barges is completely unrigged. A696.
Fine view of three barges at Ludcroft Wharf, with considerable detail. A706.
Intriguing view of a barge with a bulky cargo contained by hurdles supported on
spare sweeps. A598.
Barge at Ironbridge. An exceptionally clear view of a barge loading a cargo of bricks. A2312.
Three barges aground at the Bower Yard, including the only topmast in a
photograph. There
are also several valuable drawings in the collection, including : A1911.
A sketch showing Ludcroft Wharf, Bower Yard and two barges. Hartshorne drawing
c.1858, from Northants CRO, of barges and boats at Bower Yard." Finely
drawn, showing repair work. A small boat is
shown fitted with a large winch, for no obvious reason. A56.
River scene, 1804. The finest of all trow drawings, it is from an original at Tewkesbury,
where the scene is set. It epitomises the river prior to canalisation. J.
Fidlor's "Ironbridge", c.1850. Apart from the interesting details of
the barge in this view, there is an intriguing variation of the
"traditional" Ironbridge coracle. We
are clearly left with many unanswered questions and a long way from producing a
reliable, comprehensive, drawing of a barge or trow of this period.
Internal structure, underwater shape and details of rigging are matters
largely of conjecture. The latter is profusely represented in countless drawings
in the Museum's collection and elsewhere, but is generally of doubtful
reliability and presents more questions than answers. If we accept the ratlines
of Fidlor's "Ironbridge", for example - which certainly shows the
topmast abaft the lower mast, should we not also accept the tumble-homed,
circular coracle : We must re-write the history of the Ironbridge coracle, too. There
is a distinct gap between the light and lively eighteenth and early nineteenth
century vessels with their distinctively spoon-shaped bows and the barges of
these photographs; just as there is between the clinker barges and the later
trows of the canalised river. There is also a marked lack of rigging in these
tethered Shropshire barges compared with those of the Tewkesbury drawing,
indicating a gross difference in usage. The conclusion has to be, in fact, that
these barges are the last few dinosaurs from a past age, effectively stranded by
the unimproved shallows above Stourport, and finally displaced by the
warm-blooded railway. One
final thought: just how significant is it that the known photographs of these
large clinker barges are virtually all confined to the Gorge ? R.A.
BARKER A GRAVEYARD OF BARGES ? R. PeeAs
briefly mentioned in Journal No.6 (1978), the wrecks of no less than eight
vessels resembling narrow boats were found that summer in the River Severn at
Coalport by Mr. Ray Pringlescott and fellow-members of the R.A.F. Cosford
Sub-Aqua Club. In an effort to solve the mystery of these wrecks, they were
examined in some detail and an account of the survey was to have been given in
this issue of the Journal. We have since acquired more information, making the
publication of these details unnecessary. It
now appears that the wrecks were in fact of pontoons built sometime between the
wars to act as a retaining wall for the river bank just above the Half Moon
public house. With hindsight, this appears a particularly abortive effort in civil
engineering, not only because the stone filled pontoons are now some distance
downstream but also because the movement of the bank into the river in that area
seems almost irresistible. Rows of cottages have disappeared, and iron piles
used as the pontoons can now be seen in the middle of the river, having turned
right over in their journey from the bank One
interesting piece of information came to light during the investigation. The
public house which stood almost opposite the lower end of Coalport China Works
was the 'General Gordon' and nearby the remains of a quay can still be seen. R.
PEE. JACKFIELD IN 1851 by S. PERFECT and V. WESTCORRESPONDENCENEW HADLEY COLLIERY AND IRONWORKS by Dr I J BROWNFurther
to the article in Journal No.7 (1979), trying to compare the numbered shafts on
the plan of 1809 with those on the section of 1812 reveals some surprising
conclusions. The section is purely diagrammatic, since the numbered shafts do
not appear in a line on the plan. I believe that the line of section was
zig-zagged through the shafts, either because chronologically that is how they
had been numbered, or geologically to give a more horizontal strata. There are
very few instances where features on the plan fit in with features on the
section . I have visited the sites of most of the shafts over the years and
agree that they have either been quarried or tipped over; evidence of the shafts
remain, but structures have gone except, as you stated, the Water Engine
remains, which still existed last time I was there. Dr.
I. J. Brown, Wakefield (Aug. 1979) BOAT-BUILDING IN THE IRONBRIDGE GORGE by H WATERHOUSEWith
reference to the article in Journal No.4 (1976), I have a theory backed by some
evidence about the names of the first four boats listed on P.7 which I should
like to offer as food for thought : "BROTHERS",
1789: John and William
Wilkinson ? "JOSEPH",
1790: Dr. Joseph Priestley ? "WILLIAM",
1794: William Wilkinson "JOHN
AND MARY", 1795: John Wilkinson and his second wife, Mary Lee As
evidence it should be noted that (i)
all these boats were built within Wilkinson's time in this area; (ii)
there are other cases of Wilkinson using family and works names for his
vessels - e.g. the brig 'Bersham' and the sloop 'Mary' (Journal No.3, 1975, p.
8); (iii)
the 'Trial' of 1787 was built by Wilkinson's carpenter John Jones, alias
John o' Lincoln, perhaps the same man who built the 'Joseph' three years later. So
may I suggest that these are fair reasons to assume that the four boats listed
may have been built for John Wilkinson or a company in which he was a partner.
Furthermore, if these assumptions are ever proved correct, it would surely place
Wilkinson in the big league of ship owners and add another interesting facet to
his varied career. H.
Waterhouse, Manchester (Sept. 1979) "KING OF THE IRONMASTERS" by L F PELTORFurther
to the article in Journal No.7 (1979), I enclose some notes on the Wilkinson
family and its connections, and a correction. John
Wilkinson's father, Isaac (died 1784), of Clifton, near Workington, was a small
farmer and also a pot founder with Backbarrow Company, Colton in Furness.
He was described as "shrewd and intelligent" - this is
illustrated both by the patent he took out for a laundress's box iron, and by
his sending John to be educated at a dissenters' academy at Kendal, run by Caleb
Rotherham, D.D.(Edinburgh). Rotherham
(1694 - 1752) was born at Great Salkeld, near Penrith, and became the friend and
correspondent of Dr. Joseph Priestley. These two dissenting divines would
obviously greatly influence Wilkinson's well-known heterodox beliefs. Miss
Jessica Lofthouse,in 'The Curious Traveller through Lakeland', states that John
built or bought his own little forge and furnace down the Winster river at
Wilson House, near Lindale. From the Winster mosses he dug peat to use in
smelting haematite ore. For ease in
transport he cut a canal into the turbary and used a shallow turf-carrying boat.
Tradition says he made an iron boat, the first of its kind, for this work. One
was seen to sink in Helton Pool, a small tarn in which, they say, the
"first iron ship was tried out". But when 'The Trial' was launched on
the Severn in 1787, the Winster folk who had jeered "How dosta think
iron'l1 float?" were silenced. John's
brother, William (1743 - 1808), was educated at the Unitarian academy in
Warrington where Dr. Priestley was a tutor. He too became an ironmaster. Their
sister, Mary (1744 - 96), married, in 1762, Joseph Priestley, LL.D. (Edinburgh),
F.S.A. (1733 - 1804), who was born at Fieldhead, near Leeds. He was a dissenting
minister, and a man of science who discovered oxygen. Mary has been described by
one authority as Isaac's only daughter, but there seems to have been another,
Sarah (1745 - 1808), who married Thomas Jones, a surgeon of Leeds; John's nephew
and appointed heir was presumably their son. In
1755 John married Anne (1733 - 56), daughter of the Rev. Thomas Mawdesley of
Mawdesley Hall, Croston (Lanes), and Margaret (nee Godsalve), whose grandfather
was a merchant of Amsterdam. Anne's sister, Margaret (1753 - 1812), married John
Wilson,Robinson, Mayor of Kendal, 1756/7. Anne dying at the early age of 23,
John later married Mary Lee, of Wroxeter (1723 - 1806). He had a daughter by his
first wife but no issue is recorded of his second marriage. However, by Ann
Lewis, his housekeeper, John had three illegitimate children - Mary Anne,
Johnina and John. These three later assumed by Royal Licence the name Wilkinson,
and in 1808 were granted arms as follows :- Mary
Anne : gules a fess cowpony azure and argent cotised between 3 unicorns passant
of the last, in centre chief point the chemical character of Mars (i.e. Iron)
or; a bordure wavy ermine; Johnina
: as above, but the bordure erminois; John
: as above, but the bordure
gold. The
Crest in each case was - a mount vert theron a greyhound sejant argent collared
cowpony azure and argent, the dexter paw resting on a bezant charged with the
chemical character of Saturn (i.e. Lead) sable. With
reference to Wilkinson's arrival in this area in 1757 (p.2. paragraph the lease
on a furnace site at Willey was taken out from George Forester, E: (1735 -
1811), the 'Bachelor Squire' whose exploits were recorded by John Randall in
'Old Sports and Sportsmen, or the Willey Country'. George's cousin Cecil
Forester inherited the Willey estate, taking the surname Weld-Forester, and was
created the first Baron Forester in 1821. L.F.
Peltor, Bridgnorth (Nov.1979) THE IRON BRIDGE BICENTENARY by R CHAPLINWith
reference to your editorial in Journal No.7 (1979), I enclose a copy of the
recently published 'Preliminary Report on the Kirklees Iron Bridge o 1769 and
its Builder', which shows that an early iron bridge (since demolished) in the
grounds of Kirklees Hall near Brighouse, West Yorkshire, pre-dated the
Shropshire Iron Bridge by 10 years. The bridge, six feet wide and 72 feet in
span, was built by Maurice Tobin, but its manner of construction and the type of
iron used is still not clear. R.
Chaplin, Coventry (Dec. 1979) (Note
: Members can consult the Report in the Society's Museum at The Lawns It has
also been published in the Spring 1980 issue of 'Industrial Past'. Ed. JOHN WILKINSON'S TRADE TOKENS by P CRIDDLEFurther
to the article in Journal No.7 (1979), in which I found the letter: between
Wilkinson, Boulton and Westwood of particular interest, I enclose an account which
distinguishes between counterfeits and genuine issues. The coin was first issued in 1787, with the bust of JW facing right and the legend JOHN WILKINSON IRON MASTER. The edge reading was WILLEY SNEDSHILL BERSHAM BRADLEY. The
first portrait is readily identified by the three buttons on his coat, issues of
1793 and 1795 having four buttons. The first reverse design was of the interior
of a forge and was used for And
now for the forgeries. 75
varieties of the token are thought to be genuine and 57 are forgeries of varying
quality. All tokens with WILKINSON misspelt are forgeries; also all tokens with
edge readings other than WILLEY SNEDSHILL BERSHAM BRADLEY are probably forgeries
or manufactured curiosities. The Wilkinson obverse also appeared with the
following reverses and were either forgeries or mules (combinations of incorrect
dies produced at the manufacturers for sale to collectors): 1.
Female seated with mining tools. 2.
Figure of Moneta seated with scales. 3.
Cypher H M Co. and legend CAMAC KYAN & CAMAC. 4.
Female seated with harp. 5.
Harp with crown. 6.
Britannia seated. 7.
Female seated and legend BIRMINGHAM MINING & COPPER CO. The
issue of tokens died out around 1797 when the well known cartwheel twopences and
pennies (manufactured by Boulton) were issued, to be followed in 1799 by an
issue of halfpence and farthings. The earlier cessation of the Wilkinson issue
was probably due in part to a statement by the Shrewsbury Guilds, dated 9th June
1795, that they would only accept tower halfpence. I
add the following notes for anyone interested in buying examples of this
handsome coin. The silver tokens are obviously very rare and may cost £200 or
more in good condition. The ordinary barge issue is also very difficult to find,
especially in good condition, and would cost £40-50. A recent sale in London
of one of the largest collections of tokens to come on the market in recent
years did not include genuine examples of either type. Of the other tokens
large quantities were struck: e.g. 1790 Forge "several tons"; 1790
Vulcan 206,000; 1792 Vulcan 103,000; and it is possible to find reasonable
examples for £5 or so. P.
Criddle, Shrewsbury (Feb. 1980) THE SEVERN IN SOUTH SHROPSHIRE by R C Pee.I
have been taken to task by Mr. R.A. Barker for my remarks on the use of sails on
Severn barges in part 2 of my article in Journal No.6 (1977), p5. Mr. Barker
maintains that the pictorial evidence (apparently some of it photographic) is
too strong to be ignored and that sails must have been carried right up to the
end of the barge era. I
can only conclude that the difference between the effort required to tow the
lightly loaded passenger barges of my experience and that required to tow a
fully laden barge of the period is very considerable and that any help was
welcome. I must therefore concede that on very rare occasions a simple square
sail would be of some help, but only to the extent where the tow rope was still
the major means of propulsion and the barge still under the control of forces
set up by the tow rope, the current and the rudder. I am still of the opinion that free sailing barges as
shown in various pictures and indicated by some writers are figments of the
imagination. R.C.
Pee, Broseley (Feb. 1980) |
