Author Topic: The 19th C. Blacksmith - how many were needed in town or village?  (Read 11922 times)

Offline Keith Sherwood

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The 19th C. Blacksmith - how many were needed in town or village?
« on: Sunday 09 October 05 11:21 BST (UK) »
Hi, Everyone,
I've had a fascinating time recently trying to trace various journeyman blacksmiths in my family in Suffolk.  I recently obtained an 1893 O.S. map for S.W.Suffolk, and most small villages had the "smithy" marked, along with the pub and the church.
I realise that the coming of the railways, and the advent of farm machinery using power other than the horse must have continually changed the importance and the preponderance of blacksmiths in villages and towns.
But in a village, say, of about 200 souls, would one smithy and blacksmith (with his workforce of how many?) have been enough for its needs - let's take the year 1841, when the first full Census was taken.
I want to get some idea of the competition for jobs in a smithy, and perhaps in essence to try and understand why my gt-gt-grandfather moved around so much in a fairly small area of Suffolk during his life, from one village to another, to be able to find employment,
Are there any really excellent, definitive books about the blacksmith's trade?  End of ramble...
Keith

Offline suttontrust

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Re: The 19th C. Blacksmith - how many were needed in town or village?
« Reply #1 on: Sunday 09 October 05 12:38 BST (UK) »
In a small village I think there would be one blacksmith with however many employees or apprentices were needed at the time.  In my experience the job was often hereditary, but a son might have to move away to find work, and if times were slack there could well be a need to travel about looking for work on farms etc.  For books you could try Abebooks uk, which lists second-hand books from sellers all over the country.
Godden in East Sussex, mainly Hastings area.
Richards in Lea, Gloucestershire, then London.
Williamson in Leith, Vickers in Nottingham.
Webb in Bildeston and Colchester.
Wesbroom in Kirby le Soken.
Ellington in Harwich.
Park, Palmer, Segar and Peartree in Kersey.

Offline Keith Sherwood

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Re: The 19th C. Blacksmith - how many were needed in town or village?
« Reply #2 on: Sunday 09 October 05 12:48 BST (UK) »
Thanks for that, Suttontrust,
I'll give Abebooks a try, though they tend to be quite expensive...I'll also have a browse through some second-hand bookshops in the area.
Keith

Offline behindthefrogs

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Re: The 19th C. Blacksmith - how many were needed in town or village?
« Reply #3 on: Sunday 09 October 05 13:51 BST (UK) »
Taking Ickenham in Middlesex as an example.  In the 19th century it had a population of around 400 up to the 1920s. TThe blacksmith would also be servicing around a dozen farms in the surrounding area totalling say 1500 acres.

They had one blacksmith who also seemed to have another string to his bow such as selling coal or beer in order to make a living.  There were two occasions in the 19th century when a second blacksmith set up in the village and it soon settled back to one.

It really comes down to how big the village is and how much of the surrounding countryside rely on him.

David
Living in Berkshire from Northampton & Milton Keynes
DETAILS OF MY NAMES ARE IN SURNAME INTERESTS, LINK AT FOOT OF PAGE
Wilson, Higgs, Buswell, PARCELL, Matthews, TAMKIN, Seckington, Pates, Coupland, Webb, Arthur, MAYNARD, Caves, Norman, Winch, Culverhouse, Drakeley.
Johnson, Routledge, SHIRT, SAICH, Mills, SAUNDERS, EDLIN, Perry, Vickers, Pakeman, Griffiths, Marston, Turner, Child, Sheen, Gray, Woolhouse, Stevens, Batchelor
Census Info is Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk


Offline Andi R

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Re: The 19th C. Blacksmith - how many were needed in town or village?
« Reply #4 on: Sunday 09 October 05 14:03 BST (UK) »
My ancestors were blacksmiths and I have been to the village where they lived, its a very small village (hamlet) however there could be several large farms in the area, in this case and according to the information I have, there seems to have been one Master smith, one Smith and a Apprentice the latter always seemed to be a son, or other relation, talking mid 1800's

I suppose it was dependant on the area covered

If any help

Andrew
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Offline behindthefrogs

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Re: The 19th C. Blacksmith - how many were needed in town or village?
« Reply #5 on: Sunday 09 October 05 14:22 BST (UK) »
Andrew is right in that the blacksmith's work was frequently very difficult for one man to do.  Thus you will find most blacksmiths had an experienced second person, by which I mean other than a raw apprentice.  You will thus find ancestors who were Blacksmith's labourers or Blacksmith's strikers.  If there was no-one else the wife would perform that function.  The job would be split according to the skill and strength of the second person.

David
Living in Berkshire from Northampton & Milton Keynes
DETAILS OF MY NAMES ARE IN SURNAME INTERESTS, LINK AT FOOT OF PAGE
Wilson, Higgs, Buswell, PARCELL, Matthews, TAMKIN, Seckington, Pates, Coupland, Webb, Arthur, MAYNARD, Caves, Norman, Winch, Culverhouse, Drakeley.
Johnson, Routledge, SHIRT, SAICH, Mills, SAUNDERS, EDLIN, Perry, Vickers, Pakeman, Griffiths, Marston, Turner, Child, Sheen, Gray, Woolhouse, Stevens, Batchelor
Census Info is Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline Keith Sherwood

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Re: The 19th C. Blacksmith - how many were needed in town or village?
« Reply #6 on: Sunday 09 October 05 14:44 BST (UK) »
Thanks for all this, David and Andrew,
And I hadn't fully considered the (fairly obvious) effect of large nearby farms which of course would need their large number of working horses serviced regularly by the blacksmith - the size of the population of the hamlet/village was probably not the most important statistic...
Keith

Offline maggiefishblue

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Re: The 19th C. Blacksmith - how many were needed in town or village?
« Reply #7 on: Sunday 09 October 05 15:23 BST (UK) »
Didn't the blacksmith do other work besides service the horses?  I'm thinking of making farm implements etc. - anything small that was made of iron.  Or am I way off the track here?

I have blacksmiths in my family tree and - within the same family - the father spent his life in the same village assisted by his youngest son.  Two of the other sons became journeymen blacksmiths and travelled to various parts of the country with their families.  Other sons either went into service at the 'big' house or worked on the land.  One moved away and worked at an inn stabling horses.  All very interesting. 

If you find a good book on the subject Keith please let me know the title etc.  I will do the same for you if I find one.

Maggie
I am researching: <br />~ Gamble, Hincks, Grewcock, Grant, Leeson, Wright - Leicestershire/Warwickshire<br />~ Bywater - Warwickshire, Cheshire, Staffordshire<br />~ Crisp, Smith, Dowdeswell, Griffin, Stayt/Stait/Staite, Carpenter, Blizzard/Blissard - Gloucestershire<br />~ Bladder, Carter - Worcestershire

Offline 1000xlch

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Re: The 19th C. Blacksmith - how many were needed in town or village?
« Reply #8 on: Sunday 09 October 05 15:46 BST (UK) »
Hi everyone

Maggiefish the blacksmith usually did all the ironwork except the horses which were shoed by farriers.  I think there was little distinction back then but in current practice a farrier is only allowed to shoe horses and if a blacksmith tries to then he will be struck off the register, fined and imprisoned!  My other halfs son is a trained blacksmith.  The only current training college is down at Hereford, and yes there are some female blacksmiths because you do build up your right arm muscles hitting the metal and working a long day in 12 hot forges at the college.  Not for the faint hearted!

Cheers

John Rowley
DUNN - Cambuslang, LKS
FORSYTH - Shotts, LKS
FRAME - Hamilton, LKS
HODGSON - Hamsterley, DUR
HUMPHREY - Easingwold, NRY
HUNT - Frimley, Surrey
MCKECHNIE - Argyll - Shotts
NETHERCLIFF(T)/ DRAYCOTT Sandhurst, BKS
PEPPERCORN - Lolworth, Cambs
PRATT - Thirsk, NYK
REDSHAW - Hamsterley, DUR
REYNOLDS - Fritton,Stratton,NFK
ROWLEY - STS to DUR
TALLACK - St Agnes Padstow,CON
WALMSLEY - NRY,Brum
WILSON - Hamsterley, Co Durham
Census Information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk