Just catching up on this thread.
My ggggrandfather was the/a blacksmith in the centre of Reading, beside the church - which is larger than a small village, but I'm not sure how big in mid-19thC. I too am curious as to whether he was the only shop in town. It seems the work was hard, as he turned to whitesmithing, bellhanging, and, finally, ironmongering, during his career, each less physically onerous than the previous, I would think. I have the impression he was financially successful, judging by how he ended up, but that this work had taken a physical toll.
