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CONTENTS

Programme page 1

New Members page 1

Forthcoming Events

Summer Walk page 1

July Outing page 1

Previous Meetings

Ironworks at Blists Hill page 2

Memories of the Coalport page 2

Branch

Christmas Dinner page 4

More Memories with page 5

Joan Griffiths

Ken Jones MBE page 6

Commemorative Plaques page 7

Etruria Industrial Museum page 7

Restoration Home page 7

Tour Guides Wanted page 7

Our Sporting Life page 7

What’s On? page 8

Bookshop page 9

Mailbox page 9

PROGRAMME2 Mar Annual Wilkinson Lecture

Our Wilkinson Heritage by Vin Callcut6 Apr Shropshire’s Iron Age by Shelagh Lewis4 May Who do I think I am? Glyn Bowen traces his family roots back to Broseley1 Jun Rocks and History of Loamhole Dingle,

a guided walk with Mike and ChrisRayner

2 Jul Trip to Blaenavon, Monmouthshire7 Sept The Wenlock Olympian Society by Helen Cromarty5 Oct Annual General Meeting The Coalbrookdale Institute by John Powell2 Nov Fords and Ferries on the Shropshire

Severn Part 2 by Neil Clarke (joint meeting with

Friends of the IGM at Coalbrookdale)7 Dec Annual dinnerFurther details from Neil Clarke 01952 504135.

NEW MEMBERSThe Society would like to welcome the followingnew members:

Marjorie Andrews, BroseleyKate Cadman, TelfordMike and Margaret Ridley, BroseleyLynne Whitehead, Madeley

Existing members are reminded that subscriptionsfor the year October 2010 to September 2011 arenow due. The cost is £6.00 for single membershipand £10.00 for a couple. If you have not alreadypaid, please make your cheque payable to BroseleyLocal History Society and send it to JanetRobinson, 26 Coalport Road, Broseley, TF12 5AZ,tel: 01952 882495.

NewsletterNewsletter of the Broseley Local History SocietyIncorporating the Wilkinson Society

February 2011

MEETINGSMeetings of the Broseley Local History Societyare held on the first Wednesday of each month at7.30 pm at the Broseley Social Club, High Street,unless otherwise announced. Car parking isavailable at the back of the Club.

Members are requested to be seated by 7.30 pm toallow speakers a prompt start.

Visitors are welcome but are asked to give adonation towards Society funds.

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FORTHCOMING EVENTSSummer WalkWednesday 1 June7.15 pm for 7.30 startMeet at Severn Gorge Countryside Trust’s newpremises in Darby Road, Coalbrookdale

This year the Society’s Summer Walk will bedown Loamhole Dingle, where Chris and MikeRayner will be leading this guided tour. This willbe followed by a tour of the SGCT’s offices, a stateof the art eco-friendly building using indigenousmaterials. Non walkers are welcome to stay intheir meeting room, where light refreshments willbe served. The SGCT manages over half the landwithin the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site,all of which is open to the public, with a networkof waymarked paths through the woods andmeadows.

July OutingBlaenavon World Heritage SiteSaturday 2 July

This year’s outing will be a visit to the BlaenavonWorld Heritage Site in southeast Wales. Whiledetails are still to be finalised, places to be visitedwill include the Blaenavon Ironworks, now anindustrial museum. These ironworks, whichopened in 1789, had three blast furnaces andemployed about 300 men, and were of crucialimportance in the development of the ability to usecheap, low quality, high sulphur iron oresworldwide. The ironworks finally ceased full scaleproduction in 1904, although the forges at the sitewere used for the production of steel shell duringboth world wars. Blaenavon Ironworks are thebest preserved 18th century ironworks in the worldand contain much to interest visitors of all ages.

There will also be the opportunity to visit the BigPit, an award winning national museum basedaround the former Big Pit colliery. This pit was

sunk in about 1860 and closed in 1980, beingreopened as a museum in 1983. Visitors can seethe colliery buildings such as the winding enginehouse, the blacksmith’s workshop and the pitheadbaths, while the possibility of taking a guidedunderground tour is being explored.

Further details will shortly be available, but pleasebook this date so as not to miss what is always avery enjoyable day.

PREVIOUS MEETINGSIronwork at Blists HillIn October last year John Challen, OperationsManager at Blists Hill and Coalport ChinaMuseum, gave a talk on the history anddevelopment of the manufacture of wrought iron.He also outlined the move by the Ironbridge GorgeMuseum to equip a working wrought ironworksexhibit at Blists Hill saying that, when inoperation, this is one of the most dramaticdemonstrations in any museum in Britain. Tooextensive to reproduce here, his full report on thistalk will appear in the next issue of the Society’sJournal.

MEMORIES OF THE COALPORT BRANCHIn November last year Neil Clarke gave a talk tomark the 150th anniversary of the opening of theCoalport Branch railway. In his presentation to ajoint meeting with the Friends of the IronbridgeGorge Museum he first looked briefly at theorigins of the line and then – using official andnewspaper reports, personal recollections andphotographs – gave some flavour of the impact thatthis railway had on the area and the people it served.

The eight mile branch line to Coalport left theWellington-Stafford line (operating since June1849) at Hadley Junction and was opened forgoods traffic in September 1860 and for passengertrains the following June. It had been conceivedby the London & North Western Railway Co as areplacement for the ailing Shropshire Canal and,like the canal, it served the coal, iron and claybased industries along its route. Over the yearsmany local works – including Blockley’sbrickworks at New Hadley, the LilleshallCompany’s furnaces at Priorslee, Randlay

Blaenavon Ironworks, in their heyday and the furnaces today

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approved, although in many cases not the mostconvenient, route since it meant a walk of up to twomiles to catch the train, followed by a short railjourney and then a mile walk at the other end.

On arrival at Madeley Market station at about8.15 am passengers were greeted by a much-fadedwartime notice ‘Is your journey really necessary?’.As schoolboys, we all agreed it wasn’t. If we wereearly, or the down train to Coalport was late, theremight be a special treat for us – we could jump onthe down train, wait in the carriage at Coalportwhile the engine ran round, and then travel upagain, climbing the notorious 1 in 30 bank andpassing through the Blists Hill tunnel. Otherwise,it was quite an experience to stand on the platformat Madeley Market and listen to the tank enginecoaxing its load up the steep bank with its plumesof black smoke appearing over the trees longbefore the engine came into view.

Madeley Market station was manned by a staff ofthree: stationmaster Mott, porter Redding and abooking officer. Porter Redding was not toopopular, because in the morning he stayed close tothe station’s four-wheel trolley, thus preventing usjoyriding, and in the afternoon he kept an eye onthe stationmaster’s apple trees near the stationexit. Since stationmaster Mott was said locally tobe a communist, we could never understand hisreluctance to share those small juicy red apples.

It was a rare occurrence if there were anypassengers other than the six boys and a girl forthe Tech. However, one memorable occasion waswhen farmer Chatham’s eldest son emigrated toCanada. Never had we seen so many people on theplatform as they saw him off, and for once thestation trolley was actually in use carrying luggage.Each day we caught the train the sole girl pupilwould join two other girls from Coalport alreadyaboard, while we lads would enter an emptycompartment of the non-corridor carriage and,with a decently placed foot, jam the lock for therest of the journey to Oakengates, except for thebrief moment while a colleague, usually the onlyperson waiting, was picked up at Stirchley station.

The train never seemed to stick to any rigidtimetable. To begin with, it was nearly always late

brickworks, the Old Park Company’s mines andironworks at Malinslee and Stirchley, the MadeleyWood Company’s brickworks at Blists Hill andCoalport China Works – were served by sidings offthe Coalport branch.

But for the people who lived in the towns andvillages along the line it was the passenger service,the Dodger, that was more important to their dailylives. When the line opened, there were threetrains in each direction between Wellington andCoalport, Mondays to Saturdays. This graduallyincreased, peaking at six after the Second WorldWar; but for the last year of operation there wereonly four trains in each direction, with one extra onThursdays and two extra on Saturdays.

Although it is now almost 60 years since it last ran,there are many people who still have vividmemories of travelling on the Dodger. Amongstthem are those who took the afternoon train toCoalport and walked down to Swinney to picnicand bathe in the river; those who caught the earlymorning train to Oakengates to get to the WalkerTechnical College on Hartshill; and a newlyenlisted soldier who travelled to Wellington andchanged to a Paddington train on his way to hisLondon Barracks. For others, living alongside theline, the usually punctual Dodger provided areminder of the time of day.

Neil then quoted from a most illuminating andhumorous account of travelling on the CoalportDodger in its last years of operation, written byIvor Brown, the well-known mining historian whowas brought up in Madeley.

During school terms I was a daily traveller on theDodger between Madeley and Oakengates fromSeptember 1950 to its withdrawal at the end ofMay 1952. For pupils going to the WalkerTechnical College at Oakengates this was the

The Dodgerletting offsteam atCoalportstation. Itslast run wasin May 1952

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Over a pint or two the page had appeared to throwdoubt on the veracity of the well known story,claiming that ‘yonder peasant’ might not havebeen all he had seemed. “For one thing,” he said,“he had no need to be so far from home to gatherfuel, living as he did ‘right against the forest fence’where there should have been plenty of firewood.And if there hadn’t been, why trek all that waywhen he could just have chopped down the fencehad he been short of a stick or two?” According tothe page, it was highly possible that the peasanthad been a terrorist from the Bohemian LiberationFront sent to lure the King into an ambush; ormaybe just a scrounger, knowing that the King wasa soft touch.

“Anyway,” the page had continued, “things werenever the same after the King brought him back tothe palace and appointed him his steward. I oftenused to think to myself – if only Wenceslas hadn’tlooked out that night . . .”

Janet, who knew her Bohemian history, then askedif it had ever been established who had murderedWenceslas. At this the page had looked distinctlyuneasy, quickly finished his ale and slunk off.Dot followed this with a variation on the TwelveDays of Christmas whereby a certain young mansends his sweetheart a series of increasingly grandgifts, starting with the traditional partridge in apear tree. However, as the gifts continue to pile upthe recipient becomes progressively overwhelmedby his munificence and begs him to “stop sendingall those birds”, complaining that the turtle dovesmake too much noise and the geese lay their eggsall over the porch.

The change from birds to people, however, onlyfinds her increasingly irritated, particularly when

arriving at Madeley and, if a quick count showedany of our number to be missing, the train wouldwait a few minutes before giving a blast on thewhistle. Usually the straggler would be seenacross the field, rushing past the cottage on whoseblack wall was painted the sign ‘Pilkington’s Pillsare good for you’.The journey to Oakengates, with stops at Stirchleyand Malinslee, was normally uneventful – gettingstarted always provided the greatest interest. Onseveral occasions the train journey never did getstarted and we found a Midland Red bus awaitingus at Station Approach. The reasons for theabandonment of the train were quite varied. Onone occasion the engine could not get up CoalportBank because of lack of steam, reportedly becausethe fireman had let the fire go out during his teabreak. On another the Blists Hill tunnel was foundto be blocked and Bert Tyrer, who walked the linelong before the first train each morning on his wayto Kemberton Pit, received £5.00 for saving thetrain and, at the same time, was admonished fortrespassing. On yet another occasion the train raninto a barrier of bedsteads placed between thesleepers near the Aqueduct. It was rumoured thatwe were to blame, but we knew that this was noway of getting a morning off school as the stand-inbus would undoubtedly have got us there quickerthan the Dodger.

The last Dodger ran on Saturday 31 May 1952, tobe replaced by a bus service which followed atortuous course to link the settlements along theroute of the railway. A daily goods service (whichwas very sparsely used) and a few excursion trainscontinued to travel over the branch, but the linewas eventually closed to all traffic – betweenCoalport and Stirchley in 1960 and betweenStirchley and Hadley Junction in 1964.

CHRISTMAS DINNEROnce again the Society held its Christmas dinner atthe Lion Hotel. Despite its being an unexpectedlysnowy evening there was a good turnout, withmembers enjoying some light heartedentertainment by Dot Cox and Janet Robinson whohad apparently just met King Wenceslas’ page inthe local pub.

Dot Cox, left, and Janet Robinsonreport on their meeting in the pubwith King Wenceslas’ page

ChairmanGillian

Pope enjoysa joke withsome of the

other guests

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the dancing ladies prove to be anything but, andthe leaping lords start causing considerable havocwith the milkmaids on the village green. Mattersfinally reach a head with the arrival of the entirepercussion section of the Birmingham SymphonyOrchestra. Whereupon the young man wasmortified to receive a solicitor’s letter demandinghe take everything back.So the moral of this story is – if you insist onwooing a reluctant lover with an over abundanceof gifts, make sure they are clearly labelled “Notfor exchange or return”!

MORE MEMORIES WITH JOAN GRIFFITHSIn January members had a thoroughly interactiveevening when Joan Griffiths showed some more ofher collection of old photographs of Broseleypeople and places. One of the first of these wasthat of the War Memorial* erected in the town inmemory of those who lost their lives in the FirstWorld War. Unveiled in March 1921, the cost of£350 was raised by public subscription. It nowincludes the names of other members of the armedforces who have been killed in the line of dutysince that time. One of those whose name appearsis that of Joan’s great uncle Charles Beddow. Bornin 1886 in Carvers Road, Broseley, Charles was

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Right from top to bottom.This photograph of the War Memorial was taken prior toWWII as the iron railings enclosing the gardens are still inplace. These were removed during that war ‘to help the wareffort’Charles Beddow was killed in action in 1915, aged only 19yearsA casualty clearing station at Trones Wood under fireduring the battle of the Somme. The term ‘wood’ was aeuphemism to describe a location, as any trees would havebeen destroyed by shell fireA very early photograph of nos 83, 84 and 85 High Street,possibly dating from the 1860s. The shop on the left, nowE Davis Ironmongers, was run by John Humphries who,according to a directory of 1863, was a grocer, provisiondealer, tallow chandler and melter. The shop on the rightwas the original post office, run at one time by chairmanGillian Pope’s fatherA very old picture of the Iron Bridge and the SevernGorge,presumably taken before the construction of the Free Bridgein 1909, as what appears to be the old ferry can be seen inthe distanceThis picture of a frozen River Severn dates from 1917.Chairman Gillian Pope says that her mother, who died in2009, could remember being pushed across the ice in herpram that year. 2010 was also a year when the river froze,though not so completely

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KEN JONES, MBEKen Jones, a past president of the Society, recentlyhad a memorable day when, in December last year,he was invited to Buckingham Palace where theQueen herself presented him with an MBE(Member of the Order of the British Empire) forhis contribution to the Ironbridge Gorge HeritageSite and for the oral history of the people in the

killed in action at Ypres in 1915. He isremembered with honour on the Menin GateMemorial in Belgium which is under the care ofthe Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

These pictures were followed by a randomselection showing life in Broseley over the years,from an 1860s picture of the High Street, to afrozen River Severn and the Broseley CarnivalQueen.

Once again thanks to Joan for another enjoyabletrip down Memory Lane.

Except where stated all photographs are courtesyof Joan Griffiths.

*A booklet To the Memory of the Fallen ofBroseley in Two World Wars, by Janet Doody,giving some background to the names on theMemorial, has just been published. See the reviewon page 9.

Ken Jones proudlydisplays his MBE medalafter being presentedwith it by the Queen atBuckingham Palace.He was awarded this inrecognition of hiscontribution to theIronbridge GorgeHeritage Site

From topBroseley Scouts on camp, probably during the 1930s. Theold phonograph which accompanied them is a nice touch ofsophisticationChildren from the new houses in Bridgnorth Road weretreated to a party on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth II’scoronation in 1953. Joan Griffiths says she wasn’t the rightage to attend the party

From topThe Darby and Joan Club on an outing to Trentham

Gardens in 1953; some of the faces were still familiar tomembers of the audience

A nostalgic photograph of Broseley Carnival, rememberedwith affection by many of the older residents of the town.

Around 1950 the Carnival Queen was Mary Oakley,attended by Jane Nutt, Maureen Harrison, Margaret Hood

and Lynne Oakley; the small girls are Ann Griffiths andSarah Whitehouse

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Gorge which he built up over some 30 years. Hiscollection of audio tapes is now being digitised andcan be accessed in the IGM Library. A foundermember of the Friends of the Ironbridge GorgeMuseums, he also does some volunteering workthere.But his lifelong love has always been trains. At 16he joined the GWR, graduating from cleanerthrough fireman, until he became a driver atWellington. In 1960 he decided to retrain and leftthe GWR to join the treasury department ofStaffordshire County Council. But this, he says,was just a job and when he retired he beganresearching the history of the Wellington toCraven Arms railway line. His subsequent bookon this, The Wenlock Branch, Wellington toCraven Arms, was published in 1998 and tells thestory of a line which, until its closure in 1962,serviced both the ironworks in the CoalbrookdaleValley and the transport needs of the community.

COMMEMORATIVE PLAQUESThe latest of the Society’scommemorative plaques hasbeen installed on the MedicalCentre in Bridgnorth Road.This Centre was originallybuilt as a National School in1854 with rooms for threedepartments, boys, girls and infants. A new wingwas added later to accommodate 100 children.The school closed only in 1967 when a new onewas built in Dark Lane.

A further plaque is awaiting installation on theBirchmeadow Centre, once a Baptist Chapel, whileanother is planned for the Broseley CemeteryChapel.

ETRURIA INDUSTRIAL MUSEUMEtruria IndustrialMuseum in Stoke-on-Trent is beingthreatened withclosure as thecouncil faces instigating cutbacks. This museumwas opened some 30 years ago and forms part of avital link in the history of the Potteries. The onlysteam powered potters mill in working order

anywhere in the world, it shows the history of thepreparation of raw materials for the potteryindustry and has been granted Historic MonumentStatus by English Heritage.

In an effort to save this museum from potentialclosure an e-petition has been started; visithttp://www.eim.epetitions.net/ if you wish toregister your protest. Further details on thispetition can also be seen onhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-11921383.

RESTORATION HOMEThe BBC are planning a prime time series ofhistory programmes called Restoration Home. Theseries will follow homeowners restoring periodproperties into impressive residential homes andwill reveal not only the history of the buildingitself, but the stories and lives of the people onceconnected with it.

If anyone is renovating a property, and is interestedin being part of this series, contact the productionteam Endemol UK on tel: 03335 777740 or email:homes@endemoluk.com, giving your name anddetails of your property.

TOUR GUIDES WANTEDDavid Moody, of See Your Past, is looking forpeople willing to act as tour guides for familyhistory enthusiasts from overseas who wish to visitthe places and sights which their ancestors wouldhave known. No research is required, guidessimply plan a one or two day tour from informationprovided and then accompany the visitors aroundtheir local area providing background knowledgeand local colour. For further information visithttp://www.seeyourpast.co.uk/ or contact DavidMoody, seeyourpast@googlemail.com.

OUR SPORTING LIFEThe Ironbridge Gorge Museums are puttingtogether an exhibition entitled Our Sporting Life:Sporting Heroes and are asking individuals andsports clubs from across Shropshire to lend anysporting memorabilia they may have. Theexhibition already has artefacts relating to suchlocal heroes as the footballer Billy Wright, who

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captained both Wolverhampton Wanderers andEngland, as well as the swimming trunks worn byCaptain Matthew Webb, the first man to swim theEnglish Channel unaided.“We want to collect personal objects that figure inpeople’s memories of sport,” said GillianWhitham, curator of the exhibition. “Whether it bea trophy or just a picture of themselves with afamous sportsperson, we should like to hear fromyou.” People can also get involved and submittheir stories and objects online via the OurSporting Life website, www.oursportinglife.co.uk,while Gillian may be contacted on 01952 435900or by email: gillian.whitham@ironbridge.org.uk.

WHAT’S ON?Jackfield Tile MuseumTile decorating workshopsEvery Tuesday from 1 February – 5 April10.00 am – 2.00 pmLearn the techniques of tube lining and slip trailingand design your own tile.Workshop (one tile) £7.50 plus admission.

Our Sporting Life: Sporting HeroesCoalbrookdale21 March 2011 – 29 February 2012This exhibition will celebrate local heroes andtheir achievement and will include photographsand prints relating to local football, cricket andquoits teams, as well as rowing clubs and coracleracing. Featured will be Billy Wright, RichieWoodall and Captain Matthew Webb.

Our Sporting Life: The Science of SportEnginuity4 April 2011 – 9 September 2012This exhibition will focus on the relationshipbetween science and sport, including howtechnological advancements have shapedachievements and performance in the elite sportingworld. The star exhibit will be the Olympic Eightrowing boat which won gold for Great Britain inthe Sydney Olympics.

Museum of IronCoalbrookdale6 April7.00 – 9.00 pmCooking demonstration by Dawn Roads who will

be showing participants a variety of unusualdishes. Tickets cost £15.00 and include a glass ofwine and food tastings, as well as entry to theMuseum of Iron from 6.30 – 9.30 pm. The eveningis being held to support the Museum and itscharitable aims. For more information tel: 01952435992 or email: ruth.brown@ironbridge.org.uk.

Ironbridge Gorge Walking Festival30 April – 8 MayFeatures 28 free guided walks covering a range ofinterests and abilities, including full day outings inand around the Gorge as well as historic trails andwildlife walks. The walks are graded into fourlevels of difficulty. Booking is recommended,either contact 01952 435857, emailevents@greenwoodcentre.org.uk or visitwww.cherryeventcatering.co.uk/events for a fullprogramme.

MeccanuityEnginuity1–2 MayMeccano show created by Telford and IronbridgeMeccano Society, Shropshire. The exhibition willfeature an array of large and small workingMeccano models in Enginuity’s event space.

Blists Hill Victorian TownHorsing About11 JuneA special event demonstrating the one timeimportant role played by horses in daily life. Therewill also be an exhibition of miniature horse drawnvehicles and implements in the Goods Shed by theGuild of Model Wheelwrights.

For further information on these and otheractivities at the Museums contact the IronbridgeTourist Information Centre on tel: 01952 433424or visit www.ironbridge.org.uk.

Rally in the ValleySevern Park, Bridgnorth16–17 JulyThis year the Rally will be visitedby Ruth Goodman, one of thepresenters from the BBC2 seriesVictorian Farm, where she will beholding a workshop on the themeof Living with Machines. There

Ruth Goodman

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will also be a dedicated area for local historydisplays. Further details may be obtained fromBrian Davies, tel: 07929 290465 or from theirwebsite www.therallyinthevalley.co.uk.

BOOKSHOPTo the Memory of the Fallen of Broseley in TwoWorld Wars by Janet Doody. A4 booklet, 18pages, illustrated.Broseley War Memorial was erected in 1921 andwas initially inscribed with the names of Broseleypeople killed in the First World War; the names ofthose who fell in World War II were added later.Janet Doody’s extensive research has revealedpersonal details of many of these service men.Listed in alphabetical order the informationcontained has given the Memorial an addeddimension and would certainly be of interest tothose with relatives who died in either war.

Available from E Davis Ironmongers, High Street,Broseley or Janet Doody, tel: 01952 610000,email: janet.doody27@googlemail.com. Price£1.50 plus £1.25 p&p.

This booklet is the third of its kind to be published.Booklets on the Madeley War Memorial and theJackfield/Coalport Memorial Bridge, which wereresearched by Janet Doody on behalf of theMadeley Living History Project, are available freefrom Madeley Parish Council Office, JubileeHouse, High Street, Madeley.

Other Memorials currently under research areSt George’s, Oakengates and Ketley and similarpublications on these will be available in duecourse.

MAILBOXAccording to the 1881 census Edward andSarah Lloyd were living in Cape Street, Broseley.The house in this street which interests me is BurntHouse. Was it an inn at this time and if so, was itpossible they employed a coachman such asEdward Lloyd? Also are there any baptism recordsfor Broseley c1879? I should like to check if anEdith Maud Lloyd, born 1879 and died 1880, wasa daughter of Edward and Sarah.David Jennerdavidliz.jenner@gmail.com

Tradition has it that Burnt House was a pub butthere is no documentary evidence to prove this. Itis unlikely that it would have employed acoachman as I am not aware there was ever astable or carriages there. The nearest possiblehouse that might have done so was Angel House onthe High Street.

Baptism records would probably be held atShropshire Archives; however there were variousnon-conformist chapels in Broseley where Edithcould have been baptised, although I am not sureif these records still exist.Steve Dewhirst

We have moved into 17 Barber’s Row and arekeen to find out as much history about the propertyas possible, as well as some old photographs. Ibelieve it was once the Fox Inn and shouldappreciate any more information on it.Lisa Randleslisa@madeleys.co.uk

You may find this extract from a book on Broseleypubs by B D Shinton interesting.

The First traceable landlord was Thomas Booth in1802 but there is a reference in 1789 to “. . . thehouse of Mr. John Cleobury at The Fox Inn inBroseley”.

Records show no other licencee until RichardPoole in 1829. John Davies has the licence by1835 to be followed by Elizabeth Hayman, 1844,and John Hayman, who in 1851 is described as a

17 Barber’s Row was once the Fox Inn and wasnotorious for its cock fighting

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glass dealer and victualler and in 1863 as glassdealer and beer retailer of Barber’s Row. By 1868he appears to have given over glass dealing sincehe is now a retailer of beer in Duke Street. Thereare no traceable entries after 1871 althoughRandall, writing eight years later, says that MrRoberts kept the pub on closure. This gentlemanwas presumably a member of the Roberts familywho have a long association with Barber Street.One, Harry Roberts, was the first in Broseley toown a car.

The building was until recently faced in cementinto which the date 1756 was let. In 1802 the pub,including the stable, was valued at £4.4s. On 26thMarch 1829 Charles Davies, who may possiblyhave been the father of John since he wasdescribed as a maltster, was found, according toAlderman Jones, “. . . dead on the parlour Floor ofthe Fox Inn, Broseley, Drunk.”

In 1838 Lord Forester was the owner; it thenconsisted of a public house, buildings and yard.

The Fox is reputedly the last inn where cockfighting took place . . . The authorities, in wantingto stamp out cock fighting, threatened to withdrawthe licence. From this grew a rhyme “Stop theCocks/or we’ll have the Fox.” Apparently theydid, for it is said that cock fighting was the causeof the closure.Steve Dewhirst

I have digital copies of all the wills proved in thePrerogative Court of Canterbury for people fromMontgomeryshire, Denbighshire and Shropshire.Using this information I am thinking of building aclosed online facility which people can log into,view the wills and transcribe the names, which willthen be stored in a database. Once complete Iwould publish the index online as a free searchfacility. I wonder if your members, as well asthose of other societies, would be sufficientlyinterested in this service to make it worthwhile.David Hopkinsdavid@arakiel.co.uk

Further to my email regarding the Williambarge, which appeared in the November 2010Newsletter, do you know where the General

Gordon pub actually was before it was lost to theRiver Severn? I should at least like to see where itused to be.Penny Stephanpenbex86@hotmail.com

The Tithe map shows plot 762 as public house,stables, yard and garden owned by Thomas Beard;I assume this is the General Gordon. See the maphttp://www.broseley.org.uk/TitheMap/Broseley%20Tithe%20Map%2022.jpg. This is an area calledthe Werps.  The houses were demolished in the20th century as part of a slum clearanceprogramme.  However, the site still exists,although much overgrown, and you can still seesome of the back walls of the gardens.Steve Dewhirst

I am looking for information on the oldCumberland Hotel, in particular what buildingsand workshops were in the grounds before theywere converted into the mews houses.  I wonder ifthere were any old tile workshops there at one time.Rachel Mowlingrachelmowling@yahoo.co.uk

A photograph of the Werps before it was cleared. TheGeneral Gordon is probably the white building with dormer

windows above the left hand China Works kiln

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A garden party at Field House, probably in the 1920s or’30s. It later became the Cumberland Hotel, but has now

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Legh in 1857 and became the first Lord Newton ofLyme.

My grandfather was Norman Alfred Wilkinsonwho married Nellie Holt. Does anyone know ifthere is a connection between this branch of theWilkinson family and the ironmaster JohnWilkinson?Caroline Bradshawcarolinebythesea@gmail.com

In a letter in the November 2010 NewsletterVal Whiteman states that her ancestor, EdwardColley, an iron moulder, was working in Broseleyfrom 1790-1800. His son and two daughters,however, were born in Paris from 1821 and shewas interested to find out why he would have beenworking there. Now another correspondent, JeanJenkins, has found that some of her ancestors hadbeen born in France (one in Paris) as Britishsubjects. She suggests doing a searchon findmypast.co.uk giving only the parameters ofhaving been born in France and resident inStaffordshire in 1841, 1851 and 1852 where it canbe seen that the names are English and theoccupations are to do with the iron trade.  Oftenthere is a child or children born in Staffordshireprior to the French births and one or more on thereturn to England.  Most of the births appear tohave been between 1820 and 1840. Many of thepeople listed lived, on their return from France, inSedgley, Tipton, Wolverhampton or WestBromwich, again centres of the iron industry.

Other interested readers may contact ValWhiteman at val@gevaru.demon.co.uk or JeanJenkins at jeanxray@blueyonder.co.uk.

Before the Cumberland became a hotel it was calledField House and was the home of the Howells family.Prior to that it was the Red Lion public house, seehttp://www.broseley.org.uk/TitheMap/Broseley%20Tithe%20Map%2004.jpg plot 300 and the apportionmenthttp://www.broseley.org.uk/images/tithe.PDF.  Ido not think the outbuildings were workshops butrather stables and carriage sheds.  The mewshouses, which are the ones on the left of thedevelopment, are new build.Steve Dewhirst

My mother’s maiden name is Elizabeth JeanWilkinson and she reputedly had connections withLyme Hall in Cheshire. In an article in the 1995issue of the Wilkinson Society Journal entitledJohn Wilkinson and his Family, by MichaelBerthoud, it states:

In 1821 Mary Ann, the eldest daughter (of JohnWilkinson), married at Cartmel Church WilliamLegh, gentleman, of Hordley, Hampshire, secondillegitimate son of Thomas Peter Legh Esq, ofLyme Hall, Cheshire. William Legh was for manyyears a Member of Parliament, first for SouthLancashire and later for East Cheshire. Thecouple continued to live for some years at BrymboHall, the first two of their eight children beingbaptized at Wrexham Church in 1832 and 1834.Their fourth child succeeded his uncle Thomas

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