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There is a fine line between being a Blacksmith,
Forge, Smithy or Farrier.
The first three are really one of the same dealing mainly with forging
and repairing metalwork such as agricultural machinery and shoeing horses.
A Farrier dealt specifically with the shoeing of horses.
The Blacksmiths at the Three Horseshoes in the village also served as
a "Wheelwright" repairing and constructing new wheels for carts.
Various villagers can still remember this work going on, with the Blacksmith
fitting new steel rims to wooden cart wheels.
There is mention of various Blacksmiths
in the village, but it seems impossible to place some of the names to
specific locations.
The facts are these:
Brief History of the Bures Hamlet Blacksmiths
including the cottages.
The Smithy was located to the
north of the redundant Gas Works. It was used to shoe horses and for general
smithy work, and also provided a wheelwright service. It is not clear
when this building was erected, and the matter is confused by the existence
of a
blacksmith's opposite within the curtilage of The Eight Bells Hotel (public
house).
Nevertheless, it was in existence in the late 1870's as evidenced by the
First Edition Ordnance Survey map and remained throughout the Gas Works
phase of use, and is still visible on the 1956 ordnance Survey plan.
However, local anecdotal evidence suggests that the last farrier Bert
Cansdale ceased working there by about 1954.
By 1961 the Smithy building had been demolished and a garage development
commenced at the site.
Nevertheless, a building existed directly on the boundary with Blacksmiths
Cottage for a considerable period of time in the past.
Bures
Hamlet:-
(a) I think at sometime there may have been a Blacksmiths on "Shop
Meadow" (opposite ex Wardens Butchers Shop).
At some undefined
date this fell into disrepair and was later replaced by the Blacksmiths
in Colchester Road (bottom pic).
Ref:-by Ann
Clarke Historian, Norwich
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Joseph Hayward
built a new blacksmiths premises by the Bridge at Bures St Mary
in 1858
Presumably this was to rebuild the one situated there as the Court
Roll (D/DB M212 6th March 1838) states "John Boggis hath sometime
since alienated a blacksmiths shop next to the Bridge in Bures,
held on this Manor by free deed and a yearly rent of eight pence
to John Garrad"
Suffolk and Essex
Free Press, February 1st 1893
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(b) 1844, 1874 and 1890, William
Dansie - Blacksmith recorded owning Blacksmiths shop in Colchester
Road.
Simon Dansie(brother) and George Kendall
(nephew) are also recorded in 1861 as all working together on this
site.
The 1876 map opposite indicates:-
Red:- Blacksmiths Cottages
Green:- Blacksmiths Shop
Red::- River House
Balck circle;- The Gas Works
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(c) 1859 & 1895, Mrs Mary
Ann Dansie is recorded as owner of Blacksmith shop next to the Eight Bells
PH employing 2 men.
Opposite (b). One census records the name as Susan Dansie (widower)?
(d) George Kendall (born 1843)
a Blacksmith recorded in 1899, 1902, 1906,1910 and 1912.
He was the nephew of William Dansie working from the Colchester Road premises
George Kendalls daughter Caroline married Henry Lee in 1896 (at Bures
Baptist Chapel), after Henry's death around 1918, the whole family moved
to Witham where she lived out the rest of her life.
Also on 16th August 1911, Abraham
Cansdale of Brentwood married Ethel Mary Kendal at Bures Baptist Chapel
witnessed by Henry Lee and George Kendal.
(e) Charles Deaves, Blacksmith
recorded in 1917, 1922, and 1929(see photo below). Must have taken over
from the George Kendall.
Barrie Charles Deaves (son) recorded as Blacksmith in 1937.
Charles Deaves died in 1935 aged 79yrs. Barry Deaves died in 1962 aged
76yrs
Although Barry Deaves was listed as the owner he never actually did any
of the manual work. The work was carried out by Charlie Martin and Bill
Watson.
Charlie Martin was eventually killed in
a road traffic accident on July 9th 1944 with a UK Army lorry. He was
looking in the window of Arthur Beamonts radio shop in the High Street,
when he stepped back into the road just as a lorry came around the corner.
He was fatally wounded by the impact. The lorry driver was only about
20 years old, completely innocent but badly shaken up by the incident.
George (Quark) Baker also worked for Deaves at some time, but it`s not
known when.
(f) Bert Cansdale (Rocker) worked for Barry
Deaves and was the last Blacksmiths/Farriers in the village until its
closure, approx 1954.
Bert was a Farrier in the 1914/18 war with
the army.
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Blacksmiths Cottage,
Colchester Road - 2005
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Charles Deaves, Blacksmiths
& Farrier circa 1930.
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This photograph clearly shows the
Blacksmiths Cottages with the doors of the Blacksmiths Shop shut
at the end of the row.
The local Gasometer can be seen towering
above its roofline
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Early 1900 picture
taken at the Colchester Rd premises.
(Photo courtesy of Peter Richards)
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Blacksmith, George
Kendall and assistant.
(Photo courtesy of Jeremy Lee)
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Bures St Mary:-
Census 1830, James
Dalton occupied the Blacksmiths at the Great Maltings
Census 1837, Blacksmith working
along Church Lane beside Quay Cottage leading to the recreation ground.
Census 1841, 4 Blacksmiths were
recorded this side of the river.
(1) Three Horseshoes with Isaac Death
(2) Little Mill with Samuel Death
(3) Nayland Road with John & Samuel Death
(4) Church Lane with James Death
Census 1846, Death family occupied
the Blacksmiths at the Great Maltings
Census 1861, the Death family were
still actively trading in Bures St Mary.
(1) Three Horseshoes with Isaac Death
(2) High Street near the Baptist Chapel
with William Death(Isaacs Son)
(3) High St with John Death
(4) Near Barbers Shop and Grocers(?) with Samuel & George Death(son)
Late 1800`s, To the left ( or right)
of the Baptist Church in the late 1800`s, a Blacksmiths and Wheelwright.
This was also owned by Brands.
| Map dated 1898
clearly shows a "Smithy" at the bottom of Cuckoo Hill. |
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Census 1900, William Spurgeon a
Smithy & Farrier. Speculation that Spurgeon took over from the "Death"
family (see above)
OS Map 1904, There was also another
Blacksmiths along `The Croft` owned by Brand and Sons on the site of premises
we now call "Weltevreden".
However, Brands dealt more in agricultural machinery rather than Farrier
work.
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Bill of sale for the Great Maltings,
inc Stables and Blacksmiths Shop
James Dalton was recorded at The Maltings in 1830
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The `Death`
family seemed to be prolific around the village, with a
long term presence at the Three Horseshoes, see photographs below
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The Three HorseShoes
Public House - 2005
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Blacksmiths circa
1910-30
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Blacksmiths pre 1900 |
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Records indicate the following:-
The Three Horseshoes:- the Blacksmiths was run by the family
that had the Horseshoes pub, the "Death`s".
The first listing appeared in Kelly`s directory of 1844.
1844 records show:-
Issac Death - Blacksmith
Samuel Death - Beer Retailer & Blacksmith **
(brothers)
1869/1874 records show
John Death - Beer retailer
Samuel Death - Blacksmith
William Death - Blacksmith
Map dated 1898 clearly shows this
locations as an "Iron Foundry"
** Samuel had a daughter Elizabeth
who married Daniel Claydon in 1823. They moved to Chelsworth where
he became the village Blacksmith. He may well have worked for Samuel
as an apprentice before getting married.
More detailed
information on Samuel Death
The Horseshoes was never listed in
any of the county directories as a pub, The "Death"
family were always down here as beer retailers. They were listed
in the 1933 Kelly`s Directory but not in the 1937 edition. It would
be safe to assume that the blacksmiths closed between these two
dates.
When this closed down, Brands opened up a `Smithy` in "The
Croft"
Photos taken of Sidney Mortimer
who worked for Brands Smithy.
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Cannot be certain if these were taken down the Croft ?
Sidney Mortimer:-
Sidney was employed
by Brands. His wife was known as Lucy and also Nell.
Sidney didn’t
mind general blacksmithing but he much preferred to work with
horses.
This was the main
reason why he moved to from Bures to Hayes, Middlesex in around
1928 and then to Orsett, Essex in 1956, where he took over
The Forge with his son in law Arthur Smith (husband of daughter
Marjorie) until his death in 1968..
Sidney lived in a
cottage in the High Street which we presume was either a ‘tied
cottage’ or owned by Brand which was rented out. This
is potentially the house that he and Lucy’s three children
were born; Marjorie (March 1920), Aubrey (September 1921)
and Foster (November 1925).
All
three were christened in St Mary’s. Foster is David Mortimer’s
(provider of the information and photographs) father.
Sidney was a regular
churchgoer and may have had some involvement in the church,
as later in life he was a Churchwarden in Hayes, Middlesex
and Orsett, Essex.
Sidney was born in Eye in
1889 from a strand of the family that originated in Henley
(Suffolk) and meandered to Wetheringsett , Rishangles and
then into Eye. Sidney and Lucy married in 1915 at Walthamstow
(Lucy`s family came from Hackney), while Sidney was in the
ASC as a (Staff Sergeant) farrier/smith in France in WW1.
How he ended up making a post war move to Bures seems an odd
one, as there aren’t any (as that I’ve found yet)
family links to the Bures area.
David Mortimer, Grandson
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reviewed 13/02/07
Updated 05/05/2015
Acknowledgement to:-
Kelly`s Directories
John Parkhouse
Tony Brown, Devon for the Bill of sales
Sue Cansdale researcher from Ipswich
Jeremy Lee, direct decendant of George Kendall
David Mortimer decendant of Sidney Mortimer
updatede 09/10/2015
updated 23/10/2015
updated 25/02/2017 with press cutting
updated 08/01/2019 tidy-up
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