, IP14 1DL Tel: 01449 612229 www.eastanglianlife.org.uk

Objects(s): retriever and Corkscrews Object Number(s): STMEA:75.A.78.3, STMEA:1993-7.1, and STMEA:1993-7.2 Researcher details: Bethan Huby, Volunteer Removing Corks from Bottles in 20th Century These three instruments were used in pubs in Suffolk in the 20th century; a corkscrew with a wooden handle, a metal lever corkscrew, and a steel wire with curved hook ends for fishing corks out of bottles. The cork retriever was used at the Ashville Swan, near , pre-1906, whereas the corkscrews were used in the Wellington Public House, Stowmarket, during and post-World War II.

Figures 1-3: Cork retriever, STMEA:75.A.78.3 (top left), Corkscrew, STMEA:1993-7.1 (above), and Corkscrew, STMEA:1993-7.2 (bottom left)1.

The objects These items are similar in their function, to remove corks from and bottles, though their designs vary and illustrate the development of brewery advancements. Beer bottles were sealed like wine bottles with corks in the 19th century, but the carbonation of the beer led to leaks, and the invention of the more secure bottle cap in the 1890s suggests that these corkscrews were probably used for uncorking wine2.

The cork retriever is two wires bent in half and twisted together, with a sliding to adjust the distance between the four wire ends, which are all hooked. This design was patented by C.

1 Museum of East Anglian Life. Cork retriever, Corkscrew, and Corkscrew [Internet]. Museum of East Anglian Life. 2020 [citied 13 July 2020]. Available from: https://my.ehive.com/accounts/3978/objects/57863/cork- retriever, https://my.ehive.com/accounts/3978/objects/547320/corkscrew, https://my.ehive.com/accounts/3978/objects/547319/corkscrew. 2 Ronnenberg, H. W. Material Culture of Breweries. London: Routledge; 2011, 85. Stowmarket, Suffolk IP14 1DL Tel: 01449 612229 www.eastanglianlife.org.uk

Rosenberry in 1866, to help retrieve corks from bottles that still contained liquid3. The first corkscrew (STMEA:1993-7.1) is a basic design; a single metal rod with three twists at the end, used for vertically pulling on the cork once twisted in. The simple corkscrew likely developed alongside the use of glass bottles in the 17th century, since the first patented corkscrew in 1795 included a disc to control how far it screwed into the cork4. The second corkscrew (STMEA:1993-7.2) is a double- lever design. The levers expand outwards when the screw is twisted and pushing on the levers forces the cork to release. This design can be traced to the 1888 patent by H. S. Heely5. Also, a trademark is visible on the lever which reads ‘The Butler’; this refers to a patent by Leo Debeaurin in 1919-206. Who used them, and where? The cork retriever was used at The Ashville Swan, a in Ashfield cum Thorpe, near Debenham7. It was used by the publican Mr Charles Rumsey pre-1906, who is recorded as the innkeeper on the 1901 census8. The Swan was a popular name for pubs since the animal was a common emblem in heraldry in the 14th century (Figure 4), with variations such as Black Swan and Swan with Two Necks9. Both corkscrews were used at the Wellington Public House, located on Stowupland Road in Stowmarket10. They were used for 33 years by publican Mrs Amelia Forsdilee (or Forsdyke), who is recorded as the innkeeper/beer retailer on the 1939 census11. The name of the pub refers to the Duke of Wellington, with his name and portrait being used, as well as the military boots named after him12. This pub is still operating, under the name Little Wellington, with the pub’s image of Wellington’s head in a Wellington boot (Figure 5)13.

3 Rosenberry, C. Digital copy of: Improvement of Cork Extractors [Internet]. European Patent Office. 2020 [citied 13 July 2020] Available from: https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search/family/002128429/publication/US58889A. 4 Scriber, B. : Seven Twists in Corkscrew History [Internet]. National Geographic. 2015 [citied 13 July 2020]. Available from: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/food/the-plate/2015/07/14/tools-seven- twists-in-corkscrew-history/. 5 Malin, J. A Brief History of the Wine Corkscrew [Internet]. Vine Pair. 2014 [citied 13 July 2020]. Available from: https://vinepair.com/wine-blog/history-of-the-wine-corkscrew/. 6 Ellis, F and Ellis, B. Corkscrews. Marlborough: The Crowood Press; 2009, 117. 7 NLS Map Collections Team. Digital copy of: Suffolk LVIII.1, OS 25 inch and Wales, 1841-1952 [Internet]. National Library of Scotland. 1904 [cited 15 July 2020]. Available from: https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17&lat=52.20890&lon=1.22402&layers=168&b=1. 8 Ancestry. Digital copy of: Census search, Charles Rumsey [Internet]. Census of England 1901. 1901 [citied 13 July 2020] Available from: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/categories/charles_rumsey&residence=suffolk. 9 Rothwell, D. The Dictionary of Pub Names. Ware: Wordsworth; 2006, 280, 379. 10 NLS Map Collections Team. Digital copy of: Suffolk LVI.7, OS 25 inch England and Wales, 1841-1952 [Internet]. National Library of Scotland. 1904 [cited 15 July 2020]. Available from: https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=18&lat=52.19096&lon=0.99968&layers=168&b=1. 11 Ancestry. Digital copy of: Amelia Forsdyke [Internet]. Census of England 1939. 1939 [citied 13 July 2020] Available from: https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/categories/amelia_forsdyke&residence=stowmarket. 12 Rothwell, D. The Dictionary of Pub Names. Ware: Wordsworth; 2006, 54, 123. 13 Green, T. Stowmarket Little Wellington [Internet]. Suffolk Pubs. 2020 [citied 14 July 2020]. Available from: https://suffolk.camra.org.uk/pub/901. Stowmarket, Suffolk IP14 1DL Tel: 01449 612229 www.eastanglianlife.org.uk

Figure 4: Example of the swan image on a pub sign, The Swan14.

Figure 5: Little Wellington pub sign15.

History of Pubs The history of pubs can be traced to the 17th century, with the term ‘public house’, whilst the modern name ‘pub’ was introduced in the 1860s; similar establishments include , inns, alehouses, and gin palaces16. At the beginning of the 20th century, pubs were in decline, from a mixture of problems; decline in alcohol consumption, growing taxation for publicans, and increased income for alternative activities (e.g. music halls, seaside)17. Haydon estimated that the number of licensed public houses fell from 99,000 to 77,500, between 1905 and 193518.

In comparison, pubs during World War II remained open despite the air raids and shortages to alcohol, though beer was still available19. The war saw an increase in women frequenting pubs that had traditionally been for working class men, and this is highlighted by the female publican Mrs Forsdilee (or Forsdyke), who remained a publican for 33 years20. Despite the boom in alcohol consumption in the 1960s and 1970s, the demand for traditional pubs and real ale declined, with approximately 6,000 public houses closing during the 1970s, including The Ashville Swan in Ashfield cum Thorpe21.

14 The Swan Public House sign, near to Fressingfield, Suffolk. Geograph: photograph every grid square [Internet]. 2011 [citied 14 July 2020]. Available from: https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2727447. Attribution: CC-BY-SA/2.0 © Adrian Cable. 15 Hanging sign of the 'Little Wellington' public house, near to Stowmarket, Suffolk. Geograph: photograph every grid square [Internet]. 2017 [citied 14 July 2020]. Available from: https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5361762. Attribution: CC-BY-SA/2.0 © Adrian S Pye. 16 Jennings, P. The Local: A History of the English Pub. Stroud: The History Press; 2011 (second edition), 16. 17 Jennings, P. The Local: A History of the English Pub. Stroud: The History Press; 2011 (second edition), 108. 18 Haydon, P. The English Pub. London: Robert Hale; 1994, 287. 19 Mason, A Popular Pastime and Entertainment in the Second World War [Internet]. Imperial War Museums. 2018 [citied 14 July 2020]. Available from: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/popular-pastimes-and- entertainment-in-the-second-world-war. 20 Langhamer, C. ‘A public house is for all classes, men and women alike’: women, leisure and drink in second world war England. Women’s History Review. 2003, Volume 12 (no 3), 423-443, 424. 21 Snowdon, C. Closing Time: who’s killing the British pub? The Institute of Economic Affairs. 2014, December Issue, 6-46, 11, 16; Green, T. Ashfield cum Thorpe Swan [Internet]. Suffolk Pubs. 2020 [citied 15 July 2020]. Available from: https://suffolk.camra.org.uk/pub/1188.