Newsletter Newsletter of the Broseley Local History Society Incorporating the Wilkinson Society May 2005 Chairman John Freeman New Members Secretary Dot Cox The Society would like to welcome the following Treasurer Steve Dewhirst new members: Curator David Lake Membership Janet Robinson Mr & Mrs Brown, Broseley Wood Secretary 26 Coalport Road Dr Kate Campbell, Broseley Broseley Mr J Cockerill, Wellington TF12 5AZ Mr Harold Grice, St Georges 01952 882495 Mr Barrie Hazlewood, Broseley Programme Secretary Neil Clarke Mr & Mrs Johnstone, Wellington and Journal Editor Mrs M Jones, Wellington Newsletter Editor Jan Lancaster Ms Pat Newman, Cumbria Publicity Michael Pope Mr R Rushton, Muxton CD archiving Vin Callcut Mr Thomas Yates, Jackfield Website www.broseley.org.uk Email [email protected] Forthcoming Events Meetings Visit to Bradley Meetings of the Broseley Local History Society are Date: Wednesday 1 June held on the first Wednesday of each month at 7.30 pm Time: Meet in Broseley Library car park not later at the Broseley Social Club, High Street, unless than 6.40 pm otherwise announced. Car parking is available at John Wilkinson was not the first to recognise the the back of the Club. Members are requested to be wealth of coal and iron ore underlying the Bilston seated by 7.30 pm to allow speakers a prompt start. area only 15 miles away, but the exploitation of these Visitors are welcome but are asked to give a riches had previously been prevented by the lack donation towards Society funds. of any nearby water power. Wilkinson, however, solved this problem by building a Newcomen engine Programme to give him the power he needed. His pioneering blast furnace on the Bradley site became known as 1 Jun Visit to Bradley, site of John Wilkinson's the Mother Furnace of the Black Country. furnaces 2 Jul Coach trip to Castlehead and Backbarrow This tour of Bradley will be guided by Ron Davies 13 Jul Visit to Benthall Hall and will include John Wilkinson's furnace sites, as 7 Sep Memories Evening – Schools well as the church with its cast iron pulpit. 5 Oct AGM, followed by talk Nelson and Parking restraints restrict the number of cars to four Trafalgar by ex-naval man Lance Wise and those wishing to join this outing should contact 2 Nov Broseley's 'Tylting Rails' (1605) – the first John Freeman, tel: 01952 883459 to reserve their railway in Shropshire, by Neil Clarke place. Maps of the route will be available; this will 7 Dec Annual Christmas dinner be via the Rabbit Run, Wombourne and Sedgeley to For further information contact Neil Clarke on pick up Ron Davies at 96 Rocket Pool Drive, 01952 504135. Bradley. 1 Trip to Castlehead and Backbarrow Visit to Benthall Hall and Gardens Date: Saturday, 2 July 2005 Date: Wednesday, 13 July Cost: Coach £10.00 per person Time: Meet at Benthall Hall at 7.30 pm Admission to house £ 3.50 per person Optional extras Benthall Buffet lunch £ 8.50 per person Hall dates Tea £ 3.00 per person from the Leave: Broseley 8.00 am 16th Coalbrookdale 8.15 am century, and has Return:Approx 9.30 pm been the home of the Benthall family for much of the time since This summer outing, which has been arranged by kind permission of the owners, Edward and Sally Benthall, promises to be a very interesting evening. Eve Madeley, custodian of Benthall Hall and a member of the Society, together with a number of volunteers, will be on hand to talk about the House itself, while Nick Swankie, head gardener, will be giving a history of the gardens. There will also be John Wilkinson's house at Castlehead, which the someone available to answer questions about the Society will be visiting in July Church which will be open for the occasion. Benthall Hall dates back to the 16th century and Saturday, 2 July, is the date for the Society's visit, in members of the Benthall family have lived there, association with the Friends of the Ironbridge Gorge with one or two interruptions, ever since. It is surely Museum Trust, to explore the house that John because of their proximity to the iron industry in the Wilkinson built in the Cumbria of his boyhood. area that a branch of the family, who had settled in Frank Dawson, who gave our 2004 Wilkinson Essex, built for their own use one of the first iron Lecture, will be our guide to this most complex and ploughs set in a wooden frame. This caused such fascinating site. interest in the neighbourhood that they were In addition to visiting Castlehead, some of you may persuaded to make others, eventually setting up a wish to see the remains of the nearby Backbarrow small manufacturing business. Ironworks where Isaac and the young John once This event is open to members only and you are worked. Although the furnace stack is in too asked to let Janet Robinson, 01952 882495, know if dangerous a state for close inspection, this may be a you will be going. There is no entry fee, but a last chance to see the site before its imminent donation on the evening towards the cost of wine redevelopment. and snacks would be appreciated. If you need Response to earlier announcements of this event has transport, phone John Freeman on 01952 883459. been more than enthusiastic, and the day promises to be as big a success as the Society's trip to South Trafalgar 200 Celebrations Wales last year. This year Britain is com- In order to ensure your place, please complete and memorating the 60th anniversary return the form on p11 to David Lake, Avebury, of the ending of the Second Stocking Lane, Astley Abbotts, Bridgnorth, World War and the beginning of WV16 4SY. Places will be allocated on a first a new era in British society. It is come, first served basis, so don’t delay, send also the 200th anniversary of the your form in now! Battle of Trafalgar, which took 2 place on 21 October, 1805, and Broseley will be one of the towns participating in the celebrations being organised countrywide. Although Broseley has no obvious seafaring links, it would no doubt have contributed men and materials for the defence of the country. Iron cannon and cannon balls would have been obvious Broseley products in demand. Besides local ironware specialities there was a countrywide demand for timber, wool and leather, not forgetting, presumably, a good supply of Broseley pipes! As part of these celebrations, the subject for the October meeting will be Nelson and Trafalgar, a talk given by ex-naval man Lance Wise. The Society will also be staging an exhibition at Eustace Rogers rowing his coracle below the Iron Bridge Broseley Library throughout Trafalgar week (16 – 22 October). Other plans include replanting making a livelihood out of poaching. Not that the celebration trees in Dark Lane and holding constant spells in gaol seemed to be a deterrent - one a dinner open to all at the Lion Hotel on Friday old such claimed he would much rather poach than 21 October. do regular work, in spite of spending a total of 15 years inside. Further details will be available shortly but in the meantime the Society would like to appeal to Eustace and his friends employed many tricks to members for help in the following: evade the police and gamekeepers, one of which · Broseley people with connections to Lord was to keep a coracle hidden in the bushes on the far Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar side of the river for a quick escape. Another was to · Suitable memorabilia in the district that might go out on a Sunday night when the gamekeepers be available on loan for the exhibition were in their best clothes after church, and unwilling · The loan of a good model of HMS Victory to to risk getting them dirty chasing poachers. feature in the exhibition From the anecdotes Eustace told, it seems the Please email Vin Callcut ([email protected]) or poachers and bargemen made up a happy band of phone Vin on 01952 882508 or Michael Pope on rogues, but there must also have been times in the 01952 883960 if you can help. dead of night when a spell in gaol looked awfully You might also like to visit the website close. www.seabritain.co.uk, to see how the rest of the country is celebrating this historic event. John Wilkinson – Copper King? John Wilkinson – Copper King? was the intriguing Previous Meetings title of this year's Wilkinson Lecture which was Memories of Ironbridge and of Eustace Rogers given by Vin Callcut. In February Ron Miles took members on a nostalgia In his talk Vin considered the possibility that trip by giving a slide show of Ironbridge as it once Wilkinson could well have earned the title of was, including a duck race held to raise funds for Copper King, in addition to that of Ironmaster. charity. While ironmaking was Wilkinson's first priority, he Ken Jones followed this by playing a recording was always looking for other business opportunities. made in 1982 of Eustace Rogers, the coracle maker, The copper industry was one such, being an area talking about his life and experiences along the where his special technical, financial and political river. These seemed mainly to be memories of his skills could be put to good advantage. Vin claimed poaching friends, many of whom were recidivists that to anyone reading up on this subject, it would 3 John Wilkinson had interests in copper through out the country quickly become apparent that Wilkinson was a leading entrepreneur in the copper industry.