Maggie Jones 1925-present Worker at Gomshall Tannery

The Story of Maggie Jones* Worker at Gomshall Tannery

Story set around the year 1941

Gomshall has a history of tanning which goes back to at least the 14th century. By the 20th century, however, there was only one company, Gomshall Tanneries Ltd. Although it closed briefly in 1928 during the depression – due to a fall in leather demand – it carried on after the outbreak of war in 1939. Early on, the war with Germany touched villages such as Gomshall lightly – food and clothing were rationed, and many of the young (and not so young) men had gone to fight. Some companies also moved nearby, such as the Royal Canadian Engineers, who were stationed at Round Down, a camp just above Gomshall.

2 With the outbreak of war, modifications had to be made in what was produced at the tannery – leather for boots and Army jerkins formed the bulk of production, as well as hat bands for tin helmets. Changes were also made to the workforce, and women and young girls were needed at the factory to replace the men who were called up to fight – girls such as Maggie Jones. Maggie grew up in the adjacent village of Shere with her parents and younger sister and brother. We do not know exactly what year she began working at the Tannery, but it is likely that she started at about age 17. Most of her friends worked there as well, as did her father (a former cabinet-maker) and younger brother. For Maggie and her family, the walk would have taken less than 20 minutes, cutting across the green fields between the two villages.

3 Tannery work was not one of the more pleasant occupations. The hides would first have to be cleaned by going into a tanning solution until the hair could be scraped off. The next process – ‘bating’ – softened the skin. The actual tanning was done by soaking the bated skins in a solution of tree bark or chemicals such as alum. It was not surprising that traditional tanneries stank heavily – they also produced heavily polluted water which fouled nearby rivers. Maggie was employed in the ‘toggle shop’, where sheep skins were stretched and dried – as the skins tend to shrink as they dry, the more that they can be stretched when wet the better. Maggie’s job was to ‘toggle’ the skins by using aluminium clips from a leather bag which she would wear around her waist.

4 At the tannery, Maggie would often sing with her co-workers while they worked. They also cut out hat bands for the insides of steel helmets – sometimes they would take the skins and patterns home and cut out the bands at their kitchen tables in the evenings. Every so often, a ‘doodle-bug’ (V-1 flying bomb) would fly overhead – often returning from London or other cities and heading towards the coast – and they would go out onto the balcony to watch. Bert Hammond, the look-out from an observation platform on the roof, would call a warning. However, as Maggie and her friends were up on the third floor when the air raid sirens would sound, they did not bother going down to the shelters, which were always full of water anyway. Instead they would just stand outside and watch the dogfights, taking it all in their stride.

5 One time, when Maggie was about 16 years old, she was in the dance hall with her friends. The young soldiers who were stationed nearby found their way to the dance as well – this is possibly why their fathers spent the evening at the workmen’s club next door, waiting until it was time to see their daughters home. Suddenly, there was a great thud. The lights went out – the band stopped – everybody dove to the floor and laid still. Then there was another thud. A high-explosive bomb had dropped and fallen on what is now the recreation ground – a second bomb hit a great tree which then fell onto the Red Cross room at the back of the club where the men were. Luckily, nobody was killed, but there was quite a bit of damage. After awhile, the lights came back on, and Maggie’s father was at the hall door, covered in dust. He had come to take her home, along with the other fathers.

6 It was at one of these dances where Maggie met a young Canadian engineer, Tom Jackson. They became sweet- hearts, and – after the war ended and Tom had returned safely to England – the two married in St James Church. Tom would be one of many Canadians who would end up taking his English war bride back across the sea with him. In April 1946 their daughter was born, and in August both Maggie and their daughter arrived at the Halifax port to join Tom in New Brunswick. This was an enormous challenge for Maggie, a girl who had rarely travelled beyond her village – but she would come to be very proud of her new Canadian life and home.

This abridged Tillingbourne Tale is based on the story of James Munro

* names have been changed to protect the identity of the family *

7 Maggie Jones* (1925-present)

 Born to Charles* (cabinet maker of Cranleigh) and Amelia* in December 1925 in Hambledon, Surrey

 On 19 April 1945, at the age of 19, married Tom Jackson* from Temple, New Brunswick and of the Royal Canadian Engineers in St James, Shere, after having met at a local dance

 Had two children (b. 1946 and 1952)

 Worked in toggle shop at Gomshall Tannery during the war from age 17 (1942), stretching out skins to dry and making bands for tin hats

 Grew up on Shere Lane, before emigrating to Fredericton, New Brunswick in 1946 with her family

* names have been changed to protect the identity of the family *

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Creating Maggie’s Look

Maggie’s character was seen as being both courageous and intelligent, having to cope with the fear and uncertainty that went along with being at war – and later taking the leap into the unknown by moving to Canada. She was therefore depicted as down-to-earth and pleasant-looking, with dark hair and a nice smile.

9 The History of Gomshall Tannery

With its plentiful availability of sheep and cattle for skins, oak bark, and water from the Tillingbourne, Gomshall was well-suited for the tanning trade. Although named tanners did not appear until the 16th century, ‘pelterers’ were listed in the parish in 1380. What would become Gomshall Tannery dates from the 17th century. Whilst it was a family-run undertaking at first, by the 19th century it attracted employees from beyond the county. In the 1880s, the site included an irrigation farm, co-operative, coffee house, club room and library. Production in the 20th century concentrated on sole and light leathers. Camouflage leathers were the main output in World War II – with suede garments thereafter.

10 Life as a Tanner

Most records of early tanners are of those who defied regulations – ones such as Anthony Bygnall, who in 1568 was suspected of misrepresenting the leather he sold. Others – such as James Bignold of the 17th century King John House tanyard – are recorded in land transactions, suggesting quite profitable businesses. By the later 19th century, the number of tanners and their labourers in Gomshall increased. John Evershed, Master Tanner in 1861, employed 28 men, five women and two boys – most commuted in, many via the train. Traditional tanning was a dirty and unhealthy process. One occupation involved collecting the ‘pure’ – dog dung – for softening the leather. Even handling the hides could have its occasional dangers, with two cases of anthrax in 1933 as a result of contaminated imported hides.

11 The Process of Tanning

The traditional tanning process consisted of several stages. It also varied depended on the skin – whether heavy cattle hide or light sheep skin – and the product being made. The skins were brought to the tannery site from the butcher, and the horns and hooves would be cut off to be made into glue and gelatin. The skins would then be soaked and washed in tubs or pits in the ground. To loosen the hair, the hides were either ‘limed’ – treated with a lime solution – or ‘sweated’ by folding the hair inside. Once loose, the beamsman would remove the hair and flesh using unhairing and fleshing knives. Depending on what the leather was used for, the hides then underwent de-liming, ‘bating’ – softening with bird droppings – or ‘puering’ with the stronger dog dung.

12 The tanning itself varied with the agents involved. The earliest process used animal fats or oils – known as ‘chamoising’ – which produced a tough flexible leather. Alum and salt made a stiff hard leather which had to be rubbed – originally over a stake – to be softened. Tan bark was also used, usually requiring an edge-runner crushing mill to leach the tannin, which was then steeped in water to produce the tanning liquor. The skin then needed to be stretched and dried. Some leather was ‘curried’ – finished with greases, oils or waxes to make it pliable and water-resistant – or dyed. In the 20th century, the technology became science- based, using more sophisticated methods. Chrome salts replaced oak bark, drums replaced pits, and high-speed machinery – for buffing, drying, stretching, softening and sizing – replaced hand methods.

13 Gomshall Heritage

Gomshall is a manor which is listed in Domesday as the Saxon holding of Gomeselle, with assets including a corn mill (possibly the site of Gomshall Mill today). Under Henry II, the manor was divided to include East Gomshall – later Gomshall Towerhill – and West Gomshall, which would become Gomshall Netley. Although the main Victorian cottages, restaurants and tea shops which characterise the village today line the main road – the A25 – Gomshall’s settlement extends south of the station and railway, to include the Malthouse Cottages and 18th century Manor House.

14 Explore Gomshall

Gomshall’s new Tillingbourne Trail explores the mill and tanning site, Towerhill Lane, and other heritage sites in the village.

Find out more… Harris, Nigel (2005), Gomshall Mill, the Harris Millers & their Shere Connection Noyes, Ann (1997, 2003), A Tannery in Gomshall Shere, Gomshall, and Peaslake Local History Society (1981, 2003), Shere, Gomshall & Peaslake: A Short History —————- (1981), Old Houses in the Parish of Shere Tarplee, Peter (1992), Gomshall Mill and the Tillingbourne Valley www.tillingbournetales.co.uk

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