History of Madeley / including Ironbridge, Coalbrookdale, and Coalport

William Reynolds Anstice, Esq., uncle of the present captain, on the retirement of W. L. Lowndes, Esq., commanded the corps, and his name is still revered among the men.

The Shropshire Banking Company, which was formed by the union of the Coalbrookdale, Wellington, and Newport Banks, for many years had an office here in the Market Square.  The Dale Bank was in the hands of the Coalbrookdale Company.  The Wellington Bank stood in the names of Reynolds, Charlton, and Shakeshaft, the former being Joseph Reynolds, late of Bristol, who received his interest in it from his father, Richard Reynolds; and Mr. Eyton, grandfather of the present T. C. Eyton, Esq., was at one time, we believe, another partner.

Of that valued institution the Dispensary we have spoken ante p.p. 240–1.  The 51st annual meeting has since been held; at which meeting

The Temperance Society and Good Templars have branches here and in other parts of the parish.  Members of the former can date back their conversion to its principles from the commencement of the movement, forty or more years ago.  We have mentioned the “British Workman” at Coalbrookdale; there is one also at Madeley Wood.  And besides the regular religious services at the various places of worship, and means of instruction carried on through the established schools, others might be mentioned, on Sundays and week-days, the active promoters of which are Mr. D. White, Mr. A. Maw, Mr. W. R. Bradshaw, Mr. G. Baugh, &c., &c.

Ironbridge too is the head quarters of the Ironbridge and Coalbrookdale Building and Land Society, which has since its establishment been uniformly progressive, and led very many to become not only investors but owners of the houses they live in.

Let us take first the Coalbrookdale and Madeley Temperance Benefit Society.—This Society was founded during the infancy of the Temperance movement, before total abstinence societies were established.  Spirits were forbidden to members, and beer was only to be taken in moderation, rules which have not been strictly adhered to.  The members at one time fell away, but they have since increased, and the annual statement just issued for 1879 shews them to be 123 in number.  The amount received in monthly contributions for the year ending midsummer was £115 13s. 3d.  From interest of money invested £61 5s. 4d., which with the balance of the previous year £1239 10s. 4d. made £1416 8s. 11d.

Shropshire Provident Society.—Number of members 74; contributions £92 18s. 11½d.; Secretary Mr. Walter Sharpe; Surgeons M. Webb, Esq., and H. Stubbs, Esq.; endowment £10.  Annual subscribers to the General Fund:

Meets in one of the rooms of the Anstice Memorial Institute.

Rose of the Vale Lodge.—This lodge is held at the Tontine Hotel, Ironbridge, and numbers 175 members, who pay into the funds on an average £360 per annum.  They have standing to their credit the sum of £781 12s. 7d.  Of this sum £400 has been lent on mortgage; £220 has been invested in the Building Society, and the remainder is in Lloyd’s Bank and the treasurer’s hands.  Secretary Mr. E. Good; Treasurer Mr. William Skelton.

The Free Masons also meet at the Tontine; but as this does not strictly come under the head either of a sick or benefit society it does not come within the above category.

Ancient Order of Foresters, Pride of the District, No. 4345.—This lodge was founded in 1864, and meets in one of the rooms in the Anstice Memorial Institute on alternate Saturdays.  Secretary Mr. T. Beddow, Bridge Street; Treasurer Mr. J. W. Fletcher.  Number of members 265; average age 31; amount of funds £872.  Annual Subscriptions £341 5s.

Ironbridge, Royal George, meets at the Robin Hood Inn, Madeley Wood, fortnightly.  F. Johnson, Secretary; J. Page, Treasurer.  It has 114 members of the average age of 34; and £444 in the court fund.  Annual Subscriptions £143 2s.

There is a similar society in connection with the Madeley Wood Company’s Works, from which we get no particulars, but the annual subscriptions to which may probably be put at about the same as those at Coalbrookdale.

There is also a similar institution in connection with the Madeley Court Works, with about 350 members, who pay annually £113 15s.

Adding all these together we find that, without taking the United Brothers and a sick society at Coalport called the Pitcher into account, there are 2985 members of clubs, subscribing a total of £2380 1s. 10d. annually, and possessing a capital of £4721 6s. 5d.!!

These facts may be considered as a reply in a great measure to the charge sometimes made against the working classes of an utter want of thrift and forethought, and suggest the question whether men making so much provision for the future for themselves and families ought not to be excused to some extent the payment of poor rates.

THE SANITARY STATE OF THE PARISH.

Let persons who undervalue an abundant supply of good water ask their wives or some medical man as to its importance; or let them beg it or buy it, and fetch it from long distances, often waiting their turns at the well, or count the cost which impure water entails.  Let them look at the sickness, the pain and distress of parents watching day by day the fevered or pallid cheeks and withered forms of their household treasures.  Perhaps the mother herself is struck down, or the bread-winner of the family; and in case death ensues, added to the crushing force of the blow, there are doctor’s bills, and excessive funeral expenses, which lie as a dead-weight from which the family scarcely ever recovers!

All in fact must see on a little reflection that however excusable certain things might have been at one time they are no longer so under the light thrown upon them by deep and long-continued investigations by scientific men who have devoted much study to the subject.  All must know that no proper supervision has up to the present been taken, and nothing like proper compulsion has been applied to the removal of glaring evils.

Let those who are apathetic on this subject ponder the following, taken from a paper read a short time since before the Society of Arts by J. J. Pope, Professor of Hygiene to the Birkbeck Institution.  The author said:—

“it is a startling fact that one-fourth of the children born into this world to endure for threescore years and ten, die before they attain the age of five years.  This is a sad truth, and the more lamentable when we know that these deaths mostly arise from causes that are quite preventible.”

The same author said, and said truly, that:

As regards houses: some have been built without reference either to light, air, or dryness.  Some have been made out of cattle-sheds, cabins, and stables, and are far worse than prison cells or workhouse wards.  These damp dark dungeons lower the temperature of the body, decrease the strength, generate disease, cause rheumatism, and predispose to other evils, not the least of which is consumption.  We have it on the authority of the highest medical men that with proper sanitary objects attained a reduction of nearly half the present premature disability from sickness, and mortality due to conditions about their dwellings may be obtained.

Let the people ponder these things; let them balance such heavy items against the trivial cost a better sanitary state of things would entail.

Whatever such cost might be it is for them to consider what they would save by the removal of causes of disease, and the concomitant advantages arising from improved health and prolonged life.  Again, it is only fair for them to consider the amount they pay and the precautions they take to mitigate the evils of sickness.

THE STEAM ENGINE IN ITS INFANCY.

It will be seen from what has already been written how much this parish has been associated with various improvements and matters connected with the early history of the steam engine, and although the subject might not be of universal interest, we might mention here a correspondence between the Commissioners of Patents and W. R. Anstice, Esq., senior partner of the Madeley Wood Company.  On the 24th of May, 1879, an article appeared in the Times under the head of

PATENT MUSEUM,

Stating that a very interesting old engine, the last of its kind which remained at work, had been removed from and re-erected in this museum, having been presented for that purpose to the Commissioners of Patents; and giving the following description issued by the curator, Colonel Stuart Wortley.—

On seeing the above W. E. Anstice, Esq., at once wrote to say they had three of the same engines now at work, and which had been at work for the past eighty years in the Madeley Wood Co.’s Field; that they still had five, and had had eight.  This led to an interesting correspondence in the course of which Mr. Anstice sent up an original drawing, which proved to be one of an earlier engine even than the one they had, and the one for which the original specification was taken out.

Also a large folio volume of original drawings and designs, admirably executed.  Some by Hornblower, Glazebrook, Sadler, Reynolds, Wilkinson, Banks, Anstice, Chinn, Price, Rogerson, Emerson, Telford, and others.  The Hornblowers appear to have trodden closely upon the heels of Watt at one time, and so closely that Watt wrote to Boulton saying, “If they have really found a prize it will ruin us.”  We add a list of these drawings, with dates attached.

No. 1 is a small steam engine made by James Sadler which was at work on the hill at the Dale in 1792.

No. 2 Drawing shews Sadler’s plan of rotary motion, with crank for winding engine, dated, 1793.

No. 3 S. Venables’ drawing of Sadler’s engine as it stood when T. Griffiths was putting it up at the Bank 1793.

No. 4 Is a plan of Sadler’s engine sent by Dr. Beddows, May, 1793.

No. 5 Are Drawings of an engine from J. Sadler’s, but which was never completed, 1794.

No. 6 Drawings and description of Thos. Savory’s Engine for raising water by the help of fire, June 14th, 1799; the description states that the inventor entertained the Royal Society by shewing a small model which he made to work before them.

No. 7 Is a plan of Watt’s steam wheel in all parts, but no date.

No. 8 Plan of a substitute for ropes, being an iron chain of novel construction to be used for coal mines, by Bingley, 1795.

No. 10 Plan of Adam Hislop’s engine to work without a beam, scale 1 in. to ft.  Drawn by S. Venables.

No. 11 Side view.

No. 12 Ground plan of an engine without a beam erected at Wombridge, Dec. 5, 1794.

No. 13 General section of an engine for winding coal.  Scale about ½ in. to ft.  July 23, 1793.

No. 14 Outside front view of Horsehay forge engine Feb 21, 1793.  Scale one third in. to ft.

No. 15 Section of Hollins Wood Blast Engine.  Scale ¼ in. to the ft.  William Minor No. 84 Sept. 12, 1793.

No. 16 General section for winding engine, 1 in. to ft. no date.

No. 17 Samuel Venables, Sept 1, 1793, No. 6 differs in construction from the former ones, two cylinders.

No. 18 William Reynolds’ idea of the application of Sadler’s engine to a rotable motion, the lower cylinder communicating with the boiler; this method is applicable to rowing boats with circular oars, 1795, drawn by Venables.

No. 18 Drawing of blast engine of the same period but no date or description.

No. 18 Ditto, winding engine.

No. 19 One Richard Banks 1796.

No. 20 Drawing of old incline engine.

No. 21 Elaborate drawing of an engine for winding coals, sun and moon motion, 30 strokes per minute, proper speed.

Nos. 22–34 Thirteen other engines.

No. 35 Sketch of Hornblowers’ air pump.

No. 36 Plan of Jinney for conveying wheeled corves down descents.

No. 38 Calculation of Mr. Anstices’ rotative engine by D. Rose March 17, 1799.

No. 39 Brick machines April, 1794.

No. 40 Sketch of a river Mill by W. R. improved by—

No. 41 A new method of boring as used by T. Price at the Brownhill Colliery.

No. 43 Prospective view of Donnington Wood incline plane and engine by William Minor Sept. 12 1793

No. 44 Engine with crank, Richard Speed, June 4, 1796.

No. 45 Plan for an Aqueduct over a river, Thomas Telford, March, 1794, with span of 100 feet.

No. 46 Copy for Fire engine from Emerson’s Engine for raising water.

No. 47 J. Wilkinson’s Idea of Chimney Boiler given by him to W. R. November, 1799.

No. 48 Drawings of an engine under James Glazebrooks’ patent Feb. 24th, 1799. beautifully drawn and coloured.

No. 49 Outside front view of Horsehay large Engine Feb. 21, 1793.

No. 50 Principal arch, 100 ft. for an iron bridge for level crossing (no date).

No. 51 Plans and Drawings of ribs &c., for an Aqueduct, by Thomas Telford.  With William Reynolds’ name signed to it.

And a number of others.

Clay Industries.—We have in earlier pages of this work spoken of some of these.  There are still the White Brick-works of the Madeley Wood Company, near Ironbridge; the red brick-works of the same company at Blissers Hill; the clay works of W. O. Foster, Esq., at the Court; and those of Messrs. George Legge & Son at Madeley Wood and the Woodlands; works which from the excellence of their varied productions, no less than from the number of persons employed, are of considerable importance to the district.

CAPTAIN WEBB.

Before he was seven years old he had learnt to swim in the Severn; and in his case the adage that “the boy is father to the man” held good, for when a boy he and his elder brother succeeded in saving from a watery grave another brother, whose strength, in attempting to cross the Severn, failed him, so that he had already sunk beneath the surface when he was rescued.  As shewing his pluck and daring it may be mentioned that going along the Severn banks to Buildwas, where boys usually go to bathe, he took off his shoes and walked along the top of the bridge, with his hands in his pockets, his third brother standing by not daring to look up lest he should fall and be killed; but the chief actor stood calm and unmoved when they afterwards met.

Webb’s subsequent feat in distancing all competitors in his six days swim adds another laurel to his crown as the champion swimmer of the world!

Hotels, Inns, Public Houses, and Beershops, in the Parish—their Signs, &c.

Signboards are scarcely so significant or important now as formerly: yet an interest attaches to them still, and there is some pleasure in pondering over their designs, as significant of olden times and manners—the old ones especially.  One easily imagines too the jovial tenants of taverns in former years, the noisy chafferings, the political discussions carried on by those who sought recreation and enjoyment in them.

The Three Horse Shoes is the oldest Sign in Madeley; it swings over the door of one of the oldest houses in Madeley, the walls being of rubble, mud, and plaster: and the Sign itself, no doubt, is one of the oldest in the kingdom.  A horse shoe, when found and nailed over the door was supposed to bring good luck—hence the single shoe, which is uppermost.  The Horse Shoes is kept by Mr. J. H. Robinson.

The Hammer, in Park Lane, kept by Mrs. Lloyd, is the next in point of age.  It was a trade emblem when the house was much more used than at present by ironworkers, particularly by forgemen.

The Heart of Oak, in Court Street, kept by Mr. Joseph Currier, is another popular Sign, indicative of character, and illustrative of old national songs.

The Barley Mow, in Court Street, is kept by Mr. Pitchford.

The Crown, Court Street, now void, is one of the oldest English signs.

All Nations, kept by Mrs. Baguley, is the only Sign of its name we know of.

The Six Bells, kept by Mr. Ward, near the Church, is a Sign significant of the number of bells in the Church tower.

The Royal Exchange, kept by Mr. Goodwin, is a modern house, with an ancient Sign; whilst the Railway Inn, kept by Mr. Taylor, is modern in both respects.

The Coopers’ Arms is now down, but another house has been built, which has not yet been christened.

The Prince of Wales’s Feathers, Lower Madeley, kept by Mr. Daniel Adams, as the name implies, is a royal badge.

The Miners’ Arms, kept by Mr. Kearsley, is so sufficiently significant, as not to need comment.  Also The Turners’ Arms, kept by Mr. John Brown; and the Three Furnaces, kept by Mr. Biddulph.

The Tweedale is kept by Mr. G. Ray.

The Britannia, kept by Mr. E. Hopley, Aqueduct, and the Anchor, by Mr. Evans, Court Street, are modern houses with ancient signs.

There are also the Commercial Inn, kept by Mrs. Heighway, and a Beershop in Church Street, kept by Mr. Durnall.

Then there is the Chestnuts, formerly the Red Lion, which fakes it name from the tree in front, and is kept by Mr. James Hancock.

The Park Inn, by Mr. Reynolds, and the New Inn kept by Mr. Jones, Park Lane, with the Pheasant, kept by Mr. Francis, complete the list of houses at Madeley, where, within our recollection, there were formerly but two.

At Coalport we have the Shakespeare, kept by Mr. Beard, and the Jug, we presume of Toby Philpot fame, of whom it is said,

His body, when long in the ground it had lain,
And time into clay had resolved it again,
A potter found out, in his covert so snug,
And with part of old Toby he made this brown jug.

There is also the Brewery Inn, kept by Mr. George Gough.

The Pit’s Head, formerly a noted house for old beer, kept by Barnabas Spruce, has long since disappeared; also the Turk’s Head.  Then there is the Robin Hood, by Mr. J. Roe; the Block House, by Mr. Dunbar, come next; and near to these is the Bird in Hand, the motto of which (more truthful than grammatical) is—

A bird in the hand far better ’tis
Than two that in the bushes is.

The Lake Head, by G. Barrat, takes its name from a small reach of the Severn.

The Horse and Jockey, by Mrs. Davies, and the Fox, by Mr. Curzon, come next, to remind us of old English sports.

The George & Dragon also, by Mr. Granger, reminding us of still more ancient times.

Hodge Bower, by Mr. Wilson, is a sign which lakes its name from the place.

The White Horse, kept by Mrs. Edwards, at Lincoln Hill is a very old Sign.

The Crown, the Queen’s Head (by Mr. Nevitt), the Oak by Ketley, the Severn Brewery and the Tontine (erected by the Bridge Company), and Three Tuns are all well-known Inns,

The Bath Tavern, the Setters’ Inn, the Roebuck, and Belle Vue, are extinct.

The Wheat Sheaf by Aaron Lloyd, the White Hart, by Woolstein; the Talbot, by Toddington; the Swan by Bailey; the Rodney, by Griffiths; the Meadow and the Commercial Inn, Coalbrookdale, complete the list of Houses of Refreshment for the parish.

THE BROOKE FAMILY.

Etheldreda was the daughter-in-law of Mrs. Ann Brooke, being the wife of Sir Basil Brooke, of whose knighthood we have no account.  She was a woman richly endowed with mental and moral qualities, and had received an education far in advance of that acquired by most women of her day, having been conversant with four languages in addition to her mother tongue, as well as skilled in music.

The dust of these ladies was laid with that of their husbands in the Old Parish Church of Madeley, their tombs being adorned with their effigies.  On the erection of the present edifice, they were placed in the niches they now occupy outside the church.  We give below the Latin inscriptions and the English translations, for which latter we are indebted to the kindness and courtesy of the Rev. C. Brooke, of Haughton, himself a descendant of a branch of this honoured family.

Madeley Church, 1815.

(British Museum) 21, 181.

The following is the English translation:—