EARBY BLACKSMITH

[Stanley]

EARBY BLACKSMITH
OUR VILLAGE BLACKSMITH
From the Craven Herald 8th October 1926

Of all the human occupations with an historic association there is none that surpasses the worker in iron. There is an old couplet, which runs as follows:
“When Adam delved and Eve span,
Who was then the gentleman?”

But before Adam could delve he must have had some suitable implements, and we must assume that Adam was a “ Jack of all trades.” The ancient chronicler has placed on record that in the earliest stages of social development Tubal Cain was the forerunner of all who worked in iron.
One remembers a poem that was taught us at school:
“Old Tubal Cain was a man of might
In the days when the earth was young:
By the fierce red light of his furnace bright,
The strokes of his hammer rung.”

The fire has glowed and the musical notes of the anvil have rung out through all the succeeding ages and in all parts of the habitable globe. There is no other craft which has had more distinctive association with English village life than the blacksmith, but it has been left to an American poet—but one who was thoroughly embed with English tastes and traditions—to immortalise that noble character. So Longfellow sings:

“Under a spreading chestnut tree
The village smithy stands,
The Smith, a mighty man is he
With large and sinewy hands.”
That lovely picture, in all its stages, has had its counterpart in our village life.

A Traditional Hero.
In the absence of historical documents it is difficult to deal with events beyond the memory of living people, but there is one personage who, although unknown by name, has survived in the fireside stories of the remote past. On the un-impeachable authority of the late James Wilson Green, the Earby blacksmith of a century and a-half ago was a man whose exploits were known all over the North and West of England. His fame was not so much due to his excellence as a craftsman as to his skill was and prowess as a wrestler. During the eighteenth century wrestling was the most entertaining and popular sport of the countryside, and large companies used to assemble to watch the physical tournaments arranged on behalf of the protagonists.

Our Earby champion won the reputation of being able to beat all comers, and to test his claim visits were paid to Earby by the champion wrestlers of Westmoreland and Cumberland, counties which are still noted for this kind of sport. When the visitors arrived and made their challenge the blacksmith left his smithy on the edge of the Green and “ took his man on.”
“The muscles of his brawny arm
Were strong as iron bands,”
And the sturdy man proved to be invincible. He might have said, in the words of Miss Mitford’s village champion: “We do not challenge any parish but if we be challenged, we are ready.”

Marton to Earby
It is not making too great a claim to state that in the sphere of the black smith there is no name in the surrounding district, which stands out, with so much prominence as DODGSON. More than a century ago the adjoining village of Marton, three miles distant from Earby, was quite a populous village. The blacksmith for the village and the Gledstone estate was Thomas Dodgson. His father had also served the community in the same manner, and the family was held in very high esteem. The Wesleyan Methodists from the Skipton Circuit conducted services at Marton, which were held in Thomas Dodgson’s house, and continued as long as he lived.

After attaining his majority James Dodgson went in search of “ fresh fields and pastures new,” and started in business as a blacksmith on his own account at Kelbrook. There he found his devoted wife Mary Wilkinson, who was a servant at Kelbrook Vicarage. When he was 24 years of age the aspiring blacksmith removed to Earby, and built a new shop on the New Road, near to Lane Ends, where he established a good business, which was the nursery for a family of blacksmiths who settled in the neighbouring towns and villages.
The eldest son, Jonathan, migrated to Gargrave, where he built up a fine business, which is now managed by his son. Thomas settled at Whitefield, Nelson, and one of his sons has a blacksmith’s shop in Burnley Lane, with grandsons learning the trade. Another son, John, entered into business as a joiner and cabinet-maker, and his son has established the Boundary Joinery Works, Colne.

The fourth son, William, had a fine scholastic career, and won a science scholarship for £330, which was open to all England, and by which he entered Owen’s College, the forerunner of Manchester University.

The youngest son, Alfred, remained with his father, and with the advent
of the motor industry this branch has been wonderfully developed by Alfred’s
son, James.

Mr. Dodgson was of a retiring disposition, and his leisure time was spent it home and in the service of the Wesleyan community at Earby, as society steward and Sunday School teacher and treasurer. In quiet conversation he used to relate stories of his boyhood and young manhood. He had a keen recollection of the Colne Riots on the introduction of power looms the “ plug drawing “ disturbances and the cotton famine. He lived under six sovereigns— George III. George IV. William IV. Queen Victoria, Edward VII. and the present King.

He and his wife were privileged to celebrate their golden wedding, and the old gentleman, who had never had a real illness in his life, continued the even tenor of his pilgrimage until he arrived on the verge of his 94th year. Their mortal remains were laid to rest in the quiet churchyard at West Marton.
J.HARTLEY
Transcribed from the Craven Herald October 8th 1926 written by John Hartley
From a collection of newspaper cuttings made by the author kindly loaned by Mrs. E. Wilkinson.
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Earby
III
OUR VILLAGE BLACKSMITHS (part 2)
From the Craven Herald November 12th 1926
With reference to Mr. Dodgson's family, his son Henry, who was for a long time associated with the father in the Earby business, is entitled to special honour as he was the pioneer in this district as a cyclist. He made in his own shop a machine of the very best type, and he was known to all the "wheelers" in the West Riding and East Lancashire. He was a well known competitor in the sports fields of forty to fifty years ago, before the advent of the "safety" machine. Later he established a successful business at Colne, where he now resides. Mr. Dodgson had also two daughters, Ellen, who married the well known and highly respected dentist, John Hodgson, and Susannah, who became the wife of the late Mr. Mason Moorhouse, also of a highly respected family.
John Taylor.
Another character, most worthy of honoured remembrance, is the blacksmith of the old Victoria Mill, John Taylor, who also came from Marton, and was a nephew of Thomas Dodgson. He and four other children were left orphans at an early age, the father, William Taylor, a shoemaker, dying when John was six years old, the mother three years earlier. Kind friends took the children under their care, and John lived as a boy with his uncle, Henry Robinson, farmer, of Harrop. When he was eleven years of age he came back to Marton and was apprenticed to his blacksmith uncle. He never went to a day school, but attended a night school at Marton. He had, however, remarkable natural abilities, and he not only became a first class workman, but a self-educated man of eminent usefulness. As a boy and a youth he was a chorister . at Marton Church, and on Sunday evenings he and other boys had to go to Gledstone Hall to "say their catechism" to Miss Roundell. Thomas Varley, the late estate agent, was one of the number.

It may be stated that a great uncle of John Taylor's, William Taylor, was a schoolmaster for forty years, and was the clerk at Marton Church. He was sworn in at York, and he continued to serve in that capacity from 1763 to 1793, when he died. The family have in their possession the book of Common Prayer
which Wm. Taylor used at the Church services; also a copy-book containing samples of writing almost like copper plate.

At one time there was a flax mill near the Cross Keys Inn, which belonged to the Taylor family, and Thomas Varley's mother worked there as a girl.
There was a pew in Marton Church which was assigned to "William Tayler and his seed for ever."
As a youth John Taylor began to attend the Wesleyan Chapel at Barnoldswick, and became a teacher in the Sunday School. Some of the servants at Gledstone Hall also accompanied him occasionally to Barnoldswick, with the almost inevitable result that one of them, Sarah Weatherall, became his wife. They were both held in high esteem at "The Hall" and Mr. Taylor was allowed to visit the hall to pay his attentions to his sweetheart. Miss Weatherall was the housemaid, and her services were especially prized because she was such an excellent seamstress. The happy pair were united in holy wedlock at Skipton Parish Church on February 18th. 1849, the officiating clergyman being the Rev, P. C. Kidd. They were both 21 years of age.

After his marriage the young blacksmith removed to Barnoldswick, and he was the first blacksmith at Butts Mill. The Roundells however, liked his shoeing of the horses so much that they arranged with Mr. William Bracewell for the Gledstone farm horses to be brought to Butts Mill to be shod. The old blacksmith said "he could not have shod horses like John Taylor if they gave him all the world.”

The Wesleyans at Barnoldswick were not slow to recognise his character and talents and yielding to persuasion he became a local preacher, his first service being at Foulridge. He quickly gained acceptance, and was in much demand in the Colne, Skipton and Crosshill Circuits. At a Colne Quarterly Meeting which he attended he took part in a discussion in support of a proposal made by the late William Tunstall, of Brierfield Mills. He impressed Mr. Tunstall very much although he was unknown to him, and immediately after the meeting he asked where the young man came from and was told: "It is the young blacksmith from Barnoldswick." He went and made the young man’s acquaintance and admitted to him: "You just said what I wanted to say, but I could not have done it." The result was a life-long friendship, which was much prized. After eight years he went to Trawden to start business on his own account but the venture was not successful, many of the people were more ready to have work done for them than to pay for it.

In December 1856, he came to Earby to be the blacksmith at the Victoria Mill for Mr. Christopher Bracewell, which position he retained to the end of his life. For more than a quarter of a century he was an outstanding figure in our village life, known to and respected by all. He was a veritable tower of strength to the Wesleyan cause, as local preacher class leader, society steward and Sunday School superintendent.

Of James Dodgson it could be said:
"He goes on Sunday to the Church And sits among his boys."
But of John Taylor it required to be:
"He goes on Sunday to the Church And sits among his girls."
He had a large family, all daughters with the exception of his son William, who will be remembered as a day school teacher, musician and cricketer. He passed away in the full tide of his powers, and was outlived by his widow by about thirty years, and their last resting-place is in the lovely quietness of Marton Church burial ground.

Hartley Wilkinson, who was an apprentice of James Dodgson's, and who for nearly fifty years had a blacksmith's shop in the older part of the village, is also deserving of special reference. He was a typical old Earby resident— shrewd, practical, humorous, and untiringly industrious. He was very popular with lads, and children coming home from school, "looked in at the open door, they loved to see the flaming forge And hear the bellows roar.”

"Hartley Smithy," as his place was usually called, was a veritable camp for the "Keb Brig" and "Top o' town" lads. They used to go to get their clog irons put on, and nothing suited them better than to blow the bellows and watch them being made. Happy indeed was the lad who was permitted to do a bit of striking. He had two hobbies, one was poultry rearing and the other was music. He was a frequent exhibitor at poultry shows, and a notable prize-winner. From being a youth he was a member of the Baptist choir and one of the leading spirits in the old Earby Glee Party. He was a light tenor, and he simply revelled in musical performances.

A Blacksmith Story.
One of the stories which occasionally Hartley liked to tell related to the farmers who came down to Earby from the Lothersdale side to have their horses shod. Two of them arrived one morning and they were joined by a third. The last comer looked very downcast, and on inquiry they ascertained that the man's wife had passed away the day before, and he was left with a family of children. "A'll tell thi what a'll do," said one of his farmer friends, "a'll swop thi wi' a wick un, and gi' thine a good bury-ing "

Hartley Wilkinson passed away on January 2nd, 1903, having lived three years over the allotted span.
J. H.
Transcribed from the Craven Herald November 12th 1926, written by J. Hartley.
From a collection of newspaper cuttings made by J.Hartley kindly loaned by Mrs. E. Wilkinson.

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