Although you don't have to go too far to find farming folk in the satellite villages around Brentwood in Essex, England, there is no way that the town can now be described as 'agricultural' as was once the case.
Brentwood's Farming Provenance
Even fifty years ago, there were numerous working farms around the ancient town of Brentwood, such as Blackmore, Kelvedon Hatch, Herongate, Hutton and, of course, some right in the middle of town. The famous five hundred years old Stomfords Farm stood right in the middle of the town in Hart Street until it was demolished to make way for a giant car park. Important to our farming folk was the blacksmith.
Farriers and Forges
Bentwood boasted of at least half a dozen farrier families who had been working in their forges for generations. In days gone by, as well as shoeing the farm horses, the smith could make or mend practically any implement the farmer or housewife needed. The farmers would visit the forge at harvest time when the scythes needed sharpening, but in contrast, their local blacksmith could also fashion iron rolling hoops for the children. He was always busy particularly at harvest time. Older residents can recall walking past the local forges with the pungent smell of burnt horn, watching the sparks flying and the sound of the blacksmith's hammer on the anvil. As he worked at his shoeing, the youngsters were sometimes allowed to help pump the huge bellows to keep his fire red hot.
Introducing Jimmy Todd - Master Blacksmith
To the east, there was the old Foresters' Arms' Forge alongside the mill-pond pub and another in Hall Lane. The Wingraves at Brook Street were a well-known and respected blacksmith family who had carried out their business over several centuries. Descendants still live in the town.
One of the best known blacksmiths was James (Jimmy) Todd who kept the smithy up at Great Warley. Jimmy wasn't just an ordinary blacksmith, he was a master of his craft. "It was my Granddad who was Farrier Sergeant of the Horse during the Great War who passed on his love of animals; then my uncle David who originally owned the forge into which I came in 1974 who also had a huge knowledge of the craft. There was another uncle who also held the Farrier Sergeant title during World War II."
Jimmy knew so much about the provenance of his ancient craft, and was a sought-after speaker and judge at the top agricultural events in England and the United States and has now left Brentwood to live in Canada. These days, equestrians, horse owners and farmers have to book mobile farriers to do the work that Jimmy once carried out with such aplomb but he is so well remembered in the annals of Brentwood's farming fraternity of the past.
Source
Kent, Sylvia Folklore of Essex The History Press Publications, 2005
Brentwood Weekly News, Echo Series (2011)
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