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Nail Making

T

thecapt

Guest
Hi all,

I am currently doing some research into nailmaking in the West Midlands area, specifically what it would have been like at Christmas time. My brief is to find out what happened over the Christmas period in a nail making household. If anybody has any info or can point me in the right directly, I would be most appreciative.

Thanks,

Leigh
 
Re: Nail Making

Thanks David - I currently volunteer at Avoncroft Museum of Historical buildings in Bromsgrove. We have a nail shop and chain shop as well. I've been to the Black Country Museum, it's a brilliant place (for local history 'nerds' like me anyway). Any info is most welcome.

Leigh
 
Hi the capt. My family on my mothers side were from Bromsgrove and were all nailmakers they are the Chance,Rea, Crawfords and the James fmailies. I have been to both Museums and feel at home in both my Step grandmother was from the Black country and most of the female side of the family were chain makers my nan told us that she worked on chains that were as thick as a mans arm and as thin as her little finger and that both she and her mother and sisters took part in the strike
 
Re: Nail Making

Thanks Tiny - I actually live in a suburb of Bromsgrove called Sidemoor. It was the main area away from the town that was involved in making nails. The nail shop at Avoncroft is from just around the corner from my house. If you ever want to read up about nail making in Bromsgrove try 'Glory Gone' by Bill Kings, it should be available at local libaries.

Thanks for the info, it all helps me build a picture of what life was like back then (very tough I have say).

Thanks,

Leigh (thecapt)
 
my husband used to live in peters finger bromsgrove ( at the side of the Brit pub ) and his cottage was a nailers place
 
I don't know if this would interest you, but my ancestors had their own nail making business and one of them invented some improvements to nail making. I attach copies of the patents for your perusal. They are pdf files.

Terry
 
I have family who were nailers in Dudley. I haven't found a worse employment, they were slave to the nail masters who paid them in kind, not money. They had to get their food and clothing from the masters they worked for.

As to what happened on Christmas Day, it was until the late 19th cenury, when unions started to act on behlaf of the workers of all trades, the one day in the year when our ancestors would have been given a holiday. Many of them married on Christmas Day, because they could.:)
 
I could not imagine anything more boring than spending my working life making nails. I found ancestors from Bromsgrove all the adults had this employment it must have been sole destroying.I can see why they moved to Birmingham.
 
thanks capt will try and find that book today. some of the addresses I have for the bromsgrove side of the family are the Strand,107 Birmingham Rd,loweshill, Millfield and Clains. will have to spend a couple of days following up these addresses. As daft as it seems I would love to have a go at nail making just to find out how it was done and how hard it was.
Tiny
 
Nailmaking was widespred around the Cradley, Cradley Heath, Blackcountry area were most people made nails in nail shops in their back yards. Try the "Black country gob" forum, lots of people from the areas mentioned are on that site, maybe they can help.
 
I think I posted all my information to the wrong thread. My Great Grandparents were from Dudley. She was a Nail Maker from aged 10. I am struggling to locate just where they lived. The 1851 Census shows them as living in Old Mill Dudley. I cant locate an area called Old Mill. This might actually be OLD MILE There is an Old Mill but nothing showing as an area. Any info would be appreciated
 
Last edited:
There is an Old Mill Street in Dudley, and also Old Hill near Dudley.

If you gave the name, someone could look at the census and may be able to help.
 
Thanks The name was Thomas Jones He was an Ironstone miner. His wife was Sarah They had 6 children at the time of the census. I am hoping to do more research into my ancestors lives. I dont expect to come across them mentioned in any publications seeing as how there were some 50,000 involved in Nail Making. Just interested to learn more about their lifestyle.
 
I assume that this referred to the following (from Pigots 1841 directpory):

CHUNK NAIL COMPY. (cut) BRITANNIA WORKS, Blews st
 
A great description of the Britannia Works. This sounds to me (and I could be wrong) that there were independent workshops within the Britannia Works complex. Viv.
 
On my paternal family tree is a branch whose name is Priest who lived in Rowley Regis area. My 4 x grandfather is Benjamin Priest and his wife Sophie. The 1861 census has their occupations when they were in their 60s as nailmakers.
The whole family seems to have been in the nail and chain making industry for several generations.
One of their sons, also named Benjamin, obviously prospered and founded a company in Old Hill. A couple of adverts for his company are attached.

Screenshot 2021-04-19 151157.jpg Screenshot 2021-04-19 150958.jpg

They were still going in the 1980s but I don't know if they are now.
 
jmadone said:
On my paternal family tree is a branch whose name is Priest who lived in Rowley Regis area. My 4 x grandfather is Benjamin Priest and his wife Sophie. The 1861 census has their occupations when they were in their 60s as nailmakers.
The whole family seems to have been in the nail and chain making industry for several generations.
One of their sons, also named Benjamin, obviously prospered and founded a company in Old Hill. A couple of adverts for his company are attached.

View attachment 156148 View attachment 156149

They were still going in the 1980s but I don't know if they are now.
Click to expand...
jmadone said:
On my paternal family tree is a branch whose name is Priest who lived in Rowley Regis area. My 4 x grandfather is Benjamin Priest and his wife Sophie. The 1861 census has their occupations when they were in their 60s as nailmakers.
The whole family seems to have been in the nail and chain making industry for several generations.
One of their sons, also named Benjamin, obviously prospered and founded a company in Old Hill. A couple of adverts for his company are attached.

View attachment 156148 View attachment 156149

They were still going in the 1980s but I don't know if they are now.
Click to expand...
In this case, we are related, I am the Granddaughter of Benjamin Priest ( The Old Hill one) & you are Black Country, not a Brummy, our company Nuts Bolts, Scaffolding, etc. My father Cecil Jackson brought the company back from near bankruptcy due to my grandfather's death duties.. My son Benjamin passed in 1976 and Dad passed 1977, the company is sadly no more. My second Grandson's middle name is Ben, if the name continues after that I have no idea?
 
LindaCorby said:
In this case, we are related, I am the Granddaughter of Benjamin Priest ( The Old Hill one) & you are Black Country, not a Brummy, our company Nuts Bolts, Scaffolding, etc. My father Cecil Jackson brought the company back from near bankruptcy due to my grandfather's death duties.. My son Benjamin passed in 1976 and Dad passed 1977, the company is sadly no more. My second Grandson's middle name is Ben, if the name continues after that I have no idea?
Click to expand...
 
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