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Nailers and nailmaking

J

jane k

master brummie
A large number of my ancestors were nailers in Stourbridge. Does anyone know of any books or publications which would tell me more about this?

Many thanks,

Jane
 
Crime and authority in Victorian England: the Black Country 1835-1860
By David Philips
Edition: illustrated
Published by Taylor & Francis, 1977
ISBN 087471866X, 9780874718669
321 pages

There is something in this book about nailers.

I wasn't able to copy the appropriate page. I did a seach for Stourbridge Nailers, this was the second entry.
 
Try the Black country museum site seem to remember seeing something there.
Jean n
 
Thanks for those photos David, I recently discovered that one of my gg.grandfathers was a nailer, he was born in Stourbridge,but lived in the Rock Houses at Kinver for a good many years.
 
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.
 
Hi everyone,

I'm working on the nail maker's cottage reconstruction at Avoncroft Museum in Bromsgrove. I'm trying to collect material to add to the archive about nail making locally and I'm collecting photos, stories, items etc relating to the trade and the buildings.

Anyone have any photos of nail making relatives, the nailshops or the homes they lived that would be interested in sharing??


Feel free to drop me a line at - [email protected]


Many Thanks


Mark
 
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Cliff have you tried pubs like the Nailers Arms to see if they have any photos? Many of the old pubs in and around Bromsgrove sometimes have them.
 
Hi Mark

I have no doubt that you have researched this subject thoroughly and have no doubt seen all these photos before, but just on the off chance that you may have missed them I will post them here. Northfield Birmingham was a well known place for Nailers around the Church Rd - Church Hill area. One of the photos is a row of Nailers cottages on Church Rd. Another is of a old nailers shop. then a drawing of a woman making nails, then one of the first nail making machines and an illustration of various horse shoe nails.
 

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Thank you both! Some really great pictures. Ive certainly never seen the old photo of the row of cottages in northfield before.
 
Have you see the two articles on The Nailmakers of Harborne and The Nailmakers of Birmingham from "Birmingham historian" 1988?
 
Cliff,


This Google capture shows on old Nailer's cottage that is still extant today. It's behind the Great Stone Inn on Church Hill in Northfield just adjacent to the church. You never know if you took yourself down there and explained what you were doing the owners might give you a tour of the old nail shop as it looks pretty much intact from the outside. I've also added another photo of the same cottage only its a bit older.
 

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Cliff2005 In 1968 I bought a cottage in Bromsgrove being 57 Licky Rock. The deeds stated that the building ,that in present time was a garage ,years earlier was in fact a nail house, I don't know what this building looks like now, but for your investgation perhaps to know that a nail house existed there years ago maybe of interest.. I have a few photos of it as a garage with a lean-to green hose!!!
 
I definitely have at least one article from the Birmingham historian in my desk I think it was 'the nail makers of northfield', but it may be Harborne im not sure. I will check on monday.

I may have an investigate of the northfield cottage when Im round that way, thanks Phil!
 
anvil man said:
Cliff2005 In 1968 I bought a cottage in Bromsgrove being 57 Licky Rock. The deeds stated that the building ,that in present time was a garage ,years earlier was in fact a nail house, I don't know what this building looks like now, but for your investgation perhaps to know that a nail house existed there years ago maybe of interest.. I have a few photos of it as a garage with a lean-to green hose!!!
Click to expand...

Yes please!! Would really like to see your photos of the converted nailshop/garage if you have them! I dont suppose you still have your title deeds too??

Thanks

Mark
 
The two articles were available online, but the domain now seems to be up for sale, so,if you want a copy of the old downloads , then I can e-mail them to you
 
Cliff............... When I can get my head round how to send you the photos I will do ASAP. I no longer live in the house mentioned so I don't have the deeds.
 
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