REGBRIDGEMAN
BLACKSMITH OF LITTLE HALLINGBURY.
My father John Bridgeman was an apprentice to Blacksmith George Rust at The Old Forge Little Hallingbury and worked for him for 27 years. He started with One Shilling (5p) a week for the first year rising to Five Shillings (25p) a week in the Fifth year. I still have his indenture papers, these make interesting reading for example; "He must not haunt Taverns or Playhouses, he must not contract into Matrimony nor play at Cards or Dice Tables etc" dated 1897 (How times have changed in 100 years).
He told me he only got £2-10-0 when he was fully qualified with two apprentices under him. According to the account books that I still have he was still getting £2-10-0 when he left about 20 years later.
My father was promised The Old Forge when George Rust retired, but before he was about to move, the two Miss Browns decided to move into it themselves.This put Father in right muddle as he had already bought several tons of iron bars and at a sale he had bought many heavy tools, but now he had nowhere to put them.
He did have the chance to go to Newmarket shoeing race horses but mother didn't want to go, as she was involved in many village organisations.
The farmers in the village didn't want to see him go either. The village blacksmith was very much part of the farmers work team,as not only did he shoe the horses but make and mend tools, make gates and fences put iron tyres on cart wheels, to name but a few
Mr Barclay from Gaston House came to the rescue with the offer of the barn at the bottom of School Green.
So it was decided that he would now have a go and start up on his own. The first thing to do was to buy a new forge, this came by rail and was delivered the next day by horse and cart. The farmers all got together to help him move from The Old Forge to The Barn as it was for everyones benefit to move as soon as possible and things soon sorted themselves out.
I was about 11 years old at the time and went to the village school. It was lovely to hear the ringing of the anvil when you sat at your desk.
I used to help my father in the mornings and at night. Sometimes I would help him cut off lengths of iron with a cold chisel. I would hold the chisel and he would use a 14lb sledge hammer. I had a 7lb sledge hammer that was what all apprentices used. I was given my own leather apron and was very pleased and proud of this because I only had short trousers and sparks used to stray and hit my legs.
I remember dad saying that he could smell burning. I looked round and said its your shirt there was a hole in it about 6" round and smouldering, he hadn't felt it because it hadn't gone through his vest. I soon put it out as we always had wet rags about in case of things catching alight.
My teacher asked how my father was getting on and if I liked working for him I said I did and she said I wouldn't be late if I didn't get to school until 10 o`clock, as the first hour was scripture and you did not have to attend. My father was a churchman so I only helped if it was necessary.
I started full time work when I was 14. Although the work was very hot and heavy I got used to it and enjoyed the varied work that we did, from replacing hoe handles to shoeing heavy cart horses.
If work was needed on a farm, there was no comfortable van for me to ride in, I had to put my tools on my bike and cycled (no tarmac roads in those days) to my destination, maybe Sheering, Broad Oak, Takeley, Bishops Stortford, etc and no extra charge was made for the travel.
Re-cycling is not a new idea as many of our tools were made from old worn out tools or scraps of iron for example, pinchers for removing the nails from the old shoes were made from old files. I still have a couple of these now.
The Barn eventually had to be pulled down just before the last war for road widening and we built a new Blacksmiths Shop next-door to our house.
We continued to work here until about 1959 when farming techniques were changing and the tractor replaced the horse and the work for the blacksmith was on the decline.
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