It must have been a hard life in years gone by, when most people had to draw their water from a well and carry it home. How many buckets a day were needed for domestic use by a family of six, which was the norm at the beginning of the 20th Century.
Fathers would tell their families "Don't waste water,, I have to carry it." Today they say the same except it's "Water's on the meter, I have to pay for it."
For the benefit of the families that lived in Brewers End, Takeley in the late 1800's and drew water from the well, (by lowering a bucket into the well and hauling out the water.)
Five local gentlemen formed the Takeley Pump Company in 1886 and fitted a pump on the well head.
They are recorded as:
Mr. W. Lambert
Mr. V. Smith
Mr. W. Pattmore
Mr. G. Piper
Mr. P. Stillins
All had shares in the company. Mr. Lambert had four, Mr. Patmore held four and the remaining three share holders held one each making a total of eleven.
The well was sunk on ground belonging to R. Lambert (W.Lambert's father) around 1879 and the pump installed shortly after the forming of the company.
The pump, which still stands in Brewers End, has the name G. INGOLD B'SP STORTFORD cast into the body of the pump.
G. Ingold, Pump Makers and Well Sinkers had their workshop in Apton Road Bishop's Stortford. The business was started by a J. Ingold in 1851 and upon his death was carried on by George Ingold.
The cast iron body of the pump was probably cast at the iron foundry of William Hughes in the Causeway, Bishop's Stortford, by the River Stort, as William Hughes was 'in partnership with George Ingold.
George Piper did the repairs to the pump, fence etc. The winter of 1892/94 must have been a hard one as the pump "frooze" (Essex dialect in those days for "froze".
One entry in the accounts book reads:- 6th February 1894, Paid G. Piper 2 shillings and 8 pence for thawing out pump and packing with manure!! An original invoice (which still exists) shows that repairs were carried out to the pump on 13th July 1888 and the invoice for that work is dated January 1889 some 6 months later.
Charges to use the pump are recorded as follows:
1886 1 shilling per quarter year.
1921 2 shillings per quarter year.
The Pump was padlocked with each client being given a key.
Johns Notes ..
I came across Mike Pipers excellent publication "THE TAKELEY PUMP COMPANY" (From which the above is a small part) at the first open afternoon of The Little Hallingbury Village History Society, in the Village Hall.
It made me think: "Water - you turn on the tap - its there", well for many people, in many places for many years, this was not the case.
Before the establishment of water mains, plumbing, etc, water was a big problem. If you were lucky you had your own well, or maybe pump. If not you maybe had a town or village pump, not all had. For example. Vange in South East Essex, villagers had to walk to a local farm, and buy a bucket of water at a penny a pail, local children could earn a little money by selling water back in Vange at one and a half penny a pail.
Sanitation was also a problem, many people being careless and foolish with the way they used the water sources. Just think, in some areas, Dengie and Rochford Hundreds being two, people had to use standing water, after rain, in puddles and in ruts in the tracks.
John Nordon realized water to be a problem
in Essex, as in 1594 he wrote :
" Noth withstanding all which rivers and brookes, manie places in Essex are verie ill watred, and have few or no springes, especiallie in Dengie and Rochford hundreds, and in divers other places, which have onlie standing waters for their use,
which are bad in winter, and in summer
worse."
Some of the difficulties connected with supplies to villages and towns are shown in the quarter sessions rolls.
In 1604 John Varsall, of Eastwood, was presented because he had " bulte one pryve howse over one littel brooke " that led from his house (Cockethurst) to Eastwood church, whereby the inhabitants were greatly annoyed by reason of taintinge the brooke and are driven to seke for water els where, to there great trobelf."
At midsummer 1641, Sarah, the wife of John Stevens of Tolleshunt D'Arcy, husband-man, was presented for " annoying the standing water there which belongeth to all neighbours thereabouts for all uses." The water was " unholsome with foule sudds and cloathes."
Five years later there was a complaint from Great Coggeshall that "an ancient stream " in that town running from a spring in " le Back Ditch," which was used by the inhabitants of Gallowes Street " from time immemorable to brew withal and for other necessary uses, nevertheless John Isaack of Great Coggeshall, tanner before and since 20 June 1646, has thrown into the said Back Ditch divers filthy and stinking hides of beasts. "
It was stated in a presentment of 1621 that a common well in the town of Billericay "which was necessary for the benefit of the town had gone to decay, " but who ought to repair the same we know not."
Harlow inhabitants failed to keep their common pump in repair in 1653. The presentment states : " by reason whereof there are divers of the poor inhabitants that are like to suffer."
In 1623 the "common towne poump in Bocking was out of repair and the inhabitants of Bocking End were to repair it. There was " a great want of water in the town and annoyance was caused to their next neighhours by fetching water out of the parish at Braintree Poump.'
At Witham in 1624 a well in " Witham Street near the markett crosse was to be amended by the town " and was " very dangerous for children to fall into it."
In 1630 the inhabitants of " Prickelwell were presented for not repairing their " towne welle," letting it decay, " it being in the street and very dangerous for six months."
Benton in The History of Rochford Hundred (1867) stated that Mr. Lindsell of Prittlewell, then upwards of eighty years old, could remember the well in the centre of the road in Prittlewell, opposite the Blue Boar, that caved in circa 1795. It was about forty feet deep, bricked, and four or five feet in diameter. This was no doubt the well referred to in 1630. Another pump at the bottom of the hill near the Priory is still in existence.
A presentment at midsummer 1632 states that the inhabitants of Castle Hedingham allowed their common well or pump in the middle " of the town to fall into decay, and it was " very dangerous for passengers as well as horse for ten months last."
Rochford had few springs, most of the supplies coming from standing water. In Ironwell Lane was the Iron Well, adjoining Swaines Farm. The water, as the name implies, was hard, and in the square by the old market house was another well, but this was often closed for several hours a day.
In the last century a water cart went round to cottages that had no supply.
According to tradition, the ancient Cromwell Pump
which stands on Cromwell Hill, Maldon, was first discovered by Oliver Cromwell.
At Pitsea the village pump served a wide area. It stood near the boundary between that parish and Bowers Gifford and was the only Supply for miles. It was in use until about fifty-five years ago, when main water was laid on and obtained from standpipes. The minutes of the parochial sanitary committee of Vange, Pitsea and Bowers Gifford show that at a meeting held in November 1907 it was recommended that the pump be dismantled and the fittings sold, but by March 1908 this had not been done.
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