Find My Past is giving schools in the United Kingdom three months free access to their census and military records Read this Case Study to find out how Key Stage 2 pupils can use census data to research and investigate past events Wickhambreaux The last mill standing! Why did Wickhambreaux water mill survive when most Kent mills closed at the end of the 19 th Century? Working conditions in Victorian Times This term Year 5 and 6 pupils at Wickhambreaux Primary School in Kent have been finding out what life was like in the village at the end of the 19 th Century. Part of their project was to compare and contrast working conditions at the end of the 19 th Century with conditions today. To research this question the pupils were given access to the 1871 and 1891 census data. Close examination of census data showed that earlier in the century most people living in the village worked on the land. However, by 1891 this situation had changed and the largest single employer in the village and the surrounding area was the water mill that had been converted from a traditional corn mill to a rubber working plant that employed men and women to mould and cut rubber to make tobacco pouches for pipe smokers. In the mid 19th Century there were over forty working water mills on the River Stour. Background Information 3 rd 7 th October 2011 Victorian Week at Wickhambreaux Primary School The mill was built to grind the locally grown corn. During the 18 th and 19 th centuries much of this corn was transported to Canterbury to feed the city s military population. However, by the end of the Victorian era many of the mills in East Kent were struggling to make a profit as alternative forms of energy, the investment in larger roller mills and cheaper foreign imports were forcing small independent mills to close. To survive, Jabez Walter, the new owner of Wickhambreaux mill, took the decision in the late 1870s to convert the mill to the working of India Rubber. This decision enabled the mill to survive and grow; within five years rubber tobacco pouches made in the village were being transported to Canterbury and taken by train to markets across Britain. Research and Investigate What was Wickhambreaux like in 1891? Has it changed much in appearance over the past 120 years? What were working conditions like in late Victorian times? Use the information you have gathered to write a diary extract about a rubber worker s day at the mill. Researching the Past What the pupils did! To research this question the pupils were given a guided tour of the village by a local guide provided through the Historical Association (HA) and access to a range of historical sources. These included maps, census data, old photographs and written commentaries dating back to the period. Colonel Bolton told us about the buildings and shops that existed in the village at the turn of the 20 th Century.
1. What do maps tell us about the past? The pupils were given copies of the 1881 Ordnance Survey map and present-day map of the village. Close examination of these showed that the three main streets The Street, The Grove and Seaton Road - appeared on both, and that since 1891 few new buildings have been added. The village has changed little in appearance since Victorian times Except for new door fronts and PVC windows, the appearance of the village has altered little since late Victorian times. Many houses in the street still have a traditional thatch roof. Transport The most notable difference is that transport (horses and carts) approaching the village from Seaton used to travel along the back lane and cross the ford opposite the mill by the Post Office. Today all transport travelling from Seaton to Wickhambreaux, Ickham and Stodmarsh has to weave its way past the school along the very narrow main street. The Street today note the many cars parked outside the houses 2. Examining the 1891 and 1901 census data Local records confirm that the population of the village in 1881 was 506. Most males over the age of 11 worked on the land while the majority of women were listed as servants or worked from home. At the time of the 1881 census, Jabez and Kate Walter were listed as owning the mill and employing one apprentice. Ten years later the mill had been transformed by significant investment. In 1881 the new owner of Wickhambreaux Mill was Jabez Walter. He employed at the mill one workman and an apprentice. By 1891 most water powered mills had been closed. To survive Jabez installed machinery in the mill to mould and cut fine rubber skins that were then sown to make fine tobacco pouches. The business flourished and by 1891 four of the residents living in The Street were employed by Jabez to cut and package the rubber. Careful examination of the 1891 census records for The Street revealed that 4 were employed in the mill as rubber manufacturers and workers. House No. Name Age Gender Occupation Place of Birth 58 Cora Harris 16 F India Rubber worker Elmstead, Kent 60 Henry Rudd 31 M India Rubber Hackney, London Manufacturer 74 George Thowburn 18 M India Rubber Hundon, Suffolk Manufacturer 84 Elizabeth Chapman 13 F India Rubber worker Bredhurst, Kent For free access to 1841 1911 Census data visit: www.segfl.org.uk/census
3. Old Photographs Old photographs confirm that most transport travelling to the mill approached from Mill Close and crossed by the ford next to the Village Post Office. Today, while the building (Stone House) still stands, the nearest Post Office is situated at Littlebourne. The village Post Office - 1901 4. Wickhambreaux Village Walk - Monday 3rd October 2011 The Poor House The pupils walked along The Street from the primary school to the mill. Farm Labourers Cottages The Street in Wickhambreaux today The Farm Labourers Cottages built in the early 19 th Century and the Workhouse still stand, as does the Forge with its thatched roof on the corner of Seaton Road - important reminders of how the village relied in the past on farming to support the economy of the area. The Forge today The shops in the Street The shops on the corner next to the Green closed many years ago. Today there are no stores in Wickhambreaux. To buy stamps, a loaf of bread or newspaper villagers have to drive, cycle or walk to either Littlebourne or Wingham and for the weekly food shop make their way to the outskirts of Canterbury. The Bell Bakery Just the sign hanging over the door remains today. The other noticeable change was the number of cars parked in the narrow road. Few small homes built in the 19 th century have room for a car port or parking space. This necessitates owners leaving their cars on the road. In the 19 th century carts from the farms would have transported wheat and hops to the Mill through the village. Today such movement would not be possible. To live in Wickhambreaux today requires owning a car. Consequently, for large parts of the day it is difficult to drive through the village. Noise pollution in Wickhambreaux may not be a problem but the 21 st Century curse of traffic congestion certainly is!
The Green and Wickham Court Road At the end of the Victorian era families and children would have gathered at the weekend on the Green. Today it is just a small triangular piece of land rarely used by the general public. A new safe play park for children has been built by the Parish Council close to the Seaton Road and most meetings nowadays take place in the Village Hall. Wickhambreaux Mill The Mill, built on a tributary to the Little Stour, is situated on the south west side of the village opposite The Stone House. Historical journals date its construction back to the early 18 th Century. Like the mills at Ickham and Littlebourne, it was built at a time when the economy of the area was flourishing. At the start of the 19 th Century Britain was at war with France and many troops were based in and around Canterbury. To provide the army with bread and beer, water mills were erected along the Stour at various points to grind the locally grown corn, hops and barley. The four-story mill is situated opposite Mill Lane. From the road one can still view the original water wheel. 100 years ago carts carrying rubber, corn and hops to the Mill would have crossed Wickham Court Road by the ford. 19 th Century Water Wheel The mill continued manufacturing rubber until the late 1940s Today it has been converted into apartments and flats. Residents park their cars in the yard where the corn would have been bagged and packed on carts for transporting to the market and small breweries in Canterbury. Victorian children and work What were working conditions like in Wickhambreaux mill in the 1890s? Who was Elizabeth Chapman (Using the census to research people and places) The 1881 Census lists that Elizabeth Chapman was born in 1878 close to the village of Ickfield in Kent where she lived with her father Charles Clinch and mother Mary Chapman. Her father was a shepherd. Census records do not confirm that the couple were married. By 1891 the family had moved and now lived in The Street, Wickhambreaux. At the age of 13 Elizabeth is listed as working at the India Rubber mill. She would probably have been responsible for cleaning the workplace and packaging the rubber for transportation.
The 1891 Census: In 1891 Elizabeth aged 13 lived in The Street, Wickhambreaux with her mother Mary and her father Charles Clinch. She is listed as working in the mill as an India Rubber worker. The 1881 Census: In 1881 the family including Elizabeth s older sister and brother lived at the Duffpits in Ickham. Charles Clinch is listed as being employed as a shepherd. The 1871 Census: Prior to Elizabeth being born, the family lived in Littlebourne village, from where Charles worked as a shepherd. Everyday life in a Victorian Mill The 1870 Education Act forbade owners employing children under 11 to work full-time in a mill. However, records show that children as young as eight worked six hour shifts in the Lancashire cotton mills. In the late 19 th Century children over the age of 11 would have worked, on average, 66 hours a week. Work for the majority would start at six in the morning and finish at six in the evening. On Saturday work would last from seven in the morning until one in the afternoon. Writing Task July 1 st 1889 My first day at the Mill You are Elizabeth Chapman. Write in your diary about your first day working at the Mill. It is very likely that you would have started worked at six in the morning and finished around six in the evening! What was life like inside the Mill? Describe in your diary entry the machinery, the noise and the smell of the cut rubber. Compare your life with that of the Walter family who owned the Mill and lived in the large house next to the mill. What the pupils wrote Year 5 and 6 pupils from Wickhambreaux Primary School Dear Diary, I woke at 5.00 a.m. to the sound of the church bells. This morning was hot and sunny as the first of the suns rays broke through the clouds. I arose from my tattered sack and stretched. Then I went downstairs to wash myself with water that had been left in a small tub by the sink. I then got dressed and had breakfast which was a slice of dry bread and a cup of milk. Ready for work I slipped on my bonnet, open and closed the front door, and joined labourers in the street carrying their tools to work. We walked passed the red brick village school. It was a lovely old building although the paint work was peeling. I could see young children playing hop scotch which brought back childhood memories. Suddenly a tear started to fall down my cheek. In the distance I could hear the banging of the hammer from inside the rubber plant. St Andrew s Church, Wickhambreaux
What we found out: We found out during the project that: The village school Many young people living in the countryside worked on the land. Around Wickhambreaux the farms grew fruit, cereal and vegetable crops. Most children up to the age of eleven attended school. However, it was common around harvesting time for many children to not attend and help the adults gather the harvest. Working conditions for many children over the age of 11 were very hard. Most worked on average a 60 plus hour week. The only day when people did not work was Sunday. During the winter months farm workers often found themselves out of employment. To survive, many families relied on the Parish to provide food and work. In return for being fed at the Poor House, labourers would mend fences and cut back trees and hedgerows. At the turn of the 20 th century most farm goods were transported by horse and cart. Most farm work was done by hand. Few machines existed like today to help workers plough, sow and harvest crops. Alternative forms of energy and the importing of cheaper corn from the continent resulted in many small water mills in Kent closing in the second part of the 19 th Century. Publishing and sharing our learning with others Google Interactive Map All the photographs from the Village Walk can be viewed on the Google Interactive Map we created. To view our Interactive Google Map of Wickhambreaux The last mill standing visit: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?msid=205249918376441897628.0004b2cfc0c6b997ae8bb&msa=0 Victorian Life A play written and recorded by Years 5 and 6 pupils at Wickhambreaux Primary School Victorian Houses Drawings and Painting http://www.history2literacy.co.uk/#/the-victorians/4554100195 Other Web links Find My Past SEGfL Census 2011 British Pathé Wickhambreaux Mill Wickhambreaux Primary School website http://www.findmypast.co.uk/ http://www.segfl.org.uk/census http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=54116 http://www.wickhambreaux-school.ik.org/ Report compiled by: Phil Bracegirdle (History2Literacy) E-mail: pbracegirdle@gmail.com November 2011