Willenhall History

The Growing Town

The Willenhall Spa

There was a time before the modern health service, when people with an illness, or disability, would seek help wherever possible, often placing their trust in the strangest of cures. Spring water, carrying with it a variety of minerals, was often sought out by people looking for a cure. Even today people still go to ‘take the water’ at spa towns for its healing properties.

A number of springs in the Black Country were thought to possess healing properties, including one in Willenhall, in the area called ‘The Stringes’, where Stringes Lane is today. The spring is described in Stebbing Shaw’s ‘History of Staffordshire’ as follows:

The spring arises on the north side of a brook which runs almost directly from the west to the east, and so very near to it that a moderate shower will raise the brook to cover it. About 200 yards up this brook, on the same side, are several springs, one of which was much taken notice of by our ancestors, and consecrated to St. Sunday, no common saint. Over it is the following inscription:

Fons occulis morbisque
cutaneis diu celebris
A.D. 1726

Tildesley, in his “History of Willenhall” gives the following translation:

This spring has for long been celebrated for healing a morbid condition of the eyes and skin. A.D. 1726.

The renowned Dr. Richard Wilkes carried out many experiments in order to discover what the healing properties were. In 1737 he conducted the following experiment on a sample of water taken from the spring:

I evaporated in a brass furnace 13½ gallons to 3 quarts, then let it stand for 3 days to settle, and poured the clear water from the foeces. This was a light smooth insipid earth of a yellow colour, fat between the fingers, insipid and impalpable, which being dried, weighed 93 grains. The remaining 3 quarts I evaporated in a brass kettle and had from it 53 grains of a very salt glutinous substance which dried into a solid mass of a brown colour. When the water came to a pint or thereabout, it began to smell like glue, and continued to do so when in a solid substance; it was then also as high-coloured as lye, but I am afraid this colour might arise from the brass kettle, in some measure, or too great a fire, being perhaps burnt.

The doctor carried out many experiments, but failed to reach any meaningful conclusion. It seems very likely that 50 years or so after the doctor’s experiments, the quality of the water would have changed dramatically, due to the effects of local industry and mining. The water would then almost certainly have had very different properties. The spring is remembered today in the form of Spring Vale Street, and the area called Spring Bank.

The Great Fire

By the middle of the 17^th century Willenhall had grown into a small town with 136 householders, as can be seen from the Hearth Tax returns. The town had grown-up along the Walsall to Wolverhampton road, around the market place, and Stafford Street. Most of the houses were half-timbered, with a thatched roof, the usual form of construction at the time.

Such buildings could be a great fire hazard, because once alight they would burn very quickly. The fire could soon spread out of control, engulfing many of the tightly-packed buildings, because burning pieces of thatch would be blown onto surrounding buildings, setting them alight. At this time there was no organised form of fire fighting and so such fires occurred all over the country. Little could be done, other than to evacuate the buildings, and wait for the fire to burn itself out. In 1590, such a fire occurred in Wolverhampton, which resulted in the destruction of 104 houses, leaving 700 people homeless. A second, slightly smaller fire ravaged the town in 1696, this time destroying 60 houses.

Willenhall’s fire took place in 1659 when a devastating blaze engulfed the town centre, destroying most of the buildings. The damage was so severe that it resulted in an estimated rebuilding cost of £1,500, a great deal of money at the time.

The chapel wardens and the town constable, Abiel Parkes, headed a deputation at Stafford Quarter Sessions to obtain and Order of Sessions, to enable them to apply to the Privy Council for the grant of a Brief. This would enable them to apply for financial assistance from parishes and charities in 10 counties. The Brief was successfully obtained, and nearly £500 was raised towards the rebuilding cost. Assistance came from the neighbouring towns, and as far afield as Chatham in Kent. Walsall gave £25, Wolverhampton, Wednesbury, and Bilston each gave £5, and Darlaston gave £3.15s.0d.

Most of the £500 went towards the rebuilding of 4 houses in the Chapel of Ease Estate. Three of the affected tenants were George Turner, William Turner, and Thomas Brookes. The whole of the town centre was rebuilt, including one of the largest houses, the old hall, which was owned by the Wilkes family. It was rebuilt by Richard Wilkes, and stood until 1934 when it was replaced by the Council House. Where money allowed, the houses were rebuilt in brick with tiled roofs, a number of which still survive. One survivor from this period is the Bell Inn in the Market Place, which was built in 1660.

A Large House and Windmills

The largest house in Willenhall, called the Moat House, stood on the eastern side of Stafford Street, where the Midland Railway ran through the town

It’s grounds were along the eastern side of Stafford Street, extending to Leveson Street in the north, Wood Street in the south, and Cemetery Road in the east. The house and a lake were surrounded by a moat. The house is believed to have been built in the 16^th century, and is listed in the 1666 Hearth Tax returns, as having 10 hearths.

The Leveson family occupied the house until 1752 when the last member of the family to live locally, died. In 1763 the house was purchased by Thomas Hincks, a prosperous maltster. By 1800 the house had been demolished, but the grounds and moat remained for some time. All traces of the moat disappeared when the Wolverhampton and Walsall Railway Company built the railway line in 1872. The grounds were gradually redeveloped as the town expanded.

The location of the Moat House, based on Godson's map of 1800, with modern street names added.

Willenhall had three windmills, two of which stood on high ground on the eastern side of Rose Hill. One of them was built of brick, the other of wood. The brick building was jointly owned by the Clemson family, and the Chapel of Ease Estate. The wooden building belonged to the Molineux family, and was possibly built in the 16^th century.

Tildesley, in his History of Willenhall mentions that an inquiry was held in 1655 in the Court Baron of the Manor of Stow Heath regarding the ownership of the brick-built mill. At the time, and for the previous 30 years the miller had been Francis Day, who paid an annual rent of £1.6s.8d. The other millers were:

Edward Hill from 1655/56

John Perry of Bilston

Stephen Shaw

Thomas Bayley from 1670

William Smith and Rebecca his wife from 1698

William Smith’s son William, who also had a mill at Dudley

Joseph Clemson bought the mill in 1756

The court roll which describes the lands belonging to the Chapel of Estate, includes the following description:

All that moiety or half part, undivided, of the Windmill situated in Hill Field, and the moiety of that parcel of land whereon the mill stands containing sixteen yards or thereabouts on every side of the mill post extending upon the land formerly in the possession of John Parry, the other moiety of which said Windmill and land now belonging to Joseph Clemson of Willenhall aforesaid, baker, and the said mill is now in his possession.

The mill was on the south of where Tyler Road now stands, near to St. Giles Road.

The third windmill stood near to the junction of Lucknow Road and Mill Lane. The lower part was built of brick, and the upper part of wood. The building remained in use as a stable, until it was demolished in the 1940s

The Hearth Tax

In 1662 the government of Charles II introduced the Hearth Tax to raise much needed funds. Each householder whose house was worth more than 20s a year, and who contributed to local church and poor rates was eligible to pay the tax. The payment, due twice a year, was based upon the number of hearths in the property and consisted of 1 shilling for each hearth. Large numbers of people were exempt from the tax and were required to obtain a certificate of exemption from the parish clergyman. The list of taxpayers only gives the number of householders, and like the Subsidy Rolls, it cannot be used to calculate population figures, but does give an indication of the comparative size and prosperity of the local towns.

Hearth Tax Figures for 1666

Town	Number of Householders	Householders Not Charged	Householders Charged	Number of Hearths
Darlaston	145	87	58	78
Tipton	115	45	70	122
Willenhall	136	63	73	123
Walsall	645	345	300	740
Wednesbury	218	84	134	289
West Bromwich	311	117	194	363
Wolverhampton	858	359	499	925

The table shows that at the time, Willenhall had one of the smaller populations in the Black Country, well over half of whom lived in decent housing. The largest houses with more than two hearths were as follows:

Householder	Number of Hearths
John Leveson	10
Richard Wilkes	8
John Tomkes	4
John Hawkins	3
William Pedley	3
Richard Perry	3
Richard Turner	3
Margaret Brindley	3
John Charles	3
Elizabeth Stone	3
Erasmas Podmore	3

Early Industries

Willenhall’s prosperity grew due to the growth of local industry, mainly manufacturing small metal items. Early iron products included nails, which were gradually superseded by coffin handles, curry combs, bolts, latches and locks. In 1770 there were 134 lock makers in Wolverhampton, 8 in Bilston, and 155 in Willenhall. By this time Willenhall had become an important lock-making town.

In 1770 Sketchley and Adams published an edition of their “Tradesman’s True Guide” which included Willenhall. This was the first directory to include the town. The section below is a classified trade directory, produced from the information contained in the guide. It is interesting to see that the lock making industry had already began to dominate manufacturing in the town.

A Classified Directory of Willenhall Trades in 1770

Box Maker
Newman, John

Chafing Dish Maker
Green, Thomas

Chape Makers (buckles)
Preston, William, jun.
Turton, Joseph (also locksmith)

Chest Handle Makers
Hadley, William (also coffin handles)
Hadley, Richard (also coffin handles)

Coffin Handle Makers
Burrows, William
Dolman, Joseph
Hadley, William (also chest handles)
Hadley, Richard (also chest handles)
Morgan, William
Morgan, Thomas
Parker, John
Smith, John

Corkscrew Maker
Hadley, John (also fine padlocks)

Crosset Makers
Davie, Benjamin
Fox, William
Leeke, John
Pedley, Henry
Smith, Samuel
Rutter, William
Turner, Benjamin
Whitehouse, Joseph

Curry Comb Makers
Biddle, Henry
Read, Richard
Read, Silvester
Stoaks, William
Taylor, Richard

Dutch Ring Maker
Walker, Jonathan

Ewl Blade Maker
Partridge, James

Factors and Hardware
Pedley, Hannah (also ironmonger, merchant)
Roberts, George
Wenman, and Scott (also ironmongers)

Grid Iron Makers
Green, Francis
Green, Joseph

Gun Lock Maker
Chandler, Francis

Ironmongers
Aston, William
Helshew, John
Hincke's, John
Pedley, Hannah (also merchant, factor)
Thomas, William (also locksmith)
Turner, Margaret
Wenman, and Scott (also factors)

Snuffer Maker
Marsh, Richard

Steel Plate Maker
Fisher, John

Steel Tobacco Box Maker
Boulton, John

Vice Maker
Allwright, Thomas

White Smith
Jackson, Francis

Little London
Willenhall Town

Little London
Little London

Little London
Little London
Little London
Little London

Little London
Little London
Little London

Little London

Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town

Willenhall Town

Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town

Willenhall Town

Little London

Willenhall Town

Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town

Pool Hayes

Little London

Willenhall Town

Little London

The Lock Industry

Bolt Makers
Hartell, Thomas (also brass knob latches)
Hartell, Abraham (also brass knob latches)
Jackson, Joseph
Knowles, George
Knowles, Edward
Knowles, John
Knowles, John (also chest locks)
Knowles, William (also chest locks)
Offley, Thomas (also    spring latches)
Perry, James

Box and Trunk Lock Makers
Appleby, Henry
Brindley, John (also park gate lock maker)
Evans, John
Hodgetts, Thomas
Hodges, Benjamin
Hodson, James
Newman Thomas (also park gate lock maker)
Parkes, John
Pedley, Henry
Wood, Joseph

Brass and Rim Lock Makers
Beckett, Richard
Hall, William
Huntbach, Thomas

Brass Knob Latch Makers
Hartell, Thomas (also bolts)
Hartell, Abraham (also bolts)

Brass Knob Lock Makers
Babb, Thomas
Babb, James
Bratt, John
Freeth, William

Brass Lock Makers
Bickerton, James
Butler, John
Dalloway, John (also rim locks)
Hammersley, Jonathan
Hall, William (also rim locks)
Huntbach, Thomas (also rim locks)
Nock, William
Preston, William

Brass Knob Lock Makers
Holt, John (also rim locks)
John, William
Lyde, Samuel
Parkes, Joseph
Parkes, Thomas
Pendlebury, John
Pooler, John
Riddo, James (also rim locks)
Rogers, William (also rim locks)
Terry, William
Tunks, William

Cabinet Lock Makers
Cley, Richard
Cooper, William (iron)
Hartell, Daniel
Perry, John
Worton, Joseph

Chest Lock Makers
Burrows, Samuel
Knowles, William (also bolts)
Knowles, John (also bolts)

Fine Padlock Makers
Babb, Jeffery
Baily, Thomas
Brindley, Samuel
Butler, James
Butler, Isaac
Careless, Thomas
Fletcher, Joshua
Fouk, John
Hadley, Samuel
Hadley, John (also corkscrews)
Hartell, Jonas
Hartell, William
Hartell, Isaac
Honeman, James
Horton, ?
Hunt, William

Fine Stock Lock Makers
Bowars, Edward
Bullock, Isaac
Cotterall, Thomas (also mortice locks)
Goodwin, Daniel
Reaves, Thomas
Riley, Daniel
Smith, John
Underhill, Thomas

Fine Warded Screw Lock Maker
Turner, Joseph

Iron Lock Makers
Huntbach, Rupert
Lowe, Dennis
Read, Daniel

Iron Rim Lock Makers
Cartwright, William
Emery, William
Lewis, William
Marston, James
Owan, John Little London
Marston, John (also brass knob lock maker)    Willenhall Town
Robinson, William
Taylor, Robert
Willson, Joseph

Latch makers
Bratt, Jonathan
Bratt, James
Offley, Thomas (spring latches, also bolts)
Tunks, Samuel (also padlock maker)

Lock Maker
Hopkins, Joseph

Locksmiths
Lees, James
Groutage, Joseph (iron)
Morris, Joseph (brass)
Pool, George    (outside box)
Pye, Thomas    (mortice and brass)
Summerfield, John (brass)
Summerfield, William (brass)
Terry, William     (brass)
Thomas, William (also ironmonger)
Turton, Joseph (also chape maker)

Mortice Lock Maker
Cotterall, Thomas (also stock locks)

Padlock Makers
Bratt, Isaac
Farmer, George
Cotton, Ann
Hartell, John
Hartell, Edward
Larrance, John
Pain, John (black padlocks)
Summer, John

Park Gate Lock Makers
Brindley, John (also box trunk lock maker)
Newman Thomas (also trunk lock maker)
Walter, John (also fine padlock maker)

Rim Lock Makers
Dalloway, John (also brass knobs)
Freeth, James
Hall, William (also brass locks)
Holt, John (also brass knob lock maker)
Huntbach, Thomas (also brass locks)
Marsh, John
Perry, John
Pool, Isaac
Powell, Andrew
Riddo, James (also brass knob lock maker)
Rogers, William (also brass knob lock maker)
Wootton, Richard

Secret Padlock Makers
Brockoles, James
Careless, Joseph
Careless, John

Spring Lock maker
Brumall, Richard

Spring Stock Lock Makers
Phillips, Joseph
Riley, James
Riley, John

Stock Lock Makers
Horton, George
Huntbach, John
Joburns, William
Marston, Joseph
Marston, Thomas
Marston, Timothy
Mold, Benjamin
Mould, William
Parsons, Thomas
Pedley, Simon
Pitt, Stephen
Rutter, John
Standley, John
Standley, William
Taylor, William
Tildesley, Jeffery
Tildesley, John
Tildesley, Samuel
Till, John
Tonkis, Benjamin
Tonkis, Joseph
Tunks, Samuel (also latch maker)
Walker, Joseph
Walter, John (also park gate lock maker)
Wittall, William
Wood, Joseph
Woodward, William

Till Lock Maker
Wheeler, George

Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town
Little London
Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town
Little London
Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town
Little London
Willenhall Town

Pool Hayes

Pool Hayes
Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town
Little London

Little London
Willenhall Town
Little London

Willenhall Town

Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town

Willenhall Town
Little London
Pool Hayes

Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town

Willenhall Town
Little London
Little London

Willenhall Town

Little London
Pool Hayes
Pool Hayes
Willenhall Town

Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town

Little London
Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town
Little London

Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town

Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town

Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town
Little London
Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town
Little London
Little London
Little London
Little London
Little London
Willenhall Town
Little London
Little London

Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town

Willenhall Town

Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town

Willenhall Town

Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town

Little London
Little London
Little London
Little London

Willenhall Town

Little London
Little London
Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town

Willenhall Town

Little London
Little London
Willenhall Town
Little London
Willenhall Town

Little London
Willenhall Town

Willenhall Town

Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town

Willenhall Town
Little London

Little London
Little London

Little London

Willenhall Town

Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town
Little London
Little London
Little London
Little London

Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town

Little London

Little London
Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town
Little London
Little London
Little London
Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town
Willenhall Town
Pool Hayes
Little London

Little London

Total Number of Individual Tradesmen

Lock Industry
10 - Bolt Makers
10 - Box and Trunk Lock Makers
3 - Brass and Rim Lock Makers
2 - Brass Knob Latch Makers
4 - Brass Knob Lock Makers
8 - Brass Lock Makers
11 - Brass Knob Lock Makers
5 - Cabinet Lock Makers
3 - Chest Lock Makers
16 - Fine Padlock Makers
10 - Fine Stock Lock Makers
5 - Fine Warded Screw Lock Makers
3 - Iron Lock Makers
10 - Iron Rim Lock Makers
4 - Latch makers
1 - Lock Maker
10 - Locksmiths
1 - Mortice Lock Maker
8 - Padlock Makers
3 - Park Gate Lock Makers
12 - Rim Lock Makers
3 - Secret Padlock Makers
1 - Spring Lock maker
3 - Spring Stock Lock Makers
27 - Stock Lock Makers
1 - Till Lock Maker

Other Industries
1 - Box Maker
1 - Chafing Dish Maker
2 - Chape Makers (buckles)
2 - Chest Handle Makers
8 - Coffin Handle Makers
1 - Corkscrew Maker
8 - Crosset Makers
5 - Curry Comb Makers
1 - Dutch Ring Maker
1 - Ewl Blade Maker
3 - Factors and Hardware
2 - Grid Iron Makers
1 - Gun Lock Maker
9 - Ironmongers
1 - Snuffer Maker
1 - Steel Plate Maker
1 - Steel Tobacco Box Maker
1 - Vice Maker
1 - White Smith

Total Number of tradesmen, taking into account that some specialised in several different products:
Locks - 155 Other trades - 50

From the directory it can be seen that by 1770 the lock trade had become the most significant industry in Willenhall. Most, if not all of the businesses would have been very small concerns, employing no more than a handful of people.


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