Thursday in the Afternoon an Inquisition was taken before Thomas Beach, Esq; Coroner for the City of London, on the Body of William King, a Carpenter; it appeared by the Evidence, that some carpenters being at Work last Tuesday Afternoon, in repairing a House of Mr. Dalmaboy, on Ludgate-hill, Words arose between one John Garnett, a Carpenter, and the Deceased, in Relation to the Deceased’s spoiling some Tools of Garnett’s; that the Deceased pushed Garnett against some Sash Doors there, and that Garnett took up a Hammer, and threatened to knock the Deceased down if he pushed him any more; that King retired towards the door, but Words still continuing between them, he returned to Garnett, and lifted up his Hand, as intending to strike Garnett, that then Garnett immediately took up a plane and struck the Deceased on the right Temple, who fell down speechless, and, notwithstanding he was immediately blooded, was seized with a Stupor, and was sent to St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, where he expired early the next morning. As there did not appear any previous Malice between the Parties, the Jury found Garnett Guilty of Manslaughter, and the Coroner committed him to Newgate, to take his Trial at the next Sessions, which begins at the Old Bailey on Wednesday next.
— from the The Public Advertiser of London (Sept. 12, 1761) courtesy of Jeff Burks
Edward Prince, Carpenter, Aged 73 by John Walters painted in 1792.
I follow one of Britain’s National Trust blogs that specializes in chinoiserie. Through the blog I was familiar with Erddig, a very popular National Trust site, outside of Wrexham in Wales. What I didn’t know was how the painting above was related to Erdigg and the extraordinary relationship between the Yorke family, Edward Prince and his successors.
The painting of Edward Prince has been in my file for a while but until I could decipher the writing on the scroll, Edward had to wait. Last night I found the poem and much more about the carpenters of Erddig.
Erdigg was built in the 1680s and passed into the Yorke family in 1733. Phillip Yorke I (1743-1804) commissioned portraits of six estate servants and composed poems to be included in the paintings. The paintings were completed between 1791-1796 and in addition to the carpenter, included an elderly housemaid, the blacksmith, the gamekeeper, the kitchen porter and the butcher and publican in Wrexham. Except for the butcher, all the servants were middle aged or elderly and had been in service from a young age. The series of paintings and the poems started a Yorke family tradition of acknowledging and honoring the servants of Erdigg. This remarkable and unique tradition continued for almost 200 years with the paintings, and later photos, displayed in the Servants Hall.
Phillip Yorke I by Gainsborough, late 1770s; the West front view of Erddig.
John Prince, father of Charles and grandfather to Edward, was the first recorded carpenter at Erddig. Charles Prince, known as “The Black Prince” because of his dark complexion, succeeded John. Edward became his father’s apprentice. As head carpenter Charles was paid 1 shilling 6 pence per day for a 6 day week; Edward the apprentice was paid 1 shilling per day for a 6 day week. In 1779 Edward succeeded his father as Head Carpenter and we learn a bit more about him from the poem in the painting:
Phillip York called these little compositions of his “Crude-Ditties” and actually published a volume of them. It isn’t a poem meant for a collection of classics, but a message of warm regard for the Prince family as a mainstay of Erddig and an affectionate thank you to Edward for his long service. And four wives! With each new wife I can just imagine what kind of greeting Phillip gave Edward, can’t you?
In 1830 Thomas Rodgers was the carpenter at Erddig and at age 48 he was painted at his workbench. Simon Yorke II wrote the inscription at the bottom.
Thomas Rodgers, Carpenter, 1830 by William Jones of Chester.
Rodgers started working at Erddig in 1798 first as a pig-boy and later as a thatcher’s assistant and a slater. After working at Erddig for over 65 years he was made a pensioner at age 90 and died in 1875 at age 94. Twenty-two years after the painting we find Thomas in a photograph taken in 1852. He is holding his saw with his son and successor James Rodgers next to him.
Erddig servants on the front steps in 1852. Thomas Rodgers is front row, second from right holding his saw; his son James is next to him.
The Yorke family documentaion of their domestic staff gives us a rare look at a 19th-century craftsman in a painting and a photograph. It is a reminder of how much life was changing mid-century. Although the pace of change was slower on a country estate, the traditional ways of life and of making things by hand was being challenged and changed by new technologies and machines.
John Jones, a descendant of Erddig servants, was the head carpenter at age 56 in 1911 when his photo was taken. He entered service in 1872.
John Jones, Erddig Carpenter, 1911.
Thanks to the Yorke family’s respect for their staff we have a glimpse into the lives of multiple generations of carpenters at one country estate. Hands down, this beats Gosford Park (except for Clive Owen) and Downton Abbey any day.
In 1973 Erddig became a National Trust property. Not long after that a local mine collapsed threatening the stability of the main house and out buildings and a major job of shoring up was undertaken. Although I couldn’t find any photographs of the carpenter’s shop taken in the 19th century I did find a few photos taken prior to and during the 1970s renovations, and a few current photos. Except for the current photos of the workshop all images in this post are from the National Trust.
If you would like to learn more about Erddig go here.
Rona Walker from New Zealand wrote “A Brief Story of the Prince Family” for a family reunion. I wonder if there are any Prince woodworkers in New Zealand?
–Suzanne Ellison
P.S. If you would like to see the original six paintings by John Walters, including the blacksmith, go here.
Interior of the Carpenter’s Workshop before restoration, 1974.
Interior of the Carpenter’s Workshop before restoration.
Interior of the Carpenter’s Workshop before restoration.
View of interior of the Carpenters’ Workshop during restoration.
Building a Wiltshire Waggon near Longleat, April 1941.
When war broke out in 1939 there was great concern over the losses that might occur in Britain due to bombing, possible invasion and war operations. At the same time Britain was seeing the same changes America was experiencing: the loss of rural industries, the growth of cities, roadways overtaking small towns and mass production practices displacing small businesses and farms. Taking inspiration from America’s Federal Arts Project Sir Kenneth Clark the diector of the National Gallery initiated a program titled, Recording the Changing Face of Britain. He also estsablished a similar program, The War Artists’ Scheme.
Lists were made of sites that were to be documented with pen and ink and watercolor. The goal was to record those sites considered typically English (little of Wales was included, Northern Ireland was left out and Scotland had a separate recording program). There were 97 artists involved with over 1500 works completed. The Pilgrim Trust (funded by American millionaire Edward Harkness) was used to commission works by prominent artists and to pay small sums to other artists who submitted their work. In 1949 the Pilgrim Trust gave the Recording Britain artwork to the Victoria and Albert Museum and the illustrations shown here are from the V & A collection.
One of the ‘other’ artists was Thomas Hennell and he is featured here because he specialized in drawing and painting the countryside and the craftsmen of the countryside. Hennell suffered a mental breakdown several years before the war started and was not eligible to serve with the armed services, however, when war broke out in 1939 he offered his services as an artist to the War Ministry. He drew and painted for the Recording Britain project and was also dispatched to record war preparations. By 1943 he was a full-time and salaried war artist. He participated in D-Day and traveled with the Canadian First Army and later, a Royal Navy Unit, as they advanced during the invasion. In June 1945 he landed in Burma and there documented the end of war operations. Hennell was 42 years old when he was killed in Indonesia in November 1945.
As the war progressed the original lists had to updated as areas of Britain not considered priorities were threatened by bombing or the need for military bases. Hennell was quickly dispatched to Lasham when local residents figured out where an aerodrome was to be built and the Beech Avenue, a stand of trees first planted in 1809, was to be destroyed. From Volume 4 of “Recording Britain” by Arnold Palmer, “…by the afternoon post a letter was dispatched to the artist. Before his [Hennell’s] answer came, he and his hard-working bicycle were well on their way to Hampshire.” To give you and idea of the size of the Beech Avenue and its importance four-fifths of the trees were felled for the construction of the aerodrome leaving two short lengths totaling a quarter of a mile.
The Beech Avenue, Lasham, Hampshire, 1941.
In the early years of the war Hennell captured several craftsmen in their shops carrying on with their work. Although they were living in a time of great uncertainty, and each day’s war news brought more anxiety, there was always the shop to tend to. A new order came in, repairs were needed here or there and each job in the shop gave some small sense of normalcy.
Interior of Workshop of Mr. Clapp, Cooper, Walton Street, Bath, 1940.
Hennell seems also to have captured the ‘personality’ of the various shops. Mr. J.W. Brunt’s wheelwright’s shop seems well-ordered compared to the controlled chaos of his smithy (in the gallery below).
Wheelwrights at Work in Mr. J.W. Brunt’s Shop, Newington, 1940.
The artists that helped create the works in the Index of American Design and the Recording Britain program helped document handmade objects, scenes of daily life and landscapes many of which now exist only on paper. Thankfully, during 1940 and 1941 before he became a full-time war artist, Thomas Hennell completed 33 drawings and watercolors of the English countryside that included several craftsmen’s shops.
Which makes me wonder how many of you have documented your shops, or your corner of the dining room, or basement, or garage? Have you made a sketch of your shop or asked your talented daughter/son/niece/nephew/grandchild to make a sketch for you? Whether a masterpiece done in crayon by a five-year-old or sketched by your art student teenager, either would be a treasure.
In the Baltimore-Washington D.C. area we have three IADs. Most people aren’t aware of the first one, the Institute of American Deltiology, part of the University of Maryland Special Collections. There you can find over one million postcards and related materials! I wonder if they have this one by Mainzer:
Then there is IAD, as in Dulles Airport. Besides a lot of people flying in and out, Dulles has hosted the arrivals of pandas, a Komodo dragon and a lowland gorilla to name a few. The traffic you might encounter on the way to the airport is also very famous. From my house the trip should take about 1-1/2 hours; I plan on at least 2 hours, three if it’s raining.
The IAD you might be most interested in is the artworks of the Index of American Design in collection of the National Gallery of Art.
The idea for documenting hand works and decorative arts started as an effort to define the American aesthetic. During the Great Depression the Federal Arts Project, part of the Works Progess Administration (WPA), employed more than 300 artists to draw and paint a huge variety of items. The project ran from 1935 to 1942. The artists were paid a weekly wage of $23.86, an amount that enabled many of them to survive the Depression.
The artists drew and painted clothing, textiles, all variety of household items, toys, furniture, tools and so on. The output was over 20,000 images. The National Gallery of Art has more than 18,000 images available online. When furniture was documented it might be done as a watercolor, a measured drawing or a combination of both:
How a chair might be documented.
Within the overall project there was an effort to document three uniquely American design groups: Pennsylvania German, Shaker and Southwestern. Furniture designs range from the very simple to the refined work of 18th and 19th century urban cabinetmakers. The Index is a great resource for furniture makers and historians, especially since many of the documented pieces could now be lost. In the gallery below there are several examples of furniture and as many woodworking tools as I could find.
Earlier this year film maker, Michael Maglaras, released “Enough to Live On – The Arts of the WPA.” In a short intro segment he sums up the purpose of the Index of American Design as “…to copy the work of the great, and many anonymous, hand skill artists of the past.” We in turn are the recipients of the work done by the hands of the WPA artists. The Index of American Design is our family heirloom.
You can read much more about the Index here. Once on the page there is an option to “Tour the Index.” You can select several surveys (overviews) such as Furniture, Metalwork, Shaker, etc.
If you would like to go to the online listings of the Index at the National Gallery of Art go here. In the search box you can search for chairs, setttees, desks, spurs and so on, but keep in mind the results will include artworks outside the Index.
To watch a brief (4 minute) film by Michael Maglaras introducing the Index on Vimeo go here. Maglaras’ company is 217 Films. You can also look for another short piece on the WPA artist by Carl W. Peters.
Queen Anne walnut secretary desk, 1747, by Joel Baily (3rd gen). 84-1/4″ high, writing height 36-1/4″, depth of desk 20-5/8″, depth of bookcase 8-3/4″.
Joel Baily of Bromham, Wiltshire, England arrived in Chester County around 1682. Nine of his descendants are listed in “Furniture and Its Makers of Chester County, Pennsylvannia” by Margaret Berwind Schiffer which spans the years 1682-1850. The Bailys are noted as cabinetmakers, joiners, turners and watchmakers. The lives of two Bailys, Joel from the 3rd American generation and Yarnall from the 5th generation, have the most detail for review.
Joel Baily (3rd generation) signature on the drawer bottom of a Queen Anne secretary desk.
Joel Baily (1732-1797), of the 3rd American generation, was a cabinet maker in West Bradford township. His son, Emmor, was a watchmaker and eventually moved to Baltimore. When Joel died he left an estate valued at $3463.91, including his tools:
Yarnall Baily (1799-1862) was born in West Chester and his first known listing as a cabinetmaker or joiner was in 1824. His father was not a woodworker and we don’t know where he learned his trade.
There is a fairly continuous record of Yarnall’s advertisements from 1829 to 1848. In his 1829 ad he, “…WANTED immediately, One or two Journeymen, that will recommend themselves by their work, to whom liberal wages will be given…”
By 1834 Yarnall had moved to the southwest corner of Market and New Streets in West Chester. He emphasized his “…practical experience in the business…to the selecting of mahogany and other lumber, hardware, &c…he employs none but good workman. He has a Variety of ready made Furniture on hand and is ready to execute to order any article in his line with dispatch…Carving done for cabinetmakers heretofore.”
In the next couple of years Yarnall advertisements put more emphasis on ready-made furniture and continues to offer carving work and turning. A 1837 ad is for coffins:
TO THE PUBLIC, THE Subscriber being induced by his friends, and his own experience, has and intends keeping on hand, of all sizes, Coffins, so that he will be enabled to meet the wishes of those who may have the painful necessity of wanting an article of the kind…
In the following year his ad states “…his furniture is all made by men–Therefore 50 percent better, generally than that made by inexperienced boys…” All types of desks, tables, stands, bedsteads and other household furniture are available and at short notice he can make to order anything in his line as he has a number of men in his employ. Additionally, ” He keeps COFFINS of all sizes on hand, (better than when made in haste,) so that he can accommodate those who may want as they desire.”
Yarnall started his trade at a time when joiners or cabinetmakers were making custom pieces but finding the need to increase their production of ready-made pieces. Through time his ads still offer custom work but more and more emphasis is put on his ready-made stock and his ability to meet the needs of customers “from cradle to grave.” From 1839 through 1841 he advertised for experienced workers (journeymen and cabinetmakers) and apprentices.
In July 1845 Yarnall Baily sued Charles La Place for libel. From the court documents:
“…[La Place] falsely, maliciously, unlawfully, wickedly, willfully and designedly, did write and publish, and cause to be written and published a certain false, scandalous, infamous malicious and defamatory libel of and concerning the said Yarnall Baily, in the form of an address or caution to the public, which said false, scandalous, infamous, malicious and defamatory libel in according to the tenor following to wit: “Caution to the Public”
“There is a man in your Borough that is in the habit of making poplar coffins and palming them off on poor individuals for wallnut, his name is Mr. B. …he sold a poor man a a coffin for his wife and charged him nine dollars for it wich is three times as much as the county allows the undertakers–it is true the poplar coffin was a very good imitation of wallnut, but it is honest would a man of any principle be guilty of such small business–A man that will cheat a dead woman would rob a church Steeple–Let him go on with his Rascality his conscience if he has any will be his own punishment. ”
We don’t know how or if the “Caution to the Public” incident hurt Baily’s business. Three years later in 1848 Baily advertised the close of his business in West Chester.
Yarnall Baily moved to Philadelphia but the only records of him in the business directories are in 1858 and 1860. In 1858 he was listed as a Gentleman; in 1860 his listing was “patent lamps.” Between 1848 and 1858 he may have continued to work in a relative’s shop or business. It wasn’t uncommon for an older craftsman to work in a son’s or relative’s shop, however, we do know Yarnall’s only son did not become a cabinetmaker.
He may have worked for one of the Cope businesses as his daughter had married into that family. The patent lamps listed with him in the 1860 directory may have been one of the early incandescent lights that had been developed by English and Scottish inventors. The Cope family ran a Philadelphia to Liverpool packet line and this could have been a supply source for the lamps. What we do know is exactly when and how Yarnall died.
In 1862 Yarnall was the superintendent of varnishers in a munitions plant owned by Samuel Jackson. It was about a year into the Civil War and at 63 Yarnall was helping with the Union war effort. Early on the morning of March 29 there was a devasting explosion at the plant. It took several days to find all of Yarnall and all other employees killed by the blast. Below is an article from a Philadelphia newspaper and an artist’s rendition of the blast. Poor Yarnall.
