This website created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

THE BROWN DYNASTY AT THE FORGE

Martha's son, Walter, followed her until he took over as innkeeper at the Gun Inn. His nephew, William, c. 1874, succeeded him.

There were three forges in Findon in this era, owned by a very colourful trio; Mr. White, Mr. Green and, of course, William Brown, known later as Old Billy Brown, of the Nepcote Lane forge.  

Here is an extract from Nancy Price's (1880-1970) writings in 1955.   Nancy lived at High Salvington above Findon.....

"The itinerant blacksmith is rare now.  I remember one who used to walk from Dorking to Findon.   His face was smothered with black whiskers and he never appeared either to shave or wash.  "Thaat," he once told me "wur sure way to catch colds, an' colds be nasty things, leadin' mostly to churchyard, a place I'm not seekin."

He looked rather like a huge black hedgehog;  I have seen him looming up out of the fog at my home in the heart of the Downs to enquire the way, a fierce apparition;  if a stranger met him he would certainly not welcome such a companion, but I must confess that, knowing him to be harmless, I enjoyed his company.  I found this fearsome looking man had his domestic problems.  He talked pathetically of his wife who "hopped off her twig wi' nudder chap.  I doan't say as I'm no picture postcard mesel', but if yer wur to view 'is dial yer wud call me a beauty.  He's got a head like a bladder o' lard an' 'bout as mitch inside on' it.  You could no more be content walkin' down this lone downside wi' likes o' him that I could be the scrounger like what he wur."

"Perhaps you are well rid of your lady? I ventured.

"Thaat doan't made it no pleasanter, thaat her should hev chose him arter knawin' me, an' thaat's what her's done".

"Then I should think no more of her", I said.

"Ah! thaat bean't so aisy.  A chap can be sartin sure on bein' in the right an' her bein' the opposite, but can't help missin' a female, even the likes o' what her be.  Thaat's nature"."

By 1909, Old Billy Brown's son, Edward John (known to everyone as Ted), had completely taken over the heavy work as blacksmith at the forge. The forge has been altered and renovated over the years and the cottage attached to it was converted into a cycle shop that was run by another of Old Billy's sons, Walter.

AN EXTRACT FROM NANCY PRICE'S (1880-1970) WRITINGS published in 1955..... where she talks of the forge in Nepcote Lane...when one day the blacksmith's son was working in the old smithy and told her to go to the house next door and have a cup of tea with his sister......

"She had inherited her father's habit of wearing a particular hat all times and seasons;  her choice was a large black felt the shape of a coal scuttle.

Once, when the blacksmith's sister was ill, I found her still wearing her black felt in bed.   In her case it was not absent-mindedness, it was deliberate;  she felt more at ease with her hat on.

Today when I went into her house, tea was on the table.   Tea always seems to be on the table in this part of the world; the spread included potatoes, pickles, meat and blancmange.

Through her lattice window I could see a box hanging on the side of the shed.  'Three meals a day they birds have' she said, 'and I'll say they knows the times.'

Sometimes when this lady was of a mind she would take me into another room, in which was gathered an extraordinary collection of china and glass, crinoline dresses, and other paraphernalia.   All these things I believed she valued but never seemed to have the time or the mind to sort them out.   There were also literally hundreds of photographs which served as a memory of bygone days and little else.  All were heaped together in this unused room and the effect was rather like a rummage sale".

 A young and enthusiastic member had joined the team working at the forge and that was Frederick Goddard.

Continue if you would like to read about Old Billy Brown.