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Steam
ploughing engine no 3284,14hp, was supplied by John Fowler in
1877 to Mr J G Ford of Kings Street, Wokingham and afterwards
was bought by Thomas Brown of Coggeshall Essex at a public
auction. Mr CE Brown assisted his father, Thomas, with steam
ploughing until the death of the latter in 1913. Subsequently
the son carried on the business for his mother Mrs SA Brown. On
November 1st 1918 ploughing engine no 3284, and another
similar one, with the necessary ploughing tackle, were taken to
a field at Cressing Braintree rented by Mr A South for the
purpose of mole draining it. What followed on November 8th has
been well documented as the boiler of no 3284 exploded injuring
several people. Although photographs of the wreckage are
available, it is believed that none are to be found from before
the accident. Below is a picture of the single cylinder
ploughing engine similar to no 3284 which was taken by Major Ind
on the 28th September 1905 whilst it was at Coggeshall. It is no
3532, 14hp, which together with its sister engine No 3531 was built in
July 1878 and sold to Joseph Unwin of Coggeshall. They later
went to Smith and Willsher also of Coggeshall. In 1914 they were
sold to SW Blyth of Ingatestone Essex where they stayed until
they were scrapped. This information has been supplied by Peter Rattcliffe
of Ashes Farm, Cressing who is founder member no 4 of the East
Anglian Traction Engine Society, and we thank him for it. .
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A GLIMPSE OF ESSEX
AGRICULTURE OVER THE LAST 150 YEARS
Written by Peter M Ratcliffe
of Ashes Farm in January 2003
Following
my notes entitled "The Farmer's Tools from Prehistoric to Modern
Times" (Peter is well known for his talks to associations, clubs
and such like), and looking at the development of modern
mechanised farming and land cultivation as we have known it up
until now – what appears to be the huge shift in English
agriculture from intensive agriculture to the degrading
set-aside and extensive forms of farming and the concomitant
depression it has brought. Local stories in farming circles hark
back to a time of aroused interest in the 1840s upon the
completion of the railways to Chelmsford, Maldon, Colchester and
Ipswich. With this the ordinary plough-maker expanded into
implement-maker and devices that were drawn through the soil
began to have wheels attached. From time to time progressive
farmers and estates set up dairies and up-to-date cowsheds.
Following the notable agricultural show at Chelmsford of 1847,
many farmers improved their buildings with the newly available
straight-sawn softwoods (Baltic timber) that were erected as
components in 'modern' ranges of farm buildings, as well as the
gradual employment of the steam engine – where the farmer had
installed up-to-date dairy equipment, cattle pens and yards
paved with bricks. 'Patterned' workers' homes ranged about some
estates with distinguished architectural features and in places
the countryside took on a new meaning, which the farming
community believed would go ahead and some took on board the
novel new methods promoted at the time and, as now, some wealth
was introduced into farming from 'outside'.
Looking
here at Cressing, which I have in the past referred to "as
always a poor place", not far away from Cressing Temple – a
noted holding for some hundreds of years – but not in itself
noted as a very progressive farm holding, there existed the
notable Mr Strutt at Terling, Mr Western at Rivenhall and
Kelvedon and – a one time razor strop manufacturer – Mr J J
Mechi of Tiptree Hall. Mr Mechi, in particular, being a member
of the Farmers' Club in London and in touch with his progressive
contemporaries, improved his farmsteading to become a form of
Victorian model farm with the latest buildings. In judging
historical progress at this time, we must be reminded that
looking over our shoulder was the progress of the steamship, the
Corn Laws and the New World – which would eventually provide
English farming with a shock and depression.
Choosing
Cressing Temple as a local landmark but not far away across the
fields, lay the farms of Leaping Wells and Felix Place.
Bisecting Leaping Wells runs a farm track – originally a grass
road – leading to the remains of a former Palladian mansion one
time destroyed by fire. The land around and the owners had
contact with J J Mechi, himself, and at the time his methods and
developments were brought on to those fields and, in a word,
possibly the nearest thing to 'revolutionary farming' arrived to
the area. As I have intimated, subsequent 'global' trade and
cheap imports took away the progress at a stroke. The great
house was never rebuilt, land reverted to grass and was not
really attended to in modern fashion until the outbreak of the
Second World War. It would seem that Mr Mechi returned to
Tiptree and not a lot subsequently was heard of him.
Significantly, his name as an entrepreneur survives in the
annals of the Farmers' Club and to stories of Essex farming.
Progress
then, as now, always depended upon stark need or some fellow
with a bit of extra cash to spend and Mr Mechi was one. He
travelled the country and frequently addressed the Farmers' Club
in London – earlier taking an interest in Usher's Steam
Cultivator of which only a colourful model remains. In 1855,
following trials when Usher's machine ultimately failed, Mr
Mechi's interest was undaunted and he turned to an idea by
Robert Romaine and his machine. Trials were held at Tiptree
Hall, which again were not successful. By 1857 an improved
machine was developed which, in fact, worked at Royston in
Hertfordshire but it is unclear whether this arrived at Tiptree
Hall. As the railway had been extended to Maldon it is possible
that heavy equipment could have been transported successfully to
the area and have, in fact, worked within a few fields of the
lands at Cressing Temple. Mr Romaine sought the help of Alfred
Crosskill, who evidently had produced a much stronger machine,
and there is some evidence that this machined worked in a number
of places. It is not clear what funding Mr Mechi gave to its
high cost – about £800 – which could have equated to £75,000 of
modern day money. However, as with many things in an early day
and the scepticism of many farmers and gentry keeping their
hands in their pockets this, in fact, saw the last pitch-in by
the notable eccentric and agriculturist, Mr J J Mechi.
It would
be the case that farming was left largely to its own devices,
other than the developments in livestock husbandry by the
notable gentry, earlier named, that the arable side of farming
continued on a local basic need. It can be seen that many local
mills began to decline towards the end of the 19th century and
some mills that formerly produced flour turned their efforts to
other things and even became 'fulling' mills for the local
textile industries.
Steam
cultivation did not seriously return to the locality until
another notable eccentric, Mr J W Moss of Threshelfords,
Kelvedon – often seen in the locality during the summer clad in
military-style dress, puttees and wearing a pith helmet and he
also had a swimming pool over his kitchen instead of a roof –
who, in 1905, turned up with an odd looking machine – the famous
'Darby Broadside Land Digger' which, due to its cumbersome
nature tended to stay with the farm. Steam engines and in
particular the winding engines by Fowler and Burrell did not
appear in Essex much before the late 1880s. If only Mr Mechi had
had these novel machines available he would have contributed
much to their development – but wrong place, wrong time. Mr Moss
of Kelvedon and the Darby Land Digger Syndicate of Pleshey,
Chelmsford and Wickford however involved some notable farmers
and landowners as is often expressed "not a million miles from
Cressing at the time" and the sad tale is – like Usher's digging
machine – the Romaine-Crosskill Cultivation Engine consumed vast
sums of money and, once again, the 'revolutionary' Darby Land
Digger Syndicate saw off over £100,000 by 1905. It must be
noted, British agriculture was just lumbering along and did not
materially pick up until 1913.
As to
Cressing, this is all what might have been and one can only look
at one farm in the area where the Cousins Family had adopted the
design of the ideal Victorian 'model farm' in setting out the
buildings of the farmstead at Cressing Lodge, which remain
extant at this time – 2004.
It does
appear that hardly any sustained system or practice of
agriculture could survive even a 100 years and what those
entrepreneurs – Messrs Strutt, Western and Mechi – laid down
barely survive to this day and only the residences and a few
significant old buildings are extant. Possibly agriculture has
been too efficient for its own good, or I believe in fairness to
its own protagonists but, regrettably, not appreciated by the
populace as a whole where it is the case "no sentiments remain
in business."
It may be
the case that only vestiges remaining of the last century of
progress and the previous two centuries of demographic change
remain extant in a few old buildings, which were it not for some
dedicated preservationists and the waking-up of authority to
place listings on relics of the past and ultimately their
purpose is lost in the eyes of itinerant tourists when they gaze
at the unconnected exhibitions staged around the area. The
changing of boundaries and the fashion of double-density housing
proceed to ruin rural life and the countryside for all time and
it is evermore difficult to gaze at old engravings now deep in
archives – unfortunately, largely inaccessible and unpublished.
It is recognised by the modern academic that it is unwise to
"trade backwards" but an occasional glance into history of the
last 100 years reminds all of how fragile life is.
Unfortunately, those who choose to plant dense bushes, trees and
shrubs beside the roads have no chance of recreating the
countryside and others who would be looking over our shoulders
from the past would say "out of the mouths of babes – they know
not what they do."
Below is
an illustration of the Romaine-Crosskill cultivating engine of
1857. |
