Differing Responses to an Industrialising Economy - eTheses ...

in the Feckenham Forest. It was cheaper to transport pig-iron to Redditch and Ipsley than
to carry much larger quantities of charcoal to existing distant iron forges, some of which
may already have been running short of fuel. Secondly, it may be that at times of peak
demand more production capacity was needed than could be achieved in the mills in
more noted iron-producing areas. Thirdly, Redditch and Ipsley were near to the growing
customer-base in the Birmingham area. The Redditch forges appear to have been a joint
venture between Lord Windsor, (lord of the manor of Tardebigge), the Foleys and others.
Lord Windsor supplied cordwood for charcoal and agreed to sell ‘good marchant bar-iron
made from forest pigs and drawn into such sorts as the said Mr Foley shall appoint’. The
iron came from the Forest of Dean via Worcester. 213
At this period the lord of the manor
of Ipsley was similarly involved in the running of Ipsley Forge. 214
Information concerning the men who actually managed and worked the forges is
fragmentary. John Woodden seems to have acted as Lord Windsor’s agent in the
transactions discussed above, and a John Ireland is paid for ‘keeping the forge’ at
Redditch and Edward Allender for ‘carrying goods and fireing’. Although not referred to
as ‘ironmasters’, various wealthy ‘gentlemen’ were connected with the forges at different
times, probably as financiers and managers. Their involvement in the iron-trade is
sometimes only betrayed by items in their inventories, but they often had family
213 HeRO, E12/VI/KBc/55, E12/VI/KC/112 and E12/VI/Kac/109, Foley MSS. A Mr Glover is also
mentioned, probably Henry Glover who managed Tintern Forge and Wireworks in the Forest of Dean. In
one account 32 tons of bar iron was produced at the Redditch forges, and in another account 10 tons in two
months, but this was found to be substandard bar iron. ‘Readitch Forge’ is also mentioned in Schafer,
‘Stour Valley Ironworks, 1668-1674, part 1’, pp. 19, 33 and 99. Various members of the Foley family have
local connections, for example, William Foley of Halesowen who married a Beoley girl in 1730 (WoRO,
Beoley marriage register.)
214 Information from Peter King. Sir John Huband, lord of the manor of Ipsley, worked Ipsley forge as part
of his estate from before 1668 to 1682.
291