A portrait of 19th century Publican Life
What began at first glance as a simple list of goods – furniture, farm equipment, and pub memorabilia from the Black Bull Inn in Longton – quickly became an intimate window into the world of my family’s history. Each item, meticulously recorded, tells a story beyond its material value. These aren’t just objects; they’re fragments of memories, silent witnesses to the daily rhythms of life in a bygone era.
Join me on this journey as we explore the auction list in more detail. I’ll be sharing not just the items themselves, but I’ll also conclude with my own insights and interpretations. If we are related, I welcome you to share your own impressions in the comments section at the bottom of this post.
Let’s step back in time…
The Inventory
1861
The Family Home
- Bedsteads, feather and other
Standard bedding for a family. Feather beds were the height of comfort and a sign of wealth.
- Three chests of mahogany drawers and mahogany painted tables
Storage for the families clothing and household items. Mahogany was a popular, but expensive dark wood imported from the Americas indicating quality and status.
- Three sofas
Seating for the family and guests, likely in a parlour or a more private seating area separate from the public house bar.
- Two eight days clocks in mahogany cases
High quality clocks that only needing winding once a week, a luxury compared to cheaper one-day clocks.
- American clock
Possibly a mantel or shelf clock. A gift from Catherine, or John?
- Two corner cupboards
Storage often used to display china or store linens.
- Two meal arks
Large wooden chests for storing meal, grain, or flour, essential for both the household’s baking and the inn’s cooking.
- A number of chairs of varied character
Seating for the various rooms – dining room, parlour and public areas. ‘Forms’ are long benches, likely for the public bar.
- Several pictures; kitchen dressers, and a general selection of culinary utensils, glasses, jugs, and bar appointments
Standard furnishings for the kitchen and business. Bar appointments are accessories for serving drink (stirrers, measures, etc.)
Stock-in-Trade of a Publican
These items are directly related to the operation of the Black Bull Inn and reveals that the family may have brewed and served their own ale and beer.
- Excellent copper boiler
A large, often fixed, copper vessel used for heating water. The hot water was essential for washing the dishes, general cleaning around the public house, laundry, and for personal hygiene such as filling a bath.
The copper boiler may also have been used for brewing their own beer. A copper vessel would be used for boiling the wort (the sugary) liquid in the first stage of brewing.
- Large cooler
A large cooler would be used for beer storage and chilling.
If brewing beer, a large cooler could be used to cool the hot wort quickly after boiling, preparing it for fermentation.
- Working trough
The most likely possibility is this was a spittle trough; a long, gutter like ‘spittoon’ that ran the length of the bar, used for patrons to spit tobacco into before modern hygiene standards.*
- A quantity of half and quarter load barrels
The vessel used for storing, conditioning, and serving finished ale. A ‘load’ was a measure capacity used by porters and carriers for charging transportation fees and refers to standard barrel sizes for beer/ale.
- Prime hops, and broad narrow wheeled carts, with iron arms (nearly new)
Hops are the essential ingredient for flavouring and preserving beer. The carts were recently purchased by the family and would be used to transport the goods.
Farming Stock and Agricultural Produce
These items are directly related to the farming side of the family business and reveals the farm was centred around a small dairy or beef herd.
- Eight present and spring cows
Mature cattle, including those ready to give birth.
- Three yearling calves; very useful mare (in foal by Lord Nelson); yearling colt; breeding sow; two store pigs
Young livestock and breeding animals. A mare in foal by a stallion named “Lord Nelson” shows that the family were invested in high-quality breeding stock. A breeding sow would supply a constant supply of piglets.
- About 140 yards of well-got hay, a quantity of meal, fluke and seed potatoes, mangold, wurtzel and straw
Stored crops and feed. Hay would be winter feed for the livestock. Fluke potatoes (not to be confused with Jersey Royal Fluke) were a popular, common type of potato. Seed potatoes are tubers for the next years planting. Mangold wurtzel (or mangel beet) is a large, course beet grown specifically for livestock feed, common in 19th-century agriculture.
- Manure drag on broad wheels; winnowing machine; turnip cutter;plough; scarifier, seed harrows; plough chain; cart saddles; forks; spades; and an endless variety of other articles
A suite of farming implements. A manure drag (or spreader) was vital for fertilising fields. A winnowing machine separates grain from chaff (then, a technological advancement). A turnip cutter efficiently slices root vegetables for livestock feed. A Scarifier is a type of cultivator for shallow tilling and weed control. Seed Harrows prepare the ground for planting.
Conclusion
The list of items put up for sale reveals that John and Mary were not simply innkeepers, but operated a diversified business. The mention of mahogany furniture, eight day clocks, and feather beds suggests they ran a successful business and provided a high standard of living for their family.
There is evidence that they may have been brewers as well as farmers. This integration would have kept the inn supplied with fresh, low cost food and drink, maximising their profit margins.
The presence of specialised implements like the winnowing machine and turnip cutter shows they invested in technology to make their farming more efficient.
The inn itself, was a focal point for the local community, and the farm provided necessary resources, establishing the family as integral members of their rural society.
The American clock stood out to me in particular. Its presence feels meaningful and may have been gifted to John and Mary, especially given that Catherine and John had both spent time in America. Perhaps the clock was more than just a timepiece but a poignant symbol of their children’s enduring link to home.
Each piece of furniture tells a story, transforming my imagination into a vivid tableau of my ancestors’ daily lives. These ordinary objects – a sofa, wall pictures, a chest of drawers – suddenly become portals to another time.
To read more about John and Mary’s life at the family inn in Longton, click the button below.