This blackened beam above the cavernous fireplace in my grandfather’s home was instrumental in attracting me to letters and words from a very early age. As Granddad and Uncle George helped me decipher the names and dates, I learned so much of our family’s ‘recent’ history. Granddad was born in 1861 and had known every person named except his Grandfather, the first George and his Grandmother Mary. This is not surprising considering that his grandfather had been born in 1765 and Grandmother in 1773!
The Yates family had lived in the area for centuries and everybody in our town seemed to be a ‘cousin’ or distant relation’! In those days when ordinary folk stayed close to home and even a distance of 10 miles was viewed as ‘away’ most people married within the village or nearby hamlets.
Today it is fascinating to look back through our family tree and discover that, although the average age of death in Britain was around 40-50 over the period 1700 to 1900, the fact is that those who did survive lived well into their 80’s and 90’s. There is a tablet in Shifnal Church commemorating a Mary Yates who died at the ripe old age of 129 having remained active until the last five years of her life!
Looking back over my paternal grandparents to 4 generations the average age of death is 87 for the men, rather less for the married women. Surprisingly, unmarried daughters frequently lived into their late 80’s and continued to live in the family home and work alongside their younger relations.
‘Retirement’ was virtually unknown among country people! Farmers and tradesman alike continued to work with the help of those children still at home until the end.
In 1834 when George Yates was 69 years of age, his wife Mary was only in her mid fifties and they had four young children still living at home. Some years before they had opened The Horseshoe Inn on Sheinton Street (probably in the front portion of their home) as a supplemental income and insurance during the recession after the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815.
When the tenancy of the George and Dragon Inn in the centre of town and close to the Market Hall became available George jumped at the chance of the larger business. It could be easily managed by his wife and daughters and provide them with a secure future! It would also keep his daughters, Ann and Alice, at home to look after their parents as they aged! George himself continued to run his Blacksmithing business on Wilmore Street with his son William and sundry apprentices.
George had been apprentice, journeyman and then Master-Blacksmith since the tender age of twelve. Blacksmiths were key members of society at that time. All nails and chains were handmade, all carriage and cart wheels were fitted with iron tyres and the vast numbers of horses providing the primary source of power for agriculture, for transport and for pleasure needed to be shod frequently.
The work required great physical strength and long hours. The George Inn would provide him with supplemental income as he passed more and more of the heaviest work over to his apprentices.
Proudly George burned his name on the old fireplace beam for all to see and admire - G. Yates 1834! The larger premises enabled him to expand his home- brewing and cider-making which became an established tradition until the final Yates gave up the licence in 1957.
George died in March 1947 just before his 82nd birthday but his wife Mary continued to run the business with her daughters Ann and Alice until in 1850 when Ann or Alice was granted the licence. A.Y.is burned in the top left-hand corner of the beam. It Seems that Mary never did get around to adding her name!
In 1850 Ann was 32 years old and stepping out with Henry Hopton. Alice was 30 and stepping out with Thomas Ainsworth of the Brook House Farm. But there was no question of either marriage whilst the girls were required to look after their mother and brothers and run the Inn. In Victorian times it was expected that a daughter’s first duty was to care for her parents and unmarried brothers!
Although their mother died in August 1851, the girls hung in there for nearly three years! Thomas had married in 1847, he and his wife Mary established a hairdressing business further up the High Street and operated it until the end of the century. Only George was left at home!
It seems that having a wife was essential to running an Inn! George’s trade was ‘Painter and Glazier’ and he seems to have been in no hurry to marry and take over the Inn! In 1854, first Ann and then Alice married their sweethearts. However, Alice continued to run the Inn! The married woman laws at that time demanded that the licence be assumed by her husband, Thomas Ainsworth, but the family carried on as usual and no new name appeared on the beam.
At last, in March 1857 George married Jane Norris of Cardington and immediately carved G.Y. 1857! I often wonder if there was family pressure to get a move on as Alice was pregnant and finding it more and more difficult to run 2 homes!
George seems to have had lots of interests. He was leader of the Wenlock Brass Band, a member of the Ancient Order of Foresters who had their headquarters at the George Inn, was active in everything going on around the village including the Annual Olympic games, and still kept up with his trades of Painter and Decorator and Glazier!
Upon George's death in 1892 his wife Jane took over the licence and burned her name under Alice.
Family stories imply that Jane was not the friendliest of Mother-in-laws, in spite of her son Fred and his wife Kate having five children before her death in 1900! However, the lure of the old George Inn worked its magic once again as Fred took over the licence and added his name below his father. He was to become the longest licensee, 1900-1944.
By this time George and his wife Gene had virtually been running the business for 10 years. It seems changing the licence was not high on anyone’s priority list! Finally, George was able to carve his name, the third George Yates at the George Inn. Finally, George was able to carve his name, the third George Yates at the George Inn. Alas George suffered a stroke in 1945 and, although he recovered enough to walk a little with crutches, he remained an invalid until his death in 1948. His wife, Imogene Atkinson (Gene) Yates who had been a teacher in Wenlock for many years before marriage, virtually took over the business in 1945 but the licence did not change until George’s death in 1948. ‘I.A.Yates 1948’ is carved below her husband.
For the next 9 years Gene ran a very successful business with the help of Charlie Jones and her father James Cartner and father-in-law, FW Yates. She finally retired at the Michaelmas Quarter in 1957. FW Yates was 96 and had lived at the George for all but 10 years of long eventful life! But I will tell you his story another time!
The photo of the George Inn dates from 1957 and it is just possible to see the last three letters of 'Yates' behind the flowers over the George Shut.