The villages of Stoke St. Mary, Thurlbear and Orchard Portman.

THE OLD FORGE and SMITHY COTTAGE, STOKE ST. MARY

Photograph provided by
Terry Rowles
of Winterwell, Thurlbear
in May 2001 and shown
with the permission of
Mrs. Nancy Gardner-Brown.

Maurice Burt of Henlade born 1915, has recorded that he
used to stand on an orange box and work the bellows at
The Forge, Stoke St. Mary when he would have been but a
small boy and Mr. Nesbitt was the Blacksmith.
From about 1850 the premises were used as a smithy and
Edwin George Trump became a noted blacksmith until his
accidental death in 1917. The forge continued until 1926
after which the premises were used as a private house.
Maurice in 1946 worked for Sydney Shattock, (the
great-grandfather of Audrey the late wife of Terry
Rowles) at Holway Farm, and he delivered meat and eggs
to the community. Maurice's uncle William Burt was the
only person from Stoke St. Mary to be killed in action
in WW2 and his name is accordingly inscribed on the Font
in St. Mary's church.

Source: Terry Rowles, Winterwell, Thurlbear.