Carriers

Goods and Parcels deliveries from a bygone age!

A photograph from the early 1900s on the main road next to the chapel. There is a second horse, cart and driver behind the first. Were these carriers, or were they carters?

Identity of the above (two) carriers or carters?
Tom Nokes, who was responsible for the above photograph, plied his trade between about 1900 and 1920. The chapel was opened in November 1906 – which narrows the period of the photo a little further.

Tom Nokes invariably featured local people in his photos, so it is reasonable to examine Wreningham’s census records to look for individuals declaring their occupation as either ‘carrier’ or ‘carter’. The 1901 census (helpfully) identifies only two carters in the village – and no carriers. They are:

William Catchpole who, in 1901, was about 53 years old and a ‘Carter in Mill‘ – living at the miller’s house

Georger Potter, about 28 years old and described as a ‘Miller Carter‘ – living with his parents by the Blacksmiths in Hethel Road.

The mill was less than two hundred yards from the chapel – just around the corner in Mill Lane – providing both individuals with very close connections to the scene.

By the time of the 1911 census, the windmill had been demolished and a steam mill constructed in its place. At this point, William Catchpole was a miller’s labourer whilst George Potter was working on a farm – and living one and a half miles distant, at High Common. The 1911 census does not list any carters or carriers in Wreningham, either.

The evidence appears compelling that Catchpole and Potter were the pair in the photograph, with the probability of the photograph being taken between 1907 and 1910. This also invites the question of whether Nokes’ photograph was taken to commemorate the final days of the windmill.

William Catchpole – as the elder of the two carters – is assumed to be the man closer to the camera.

A Norwich Directory of 1783 tells us that a Wreningham man, John Leman ran a twice-weekly carrier service moving goods/parcels in both directions between Wreningham and Norwich.  It operated on Wednesdays and Saturdays with the Norwich destination of the Nag’s Head in St Stephens.  The return journey to Wreningham then set out at 2 pm.  Perhaps the driver had enjoyed a break inside the Nag’s Head between the two halves of his trip?  John Lemon’s carrier service also called at Swardeston, Mulbarton, Bracon Ash and Hethel.

John Lemon (also spelt ‘Leman’ and sometimes ‘Lammon‘) 1727 – 1810, was a local landowner and probably of some means.  Did he operate this carrier service, himself, or did he employ someone to do it for him?

John Lemon did not enjoy exclusivity.  The same publication shows Norwich / Tacolneston carrier, Noah Nicolls, who called in at Wreningham during his own round trips.  He was also operating on Wednesdays and Saturdays: his return from Norwich (at the later time of 4 pm) left from The Huntsman on Hog Hill.

We know from the County Directories that all the carriers used inns (also employed as their booking offices), at the Norwich end of their journeys.  Were the many village collection / dropping-off points public houses, too?  These would seem to be obvious calling points – especially for carriers passing through a village to a further destination.  NB  Wreningham’s Bird in Hand is not believed to have opened until the 1790s – posing the question about Wreningham’s original collection / dropping-off point.  Might it have been John Lemon’s home?  If this was the case, where would Noah Nicholls’ Wreningham stop have been before the early 1790s?

The 1830 Norfolk (Pigots) Directory does not specifically list Wreningham as a carrier destination or even a referenced stopping-off point.  However, business is business, and we might assume the Norwich / Ashwellthorpe, Norwich / Hapton and Norwich / Buckenham services would have treated Wreningham as a transitting point.

The 1854 Norfolk (Whites) Directory doesn’t make specific reference to Wreningham, either.  Nevertheless, return services were running from Norwich to Ashwellthorpe (Saturdays), to Bunwell (Saturdays) and to Forncett (Wednesdays & Saturdays) – so Wreningham was probably well catered for. 

The list of Norwich inns [split from a single long column into three] used by the many carrier services listed in the 1854 Norfolk (Whites) Directory. Each inn seems to have been given its own number. We are assuming the ‘half’ numbers were employed when a new inn was inserted into the existing alphabetical listing. In the same way, perhaps an inn with the number “16” had dropped out whilst ’40’ and ’41’ were inserted at the end as there were no half-number spaces left in the correct section of the alphabet.

The 1854 Directory provides an interesting list of the many Norwich inns – see above, which collectively hosted the very large number of Norwich-based carrier services operating from the city to the rest of the county.  The 1854 Directory’s next double page details their extensive county-wide destinations – including each carrier’s name and the inn each operated from (although we have not included that additional listing here). 

By 1883, County Directories were publishing more extensive details about small villages such as Wreningham. In this year, we are told that the carriers operating through Wreningham had originated in ‘Tacolneston, Hopton [presumably meaning: Hapton], Bunwell and New Buckenham’.  We are also informed that carriers were providing Wreningham with services on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The 1892 Directory tells us that ‘Williams’ provided our local service en route between Norwich and Forncett St Peter on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.  In addition, George Filby, based in New Buckenham, provided a Wednesday and Saturday service – as did James Breeze from Bunwell.

By 1904, carrier competition had further increased.  The Bunwell / Norwich Wednesday and Saturday service was now in the hands of (relation?) Herbert Breeze – with John Olley having taken over the Wednesday and Saturday service from Hapton and ‘Knott’ running a three day per week operation out of Forncett – including Mondays. ‘Vout’ presumably spotted a gap in the market and opened a Norwich service out of Hapton on Tuesdays and Fridays!  That would have satisfied the people of Wreningham for every working day except Thursdays!

The 1912 Directory still described four operators: 
‘Smith’ was now running the Forncett-based service, John Olley was still working from New Buckenham and Herbert Breeze from Bunwell.  All three were now on Wednesdays and Saturdays.  Meanwhile, ‘Barnard’, in Hapton, had taken over the ‘Vout’ run – and was still operating on Tuesdays and Fridays.  

The 1925 Directory suggests carrier services had returned to just Wednesdays and Saturdays.  However, the 1929 Directory states that Wreningham’s (passing) services were ‘daily.

It’s all very different to current times when we can be informed about detailed parcel deliveries (and right to our front doors, too) which can often be predicted days before the event – even being tracked in real-time!  However, it’s most unlikely that today’s delivery drivers are relaxing at an inn for an hour or two, halfway through their shift!

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