In
this faded and fuzzy extract from the trade directory we can see two important
groups of local tradesmen.
In the countryside most farms and
cottages had their own bake ovens where they baked their own bread from
their own flour or from flour bought locally.
In the towns many people bought bread from the local bakers.
For poorer families bread was a vital part of their diet as they could
not afford to eat much meat.
The surnames
are first
Rob Davies
The
blacksmith was a very important (and
busy !) man in Victorian times. As well as shoeing the hundreds
of horses that kept everything going he would make and repair farm tools
and other household implements.
As well as the four smithies listed here in Knighton, there were many others dotted around the villages and hamlets. Some of these - like the one in Felindre - can still be seen.
