Pullins Green

Number 13 - The Blacksmiths

Number 13 sits overlooking the 'Green' on the corner of Crispin Lane (which has previously been know as Mutton Lane and Blakes Avenue).

We have not yet seen the deeds of the house so we do not know when the house was built.  In the 1840 Tithe survey the property was owned by Thomas Crossman and occupied by John King.  It notes that the property was being used as a house, blacksmith's shop and garden.  The blacksmith's forge was located in the building immediately behind the house facing Crispin Lane. 

Miss Higgins, the daughter of Oliver Higgins, the blacksmith, whose family have been connected with the property since 1885, told us that the two houses (numbers 11 and 13) had previously been a single dwelling.  The unusual division of the garden and land at the rear of these two houses supports this theory, but as we have yet seen the deeds, we have not been able to confirm this.

In 1841 census, the house was occupied by Susanna King, who was described as a "blacksmith" in the census.  Susannah (nee Povey) was the widow of John King, blacksmith, who was buried in 1839.  The census shows their children, Susannah aged 15 and Horatio John aged 5 are sharing the home.  There were also several other people sharing the house: Hannah Higgs aged 30 the wife of a baker, Rebecca Brewton aged 20, a seamstress, Eliza Brewton age 19, also a seamstress and Thomas Lovesey aged 56 a pensioner.  The Church records show that John and Susanna King had at least two more children: John King born in 1825 who died in 1834 aged eight, and Harriet Hannah born in 1828.

Susanna died in 1846 aged 50.  Her daughter, Susanna married John Penduck, policeman in 1845.

After the Kings, the house and blacksmiths business were taken over by Mark Williams.  Click here to read more about Mark Williams and his family.

By 1891, the house and business were taken over by the Higgins family.  Click here to read more more about Oliver Higgins and his family.

When Oliver retired in the late 1930's,  Fred Pearce took over the blacksmith's business.  The future of the house is uncertain following the death of Joan Higgins in March 2008.

This page was last updated: 26/03/2008