Page 24 - Thrapston Life April 2022

GLANCE AT
THE PAST
Eric Franklin looks back
Thrapston and District have, for many years, been involved with industry. There remains much evidence of ironstone and limestone quarries and mines; foundries owned by Smith & Grace and the Vulcan Ironworks; a thriving rush working trade in Islip making, amongst other items, horse collars; lacemaking; a renowned clockmaker; and carriage and coachbuilders amongst others.
One small local industry which thrived briefly during early Victorian days was entirely indebted to the quarries. Based near Slipton behind the Willow Close Quarry, a small treacle mine, shown on this map (Willow Close Mine), was discovered during exploration for limestone and ironstone for the ironworks. The path off Sudborough
Road towards the quarry and mine is shown below. The black treacle mine (also known as molasses) was one of very few in the country deemed to be commercially viable and existed due to the specific geological conditions in the area which trapped fossilised beds of sugar cane in non-porous rock, causing the thick, gloopy substance, similar to crude oil, to form into solid rock resembling coal which could be removed in large lumps. These deposits were laid down many millions of years ago before the last Ice Age when our county was still attached to Europe.
The rock was transported from the mine
in railway wagons to the refinery near Islip Furnaces where it was crushed and heated until the treacle melted out and could be stored in tin cans, which had been invented in the 1820’s.
Apart from salt, I believe black treacle to be the only mined natural foodstuff, although I stand to be corrected.
The Romans were the first civilisation to discover some of these mines and were very eager to enjoy the sweetness of the black
treacle they learned to extract with heat. It was so popular they transported it as rocks great distances from both northern Britain and Europe. Some evidence of this survives in floor mosaics, as shown above of the product being transported to Rome by cart in circa AD77 from a major quarry at Wymsey on the Gloucester/ Wales border.
Very quickly industrial processes using
sugar beet, of which Cambridgeshire became
a major producer, superseded the need for mining and the short-lived local treacle mining industry ceased. The quarry, however, remained and continued to supply Islip Furnaces with ironstone until the 1960’s.
I currently have over 20 different suggestions for future short articles, most of which I hope to eventually be able to write. Thank you for your continued encouragement and kind comments about what has become quite a long series. I can be contacted at: ericfranklin2@hotmail.com
Finally, for anyone who thinks the above article is untrue, I refer you to the month of publication!
Please email me: ericfranklin2@hotmail.com
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