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d-turning was the main ‘cottage industry’ in King’s Cliffe.
From as early as 1600, turners working on pole lathes in their
own yards or outbuildings, made wooden spoons and other small
domestic items known as ‘treen’. Their treen was bought up by
itinerant hawkers who travelled on to sell it at fairs and markets in
Stamford, Uppingham and further afield. This traditional way of
trading died out after the LNW Railway built its line from Yarwell
Junction to Seaton through King’s Cliffe in 1879, connecting the
village to Rugby, Peterborough and beyond. Some wood-turners
invested in steam-powered lathes and traded on a wholesale
basis, making items to order which could be sent by train. Dairy-
ware became a speciality. Butter moulds and prints, often
beautifully carved with crests and monograms, were produced for
farm and country-house dairies across the country. In the early
20th century, mass-production of affordable china and glassware
and the development of plastics killed the demand for wooden
utensils and by the 1930s there was only one King’s Cliffe wood-
turner still at work.
The mediaeval open fields of King’s Cliffe were enclosed in 1809
and many villagers were awarded allotments of land too small
to support their families. Within a few years, most had sold their
small pieces of land and become agricultural workers employed
by the larger farmers. Their wives and children often worked with
them during harvest time. The general agricultural depression
of the late 19th century brought difficult times to many families.
Some men found work on the railway, others were employed
in the timber trade, felling and carting timber or working at the
steam-driven timber yard of Mr George Miles in Park Street; or
at one of two cart- and wheelwright businesses established in
the village. Others were independent tradesmen – saddlers,
blacksmiths, bakers, butchers, basket-makers, carriers of goods
and people, brewers, publicans and shopkeepers: all providing
services essential to the community. Like many other villages at
the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, King’s Cliffe was a largely
self-reliant community.
Sue Trow-Smith, King’s Cliffe Heritage, August 2014
2
From as early as 1600, turners working on pole lathes in their
own yards or outbuildings, made wooden spoons and other small
domestic items known as ‘treen’. Their treen was bought up by
itinerant hawkers who travelled on to sell it at fairs and markets in
Stamford, Uppingham and further afield. This traditional way of
trading died out after the LNW Railway built its line from Yarwell
Junction to Seaton through King’s Cliffe in 1879, connecting the
village to Rugby, Peterborough and beyond. Some wood-turners
invested in steam-powered lathes and traded on a wholesale
basis, making items to order which could be sent by train. Dairy-
ware became a speciality. Butter moulds and prints, often
beautifully carved with crests and monograms, were produced for
farm and country-house dairies across the country. In the early
20th century, mass-production of affordable china and glassware
and the development of plastics killed the demand for wooden
utensils and by the 1930s there was only one King’s Cliffe wood-
turner still at work.
The mediaeval open fields of King’s Cliffe were enclosed in 1809
and many villagers were awarded allotments of land too small
to support their families. Within a few years, most had sold their
small pieces of land and become agricultural workers employed
by the larger farmers. Their wives and children often worked with
them during harvest time. The general agricultural depression
of the late 19th century brought difficult times to many families.
Some men found work on the railway, others were employed
in the timber trade, felling and carting timber or working at the
steam-driven timber yard of Mr George Miles in Park Street; or
at one of two cart- and wheelwright businesses established in
the village. Others were independent tradesmen – saddlers,
blacksmiths, bakers, butchers, basket-makers, carriers of goods
and people, brewers, publicans and shopkeepers: all providing
services essential to the community. Like many other villages at
the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, King’s Cliffe was a largely
self-reliant community.
Sue Trow-Smith, King’s Cliffe Heritage, August 2014
2
