McCarthy/Dieppe

[Herlock Sholmes]

Yes, old Jack would be perfect in a Dickens novel.

In fact Dickens wrote about Belle Isle, where Jack's yard was, on more than one occasion. In the press the yard was described as 'Jack Atcheler's Scent Bottle' on account of the stench emanating from it. The landlord of the local pub claimed that the atmosphere was so bad it tarnished his pewter pots and even discoloured the change in his pocket.

When Harrison was in charge two long articles about the yard appeared in Dickens's All The Year Round. Well worth a read.

Thanks for that Gary

[MrBarnett]

Thanks for that Gary

And of course, everything you ever wanted to know about horse-slaughtering (but were afraid to ask) can be found here:

http://www.jtrforums.com/showthread.php?t=6311&highlight=Atcheler

[miss marple]

I have also done a lot of research on John Atcheler as he is buried in Highgate Cemetery where l am a guide. His second wife Sarah Mansfield is buried in a separate listed grave with a horse statue and his stepson Henry Mansfield. He married his third wife Victoria Chancellor when he was nearly seventy, she was twenty. They had a son. John William. When Atcheler died in 1867 she was a wealthy widow and married again. I have that image of him and one of Victoria.
He was born in Hockcliffe Bedfordshire in 1792.
ln his younger days he was a prize fighter and the only fight I have traced so far is in 1815 when he beat Jack Curtis at Walworth.
His first wife was Mary Ann Hewson who he married in 1811.
Two very flattering articles about his horse slaughtering business appear in
Dickens magazine 'All the Year Round' The first ' Jack's Castle up the Lane' in 1860' On average thirty horses a day were slaughtered. Victoria was the daughter of John Chancellor, who supplied horses for hearses. Chancellor probably married her off to Atcheler. He had several daughters, [ expensive to keep] another became the second wife of the governer of Bedford Prison.

miss marple

[MrBarnett]

I have also done a lot of research on John Atcheler as he is buried in Highgate Cemetery where l am a guide. His second wife Sarah Mansfield is buried in a separate listed grave with a horse statue and his stepson Henry Mansfield. He married his third wife Victoria Chancellor when he was nearly seventy, she was twenty. They had a son. John William. When Atcheler died in 1867 she was a wealthy widow and married again. I have that image of him and one of Victoria.
He was born in Hockcliffe Bedfordshire in 1792.
ln his younger days he was a prize fighter and the only fight I have traced so far is in 1815 when he beat Jack Curtis at Walworth.
His first wife was Mary Ann Hewson who he married in 1811.
Two very flattering articles about his horse slaughtering business appear in
Dickens magazine 'All the Year Round' The first ' Jack's Castle up the Lane' in 1860' On average thirty horses a day were slaughtered. Victoria was the daughter of John Chancellor, who supplied horses for hearses. Chancellor probably married her off to Atcheler. He had several daughters, [ expensive to keep] another became the second wife of the governer of Bedford Prison.

miss marple

Thanks indeed for the info on the 1860 ATYR article, Miss M - that I wasn't aware of. The two I referred to were from 1868 I believe, after Jack had died and John Harrison and his partners had taken over. Was there a second one about Jack?

Coincidently my family worked in Belle Isle for decades and then my great grandfather moved the family to Eggington, a stone's throw from Hockliffe, where he worked as foreman to a knacker named Saunders - another larger-than-life character.

I'll away and look for the 1860 article and add it to the thread on JTRF.

[MrBarnett]

John Harrison Sr was apparently a retired businessman when the opportunity to buy Atcheler's yard was presented to him. He had no experience of the knacker trade, but he and his fellow investors were given the impression that the business was a real money-spinner. He said they thought that all they would have to do would be to turn up once a month for a dinner with their managers and collect their dosh.

After a very short while they found they were actually losing money, due to the actions of their light-fingered employees, and they had to become hands-on pretty sharpish.

One of the employees who was nicking from them, and who Harrison insisted on prosecuting, was Henry Tomkins's dad, William. Shortly after William came out of prison, the family decamped to Manchester, where they remained for 15 years or so, only returning to London, this time Whitechapel, in late '87/early '88 it would seem.

[MrBarnett]

The Digswell book arrived today. It briefly mentions Brassey and the viaduct but doesn't mention the 'Tray Bong Boys'. And there is no Halsey field identified on the map.

Waste of a tenner!

[Debra A]

The Digswell book arrived today. It briefly mentions Brassey and the viaduct but doesn't mention the 'Tray Bong Boys'. And there is no Halsey field identified on the map.

Waste of a tenner!

That's a shame , Gary.
I did have a look to see if I could locate a Halsey family in the area but nothing came up. There are names of cottages and farms used on the census for Digswell in various years, maybe the farm or field may be among those too as an address?

[Joshua Rogan]

This link mentions a John Halsey in nearby Welwyn Garden City in 1909.

http://www.ourwelwyngardencity.org.uk/content/places/historic-houses/the-old-cottage

[MrBarnett]

Thanks, Debs, Joshua.

To have confirmed that Brassey's men were camped in 'Halsey field' would have been nice.

I have found a Halsey field near Hemel. Not sure whether Halsey was the landowner or whether it's a descriptive place-name of some kind.

My initial reading of the word wasn't Halsey, it was the Welwyn local history guy who suggested it. What do you think?

[John Savage]

Hi Mr Barnett

There is a landed family of Halseys who have been at Gaddesden, close to Hemel for centuries.

This link might help:

http://www.gaddesdenestate.co.uk/gaddesden-estate-history

Rgds
John

[MrBarnett]

Hi Mr Barnett

There is a landed family of Halseys who have been at Gaddesden, close to Hemel for centuries.

This link might help:

http://www.gaddesdenestate.co.uk/gaddesden-estate-history

Rgds
John

Thanks, John.

The local historian sent me an article about the construction of the viaduct. This snippet is of interest: