Late 18th century Pontypool nail maker, a list of his worldly goods.
This is the inventory made for his probate around 1785.
Wearing apparel 10 shillings.
One feather bed and bedstead and old pair of curtains one coverlet. £1.
One flock bed and bedstead and two old coverlets. 8 shillings.
Four pairs of flaxen sheets, one table cloth and four napkins of the same. £1.
One coffer, one trunk and a little desk 2 shillings.
Four pewter dishes and eight plates and one warming pan. 15 shillings.
Four earthen dishes. 8 pence.
One brass pot of middle size, old. 4 shillings.
Two iron pots and an iron skillet 5 shillings.
One small furnace being mostly wadd. £1.
One spit, one fire shovel, one tongs. 1 shilling.
Two candlesticks one iron and one pewter. 6 pence.
Two tables and 2 joyned stool and four old chairs. £1.
One brewing vat three small cookers one barrel, one half barrel, two quarter barrel and one pail. 15 shillings.
One old cupboard. 1 shilling.
One iron steeling box, one pot hook and four pewter spoons. 2 shillings.
All the lumber goods about the house. 1 shilling.
In the late 18th century, Pontypool, a small Welsh town, was a hub of industrial activity, nestled in the heart of Monmouthshire. While its fame lay in ironworks and the emerging coal industry, the life of a humble nail maker tells a different story—a story not of grandeur, but of resilience, craftsmanship, and modest living. Examining the list of his possessions gives us a rare glimpse into his daily life and the world he inhabited.
Clothing and Basic Comfort
The nail maker’s most valuable possession, by the standards of the time, was his wearing apparel, valued at 10 shillings. Clothing during this period was expensive and often handed down, repaired, and mended until it could no longer be used. For a craftsman like him, practical garments that could withstand the soot and grime of his work were essential. His attire would have been simple, durable, and likely worn until the fabric thinned with age.
A small comfort at night came from his feather bed and bedstead, accompanied by an old pair of curtains and a coverlet. This bed, valued at £1, was a treasure for him and his family, offering warmth during the cold Welsh winters. Alongside it was a flock bed, a cheaper alternative stuffed with wool or animal hair, likely for his children or guests.
Domestic Essentials
The life of a nail maker was not one of luxury. His furniture was modest—a coffer, a trunk, and a little desk, all valued at a mere 2 shillings. These pieces likely stored the few important papers, tools, or mementos the family had. The four pairs of flaxen sheets and a tablecloth suggest the household, while humble, aimed to maintain some level of tidiness and order.
Pewter dishes and plates, though not extravagant, were more durable than the everyday wooden options of the poorer classes. They symbolized a step up in status from the most impoverished families. Alongside these were four earthen dishes valued at just 8 pence—a sharp contrast in worth but equally essential in their daily routines.
Among his cooking utensils was an old brass pot, two iron pots, and an iron skillet—all essential for preparing hearty, simple meals for the family. The small furnace, mostly made of wadd (a material found in Welsh mines), would have served not only as a stove but perhaps also as a place to heat the family home. Given its value of £1, it was a critical component of his daily life, both for work and sustenance.
Tools of Trade and Everyday Work
The nail maker’s trade was not one of wealth, but it demanded skill and a good set of tools. His most valuable work-related item might have been his iron steeling box—a simple tool, but crucial for a nail maker to harden the tips of nails or perform other metallurgical tasks. Alongside this were the fire shovel, spit, and tongs, which he used to tend to his forge and work the iron into nails, one of the most fundamental building blocks of the burgeoning industrial world.
Community and Simple Pleasures
Beyond the forge, this family’s life revolved around their small home. A warming pan, worth 15 shillings, offered comfort during the cold Welsh winters, providing warmth as the family gathered in their two tables with joyned stools and old chairs. The presence of a brewing vat and various barrels suggests that, like many households of the time, they brewed their own beer—a necessary source of hydration in an era when safe drinking water was scarce.
One might imagine evenings spent by the fire, lit by two modest candlesticks, one made of iron and the other of pewter. Perhaps the family gathered around, sharing a simple meal or telling stories about the day’s work or the town’s latest news.
The Weight of “Lumber Goods”
Finally, there is mention of “lumber goods”—items scattered around the house that weren’t categorized or valued highly. These odds and ends, described as being worth just 1 shilling, might include anything from old tools to discarded remnants of broken furniture, yet they serve as a poignant reminder of the nail maker’s life—one where nothing was wasted, and even the smallest scraps found use.
A Window into the Past
This inventory of a Pontypool nail maker’s possessions offers more than just a list of objects; it reveals the balance between survival and modest comfort in 18th-century Wales. It is a story of a man who, like many others, worked tirelessly to support his family. His few belongings show a life defined not by excess, but by necessity, craftsmanship, and resilience.
Though he did not leave behind wealth or grand stories, the possessions he did leave tell us everything we need to know about the daily life of a nail maker—his work, his family, and the small but significant comforts he surrounded himself with in an industrializing world.
This post draws on the simple inventory to bring to life the world of a Pontypool nail maker, illustrating how much we can learn from even the most modest possessions of the past.
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