Samuel Moore

Samuel must rank as one of the famous sons of Easterton. He didn’t start the jam making business in the area – credit for that probably goes to Sam Saunders. But Samuel Moore was the one who really turned jam making from hobby to big business. Here we see a photo of Sam Moore sent to us by a descendant. It is not the best photo in the world. But it portrays Samuel as a kind looking chap. We know he was hard working and willing to muck in.

Samuel Moore of Easterton

Sam’s business began quite small as a cottage based adjunct to his shop on the Drove, now also known as Sam Moore’s Lane. It took off during World War One when it became essential to maximise home grown produce. Easterton had plantations of fruit and local people went out picking wild fruit, notably blackberries, as well. Sam was able to offer a fair price for such produce. Local lads (and no doubt lasses as well) regarded discarded jam jars as treasure for they, too could be sold back to Sam Moore’s business.

Later, fruit was imported in huge plastic barrels and many local houses have some of these as water butts.

The last pot of jam rolled off the production line on October 9^th 1998. Sam had long departed the scene by then.

Jam Factory Workers

To be fair, this photo might be called jam factory relaxers for it is clearly tea break time after what may have been felt to be a nerve wracking experience. For this was on the day that Princess Anne came to open an extension to the factory in Easterton on 30^th April 1985 – thirty years ago.

Jam factory workers in 1985

The four people relaxing here are (from left to right) Philip Sadd – whose wife gave us the photo very recently – Terry Colella, Anne Phillips and Mike Blanchard.

Of course, Anne Phillips was one of two people there with that name on that day, for that was then the name of Princess Anne who unveiled this plaque which we now have in the museum.

The plinth mounted plaque unveiled by Princess Anne

Houses now near completion on the site but at least we are able to retain memories of this once major employer at our museum.

Yet more jam factory girls

We are so very lucky at Market Lavington Museum. People keep giving us items and it can take time for them to appear on this blog. We do work at having something different each day rather than having a whole set of similar items, just given.

So today we return to photos given us by Karen, a descendant of Bill Moore and also, of course, of his father, Samuel. Both were leading lights in the Easterton jam factory.

This picture shows more of the workers about their daily tasks.

Crate Packing at Easterton jam factory in the 1960s

These are clearly packing jars of jam into wooden crates. On the left we have Winnie Gilkes who lived in Market Lavington Market Place. Winnie was born in about 1907 and died in 1977. The rather photographically washed out lady on the right is believed to be Claudia Mundy. She was born in about 1948 so hopefully is still alive. We think she lived on High Street in Market Lavington.

We don’t have names for the two in the background. Maybe you can help us there.

We don’t have names for these two. Can you help?

We feel lucky to have these photographic memories of the old jam factory – a distant memory now for many for the last pot of jam came off the line on  9^th October 1998 – more than 16 years ago.

A Moore family group

This year we have been given quite a few photos with a Samuel Moore/jam factory connection. It is pure coincidence that these have arrived just as the old factory was being demolished. One of the nicest of the photos shows the Moore family.

Samuel Moore and family – of Easterton

We are not certain of the location. It doesn’t look like Woodbine Cottage which was the Moore family home, but it does seem to be an entire Moore family in about 1911. Let’s name them all.

Sam was, of course, the founder of the jam factory although he learned his trade from Cedric Gauntlett who in turn had learned it from Sam Saunders.

Jane was his second wife and in 1911 they had only been married a couple of years. We guess his first wife – the mother of his children – died as a result of complications after giving birth to Bertha.

The two sons, Wilf and Bill became active partners in the jam factory business.

Wilf, Sam, Bertha, Jane and Bill Moore. The donkey’s name is not known.

What a charming photo and many thanks to Karen, a granddaughter of Bill who gave us a copy of it.

A Difficulty for Samuel Moore

The jam factory in Easterton has feature fairly often on this blog since the end of August when we were able to copy photos in an album which had belonged to William who was old Samuel’s younger son.

But this document, also received in the last few months, came from that collection of bill heads and letters from Holloway of West Lavington.

This letter came to the executors of Mr Holloway’s will from the Capital and Counties Bank Ltd. It is dated December 29^th 1914 and reads

Dear Sirs

You are doubtless aware that the late Mr H J Holloway guaranteed the account the account of Samuel Moore of Easterton for £50 and charges, the total now due being £52-10/4. There appears to be no prospect of our reclaiming the amount from our debtor and therefore have to make application to you for payment and shall be glad if the amount can be cleared off by the end of the year to avoid having to…

…bring it forward into our new ledgers.

So back in 1914, Samuel was in debt to the tune of over £50. That’s equivalent to at least £5000 at today’s rates.

It seems that Mr Holloway’s executors did their duty and paid up for another letter was received on 4^th January.

Samuel’s business obviously grew and he’d have become tolerably prosperous. It just shows that start-up companies can all do with a helping financial hand.

 

A Jam Factory Lorry

We feel so lucky that Karen got in touch with us. She and her brother, great grandchildren of Samuel Moore, came to see us at Easterton’s rain soaked show on August Bank Holiday. This was one of the photos they brought.

Samuel Moore lorry in about 1930

What a wonderful period shot.

The man leaning on the mudguard is William Moore – son of Sam and grandfather of our contacts. He was born in 1903 and appears to be quite a young man here so maybe the photo dates from the late 20s or early 30s.

A lorry expert can probably tell us more.

The other man, sporting the apron, is not recognised by us – but you never know what you might learn by publishing on a blog.

Loading the lorry has been quite a substantial job. It would have involved lifting all the boxes of jars by hand.

The sign on the lorry tells us it carries Moore’s Jams. The sign on the top of the shed – readable with quite a bit of photo tweaking – says just the same.

Over to you, folks. Tell us some more about the people, or the lorry, or the jam.

More Jam Factory Girls

Today we have another photo from Karen, the great granddaughter of Samuel Moore. It shows more workers at the jam factory.

In Samuel Moore Foods jam factory in Easterton – probably 1960s

On the left we have Jackie Danton. In the middle is Mrs Kittle – or should that read Kiddle? And on the right it is Maureen Cooper.

These three ladies are clearly dealing with catering orders, The jam is not being put in jars, but rather into quite substantial cans. Samuel Moore Foods supplied quite a bit to hotels and the like so one assumes that is where the catering packs were going.

We believe this photo dates from the 1960s and, as ever, we’d appreciate any further information about people and/or processes.

Jam Factory Workers

Karen recently let us copy a collection of photos in the Easterton area that included many jam factory workers. Karen and her brother visited us at Easterton Country Show. They are great grandchildren of Samuel Moore. Inevitably, they couldn’t name the people in the photos of workers, but we knew a couple who might be able to. John and Pat had both lived in Market Lavington and Easterton and Pat had been one of the jam factory workers. The couple emigrated to Australia in 1976 but they keep well in touch with the old home.

We sent copies of the photos to them and have answers. So here we have some jam factory workers.

Jam factory workers at Samuel Moore’s of Easterton – believed to be 1960s

In this photo we have Genie Guntrip and Maureen Wiltshire. The photo rather fades away in the distance so we’ll probably not get the third lady.

Genie, in the hefty rubber gloves, must be picking up filled jam jars to put them in the wooden crate. We love that crate with its message of S. Moore & Sons Ltd Easterton, Wilts. And does it say 1/- after the Wilts? Does that mean there was a one shilling deposit on the crate?

Just what Maureen is doing is not clear for she just seems to be holding a jar. Maybe Genie had to take the crate away and Maureen took over the packing job.

Guntrip is an unusual name so we can be fairly sure that Genie lived on High Street in Easterton. Wiltshire is a more common name and there were several families around in the 1960s. And of course, not all jam factory workers were from Easterton or Market Lavington.

If you were a worker have you any stories you could share with the museum? We’d love to hear from you.

Easterton Country Show and the Moore family

Bank Holiday Monday was as wet as wet could be. There’s a kind of tradition, which actually most of us there thought wrong, that it always rains on bank holidays. 2014 August bank holiday will surely go down in memory as very, very wet and will help keep that urban myth alive.

The show organisers were philosophical and kept a smile on their faces as they reorganised people to inside venues or under good, waterproof marquees.

We of the museum were lucky to get a spot inside the church – by our usual standards it was cramped and small but it was dry, warm and we had an absolutely lovely day.

The Easterton show is always lovely. How could it be otherwise with such friendly people. One person we met and chatted with had moved into the village only a month ago. He reckoned more people had chatted to him in that month than in 14 years when he lived in a town elsewhere. He absolutely loved the place.

There was many an old friend to chat to as well, but pride of place, for us, goes to some young adults from Bristol who put a message on a post on this blog just the day before the show.

It read  ‘Hi, some photos and information I didn’t know. Samuel Moore was my great grandad.’

And the next day they were at the show with photo album in hand. Here’s one of the photos.

Sons of Samuel Wilfred and William Moore with a jam factory pan

This shows two sons of Samuel Moore, both of whom worked in the jam business in Easterton. On the left we see Wilfred (officially he was Samuel Wilfred) and on the right his younger brother, William. They are holding a large preserving pan, obviously used in the business.

William is the grandfather of our visitors at the show.

Now for us, the rain might have been falling in torrents, but the sunshine was in our hearts as we learned more about the family and were able to copy some wonderful photos.

Well done Easterton – a great day for us and, as ever, a lovely friendly show.

The Jam Factory at a carnival

Time was when carnival in Easterton and Market Lavington meant raising money for health care. If you are aged 66 or more then you entered this world before the UK had a National Health Service. If you were not rich, then using the doctor meant relying on charity. Now that’s something most folks hate. But if a fund could be raised out of people having fun, then it didn’t seem so bad. Carnival week in our two parishes was also called Hospital Week. The money raised could be allocated to those in need. What a blessing it must have been, in 1948, to be able to use a doctor as a matter of right.

For local companies, the carnival procession was two edged. Not only were the companies clearly supporting local people, but they were also advertising their wares.

Easterton Jam Factory carnival entry in the 1920s

This entry was by Samuel Moore Ltd – the Easterton Jam Factory whose final buildings have recently been demolished.

No effort has been spared in making the van pretty. It is covered from roof top to wheel in something. It would take a more knowledgeable expert than we have at the museum to identify the make of van. We wonder if it is a Crossley (but don’t take that as fact, it is only speculation) and it probably dates from the mid 1920s. We’d expect a commercial company to be aiming to show themselves as modern and with it so the picture itself probably also dates from the 1920s.

The decoration on the side of the van says ‘Golden Sunset Jams. Was this a brand produced by Samuel Moore? Or was it just a slogan for a carnival?

Can anybody name the driver?

All information and suggestions will be gratefully received.