My ancestor Joseph Woodcock came to work at the Oak Farm works in Kingswinford in December 1837.He brought everything he owned from his home in Dodleston and accompanied by his wife and three children, journied by barge to Hinksford wharf in Wall heath and then by waggon and horses to the industrial area at Stallings lane.



The boss at that time was a Mr John Griffiths who had just built himself a large house at Oak lane called Round Hill. Joseph and family lodged at the Coppice Mill (later to become the glynne arms) while a cottage was found for them.



It's hard to imagine what the area must have been like at that time. The Oak Farm works were huge, early maps show dozens of coal mines, the whole area criss-crossed with railways, there were furnaces making iron 24 hours a day. Under the coal seams were layers of clay which they baked into bricks on any ground big enough to build a brick oven. Carts must have run continually taking the coal and pig-iron to the canal at Hinksford wharf.



Joseph, a simple country lad was put to work in the furnaces. He worked nights for three years. Eventually the pits began to work out and the industry became less viable. The land was owned by Sir Stephen Glynne and following a bankruptcy, he and John Griffiths went seperate ways.



After all sorts of mill and colliery work, Joseph was offered a position looking after the Siden house as it was then called. This was the Glynne Arms, now more popularly known as the Crooked House. This was 1857.



The Woodcocks were to remain at the pub for more than twenty years, running a smallholding alongside, as was the way then. Gwynne died in 1871 and Joseph went to live with one of their six children in Wednesbury in 1881. I don't know when he died.



I have lots of names of people in the area at the time, if you have any info please get in touch.