ECONOMIC HISTORY.
Agriculture.
In 1086
Enfield was assessed at 30 hides, of which 14 were
in demesne. There was meadow for 24 ploughs,
pasture for the cattle of the vill, a mill, a park, and
woodland for 2,000 pigs. The manor was valued at
£50, as it had been T.R.E., although it was worth
only £20 when Geoffrey de Mandeville received it.
There were 4 ploughs on the demesne and the
villeins had 16 ploughs. The tenants included a
villein on one hide, 3 villeins each on ½ hide, a priest
on one virgate, 17 villeins each on one virgate, 36
villeins each on ½ virgate, 20 bordars on one hide
and one virgate, 7 cottars on 23 a., and 5 cottars on
7 a. There were also 18 cottars and 6 serfs. (fn. 29)
In 1289 Durants comprised 294 a. of arable, 27 a.
of meadow, and 27 a. of pasture, (fn. 30) while farther west
in 1336 the demesne of Enfield contained 420 a. of
arable, 63 a. of meadow, and 39 a. of pasture. (fn. 31)
Livestock seized by the sheriff on Enfield manor in
1327 amounted to 130 oxen, 154 cows, 160 steers,
101 heifers, and 1,680 sheep. (fn. 32) By 1487, moreover,
pasture on both Sir Thomas Lovell's estates of
Elsing and Lowdes was worth more than twice as
much as the arable land. (fn. 33)
In 1289 freemen owed 86 customary works every
August on the Durants manor (fn. 34) and unspecified
villein services were also recorded. (fn. 35) On Enfield
manor there were freemen, copyholders, cottars,
and molmen in the mid 14th century. (fn. 36) Services
were still performed by 22 molmen in 1419, (fn. 37)
although by 1324 labour had been hired on the
Enfield demesne for carting corn and mowing hay. (fn. 38)
In 1419 the molmen, who apparently owed more
services than the cottars, performed hoeing, carting,
and autumn boon-works; other works, however,
which included the carrying of corn, were being
sold. (fn. 39) In 1439, when the demesne was leased, the
molmen's works were being sold at 3¼d. apiece but
customary weeding, mowing, and reaping works
were still specified. (fn. 40)
Most of the parish east of the Chase was divided
into large open arable fields, with common marshes
along the Lea. Broad field was mentioned in 1228
and East field in 1275. (fn. 41) By 1572 there were 38
common fields, mostly east of Enfield Town and
Forty Hill (fn. 42) but some, inclosed before the mid 18th
century, (fn. 43) extending westward towards the Chase.
The fields varied greatly in size: in 1572 the largest,
Broad field, covered 272 a., while the smallest, Moat
field, contained only 9 a. North field (213 a.) covered
much of the area north of Bullsmoor Lane and West
field (104 a.) lay on the western side of the road to
Enfield Town and Edmonton. South-west of it, near
Mores Hatch gate to the Chase, lay Ferney field
(207 a.). Between Bullsmoor Lane and Turkey
Street the largest fields were South field and Dung
field, both of them 60 a., while the area between
Turkey Street and Hoe Lane was occupied by Long
field (151 a.) and Mapleton field (95 a.). East of
Hertford Road the largest field was East field
(171 a.), with Holdbrook or Ho-Brook field to the
north. The centre of the parish, between Baker
Street and Hertford Road, also contained large
common fields, which included Broad field (272 a.)
from Hoe Lane to Carterhatch Lane and, farther
south, Windmill field (263 a.), Churchbury field
(189 a.), and Southbury field (237 a.). By 1754
several fields had been divided and there were
2,891 a. of inclosed to 2,747 a. of open-field land. (fn. 44)
The strips in the fields were called journeys in
1686 and were divided from one another by 'bulks'. (fn. 45)
Each manor had some demesne land in the common
fields. In 1584 the Elsing demesne contained 260 a.
in the common fields and only 20 a. of inclosures (fn. 46)
and in 1635 the Enfield demesne contained 78 a. of
inclosed land to 432 a. of arable and 95 a. of meadow
in the common fields, all leased to William Bowyer;
another 48 a. were leased to John Wroth and 87 a.
to John Wilford. (fn. 47) In 1686 all the Enfield demesne
lands were leased by Nicholas Raynton. (fn. 48) On
Durants manor the inclosure of demesne land
occurred earlier; by 1649 only 7 a. of the demesne
was open field land. (fn. 49) In the early 16th century
discontent was caused by inclosures on Durants
manor, (fn. 50) although later the practice became concentrated in the area immediately east of the Chase.
In 1572 small inclosures were recorded in all parts
of the parish. (fn. 51) In 1635 Sir Nicholas Raynton was
said to have recently inclosed 17 a. (fn. 52) and in 1656 the
former Little Park, part of Raynton's estate, consisted chiefly of inclosed meadow. (fn. 53) The disparking
of the Old Park in the 17th century (fn. 54) further added
to the amount of inclosed land in the parish.
Enfield inhabitants claimed rights of grazing in
the Chase, mentioned in 1372 (fn. 55) and set out in detail
in 1542, (fn. 56) as well as in the common fields and
marshes. In the late 16th century the common fields
were being opened to grazing while they lay fallow, (fn. 57)
in 1593 the marshes were said to have been turned
into good pasture, (fn. 58) and in 1657 some of them were
being opened as Lammas lands. (fn. 59) Threats to grazing
rights often caused violence, as in 1475 when people
from Enfield led the opposition to Sir Richard
Charlton, lord of Dephams in Edmonton, (fn. 60) or c.
1493, (fn. 61) when they pulled down fences belonging to
his successor Sir Thomas Bourchier and claimed
sanction of the duchy of Lancaster court. (fn. 62) The men
of Enfield were not always welcome in Edmonton,
where c. 1563 the commoners blocked the entrance
to the marshes and kept mares there to exclude cattle
from Enfield. (fn. 63) In Enfield itself John Wroth of
Durants was accused in 1514 of inclosing 40 a. and
barring cattle from his fields in open seasons (fn. 64) and in
1548 four men were imprisoned after a riot directed
at Sir Thomas Wroth. (fn. 65) Sir Robert Wroth was said
in 1589 to have been the greatest incloser of common
fields in the parish. (fn. 66) John Taylor, farmer of Enfield
manor, was amerced c. 1566 for allegedly inclosing
52 a. of waste land (fn. 67) but was found guiltless by the
duchy court, which concluded that some Enfield
tenants had hoped to force him to let them farm his
lands. (fn. 68)
Much of the trouble seems to have arisen from a
rise in the population. (fn. 69) The Chase was said to be
overcharged c. 1572 (fn. 70) and William Kympton, lord of
Monken Hadley, was accused of keeping too many
animals there in 1580, 1581, and 1587. (fn. 71) John
Wilford, lord of Elsing, declared in 1584 that a
recent increase in the number of houses and
inclosures had burdened the common fields with too
many cattle; he had therefore inclosed 8 a. near his
manor-house, whereupon his fences had been
destroyed. (fn. 72) Distress was compounded by Enfield's
decline as an entrep ôt for the malt trade after the
construction of the Lea Navigation (fn. 73) and in 1589 a
group of inhabitants complained to the queen of
their impoverishment. (fn. 74) Their move may have been
linked to a petition in that year to Lord Burghley,
seeking the release of 24 women who had been
indicted for breaking down fences. (fn. 75) In 1613 fences
on Elsing manor were again demolished (fn. 76) and as
late as 1719 one William Jakings claimed that he had
been reduced to poverty by resisting the unlawful
inclosure of common fields. (fn. 77)
By 1754 (fn. 78) there were 1,646 a. of inclosed pasture,
including the land around the Chase lodges, and
1,245 a. of inclosed arable; the common arable fields
totalled 2,747 a. and there were 794 a. of common
meadow, mostly in the marshes. Some of the
inclosed arable land produced a second yearly crop
of turnips, while the Forty Hall estate, which was
completely inclosed, yielded large quantities of hay
as well as wheat. In 1769 (fn. 79) hay farming predominated
in the mainly inclosed area west of the road from
Enfield Town to Bull's Cross, where 900 a. bore
hay, 400 a. spring corn, and 100 a. wheat, while
380 a. were 'fed lands'. By contrast farther east
between the road from Enfield Town to Bull's Cross
and Hertford Road there were 350 a. of hay, 700 a.
of wheat and spring corn, 350 a. of spring grain, and
only 150 a. of 'fed lands'. The common marshes by
the Lea also yielded much hay, which was in demand
for winter feeding for the large numbers of cattle on
the Chase. In 1769 2,330 a. in Enfield were used for
growing wheat or spring corn and 2,150 a. for hay;
790 a. were 'fed lands' and 1,020 a. lay fallow. The
best arable land in the late 18th century was said to
be in Churchbury field. (fn. 80) A three-course rotation
was in use in the common arable fields in 1796, with
wheat followed by spring corn and a third year of
fallow, when the fields lay open to the parishioners'
animals. (fn. 81) The marshes were open to cattle from
Lammas until early April, after which a crop of hay
was sown. (fn. 82)
When the Chase was inclosed in 1779, the duchy's
allotment was set aside as farm-land, while 1,532 a.
on its eastern side were allotted to Enfield as a
common pasture for householders with premises
worth more than £6 a year; sheep were excluded and
in 1796 there were said to be 614 head of cattle
there. (fn. 83) Proposals to inclose the allotment, with the
common fields in the rest of the parish, were
opposed by many who feared the impoverishment of
hundreds of cottagers (fn. 84) but supported by the chief
landowners. In 1793 Abraham Wilkinson of White
Webbs considered agriculture to be sadly restricted
and claimed that the common field land by the New
River, which lay fallow every third year, could after
inclosure be turned into valuable meadows. (fn. 85) An Act
for inclosing the parish was passed in 1803, when
there were 2,891 a. of inclosed and 3,540 a. of uninclosed land outside the former Chase. (fn. 86)
There was a pound at Chase Side which had
disappeared by 1686, (fn. 87) and one near the boundary of
the Old Park in 1692. (fn. 88) A new pound was built in
1804 (fn. 89) and apparently survived at the northern end
of Chase Green in 1868. (fn. 90)
Apple-growing for cider was said in 1823 to have
once been important, although no orchards
survived. (fn. 91) Lavender was grown on 16 a. near Baker
Street in the early 19th century (fn. 92) and was commemorated in the western end of New Lane,
Lavender Hill. Fifteen market gardeners were
recorded in 1862, most of them near Enfield
Highway but some in Baker Street. (fn. 93) In 1867 there
were several orchards at Enfield Highway (fn. 94) and in
1869 market gardens accounted for much of the
Connop estate in the eastern part of the parish. (fn. 95)
After inclosure the farms near the Lea continued to
be split between arable and pasture, although fields
formed out of the former common were very large in
comparison with those farther west; one of Trinity
College's farms at Brimsdown had fields of 44 a. and
60 a. in 1855. (fn. 96) Market gardens encroached increasingly on the farm-land between Hertford Road and
the Lea during the later 19th century, (fn. 97) until by 1900
Enfield was said to be the main parish for market
gardening in northern Middlesex and the second in
the whole county. (fn. 98) Tomatoes and cucumbers were
the main crops, (fn. 99) although flowers were also grown,
and glass-houses covered several hundred acres. (fn. 1) By
1920, with the expansion of industry and suburban
housing, some of the market gardens around Ponders
End and Enfield Highway had disappeared. New
nurseries had opened in the extreme north-east at
Freezy Water and farther west at Crews Hill (fn. 2) but in
1934 those around Great Cambridge Road were
giving way to factories, schools, and houses. (fn. 3) In 1947
commercial horticulture accounted for 536 a., of
which 85 a. were under glass, (fn. 4) and market gardens
and nurseries were limited to the extreme north and
north-east parts of the parish. They continued to
dwindle until in 1966 there was only one large-scale
concern, Theobalds Park farm, near Crews Hill,
which covered 140 a. and produced vegetables for
the London markets. (fn. 5) Several smaller nurseries
survived around Crews Hill Road in 1974.
The western part of Enfield remained more
agricultural. Initial attempts to cultivate the Chase
after its inclosure were largely unsuccessful because
of the poor soil, a mixture of gravel and heavy clay,
and the inexperience of the farmers. (fn. 6) In 1787
Thomas Bulkeley was said to have failed to sell lands,
which he had leased in the Chase, in lots of 30 or
40 a. to Londoners for country residences. (fn. 7) By 1796,
however, only about 1,200 a. of the duchy's allotment remained in an unimproved state. (fn. 8) Some of
the lessees, like Abraham Wilkinson, applied chalk
and lime to the soil (fn. 9) but others, like J. Wigston of
Trent Place, thought the land better suited for stock
farming and retained many of the old trees to
provide settings for their mansions. (fn. 10) By 1823 the
Chase had been almost completely converted to
tillage (fn. 11) and c. 1850 most of its farms were said to be
profitable, (fn. 12) although problems of cultivation persisted. In 1855 one of Trinity College's farms was in
a bad state, whereas another on the former Chase
was well manured and bore some root crops as well
as wheat and dairy produce. (fn. 13)
Farm-land amounted to 9,234 a. in 1887 (fn. 14) and
covered over 8,000 a., two-thirds of the parish, in
1911. (fn. 15) It included most of the former Chase, which
was later preserved in the Green Belt with the result
that there were still 4,761 a. devoted to agriculture
in 1937. The farm-land was mainly under grass,
6,494 a. in 1887 and 4,195 a. in 1937, and supplied
much hay for London in the 1880s and 1890s. (fn. 16)
Later pasture became more important: in 1921
Plumridge and Ridgway farms were dairy farms (fn. 17)
and by 1937 nearly two-thirds of the grassland was
used for grazing. Numbers of livestock remained
high: there were 1,343 cattle, 1,040 sheep, and 681
pigs in 1887 and 1,245 cattle, 1,686 sheep, and
1,266 pigs in 1937. Green and root crops were more
widespread than corn: potatoes and cabbages
covered over 700 a. in 1887 and over 560 a. in 1917,
although the acreage of potatoes had fallen to 33 by
1937.
A return to arable farming began after the Second
World War, partly because of the shortage of labour.
Of 4,803 a. of farm-land in 1957, only 1,868 were
under grass, mostly for grazing. Corn, however, had
so expanded that 467 a. produced wheat, 584 a.
barley, and 350 a. mixed crops for threshing. (fn. 18) Stock
farms included Glasgow Stud farm at Crews Hill,
occupied by the British Bloodstock Agency. (fn. 19)
Woods.
Enfield had woodland for 2,000 pigs in
1086. (fn. 20) Shingles from trees in the Chase were used
to roof the palace of Westminster in 1220, (fn. 21) 120 oaks
were felled for work at Westminster in 1546, (fn. 22) and
more oaks were taken for repairs to Sir William
Cecil's house at Hatfield (Herts.) in 1567. (fn. 23) Enfield's
inhabitants maintained a right to collect firewood
from the Chase: in 1650 they claimed 'decayed and
dotard trees' at 2s. a load, free brushwood on
St. George's day, brushwood at 8d. a load for the
rest of the year, and free rotten wood. (fn. 24)
The woodland was guarded as jealously as were
grazing rights. In 1536 the ranger and keepers were
accused of illegally felling trees in the Chase. (fn. 25) In
1575 an order was made for better preservation of
deer and timber (fn. 26) but in 1583 Enfield men accused
the earl of Southampton, farmer and woodward of
the Chase, of destroying the wood. (fn. 27) Illegal felling
seems to have increased (fn. 28) until in 1603 a group of
women assembled at Whitewebbs to urge that wood
from the Chase should be burnt in the king's house
at Enfield or given to the poor. (fn. 29) In 1604 trees were
cut down to build bridges over the Lea. (fn. 30) Meanwhile
security in the Chase grew less effective. A keeper
was killed by a poacher in 1578 (fn. 31) and in 1594 deer
were escaping through gaps in the fence. (fn. 32) In 1605
the king complained that the Chase 'hard by our
ordinary residence' was shamefully neglected and
that the poor were brought to misery by new tenants
and encroachers. (fn. 33) There were so many sheep that
deer escaped in search of food, (fn. 34) while the destruction of woodland and especially of large oak trees,
according to Sir Vincent Skinner, who lived at
Enfield, was far beyond anything known. (fn. 35)
The inclosure of 120 a. of the Chase within
Theobalds Park in 1611 (fn. 36) took place without
disturbance and tenants were compensated for loss
of rights. (fn. 37) In 1635, however, the duchy's tenants of
Enfield claimed that a decision to forbid the pasture
of their sheep in the Chase, because of the threat to
the deer, had left them no means of manuring their
arable land. (fn. 38) The ruling against pasture of sheep
seems to have been ignored, as it was not mentioned
in 1650, (fn. 39) but the destruction of woodland and deer,
after apparently coming to an end, increased again
during the Civil War. In 1642 several men were
imprisoned for killing deer on a large scale (fn. 40) and in
1643 another four were imprisoned for selling
wood. (fn. 41) While searching for stolen wood in 1643, the
woodward and constables were attacked by some 50
people at Winchmore Hill. (fn. 42) In 1654 the destruction
of wood in the Chase was said to have cost £2,000. (fn. 43)
Parliament decided to sell the Chase in 1652 (fn. 44) but
inclosure did not take place until after a survey in
1658, under which 1,522 a. was granted to the
parishioners of Enfield in compensation. (fn. 45) In 1659
men from Enfield and neighbouring parishes claimed
that their allotment was too small and began pulling
down newly-erected fences, for which they were
acquitted at quarter sessions. Soon afterwards
between 160 and 250 local men clashed with soldiers
who were protecting the purchasers of the Chase
lands (fn. 46) and two troops of horse were called in. (fn. 47) Both
the purchasers and the local inhabitants subsequently
petitioned Parliament to redress their grievances. (fn. 48)
The Chase was restored to the Crown in 1660 and
restocking with deer began in 1662. (fn. 49) An order in
1660 tried to stop the parishioners from illegally
cutting down trees (fn. 50) and attempts were made to
remove the 200-300 people who had built cottages
there during the Interregnum. (fn. 51) Poaching increased (fn. 52)
and as the Chase became less frequently used for
royal hunting, its officers and their lessees assumed
greater local importance. In 1697 Sir Basil Firebrace,
ranger and master of the game, was accused of
profiteering on the sale of timber (fn. 53) and in 1701 the
felling of trees was forbidden. (fn. 54) Sir Basil's successor,
James Brydges, duke of Chandos, attempted to end
poaching and introduced Scottish cattle (fn. 55) but trespassing and felling continued (fn. 56) and in 1777 the
Chase was described by Arthur Young as 'a scandal
to the government'. (fn. 57) When inclosure took place in
1779, the deer were removed to Luton Hoo (Beds.), (fn. 58)
although many of the trees survived in park-land. (fn. 59)
Mills.
A mill rendered 10s. in 1086. (fn. 60) Geoffrey de
Mandeville, earl of Essex (d. 1144), granted a mill
to the abbot of Walden (fn. 61) and Roger de Canteloup
held a water-mill and stank in 1234-5. (fn. 62) Fulling and
corn mills were held by Richard de Plessis under the
abbot in 1289 and later descended with Durants
manor; (fn. 63) in 1362 one of them, leased to John Garton,
would not grind for want of millstones. (fn. 64) An unspecified water-mill was held by Humphrey de
Bohun, earl of Hereford, in 1363. (fn. 65) The Durants
mills were probably on or near the sites of the two
water-mills which were held by Sir Robert Wroth,
lord of Durants, in 1614. (fn. 66)
One of Wroth's mills was presumably Enfield
mill, which stood in South marsh and in the late
16th century was a two-storeyed building with a
tiled roof. (fn. 67) At the end of the mill river, it was held
in 1635 by John Wroth (fn. 68) and described in 1754 as a
corn mill. (fn. 69) It was replaced c. 1789 by a new
building, much of which is probably preserved in
Wright's flour mill near Ponders End railway
station. (fn. 70) The mill is large and weatherboarded,
with an adjoining brick house. In 1853 it contained
seven pairs of millstones and could grind 500 sacks
of flour weekly; there was storage for 1,000 qr. of
wheat and barges of 60 tons could be drawn up
alongside it. (fn. 71) A new plant opened in 1961, to
increase production to 300 tons a week, (fn. 72) and in 1971
produced both flour and animal food stuffs. (fn. 73)
The Wroth family's other mill apparently stood
near Enfield lock and gave its name to Mill marsh.
A Mill Street was mentioned in 1393. (fn. 74) In 1653 the
Ordnance officers were to treat with John and Henry
Wroth about the use of their mill near the lock for
making gunpowder (fn. 75) but there was no reference to
gunpowder after 1664 (fn. 76) and the mill may have closed
by the 18th century.
John of Enfield held a mill in 1329, (fn. 77) which may
have been the water-mill granted with the manor of
Worcesters to Princess Elizabeth in 1550. (fn. 78) Its
location is unknown. Another water-mill, by New
pond in the Chase, was held of the Crown by John
Witherings in 1635 but had been demolished by
1686. (fn. 79) Henry Frowyk held a windmill in Enfield in
1284, (fn. 80) perhaps near the site of Hadley windmill on
the edge of the Chase. (fn. 81) In 1635 Hadley mill was
one of two windmills in Enfield manor. The other,
on Windmill Hill west of Enfield Town, was in good
repair; (fn. 82) it later became known as Enfield mill and
was disused by 1897, (fn. 83) shortly before its demolition.
A leather mill stood north of Wright's flour mill
in 1754 (fn. 84) but had disappeared before 1845; (fn. 85) it may
have been the mill for dressing skins which was
recorded in 1831. (fn. 86) A paper mill on the marshes near
Brimsdown in 1776 (fn. 87) seems to have been short-lived,
as was a fulling mill on the Lea mentioned in 1805. (fn. 88)
Two flour mills mentioned in 1866, one at Fernyhill
farm north of Cockfosters and the other, which was
powered by steam, in Turkey Street, had both
disappeared by 1896. (fn. 89)
Markets and fairs.
In 1303 the king granted
Humphrey de Bohun a weekly market at Enfield and
two annual fairs of three days, to be held at the feasts
of St. Andrew (30 Nov.) and of the Assumption
(15 Aug.). (fn. 90) The fair formerly held on the feast of
the Assumption was later transferred to 23 September (fn. 91) and described in 1823 as a 'mere holiday'. (fn. 92)
It flourished in 1858 (fn. 93) but was suppressed as a
source of immorality in 1869. (fn. 94) The St. Andrew's
day fair became a cheese fair and by 1823 was used
only for the sale of old horses and cattle. (fn. 95) It was
still held in 1908. (fn. 96)
The Beggar's Bush fairs founded at Southgate in
1614 (fn. 97) were held at the top of Clay Hill in 1771 but
later restored to Southgate. (fn. 98) Labourers still met
annually at Easter and Whitsun for rustic sports
near the Holly Bush inn, south of Clay Hill, in
1823. (fn. 99)
In 1585 a Sunday meat market by the church gate
was vehemently opposed by the clergy, who invited
preachers to condemn it and later petitioned Lord
Burghley for its closure. (fn. 1) In 1586 some parishioners
requested its retention, claiming that the curate,
Leonard Thickpenny, had overturned a stall and
threatened to beat the butcher. (fn. 2) They apparently
failed but in 1618 James I granted a Saturday
market, with a court of pie-powder, to Sir Nicholas
Salter and others and stipulated that the profits be
reserved for the poor. (fn. 3) The market was held south
of the church, on the site of a house called the Vine
which was bought by the parish in 1632. (fn. 4) The poor
were suffering from its decline by the end of the
century, because of the high prices of food elsewhere, (fn. 5) and, despite two attempts to revive it, it was
moribund in 1823. (fn. 6) It was later successfully revived
and was held on its old site each Saturday in 1971
and twice weekly from 1974. (fn. 7)
Trade and industry.
A maltman was recorded
in 1393 (fn. 8) and by the late 15th century several men (fn. 9)
processed malt from Royston and Ware (Herts.) and
sent it by road to London. Some families, including
the Hunsdons and Cordells, thereby grew rich and
left large bequests to the parish church. (fn. 10) Enfield's
importance may have stemmed partly from its
inhabitants' freedom from paying tolls, a privilege
confirmed in 1543 after several Enfield maltmen had
had their sacks distrained in London. (fn. 11) The opening
of the Lea Navigation in 1576 diverted traffic from
the road to the river, bypassing Enfield. (fn. 12) In 1581 a
group of maltmen, encouraged by Robert Wroth
who owned mills on the river, (fn. 13) cut the banks and
drove stakes into the watercourse, for which several
offenders were imprisoned. (fn. 14) Despite petitions to
Lord Burghley (fn. 15) the trade through Enfield declined
and by 1593 the passage of barges from Ware to
London had also decreased. (fn. 16) Maltmen still lived in
Enfield in 1615 (fn. 17) but their business died out soon
afterwards.
Enfield tanners were first mentioned in 1469 (fn. 18) and
the tanning of hides from London was considered an
important local trade in 1662. (fn. 19) A tan yard stood in
Church field in 1658 (fn. 20) and another in Green Street
in 1686. (fn. 21) One tannery remained, in Silver Street, (fn. 22)
in 1828 and was described as extensive in 1831. (fn. 23)
There was a factory for making paper in Chase Side
c. 1800, but it had disappeared by 1823. (fn. 24)
Brick-, tile-, and lime-kilns were supplied with
fuel from the Chase c. 1490. (fn. 25) There was a tile-kiln
near Potters Bar in 1656, (fn. 26) perhaps the kiln which
survived at Hadley Wood into the 19th century, (fn. 27)
and a brick clamp in Church field in 1658. (fn. 28) Digging
for bricks was carried out in the Chase in 1688 (fn. 29) and
Brick Kiln field, on the site of Enfield Town station,
was so named by 1785. (fn. 30) The expansion of brickmaking in the 19th century, however, took place in
the eastern part of the parish; in 1823 there was a
brick-field in Lincoln Road (fn. 31) and by 1868 (fn. 32) there
were brick-fields and clay mills there and in
Southbury Road and Old Road, Enfield Highway.
In 1971 the only surviving brick-works was Gabriel's
in Hoe Lane, opened soon after 1930 and specializing
in red facing-bricks, some of them hand-made. (fn. 33)
There was a brewery in 1696 (fn. 34) and at the end of
the 18th century Hill's brew-house in Green Street
was supplying five ale-houses in Forty Hill. (fn. 35) Two
breweries existed in 1832. (fn. 36) One of them, the Stag
brewery by the New River at Chase Side, was taken
over as a works for dyeing cotton in 1856 (fn. 37) but
became a brewery once more in the 1880s and closed
soon after 1890. (fn. 38) The Cannon brewery, opposite the
junction of Baker Street and Lancaster Road, had
been built by 1868 (fn. 39) but had disappeared by 1890. (fn. 40)
Ponders End brewery adjoined the White Hart inn
in 1869 (fn. 41) and closed in the early 20th century. (fn. 42)
Tradesmen c. 1795 included two hairdressers, a
milliner, a watch-maker, two peruke-makers, an
upholsterer, a bookseller and stationer, and a writing
master, (fn. 43) while in 1832 they included an auctioneer,
two chemists, five linen drapers, two straw-hat
makers, a bookbinder, three toy dealers, a coachmaker and a wine dealer. (fn. 44) As suburban housing
spread, shopping centres grew up at Ponders End,
Enfield Highway, Enfield Lock and, later, at
Cockfosters, but the main centre has always been
Enfield Town. The most prominent store there,
Pearson's, was founded in 1903 and moved into its
modern premises on the site of Enfield manor-house
in 1928; in 1970 it employed over 400 people. (fn. 45)
The loss of Enfield market was said in 1832 to
have injured the town's trade; (fn. 46) tanning had virtually
ceased and there were only two factories, one for
funeral crape and the other for small arms. The
crape factory, opened at the corner of South Street
and Scotland Green Road by Messrs. Grout and
Baylis of Norwich in 1809, had nearly 200 employees
by 1858, most of them from Ponders End. (fn. 47) It was
closed in 1894 and taken over by the United Flexible
Metallic Tubing Co., which still occupied the site
and some of the original buildings in 1971. (fn. 48)
In 1804 it was proposed to build a small arms
factory near the old water-mill at Enfield Lock, (fn. 49)
downstream from the Royal Gunpowder factory at
Waltham Holy Cross (Essex). (fn. 50) The assembling of
muskets apparently started soon afterwards, before
32 a. were bought by the Board of Ordnance and
plans, one of them by the elder John Rennie, were
produced in 1813 and 1814. (fn. 51) The making of barrels
was transferred from Lewisham to Enfield c. 1816,
'lock' and 'finishing' sections followed, and in 1853
the first Enfield rifle was issued. In 1854, when the
Board of Ordnance took over the full production of
its own small arms, the factory was rebuilt on a much
larger scale. American machinery was installed and
in 1861 the workforce numbered 1,700. In 1974 the
factory covered 55 a., its area having been halved
since the Second World War, and employed some
1,200 people. The chapel, in the 14th-century
Gothic style, was never consecrated and was
demolished in 1928. (fn. 52) The original brick factory
buildings, around a quadrangle with a clock tower, (fn. 53)
were still largely complete but the canal basin which
served the factory had been filled in.
Other large-scale industries were limited to the
eastern side of the parish, initially because of access
to the Lea. Most of the early factories were at
Ponders End, where the London Jute Works opened
in 1865 and closed in 1882. (fn. 54) The presence of the
jute factory influenced the establishment of the
Corticene Floor Covering Co.'s works farther south,
in the modern Wharf Road, in the 1870s; the factory
had a wharf on the Lea, to handle cork and jute for
making linoleum, and closed c. 1930 but some of its
buildings survived in 1972. (fn. 55) By 1882 there was also
a matting factory in South Street, a colour manufacturer in Derby Road, and a steam dye-works at a
house in South Street called Bylocks Hall. (fn. 56) In 1904
Bylocks Hall was the registered office of the
Paternoster Printing Co. (fn. 57)
The Edison Swan United Electric Light Co.
(Ediswan) took over the site of the London Jute
Works in 1886 (fn. 58) and employed 650 persons there by
1890. (fn. 59) In 1904 the first thermionic radio valve was
produced in a laboratory there, in 1916 the factory
became the first in Britain to produce radio valves
commercially, and in 1936 the first television tube
factory in the country was opened on the site. The
factory was afterwards sold by Thorn Electrical
Industries, whereupon the buildings were demolished. (fn. 60) Ashby's Plating Works opened near by in
Colmore Road in 1900 and still carried out electroplating, metal polishing, and stove enamelling in
1970. (fn. 61) In Aden Road there was a paper factory by
1921 (fn. 62) and a slicing machine works by 1937. (fn. 63) The
Enfield Tool Manufacturing Co., which in 1970
formed part of the Plessey Co., opened a factory in
Alma Road c. 1935. (fn. 64) Barton's Forge and Iron Works
opened a factory in Alexandra Road in 1943 and
began specializing in the heat treatment of metals in
1947, while Chanter and Harding, sheet metal
workers, opened a factory in the same road in 1947
and Enfield Plastics, toolmakers and producers of
plastic injection mouldings, opened one in 1966. (fn. 65)
After 1900 the eastern part of the parish began to
attract London firms seeking more space. Thomas
Morson and Co., manufacturing chemists, moved
from Fleet Market to a site adjoining the Corticene
linoleum factory in 1901. The opening of the North
Metropolitan Electric Power Supply Co.'s power
station at Brimsdown in 1907 (fn. 65) stimulated the
growth of heavy engineering on the west bank of the
Lea, which continued in the period between the
World Wars and gave modern Enfield its distinctive
character as an industrial centre. The Ruberoid Co.
began manufacturing roofing materials at Brimsdown
in 1910 and the Enfield Electric Cable Manufacturing
Co., later Enfield Standard Power Cables, opened a
factory farther north in 1913. (fn. 67) The Imperial Lamp
Works and the Brimsdown Lead Works were also
established by 1913; (fn. 68) in 1971 the lamp works were
occupied by Thorn A.E.I. Radio Valves & Tubes.
By 1921 there were also factories in Stockingswater
Lane for electric smelting and for making metallic
cartridges. (fn. 69) Enfield Rolling Mills followed in 1924
and Brimsdown Castings in 1928; in 1970 the former
were the largest British manufacturers of brass,
copper, phosphor bronze, zinc, and aluminium. (fn. 70)
By 1932 most sites by the Lea had been filled and
factories were appearing farther west, near Brims-
down station. (fn. 71) Industry then spread northward to
include Lockfield Avenue, which in 1971 contained
the factories of Moulded Rubber Products, Padley
Stainless Steels, Scripto Pens, and Sterling Vitreous
Enamels.
Several firms were established west of Hertford
Road at Ponders End after 1918, many of them on
the sites of former nurseries. E. & E. Kaye opened a
factory for copper wire in Queensway in 1922, (fn. 72)
Stadium Ltd., manufacturers of plastics for the
motor industry, began production near by in 1930,
and H. D. Murray opened a machine-tool factory in
1936. (fn. 73) By 1937 there were factories for making
accumulators, wireless apparatus, metal windowframes, and shop fittings in Queensway, and there
were cabinet-makers in Lincoln Road, (fn. 74) where
Reeves & Sons had opened a factory for painters'
materials c. 1925. (fn. 75) Other factories in Queensway in
1938 included those of the Standard Fuse Co. and
the British Electric Resistance Co. (fn. 76)
Industrialization west of the railway from Lower
Edmonton to Cheshunt awaited the building of
Great Cambridge Road in 1923-4. Belling & Lee
opened a factory for electrical components in 1925 (fn. 77)
and later took over Bridge works, Southbury Road.
By 1938, when Sangamo Weston began making
electrical wire switches and meters, (fn. 78) factories lined
the eastern side of Great Cambridge Road to the
north of Southbury Road. (fn. 79) Standard Telephones
and Cables later established their data equipment
and systems division, formed in 1959, on a near-by
site. (fn. 80) Some of the factories were later acquired by
Thorn Electrical Industries, who occupied Cambridge House and in 1957 built the Sylvania-Thorn
laboratories for research into colour television near
the Ferguson Radio Co.'s works. (fn. 81)
The industrial pattern of Enfield has changed
little since the Second World War. Firms established
since 1945 have included the Diecasting Tool and
Engineering Co., which opened a factory in Ordnance
Road in 1955, (fn. 82) Conway Stewart & Co., pen manufacturers, and Gor-Ray, skirt manufacturers, both
in Great Cambridge Road, International Flavors
and Fragrances, in Crown Road, and Tricity Cookers
in Mollison Avenue. (fn. 83)