Mr "Teddy" Clarke
Mr Edwin
("Teddy" or "Ned") Clarke was the head and chief of
the "boiler sheds" at Black Bull and was originally owned by
Robert Heath; all of Ned's brothers worked there and it was occasionally
called Clarke's Sheds.
The Boilers were built by hand by hammer and hot rivets, it was a hard
noisy job.
Mr Clarke was a fervent supporter of the Wesleyan Chapel and ran the choir
for 40 years, however he eventually became deaf as a result of working
at the boiler sheds. He became a steward of the Church along with his
wife and two daughters and was even known to pay for the heating of the
church when time became hard.
His brother Jorham was the organist at the church and his father before
him had conducted the Primitive Methodist Chapel during the 1870's and
80's.
Boiler Makers outside the boiler sheds at Black Bull.
Edwin is on the back row 2nd from right
On the left is the son of Edwin and Gertrude Clarke. He died when he was 3 from Bright's disease. At first his parents thought he had rickets.
On the right is Ellis Porter, Ellis was the son of Sam and Zilpah Porter. Zilpah was a Pointon before she married. Sam was an alcoholic. Zilpah took in sewing to make ends meet. When Zilpah died various people looked after her children. Her sister Gertrude and her husband Edwin Clarke brought up Ellis.
