Thomas Jeptha Stubbs - Plumstead clay pipe maker - born 1839 - died 1912 (aged 72)
Fragments of past lives are scattered over the beaches of the River Thames in London, be that in the family business name engraved on a brass button, the crest on a piece of pottery, or in this case, a name stamped on a clay pipe stem. And when you hold a river worn piece of history bearing a name, it holds the potential to bring back a story from the past, or indeed a whole family. This pipe stem did just that. It not only lead me to discover a family of clay pipe makers from Plumstead, but also, it lead me where I was not quite expecting to go; to Christ Church workhouse in Southwark in 1847.
Clay pipe stem stamped with "T. Stubbs"
the other side of the stem marked with "Plumstead"
It is very common to find clay pipes on the Thames foreshore, and it is especially common to find pipe stems. It’s great to find an actual bowl, or even better a whole pipe. Even a stem though can give a lot of clues as to its origin, especially if it has a makers mark on it, or the name of the pipe maker. In approximately 1860, it became common practice to put the maker's name on the side of the stem, and the name of the town in which he worked on the other side.
A collection of clay pipes found along the banks of the River Thames over the last year.
It is of course particularly exciting to find evidence of a local person, and the pipe stem pictured above was just that. I found it on the Woolwich foreshore, and it originated just down the road, in Plumstead. It was a couple of weeks ago that I stooped to pick up a clay pipe stem and noticed it had the name “T. Stubbs” engraved on it. And on the other side, Plumstead. I googled the name "T. Stubbs", and I was delighted to find that it turns out that it is a clay pipe almost certainly made by Thomas Jeptha Stubbs, who was born in 1840 in Shoreditch and who by 1861 was a tobacco pipe manufacturer living at Princes Road in Plumstead. This was great news, as I have occasionally found pipe stems with names on them, and I have been unable to find any information whatsoever.
With the amazing wealth of information at our fingertips these days, I was then able to find out through the ancestry research website, that Thomas Jeptha Stubbs married Elizabeth Farlie of Tilbury and went on to have 9 children with her. They married in 1861 in Greenwich when they were both in their very early twenties. At least three of their children also went on to become pipe makers. Princes Road, where they lived, is no longer in existence, but it seems that quite a few members of the Stubbs family lived there, including Thomas’s brother Henry Stubbs and also his mother Ellen, who had been widowed twice by 1881.
With the amazing wealth of information at our fingertips these days, I was then able to find out through the ancestry research website, that Thomas Jeptha Stubbs married Elizabeth Farlie of Tilbury and went on to have 9 children with her. They married in 1861 in Greenwich when they were both in their very early twenties. At least three of their children also went on to become pipe makers. Princes Road, where they lived, is no longer in existence, but it seems that quite a few members of the Stubbs family lived there, including Thomas’s brother Henry Stubbs and also his mother Ellen, who had been widowed twice by 1881.
pipe maker circa 1865
Members of the family were often involved in the manufacturing of the clay pipes, which might explain why the Stubbs children became pipemakers themselves (Thomas, Henry and Walter), after helping their father Thomas Jeptha Stubbs in his workshop. It was common for women and children between 12 and 15 years old to help with the moulding of pipes. Here below is also some of the ways that they may have helped in the pipe making process.
How clay tobacco pipes were made
So let's go back to the beginning, to when Thomas Jeptha Stubbs was born in circa 1839 to Jeptha and Ellen Stubbs. He had 4 other siblings, and his brother Henry also went on to become a clay pipemaker. He was baptised in 1839 at Saint Leonard's Church, Shoreditch. Baptism record below.
Thomas Jeptha Stubbs was baptised in 1839 at Saint Leonard's Church, Shoreditch.
Thomas Jeptha Stubb’s father was also called Jeptha and was born in 1797. His vocation was also recorded as being a clay pipe manufacturer. It seems though that life was certainly not easy for Jeptha senior, and his wife Ellen – and according to records, the family made frequent trips to the Christ Church Workhouse in Southwark where they were admitted on 3 or 4 occasions between the years 1847 and 1854 and were provided with food and shelter. It has to be mentioned that a lot of pipemakers struggled to make a living. This was for a variety of reasons, but especially as there was such a lot of competition. By 1650 there were at least a thousand pipe makers in London alone and many others operating in other towns. It was not unusual for pipemakers to travel from town to town to escape this extreme competition. Also, there were issues such as availability of fuel for firing, and the distribution of pipes. There was also the fact that innkeepers cleaned pipes so that they could be used over and over again by their customers and this didn't help pipemakers desperate to sell their wares. I wonder therefore, if any of these problems were encountered by Thomas's father Jeptha - which may have caused him to seek help from the Christ Church workhouse (who provided relief to the poor in times of hardship). Life would not have been particularly easy or family oriented in the workhouse, and so it is evident that they stayed only as long as necessary to get back on their feet again by the looks of it and it’s clear that Jeptha Stubbs did not want to stay longer than necessary as he discharged them from the workhouse on several occasions. The records from the Christ Church workhouse below detail how the family were given loaves of bread and other help, during their stay. Other records on the Ancestry site show that the whole family were admitted together on several occasions. This would not have been a lot of fun, as families were not generally able to stay together.
Christ Church workhouse records from Ancestry.co.uk
There is an excellent source of information about Victorian workhouses at http://www.workhouses.org.uk/StSaviour/ where you can get an idea of how life would have been in a workhouse in 1847. The Stubbs family were admitted into the workhouse not long after the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834. This law ensured that no able-bodied person could get poor relief unless they went to live in special workhouses. The idea was that the poor were helped to support themselves. They had to work for their food and accommodation. On the plus side, a workhouse provided:
The workhouse was not, however, a prison. People could, in principle, leave whenever they wished, for example when work became available locally. Some people, known as the "ins and outs", entered and left quite frequently, treating the workhouse almost like a guest-house, albeit one with the most basic of facilities. For some, however, their stay in the workhouse would be for the rest of their lives.
- a place to live
- a place to work and earn money
- free medical care,
- food
- clothes
- free education for children
The workhouse was not, however, a prison. People could, in principle, leave whenever they wished, for example when work became available locally. Some people, known as the "ins and outs", entered and left quite frequently, treating the workhouse almost like a guest-house, albeit one with the most basic of facilities. For some, however, their stay in the workhouse would be for the rest of their lives.
Waiting outside the workhouse
The Christ Church workhouse in Southwark where Jeptha, Ellen and young Thomas Jeptha Stubbs stayed (along with his siblings) was almost certainly the Marlborough Street workhouse, which was designed by George Allen and was erected on St Saviour's Marlborough Street site in around 1834, just predating the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act. It stood within the parish boundaries of Christ Church, and so was often referred to as the Christ Church (or Christchurch) workhouhouse.
It's quite sad to note that the last discharge records for the Stubbs family, from Christ Church are in November 1853, when Thomas Jeptha Stubbs and his brother Henry discharge themselves 11 months after their father Jeptha dies whilst a resident in the workhouse at the approximate young age of 54. He was buried on January 7th 1853 at St Peters Church, Walworth (Southwark). This means that Thomas and Henry would have been teenagers when they discharged themselves (about 15/16 years old). And happily, it seems they never went back. At least, there are no records to indicate that they did.
Thomas Jeptha Stubbs and his brother Henry discharged themselves from Christ Church workhouse in 1853 after the death of their father Jeptha
Thomas Jeptha Stubbs and his brother Henry discharged themselves from Christ Church workhouse in 1853 after the death of their father Jeptha.
At some point after that, both Thomas Jeptha Stubbs and his brother Henry, ended up in Plumstead making clay pipes and having their own families. We know that Thomas Jeptha Stubbs married Elizabeth in 1661, and by 1881 they were living at 22 Princes Road with several children (who were helping him with the pipe making). His brother Henry Stubbs was living at 31 Princes Road with their by now twice widowed mother, Ellen. Their lives were doubtless not always easy either. One of their 9 children died in combat in the first world war (Thomas David Edwin Stubbs). He was in the special reservists (The Reserve Cavalry Regiment.
1st Battalion). He died on 5th September 1918 and he is buried in Curragh military cemetery in Ireland. The picture of the grave below is that of Thomas David Edwin Stubbs 11118 Squadron Quartermaster Sergeant, The Reserve Cavalry Regiment. 1st Battalion. (Transferred to 229296 The Labour Corps. Son of Thomas Jeptha Stubbs. Husband of Mabel Stubbs, of Folkestone).
Thomas Jeptha Stubbs himself, died in 1912, well before the first world war in fact, in Lewisham, at the age of 72.
1st Battalion). He died on 5th September 1918 and he is buried in Curragh military cemetery in Ireland. The picture of the grave below is that of Thomas David Edwin Stubbs 11118 Squadron Quartermaster Sergeant, The Reserve Cavalry Regiment. 1st Battalion. (Transferred to 229296 The Labour Corps. Son of Thomas Jeptha Stubbs. Husband of Mabel Stubbs, of Folkestone).
Thomas Jeptha Stubbs himself, died in 1912, well before the first world war in fact, in Lewisham, at the age of 72.
Thomas David Edwin Stubbs - Thomas Jeptha Stubb's son - enlisted in the army on 7th October 1914
11118 Squadron Quartermaster Serjeant Thomas David Edwin Stubbs- died 5th September 1918
And now, jumping forward to the 21st century, I hope that Thomas Jeptha Stubb’s great grandson will not mind me giving him a mention. Mr B. Stubbs who owns Tavern Snacks based in Charlton (and who kindly allowed me to use the photograph of his great grandfather Thomas Jeptha Stubbs), has said this of him:
“Thomas Jeptha Stubbs, manufactured and delivered clay pipes to public houses in the East and South East London by horse and cart. Today pipes have been replaced by snack foods & vehicles are no longer horse drawn”
“Thomas Jeptha Stubbs, manufactured and delivered clay pipes to public houses in the East and South East London by horse and cart. Today pipes have been replaced by snack foods & vehicles are no longer horse drawn”
Thomas Jeptha Stubbs, Plumstead pipe maker - 1839 - 1912
Even though it was initially Thomas Jeptha Stubbs and his Plumstead pipe making business that intrigued me, through sheer virtue of finding one of his pipe stems that he himself (or one of his children) would have stamped, I have to admit, that by the end of my research, my thoughts were especially with Thomas's father, Jeptha Stubbs who last saw his sons Thomas and Henry when they were teenagers, and who died unaware that they were to go on to have large families and successful businesses, right up to the present day.
I am so glad that I found this name stamped on a clay pipe stem during one of my Woolwich mudlarking trips. It is another of the stories that the River Thames throws out with the tide - and it goes to show that your story, and your name lives on long after you are gone.
Here's a special shout out to Jeptha Stubbs, who looked after his family in the best possible way that he could, and must have done a good job, as it seems they did pretty well - God rest his soul - I have no doubt that he would be exceptionally proud of them all.
Credits for this post go to the following :
Mr B. Stubbs - Tavern Snacks
Ancestry.co.uk
Eric G Ayto - Clay Tobacco Pipes
www.workhouses.org.uk
Warren - Tavern Snacks
fragment of a past life, found on the River Thames foreshore in November 2015 "T. Stubbs"
** If you have enjoyed reading this, you may also enjoy reading about Frederick Jury, a World War One soldier, whose luggage tag I found in the Thames mud, in August 2015. http://www.tidelineart.com/tideline-art-blog/a-river-thames-mudlarking-find-brings-to-life-world-war-one-soldier-frederick-jury-1873-1932
** If you have enjoyed reading this, you may also enjoy reading about Frederick Jury, a World War One soldier, whose luggage tag I found in the Thames mud, in August 2015. http://www.tidelineart.com/tideline-art-blog/a-river-thames-mudlarking-find-brings-to-life-world-war-one-soldier-frederick-jury-1873-1932