Unfortunately Tom's father was rather careless with money and consequently was always short of it, relying on charitable donations such as from the Anna Lechmere benefaction. In the end things got so bad that he had to mortgage the house and lost it.
Several of the Winters were churchwardens in St Mary's, Fownhope outside which the old the old stocks still stand. Strangely enough the last man to be pilloried there was a Winter also.
Fownhope at that time had a thriving lime industry whose thirst was slaked in several
small inns dotted about the village by ale and the cider that was produced in the
many local orchards.
Another local industry was bark stripping with the product being carried by barge to Herefordshire tanneries.
Many of the villagers lived on boats on the Wye whose volume could and still
does fluctuate dramatically in a short space of time. On the very day that Tom was
born the river had burst its banks having risen twenty
feet above its usual level. Not surprisingly drownings sometimes happened and
what is now called Bark Cottage was once referred to as the Dead House where
the corpses used to be laid out.
There were several places where people could hire a ferry such as at Lechmere's Ley,
Mill Farm, Ferry Lane, Leabrink, Mansell's Ferry across to Ballingham and Alford's Ferry
close to Capler Wood.
Joseph Winter == Mary
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Joseph Winter Mary Winter Richard Winter
bpd. 2/9/1760
brd. 29/3/1822
m. 1/8/1782
all in Fownhope
== Mary Davies
bpd. 1763 Woolhope
|
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| | | | |
| | | | |
Joseph Winter Penelope Winter John Winter Thomas Winter
Maria Winter bpd. 30/11/1790 bpd. 26/1/1790 bpd. 27/12/1792 bpd. 6/4/1795
bpd. 25/11/1783 brd. 7/1/1846 m. 19/4/1816 Fownhope Fownhope
m. 13/11/1810 both Fownhope both Fownhope brd. West Norwood
== Richard Charles occ. Butcher == Thomas Corton m. 26/6/1821
both in Fownhope m. 15/10/1811 brd. Leicester St Peters, Hereford
brd. Much Marcle St John the Baptist == Elizabeth Griffiths
,Hereford brd. St Peters, Hereford
==Bridget Evans |
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| | | | | |
| | | | | |
Mary John Mira Joseph Penelope Fanny
bpd. 4/10/1812 bpd. 11/12/1814 bpd. 17/12/1819 bpd. 21/7/1822 bpd. 28/7/1824 bpd. 22/6/1829 Fownhope brd. 21/3/1820 Fownhope Fownhope Fownhope Fownhope
brd. 21/3/1830 Fownhope Fownhope Fownhope Fownhope
both Fownhope
life in Fownhope in those days could be very tough though. One in five of the men were uneducated farm labourers, an entire family could often be found slogging out in a muddy field for a mere thirteen shillings a week between them. Women too were known to go in for a bit of bare-knuckle fighting as their husbands stood and encouraged them
The hub of the village then as today was the Green Man founded in the same year
that Richard III was slain on Bosworth Field pleading, according to Shakespeare, for a horse.
When Tom Spring was a lad it combined as the local theatre, opera house and libary.
For a penny, one could enjoy philosophical and religious readings, concerts by strolling players
and handbell ringers.
Tom attended school twice a week at the old malt house. In 1789 the Reverend Richard Gwatkin passed away leaving in his will a stipend for a schoolmaster to teach the three R's.
In those days boxing was as universally popular as horse racing is today. In fact both Tom's father and grandfather were fond of pugilism and helped nuture this in young Tom who was soon punching the bag of sand that his father who gave him boxing lessons hung at the back of their cottage.
Many of the contemporary fighters were also involved in the meat trade, such as Jem Belcher, John Gully, Bill Neat, Peter 'Young Rumpsteak' Crawley, Sam Davis, Sam Davis, Sam Martin, Josh Hudson, Cy Davis, George Nicholls, and Jack Payne.
Tom before long had mastered the classic stance of having the left hand stretched out , the chin covered, the left foot in advance, distributing the weight evenly. Tom had or developed many qualities that make a good boxer. He possessed a cool head, patience, bravery, quick recovery, and was fleet of foot. He didn't pack an enormous punch, but was economical as he jabbed and hooked at his adversary with his long reach.
Tom also practised to a skill wrestling techniques which were very much a part of bare-knuckle boxing on those days.