A Letter From Preesall to New Zealand. Circa 1900.

By Margaret Harrison

After the death of an aunt of my husband, this letter was found in her effects. It was written by Mr. Thomas Gaulter of 'Curwens Hill', Preesall, to his nephew, Wm. Whinney, who had emigrated to New Zealand sometime in the 1800's. The undated letter appears to have been written in about 1900, and was probably a draft of the letter actually sent. The spelling has not been amended.

To Wm. Whinney,
Post Office Opotiki,
Bay of Plenty,
New Zealand.

Dear William,

I have received your welcome letter also the newspaper, I was doubtful weather even you would receive my last letter. There is a great many changes in Preesall and the District since you left, at Cockerham there is no change except there is only one Public house. At Preesall there is extensive Salt works as labour and miners wages amount to over £200 per week. There is a jetty at Alm Hill Lake, and vessels upwards of 1000 tons burden can berth and take on a full cargo of Salt Rock in, there is also a sailing from the above jetty to Lickow Hill, where the Salt works are situated. They are able to load a vessel in one tide time, there is also brine shafts there in our north field and several others surrounding, there is a powerful engine at North fields pumping Brine, from there into a Reasovoyer on Lickow Hill, it then goes from there through steel pipes to under the river Wyre to near Bourne Hall Farm Thornton and they are useing fifteen large vats to boil their salt in. There is also large Chemical works at Thornton employing some hundreds of workmen, there is also a branch line from there to Fleetwood Dock and they tip there salt into vessels. There is a young man at north fields managing the Brine Engine, named T. Whinney a grandson of your uncle Thomas from Yelland, there was a few years since two young men in the name of Parten (?) from Qual Holme Farm Preesall that went to Ostrilla that came across your cousin William Mashater.  

They were working on the same railway as him and got aquainted with him. There is a fresh water pumping station at Sandy Lane, Preesall and pumping 1000 gallons of water per minute there wells are sunk down to the sandstone rock there pumps are going night and day. Sunday and Workdays. Workdays and Sundays all the year round, the water goes through pipes past the Old School to the North Fields shafts, then sent down into the salt rock and then pumpted out brine.

If you was at Knott End you would see a great change as there is two steam ferry boats capable of carrying 100 persons each, plying across the water every 15 min. In the busey season they have to put a 3rd boat on, their returns for August Month was £710. 5s. 4d. ferry tolls. Bourns have sold Knott End public house and Stables alone for the sum of £10,050. They are erecting houses and Villas from Bourne Arms Inn to the Ridge, your cusen John Singleton is building two Villas one for himself and one for his brother Richard at a cost of from 10 to 12 hundred pounds, there is also a large quantity of new houses and shops at the Ridge, from here it resembles a Town, they have also put up a new Mission Church opposite Parrox Hall Long wood at a cost of £300.

There is a new Police station and cells put up opposite to Parrox Lodge gates, there is 37 new houses put up leading to Preesall and down Sandy Lane. The old school is now disused as there is a new school on the top of Mill Hill, there are a great many new houses surrounding Preesall and the Village. We are expecting a new Railway being running by March next they are erecting a Railway Bridge across the lane at ford stone, also a new Station in Singleton's School croft field. 

My son James is farming Curwen's Hill has two boys living one 20 years old and the other 8 years. My son John is at Liverpool occuppieing a public house at 30 field St. Everton, he has six children 4 boys and two girls his oldest boy is in a bank at Liverpool the 2nd boy is at Fifeshire in Scotland as an Inland Revenue Officer, the above two gained their Offices through Merit at School. The 3rd boy gained first prize at School and is now at Collage, his youngest son is 13 years old and his youngest Daughter is at London Collage trying for a first class School Missress and the Oldest Daughter is assisting her at home.

My son Mathew is at Fleetwood as Urban and Port Sanatary Officer and has been their Sureyor and Inspector for over 20 years he said he will write to you for the 20 Dec Mail as you will know when to expect it. My Daughter is living at Muffey's Platt Pilling Lane her husband farms that farm and has 5 children. My wife has been dead 5 years and I am living with my daughter. There is only a few old inhabitants left now Jemmey Warbrick, Jack Wilkinson, Jack Breckall, Bob Butler and a few others. Singletons are still living at the Old place at Liverpool, when your Uncle John Singleton's term expired at Toxeth Park he was then inclined to buy Saracens Head Inn Preesall, but old Mr. Warld was inclined to give up the business and sell the property, as he was not enclined to let any one have it except your Uncle and proffered the property to him at less amount than what it would have sold at. So he concluded to buy it, the Brewery Valts and the Business, While he lived he saved £1100 per year when he died he left the girls £11,000 each and the House, Brewery and Business to your Aunt for her life and then to John and Jim, your Aunt died some eight years since they still have the business as usual, while Elizabeth was living she was the manager and Bought the Mill Street house, but now they rent it. Jim got married and lived in a dwelling house and was their breweryman.

Since Lizzie died John and Agness Ann lives in the apartments that Mr. Warld lived in, Jim and his family in the other apartments. That business has gone down a great deal towards it formley was since the prohibition act came in force they are allowed to open business until 6 oclock a.m. and to close at 11 oclock p.m. Sundays open at 12 noon until 2 pm and from 6 pm until 10 pm it did not affect the Innkeepers much, the large Brewers and Spirit Merchants having purched so many public houses and put managers in and let them as tied houses.

The Police are very strict if they see a man enter a public house under the influence of drink they then follow him and if served he is summoned also the manager and if the landlord is brought up a second time he will have to leave and the licence will also be endorsed. Since you left Liverpool the buses have been run on tram lines drawn by horses along all the Main Streets, but now they are running them electricity and the town is also lighted electricity.

I am in good health at present also all your relations. Hoping you your wife and family are well.

Your affectanent Uncle

Thomas Gaulter