The documentation associated with the bankruptcy of George Cram, proprietor of the Sandycroft Ironworks, provides an invaluable insight into the facilities, machinery and tools that iron ship builders used in the middle of the 19th century.

George Cram has acquired the Sandycroft Ironworks from another ship builder, Mr Rigby, in 1853. The vessels Cram built there included the GOLDEN QUEEN, THE MINO, WINIFRED and the partially completed ROYAL CHARTER. His ongoing financial difficulties came to a head in August 1854 when his creditors would no longer wait and began legal proceeding to take possession of all his business and personal assets. These creditors included his bankers, Williams & Co (Thomas Rees William and John Williams) of Chester; John Williams and Sir Stephen Glynne owners of the land; Septimus Ledward, iron merchant; and Roberts Roberts of Chester, slate merchant.

The image above shows the fourth page of the inventory annexed to the ‘Indenture’ or legal document which set out the rights of his creditors to take possession of all the portable goods and equipment within the ironworks.

These pages are a continuation of the tools found within the Fitting Shop, the Warehouse, Iron Boating Building Shop, Offices, Yard, Lower Turning Shop, Erecting Shop and Upper Turning Shop.

The list for the Iron Boat Building Shop includes ‘a wrought iron stove for heating timber’. Why would timber need to be heated to allow it to be fitted to a boat?

One of the items in the office was a model a treadmill – to what uses in history were treadmills put? What are the three basic designs?

The office also had a large map of the South American Coast on the wall - what is the link between the South American Coast and storm warning service that resulted from the loss of the ROYAL CHARTER?

Cheshire Archives Document ref: CR69/33/17