Francis Redfern Blog

Francis Redfern, Cooper, Historian, Antiquarian, Artist, Poet, Diarist and Geologist 

Francis Redfern

The 19th century was a time when many an aspiring gentleman sought to improve his status in life through the pursuing of worthwhile hobbies and pastimes. One prime example of this was Francis Redfern.  Born in Fenny Bentley, near Ashbourne, in Derbyshire in 1823 he was the oldest of 10 children.  His father was the landlord of the Bluebell Inn. Francis received limited formal schooling in nearby Tissington, his school master John Smith, leaving a lasting impression on his life.  At the age of 15 he was apprenticed to a Cooper, Samuel Brassington, in Uttoxeter in Staffordshire.  At the time Uttoxeter was an important, but waning market town that the Industrial Revolution had passed by.  After completing his apprenticeship Francis purchased his own coopering business in Carter Street, supplying barrels for the transportation of both wet and dry goods.

In his spare time Francis indulged his interests and curiosities trying to record the history Uttoxeter.  Despite the town having a rich history stretching back to the early medieval period it had never been formally recorded.  Francis set out to change this: his work, The History and Antiquities of Uttoxeter and Neighbourhood, first published in 1857, encompassed the history of the town from ancient times to the present day.  During his investigations Francis studied the geology of the area around Uttoxeter to determine its origins and what was there before recorded human settlement, concluding that, “Uttoxeter is situated upon what is geologically termed the drift formation, which belongs to the upper tertiary epoch and immediately beneath the materials of the alluvium.”

Whilst conducting his research Francis was able to carry out fieldwork on geological formations that had been unearthed during work on the outer edge of the town to try to determine their origins.  Francis had access to only basic tools to help him determine details about the formations he was examining, often relying on chance discoveries made by others.

Today Francis’ home has been turned into a museum that continues to tell the story of Uttoxeter and its residents.  The exhibition display on Francis Redfern features geologist’s tools including a geologist’s hammer, a clinometer and a geological compass, all tools that would have been familiar to Francis during his time recording local geological formations.  These tools along with fossil samples have been kindly loaned by The British Geological Survey.

Guest blog by Gordon Collins, Curator - Uttoxeter Heritage Trust.

The National Geological Repository, BGS, is happy to loan specimens for secure public display in museums, galleries and similar facilities.