George Clapham

George brought Leather Tanning to Chelmsford and established the first tannery in 1788. An article in the Essex Archaeological Journal of 1931 reported -

During an excavation at the ‘Old Bridge House’ adjoining the River Can, Chelmsford the foundation stone was found to have an inscription cut upon it ‘Tanning was established in this town by George Clapham AD 1788 who built this house AD 1796’.The foundation stone and the portico columns were presented to the Chelmsford Corporation.

George owned and ran the ‘Chelmsford Tannery’ just along from his house by the bridge on the River Can, Chelmsford, employing a work force of 20 people and was listed in the Tannery section of the 1793 & 1826 Commercial Trade Directory. His son Dixon Henry also ran the tannery for a while after George died as the 1859 trade directory lists the business as ‘Dixon & Voss, Tanners, successors to D.H.Clapham’. In the 1882 directory John Dixon was the only Tannery proprietor listed in Chelmsford, and still occupying the same premises by the river, presumably his partner John Mathew Voss had by then either died or sold out. By 1895 the tannery business was listed as John Dixon & Son. Dixon Clapham’s brother Benjamin, our direct descendent, also ran a tannery in Bermondsey, London. See the further note regarding this under Benjamin Clapham.

George subscribed to shares in a scheme to improve and ‘canalise’ the River Chelmer in 1793, the work took four years and £40,000 to complete, a not insignificant sum for the time. He would benefit directly from the canal as his tannery was close to it and presumably used for the transport of the finished hides.

In 1800 he was appointed as a trustee to the Chelmsford Church Restoration Committee after the church collapsed suddenly in January 1800 following some foundation work the day before. He was also appointed to the Relief Committee to assist the poor in 1804-5 and was to contribute to the poor in one way or another throughout the whole of his life. Later in 1814, he took up another appointment on the towns Celebration Committee with Robert Dixon after the abdication and subsequent treaty of Napoleon in April 1814.

When George Clapham died his properties at Moulsham and at 65 & 66 High Street, Chelmsford, since converted from the ‘Mansion’ back into two large shops, as an Ironmonger and ‘Oil and Colourman’, passed to his two sons Dixon Henry and Benjamin. George’s home, Bridge House, was at the foot of the stone bridge (built in 1372) spanning the River Can on the eastern side at 50 High Street, Chelmsford (see earlier note). The site of 65 & 66 High Street, demolished in 1972 is now occupied by a Mark’s and Spencer’s store [2008] .

Buried at Chelmsford 7th February 1844. Will proved at Canterbury 22nd July 1844.