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 A HISTORY OF BERKSHIRE So that the biscuits receive the requisite amount of baking. Thus the ordinary biscuit is manufactured. Various processes have to be adopted for other more delicate kinds, but it is not necessary here to describe them. The biscuits have then to be sorted, so that no defective ones are sent out, and then packed. In the packing department there are three branches the home trade, the conti- nental trade, and the export trade. The last includes all countries in the world out- side Europe, and special patent air-tight soldered tins have been devised in order to prevent any injury that might be caused by excessive heat or cold, damp or insects. Women are largely employed in decora- ting biscuits and cakes with sugar, and there is a special engineering department where nearly all the machinery used in the factory is designed and made. Two large steam engines are in constant use, and there are about twenty smaller ones and several dynamos. A large staff of carpenters is also employed in making the packing cases. Reading at the present time possesses another biscuit factory, the property of Messrs. H. O. Serpell & Co., Limited. This firm was established in 1851 at Plymouth, and was engaged principally in the manu- facture of ship biscuits, the proprietors being Messrs. Frean, Daw, and Serpell. The first of these became partner in the London firm of biscuit-makers, Messrs. Peek, Frean & Co. ; the last-named partner, Mr. R. C. Serpell, the father of the present proprietor, bought out Mr. Daw's interest and became the sole proprietor. In former days, when vessels occupied many months during their long voyages, a large supply of ship bread and biscuits was needed. Owing to the more rapid sailing of ships large stores were no longer required, and the demand for ship bread was greatly diminished. Hence the firm began to make fancy biscuits. In 1869 their factory at Plymouth was destroyed by fire and rebuilt. Owing to the progress made in recent years the Plymouth factory became too small, and as there was no space for expansion, and as an opportunity occurred of purchasing the biscuit factory in Reading formerly worked by Messrs. Meaby & Co., Limited, Mr. Serpell decided to remove his business to the Berkshire town in 1899. Unfortunately a disastrous fire occurred in 1904, which completely destroyed the build- ings. They were immediately rebuilt, the work being accomplished in eight weeks. The factory is a two-storey building. On the ground floor is the biscuit cutting and mixing machinery with a range of ovens adjoining, engineers' shop, etc., and on the first floor is the icing room where women are employed in icing and decorating cakes and fancy biscuits, packing rooms, stores and warehouses. THE BELL FOUNDRIES OF BERKSHIRE For considerably over three centuries the craft of bell-founding flourished in Berk- shire, and then, when roads had somewhat improved, and trades in commodities not of every day requirement were gradually con- centrated in London, it dwindled down al- most to vanishing point, and finally came to an end in the early years of the eighteenth century. For just over half a century (about 1565 to 1616) there was sufficient demand to support three flourishing foundries in the county at the same time, the two chief of which were in Reading. At what period bell-founding was first practised in the county is unknown ; very likely one or more of the religious houses may at an early date have contained a brother versed in the mysteries of the art, but if so, not only the productions but all documentary record of these ' potters ' or ' ollarii ' have long disappeared. During the last quarter of the fourteenth century, however, an excellent and important bell-foundry was at work at Wokingham. This business, to distinguish it from its later rivals, I would call the Wokingham-Reading- London Foundry, from its successive habitats. No name of an owner of this foundry has as yet been discovered earlier than nearly the middle of the fifteenth century, but there are several bells from it which are obviously of earlier date, and in the case of one bell there is good proof that it was cast not later than 1383, and from its quality we may con- fidently assert that it was by no means the earliest effort. There are two ancient bells at Wotton (Surrey), which may be either the two earliest known examples from this foundry (not necessarily then located at Wokingham), or which at least seem * to show a connecting link between this foundry and that of Stephen Norton, a founder who rather vaguely de- scribed himself on some of his bells as ' De > For the reasons, I must refer the inquirer to my Church Bells of Buckinghamshire (Jarrold, 1897), p. 48, footnote. 4 I2