Rendell Forge, 2003, courtesy Ted Rowe
The Rendell Forge, Heart's Content by Ted Rowe
The Rendell family of Newfoundland has its origins in Somerset, England. Blacksmith Charles Rendell moved to Heart’s Content from Trinity in the early years of the 1800s and settled at the northern end of Rowe’s Bank, where he provided the ironwork for the vessels coming off the stocks at Rowe shipyard. Descendents of Charles Rendell produced an unbroken line in the blacksmith trade in Heart’s Content for three generations. His four sons Charles, Giles, James and John all took up the trade. Son Charles was also Heart’s Content’s first constable, appointed in the 1830s, and was prominent in the Loyal Orange Association. Bela, son of Giles, operated this forge with his son Jim in the 1920s. When business fell off during the depression years Jim moved his family to Hants Harbour. In 1941 at the age of 60 Bela went to Scotland as a blacksmith with the Newfoundland Overseas Forestry Unit. He returned to Heart’s Content at the end of the war and continued with the forge in the 1950s, turning out grapnels, horseshoes and custom ironwork. Following his death his son Ray worked the operation on a part-time basis.
The Rendell brothers at the time of their mother's funeral in 1913. From left to right Bela, Tolson, James, Giles, Charles |
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