hiring place where all men desiring employment gathered to await a farmer or builder to hire their labour. This fountain was later found buried in the gardens, upside down, of the Waterend Barn, and is now the property once more of the City. When such men were hired, wages were running at the hourly rate of 9½d for bricklayers, 8½d for joiners, 5 d for labourers, and so on. (31)
Norman Thrale's wife Hannah was a woman of exceptional drive and personality. It was she who about 1898 asked to be allowed to place a few sweets in the parlour window for sale; these were quickly sold, and a businesss was born. She worked all hours of all days, and the little confectionery business in London Road thrived. The best epitaph for Hannah is to record the even after three-quarters of a century after the founding of the business, older local St. Albans people still speak in happy memory of Hannah, who had the rare gift of combining strength of character and opinion with very great kindness. Norman unfortunately died young in 1909, and Hannah married his cousin Thomas in 1912 as already recorded. She built up the business steadily with further retail points in French Row and Market Place. A bitter loss to her was the death of her eldest son Norman in 1908 a year before her husband Norman's death. The boy had died on 9th November; it was on 9th November 1920 that Hannah passed away, mourned by all.
The two surviving sons of Norman and Hannah carried on the business in partnership. The eldest son William attended St. Albans School, like his sons and grandson after him; also as did John Thrale in 1632 and Richard Thrale in 1661. After training in engineering at Regent Street Polytechnic, William joined the Artists Rifles in 1918. Upon his discharge from the Army he was able to carry on the business upon his mother's death, and was joined by his brother Ralph who also attended St. Albans School. Together they built up the business with the addition of a bakery, and then in 1939 they erected in conjunction with Lord Brocket, the Waterend Barn Restaurant in St. Peter's Street, St. Albans, for use as a restaurant. The wheel of fortune indeed turns in curious ways: the barn was part of Waterend House where Sarah Jennings, with whom the Thrales had so much dealing, lived as a child and she undoubtedly played in the Barn as a child. From the Barn one can view Marlborough Almshouses which Sarah built.
The business became Thrales Limited and flourished. In 1964 further extensions were added to the restaurant in the form of another old Barn and auxilliary offices, and was the first building after Forrester House to
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Owner of original
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Richard William Thrale
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File name
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histories/tree01-book-new-thraliana/new-thraliana-112.html
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File Size
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2.58 KB
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Media ID
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962
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Dimensions
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n/a
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Folio version
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v13.0.0.33 (B240424-085038)
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Linked to
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Richard Thrale/Dorothy Fuller; John Thrale/Sarah Jaques; Richard Grunwyn/Mary Thrale; Onslow Teddar/Mary Thrale; Richard Thrale/Martha Aylward; Robert Penn/Sarah Thrale; male Penn/; John Thrale/Margaret Chaplin; Richard Palmer/Sarah Thrale; Ralph Thrale/Elizabeth Grunwyn; William Thrale/Margaret Smyth; John Grindon/Abigail Thrale; male White/female Pemberton; male White/female Grindon; male Gale/female White; Charles Gale/female Wood; male Wood/female ?; James White/Jeanie Joubert; male Joubert/Bothia Collins; male Sergeant/female Joubert; male Andrews/; Thomas Thrale/Elizabeth Andrews; Ralph Thrale/Mary Crouch; Richard William Thrale; Hester Lynch Salusbury; Hannah Maria Green; Ernest Norman Thrale; Richard Thrale; Richard Thrale; John Thrale; John Thrale; Margaret Thrale; John Thrale; Richard Thrale; Robert Thrale; Robert Thrale; Thomas Thrale; Alban Thrale; Alice ; Jane ; Nicholas Thrale; Francis Thrale; Petronell Thrale; Francis Thrale; Edward Thrale; Alice Thrale; John Thrale; William Thrale; John Thrale; Helen ; Elizabeth Smith; Thomas Thrale; Alban Thrale; Thomas Thrale; John Thrale; Thomas Thrale; Thomas Thrale; Alban Thrale; Elizabeth Jaques; Ralph Thrale; Sarah Thrale; Martha Thrale; Thomas Thrale; Ralph Thrale; William Thrale; Alice Dixon; Robert Thrale; Abby Rebecca Thrale; John Thrale; William Thrale; Ralph Thrale; Ralph Thrale; female Grindon; male White; Elizabeth Pemberton White; female White; Charles Gale; James White; William Thrale; Thomas Thrale; Ralph Thrale; Sandridge, Hertfordshire, England; Sandridgebury, Sandridge, Hertfordshire, England; Clophill, Bedfordshire, England; Luton, Bedfordshire, England; West Hyde, Bedfordshire, England; Thrales End, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, England; Harpenden, Hertfordshire, England; St Albans, Hertfordshire, England; Napsbury, St Albans, Hertfordshire, England; New Mill End, Bedfordshire, England; East Hyde, Bedfordshire, England; Kingsbury, St Albans, Hertfordshire, England; Childwickbury, Sandridge, Hertfordshire, England; Hundreds of Flitt, Bedfordshire, England; Aspley Guise, Bedfordshire, England; Gifford, Sandy, Bedfordshire, England; Holborn, Middlesex, England; Nomansland, Sandridge, Hertfordshire, England; Astwick, Bedfordshire, England; Flamstead, Hertfordshire, England; Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England; Saint Pauls, Walden, Hertfordshire, England; Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire, England; Saint Michaels, St Albans, Hertfordshire, England; Codicote, Hertfordshire, England; Hammonds, Sandridge, Hertfordshire, England; Saint Nicholas Cole Abbey, Middlesex, England; Batchwood, St Michaels, St Albans, Hertfordshire, England
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Thrale/Thrall history
