William Reffell (1851-1928)
William Spencer Hayward (1846-1920)
William Reffell was born in 1851 at Feltham to Raymond Reffell and Ann Butler. During 1871 he was at Park Farm Horton as a Farmer’s son. A few years later he became an apprentice ironmonger in Whitchurch Shropshire, where he met William Spencer Hayward.
In March 1879 they opened a small ironmongery shop at Crowland Lincolnshire which soon grew and a warehouse in Geneva Street Peterborough. In 1881 he was living at 73 Cromwell Road Peterborough with an occupation listed as a Wholesale Ironmonger. In 1885 more land was purchased at Lincoln Road Boroughbury Peterborough.
William Reffell decided to leave the partnership in 1888 and one of their apprentices William Towell joined William Hayward in running the business, which then became Hayward & Towell. A blacksmith and wheelwright business was also opened by the company at 16 South Street Boston Lincolnshire. They were soon one of the largest wholesale and retail ironmongeries in the district.
William Spencer died in 1920 and the partnership was dissolved and the business became a limited company. Many changes took place in the following years, but the company kept the same name. By 1955 members of the families were still running the company and actively seeking apprentices (see advert left).
By 1891 William Reffell was back in Buckinghamshire at Yeoveney Farm, where he was to spend the rest of his life as a farmer.