Middlemores saddle clamp liner

I was able to buy one for a nice price that I appreciate, from Ebay member nell4372

These are used to convert a seat clamp diameter to a smaller one to fit a narrower seatpost. See also the brochure earlier on in the blog.

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Middlemore B100 Update

I should  have realised straight away, some paint marks on the lining, so I knew that someone had painted the metal parts black. I removed the black paint to show the chrome rails and nosepiece components which are copper plated steel. These will patinate over time.

 

Middlemore B89P Advert

I bought this advert, it was glued onto a thin piece of black card which had “1961” written on the rear, this sounds right as the advert mentions the new patent nosepiece.

Types of B89P that I am aware of existed:
Regular version with Middlemores sidestamp and rear Middlemore badge
Viscount branded B89P with Viscount sidestamp and Viscount rear badge
Viscount branded B89P with Viscount sidestamp and Viscount rear badge, also copper rivets instead of steel
Viscount branded B89P with Viscount sidestamp but no rear badge

There may have been a regular Middlemore version of the B89P with no rear badge but I have not seen one yet. (The one in the advert looks like it has got the black metal version of rear badge) I do have a B89 with no rear badge though.

Middlemore B100 Saddle

This saddle is a development of the B89, it’s basically the same but with a cutaway nose area and copper rivets. Also it has no bag loops and the leather at the rear has been cut back near to the cantle plate (rear frame), compare this with the rear of the Troxel branded B89 in the previous post. The rails are painted chromed steel and the nosepiece components seem to be painted copper.

Thomas Middlemore

Middlemore B89, unusual variant

This is one of the lesser known B89 saddles that were made for and branded Troxel, as mentioned earlier in the blog. This one has a bracket for a reflector riveted onto the underside of the leather top. Troxel did this with some of their other saddles, but not all, so probably an optional extra.

Hawkslow House

This moated house, now known as Hawksley House, came into the Middlemore family around 1424 when Nicholas Middlemore married Agnes Hawkslow who had inherited the house from her grandfather Richard de Hawkslow.
In the Civil War period Charles I came to the house after a siege of the parliamentarians who had seized it for as a base. The Royalists then destroyed the house  – but it was rebuilt.
Early in the 20th century the house and farm land were still in the family with Thomas Middlemore being the owner.
In 1916 Sir Herbert Austin decided to build a village for his factory workers so he bought 120 acres of the farm land off Thomas Middlemore for £7750 for this purpose.
In the 1920s the mother and sister of Austin lived in the house.
The house was demolished in 1957 and on the site are remains of the dried up moat.

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Austin Village

Some Middlemore family members and their signatures

Middlemores 90/3 Saddle

A rare 90/3 saddle that I bought, only the third one I have seen. Also the only Middlemores I have seen with a date on. The letter “A” might mean January-March the same as a dating method that Brooks used in the past.

SGC Middlemore* and Thomas Middlemore

*Probably – the caption to the full photo, shown below, was “Peter Knubel, Jean-Joseph Maquignaz, Hans Jaun, Frederik Gardiner, S. Middlemore, Thomas Middlemore”. I am not aware of any other Middlemore males with the initial S in this period.