Biography:
1. John Goodfellow was one of 3 men sent from Faversham to Waltham Abbey on the orders of the Duke of Richmond in October 1787 in order to set up the Mills there, which were about to be purchased by the Government (Winters' Centenary Memorial, p.29). Major Congreve was of the opinion that the Mills at Waltham "were not settled", and the men should continue to be on the list at Faversham. Consequently, Goodfellow was entitled to receive double pay, i.e., 18/-d per week. John was appointed to the Establishment at the Mill as the first Master Mixer on Sunday, the 1st February 1789, and in addition to his wage, he was entitled to train an Apprentice, for which he received 7/-d per week (Supply 5/188 dated the 16th February 1789). See also the Faversham Gunpowder Personnel Register for further information on John Goodfellow.
2. Pay of 3/-d per day was recorded in Supply 5/212 dated the 21st March 1789, and Supply 5/214 dated September 1789, recorded that John Goodfellow was 44 years of age and was mixing Composition.
3. Report on the activities "in the Storekeepers department" dated the 18th April 1789 (Supply 5/213) recorded that Goodfellow was "superintending the men planting willow, cutting canal etc."
4. John was described as "mixing composition" in Supply 5/215 dated the11th December 1790.
5. Supply 5/190 dated January 1791, was an unsigned Report - possibly a draft - to "His Majesties Honourable Board of Ordnance" and recorded that "men whose work was very dangerous were frequently found in public houses neglecting his Majesties duty and whose names ought to be reported." On the 7th February 1792, a note was written on Supply 5/190 stating that the matter should be referred to Major Congreve and that he [was] to "cause an enquiry to be made and report the result to the Board." Heading the list of 3 was John Goodfellow, Master Mixer, who on the 12th January 1791, was "incapacitated and incapable of his business all day and slept in the works all night." Goodfellow appears to have survived the complaint as he was still the Master Mixer in April 1791 (see also Winters' Centenary Book, pp.34/35, where he recorded that the complaints were without foundation).
6. According to a Report dated 31 January 1792 (Supply 5/215) Goodfellow was still mixing Composition and was still earning 3/-d per day. This was also the case in July 1792 (Supply 5/215) and on the 28th February 1793 (Supply 5/216).
7. On the 27th February 1793, Robert Coleman, the Clerk of the Cheque, discovered gravel adhering to the bottom of shoes belonging to a Labourer working at the New Corning House; this was a danger, so Goodfellow was ordered to examine people's footwear at frequent intervals (Winters, op.cit. p.37). This incident was only one of several of its type which were recorded in Coleman's Minute Book.
8. By the 18 June 1793, John Goodfellow had been replaced by John Ashwood (Supply 5/217).
