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'RIDING' FOR LAST TIME — In April Maurice Quance sat astride his
stitching horse for one last time. After 67 years as a harness-maker in
Exeter, Mr. Quance sold his equipment to Charles Webber, Hensall left.
Looking onis Cal Cutting, Exeter. T-A photo
Our Number Has Changed
From Two Longs and A Short
Call 235-1863
For Your
INSURANCE
and
REAL ESTATE
Needs
John Burke
LTD.
In The Devon
Building
MURRAY MOORE
Section 1, Page 35 THE EXETER TIMES-ADVOCATE JUNE 28, 1973
T-A, April 26, 1973
Twenty years ago, J.M, South-
cott wrote: "Maurice Quance is
probably the only true craftsman
left in Exeter who single-
handedly turns out the finished
article from the basic raw
materials."
Mr. Quance was then
celebrating his 47th anniversary
as a harness maker. Last week,
he did one last small job before
selling all the equipment he has
gathered in a 67 year career as a
harness-maker.
He was one of the few, if not the
only active harness-maker left in
Western Ontario. He finds there
is still a demand for harness,
even though farm machinery has
almost extinguished the work-
horse population. He repaired
and made harness for race
horses, show horses, riding
horses and the few work horses
that are left.
Mr, Quance has lived all his life
in Exeter, He started learning his
trade at the age of 12 at the
harness shops of W.J. Beer and
Peter Frayne. There were three
men in Mr. Beer's shop, which
was located at the present site of
b Russell Electric,
In those days, harness-making
was a big industry. There was
enough work to keep four shops
busy. Besides those of Mr. Beer
Craftsman retires a fter 67 years
the business of Mr, Frayne,
whose shop was located where
Pat's Pet Shop is now. Later, he
rejoined Mr. Beer and his suc-
cessor, R.E. Russell, until he
built a new house on William St,
in 1945 and outfitted a shop in the
basement. He carried his work on
there until last week,
Mr, Quance used to make his
harness from western steer hides
and he used to buy it from
McCallums Tannery, beside the
river in Exeter, for 25 cents a
pound. Twenty years ago it cost
$1 per pound in Toronto, and it
was very difficult to get because
harness leather was not in heavy
demand.
Today the cost per pound of
leather is over $1.90. There are no
tanneries in Canada, so all the
leather must be imported from
England or the United States. Mr.
Quance used American track
leather. A store in Stratford
imports the goods and retails
them, and this is where Mr.
Quance bought his materials in
recent years.
It takes 60 pounds of leather to
make a single harness. "When I
first started, we sold a first-rate,
completely finished harness for
$13, The same thing today costs
$185," said Mr. Quance.
The skill in harness-making is
knowing how to cut up the hide so
that most of the leather is used.
Mr. Quance knows by heart the
length of every strap that goes
into the harness, whether it is for
heavy or light horse, a single or
double set. He can cut up a side
with remarkably small waste.
Once the strips are cut, the
edges must be trimmed, Mr.
Quance could slice his knife
through the leather with the
speed and finesse of a modern
machine.
When the trimming in com-
pleted, the straps are blackened
and holes for sewing punched by
hand.
Most of the sewing on harness
T-A January 24, 1935
The series of recitals and
dramatic readings given in
James St. United Church each
evening last week by Mr. Herbert
W. Piercy, of Niagara Falls,
drew large and appreciative
audiences. Mr. Piercy recited
numerous literary masterpieces
in a very dramatic manner and
these were interspersed with
humorous selections. His
programs were most impressive
and delighted his hearers.
Special musical numbers were
given each evening. On Monday
evening Messrs Kenneth Jones
and Lorne Elford gave several
selections with guitar and
mouthorgan accompaniment. On
Tuesday evening Mr. Chas,
Godbolt sang. On Wednesday
Rev. Mr. Young, of Hensall
assisted with It he program. On
Thursday evening Miss K. Strang
sang several selections and on
Friday evening Mr. H. Hoffman
and his sister Miss Gertrude of
Dashwood, sang solos and a duet.
T-A January 31, 1935
It is surprising how many
letters are coming in to the Re-
union Committee from the Old
Boys and Old Girls of Exeter and
community. Delight is expressed
in every letter that the folks back
home have organized a great
family meet for next July and the
intervening months will be filled
with the joy and anticipation for
both "fly aways" and "stay at
homes,"
The Great Fenian Raid
Dr. John Hyndman was captain
of an Infantry Company at the
time of the Fenian Raids in 1866,
and they were called to Goderich
to defend the country. One night
while stationed along the cliff a
couple of cows attempted to
climb to the top and caused a wild
scramble "to arms". After a few
shots the cows decided to retreat,
and on the coming morning there
were no signs of the enemy.
T-A February 29, 1940
Mr. G.A. Cann who recently
purchased the Harvey Bros, mill
and also the residence of Mr.
John Andrew on William street
last week moved his family and
household effects from Dunnville
to Exeter. We welcome them to
our midst.
and Mr. Frayne, William Bissett
and Thorn Baker conducted
similar businesses, Mr. Quance,
Ed Snell and Ernest Taylor were
apprentices.
The busy days were Saturdays
when the shops would plan to
spend all day working on livery
horse harness which had to be
ready for the travellers on
Mondays. During those busy
years, he was "absent from
business on a Saturday night on
only five occasions.
One of those occasions was
during World War I. Mr. Quance
injured his right hand quite
badly. "I got my hand smashed
and couldn't go to the front
lines," said Mr. Quance. "But
they kept me at Aldershot Camp
reparing harness and saddles for
the troops. I even soled shoes for
boys then," he added. He was
stationed in Aldershot, England
for 14 months. That is really the
only time he was away from
Exeter.
The harness-making industry
reached its peak about 60 years
ago when hundreds of harness
sets, mostly fancy, were shipped
out west. The men turned out six
sets a week, which is top
production when it is considered
that, on the average, it is a
week's work for one man to turn
out a single set of harness.
In 1920, Mr. Quance purchased
T-A February 7, 1935
Copper coins offered as license
payment
With the coming of February
local motorists beseiged the
office of George M. Grant issuer
of licenses. At one time on
Saturday when the office of Mr.
Grant was filled with a long line
in waiting a truck driver from the
north presented himself with a
bag of coppers and those in line
had visions of a long wait while
the coppers were being counted
out, The driver explained that he
had been unprepared for the
emergency when traffic officer
Wm. Robinson had insisted on
"1935 plates before leaving
town.'
An obliging friend came to the
rescue and counted the coins
which totalled four hundred. The
impatient crowd breathed a sigh
of relief.
Mr. Grant has received his
second supply of commercial
plates and he has almost
exhausted the supply of "BJ"
markers and the next lot which
he now has in stock will be "BN"
starting at 200.
T-A February, 1944
The burning of the mortgage
and liquidation of the debt of the
new Legion Hall was the occasion
for a banquet and entertainment
of the ladies recently.
T-A January 1, 1934
Owing to the gasoline price
war fuel sold in Exeter as low as
24 cents a gallon this week.
T-A January, 1909
At the inaugural session of the
Exeter School Board, P. Frayne
was appointed chairman and J.
Grigg, secretary.
Exeter Advocate, June 23, 1887
We were shown on Tuesday, by
Wm. Delve, Exeter, a strawberry
of the sharpless variety, which
measured eight and a half inches
in circumference.
T-A February, 1934
A daring masked robber en-
tered the home of T.S. Woods,
manager of the Bank of Montreal
and succeeded in rifling his
pockets while he was sleeping.
is done by hand and Mr. Quance
took pains to do a thorough job.
He used to make his own thread,
twisting strands of hemp into iron
toughness and blackening it with
wax, More recently, he used
machine thread which he could
buy in Stratford.
Although demand dwindled
with the introduction of power
machinery, Mr. Quance always
found some harness work to do.
_ He has taken other jobs during
slack seasons, but never has he
given up his trade, until last
week.
Mr. Quance will be 79 in July.
For the past few years, he hasn't
worked steadily, but continued
doing small jobs, and making his
own harness, as he has always
done.
He sold his equipment to
Charles Webber, Hensall. When
asked if he was sorry to be losing
his machinery, he answered,
"Well, it had to come sometime.
Charlie's a good friend of mine
and he's wanted the equipment
for a long time". Mr, Webber is
planning on continuing the
harness-making.
But Maurice Quance is
probably the last original
member of what was once a
flourishing and proud craft,
Through the years