25.12.2013 Views

Differing Responses to an Industrialising Economy - eTheses ...

Differing Responses to an Industrialising Economy - eTheses ...

Differing Responses to an Industrialising Economy - eTheses ...

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

low school attend<strong>an</strong>ce in the 1851 census. 210<br />

On the other h<strong>an</strong>d two Alcester needlemasters<br />

were ‘leaders in paying juvenile indentured labour’. 211<br />

The <strong>to</strong>tal number in the trade in 1841 was 181 (out of a <strong>to</strong>tal population of<br />

2399), 212 <strong>an</strong>d by 1851 this had risen <strong>to</strong> 274 (out of a <strong>to</strong>tal population of 2378). The 1841<br />

census provides evidence of those specialising in different needlemaking processes, but,<br />

unlike some other parishes <strong>to</strong> the north, there is no evidence of fish-hook or pin<br />

m<strong>an</strong>ufacture at this time.<br />

Charles Smith, described as <strong>an</strong> engineer in the 1841 census, appears <strong>to</strong> be a m<strong>an</strong><br />

who moved with the times. Earlier he had been a wheelwright <strong>an</strong>d millwright before<br />

opening <strong>an</strong> agricultural machine m<strong>an</strong>ufac<strong>to</strong>ry on the outskirts of <strong>to</strong>wn. He is also<br />

referred <strong>to</strong> as a machine-maker <strong>an</strong>d a machinist. 213<br />

A lone spectacle-maker appears in<br />

the 1841 census, but he may have been a visi<strong>to</strong>r <strong>to</strong> the <strong>to</strong>wn. 214<br />

The <strong>to</strong>wn apparently always boasted two or three ironmongery businesses. 215<br />

For<br />

m<strong>an</strong>y years women r<strong>an</strong> such businesses in the <strong>to</strong>wn. Two of the three ironmongers in<br />

1792 were women, (widows carrying on their husb<strong>an</strong>ds’ businesses), while one of three<br />

210 School attend<strong>an</strong>ce in Alcester District was lower th<strong>an</strong> in all other Warwickshire districts except<br />

Coventry.<br />

211 L<strong>an</strong>e, ‘Apprenticeship in Warwickshire’, p. 236.<br />

212 WaRO, Alcester 1841 census, including 7 apprentices living with needlemakers <strong>an</strong>d assumed <strong>to</strong> be<br />

needlemaking apprentices. (The figure of 500/600 needlemakers in Alcester given in J. As<strong>to</strong>n, Dugdale’s<br />

Topography of Warwickshire, (Coventry, J. As<strong>to</strong>n, 1817), pp. 479-490, is likely <strong>to</strong> include surrounding<br />

villages.)<br />

213 Although Charles Smith worked with wood <strong>an</strong>d metal, he <strong>an</strong>d machine-makers <strong>an</strong>d engineers in other<br />

zones are discussed in the Metal section.<br />

214 His name was not recorded, his age 15 <strong>an</strong>d his place of birth, Irel<strong>an</strong>d. He has not been found in the 1851<br />

census.<br />

215 Ironmongers often combined their trade with other jobs in Alcester. At different times they double as<br />

gentlemen, maltsters, whitesmiths, braziers, nail-fac<strong>to</strong>rs, saddlers, ch<strong>an</strong>dlers, plumbers <strong>an</strong>d glaziers.<br />

114

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!