Differing Responses to an Industrialising Economy - eTheses ...

Appendix 23. 52
These documents record the names of the masters and the apprentices
and usually list their parish, their occupations and the fee paid. Some of the lists
(especially the early ones) also give the names (and perhaps occupations) of the
apprentices’ parents. Certain occupations (such as farming) appear rarely in these
documents, but nevertheless this source throws light on the occupational structure of
different places. (For example, the apprentice books highlight the presence and growth of
needlemaking in some parishes and its absence in others.)
Other primary sources
Manorial records have been used selectively. The records from some manors are
readily available, others have few, if any, surviving records. In any case extant local
manorial documents are often pre-occupied with land transfers and general bye-laws, and
therefore provide little evidence regarding occupations. However, those for the manor of
Alcester are a little more useful, often dealing with regulations of trade in the market
town. Estate records have also been used to flesh out the bones, particularly in the late
seventeenth century.
Other local sources, which have provided background information, include tax
returns, enclosure awards and tithe maps, Ordnance Survey and other maps, plans and
surveys. The extant Worcester newspapers from 1712 to 1800 have yielded much
interesting (if sporadic) background colour. Although time did not allow study of all the
private papers and property deeds for the study area deposited in libraries and record
offices, the on-line indexes for the a2a (Access to Archives) website have proved useful.
52 In practice references to apprenticeships from the study area cease circa 1804. Some local apprentices or
masters may be mentioned in the London series, but it was not practical to consult that series as well.
23