Differing Responses to an Industrialising Economy - eTheses ...

period, but probate only provides two masons, both before 1800. One such, George
Whissell, died in possession of several houses. 54
Masons and carpenters from nearby villages also served the town. In the 1730s
the mason, Richard Eglington, is described as a ‘sojourner’. 55
On the other hand,
Alcester’s building workers would also work outside the parish and turn their hand to
different building tasks. In 1736 the Alcester mason, Thomas Wormington, thatched the
roof and daubed the (wattle) walls at a cottage in nearby Coughton, where such building
styles were still in vogue. 56
Before 1800 throughout the study area builders are generally referred to as
masons or carpenters, the term ‘bricklayer’ being rarely used, and ‘builder’ not at all. 57
However, in Period D in the general building sense the term ‘mason’ gives way to the
more modern term ‘builder’. 58
This latter descriptor often implies the master of a
business, whereas his underlings were termed ‘bricklayer’ or ‘carpenter’, but there was
much overlap in usage. Members of the Franklin family were builders, carpenters,
joiners, cabinetmakers and ironmongers, and one also found time to act as parish-clerk.
54 WoRO, probate of George Whissell, Alcester, mason, 1789. (N. B. For explanation of references to
probate records see Sources and Bibliography at the end of this thesis.) Four masons advertised in UBD
1792, one of whom was also a victualler. In probate records there were also 3 bricklayers and 1 builder (all
after 1800) and 4 painters/plumbers/glaziers. Carpenters are dealt with in the woodworking section below.
55 WaRO, Alcester baptisms 1730. WoRO, marriage licence of Anthony Benton, Rous Lench, day-labourer,
Oct. 1735 is witnessed by Richard Eglington, Alcester, mason.
56 WaRO, CR3434, Coughton overseers of the poor accounts, 1736.
57 The term ‘freemason’ also occurs. SCLA, BRT/198/25 records the apprenticeship of poor boy, Nathan
Cooper of Stratford, to John Toplis, Alcester, freemason, 1711.
58 This is the impression obtained from various sources.
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