working life of women seventeenth century - School of Economics ...

214CRAFTS AND TRADES CRAFTS AND TRADESand in 1652 are entered the names of five men andten women1,The constant complaints brought against peoplewho were using the trade " unlawfully " show howdifficult it was to enforce rules of apprenticeship ina trade which was so habitually used by women fordomestic purposes.Information was brought that" divers of the inhabts of 'I'hirsk do use the trade ofbaking, not having been apprentices thereof, buttheir wives being brought up and exercised thereinmany yeares have therefore used it . . . . andthe matter referred to the Justices in Q' Sessionsto limitt a certain number to use that trade withoutfuture trouble of any informers and that such asare allowed by the said Justices, to have a tollerationto take apprentices . . . . the eight persons,viz., Ja" Pibus, Anth. Gamble. John EIarrison, WidowWatson, Jane Skales, Jane Rutter, Tho. Carter andJohn Bell, shall onlie use and occupie the said tradeof baking, and the rest to be re~tra~ned."~ Theinsistence upon apprenticeship must have beensingularly exasperating to women who had learnt tobake excellent bread from their mothers, or mistresses,and it was natural for them to evade, when possible,a rule which seemed so arbitrary ; but they could notdo so with impunity. Thus the HertfordshireQuarter Session was informed " One Andrew Tomson'swife doth bake, and William Everite's wifedoth bake bread to sell being not apprenticed norli~ensed."~ How heavily prosecutions of this characterweighed upon the poor, is shown by a certificatebrought to the same Quarter Sessions nearly a hundredyears later, stating that " William Pepper, of Sabridgworth,is of honest and industrious behaviour, butl Manchester Court Leet Records, p. 70.a Atlrkuon, U. C.), rorks. N. R. Q. S. Recr&, Vol. J., p. 81. July 8, 1607.a H~tlwd Co. Records, Vol. I, p, 32, 1600.in a poor and low condition,and so not able to supportthe charge of defending an indictment against himfor baking for hire (he having once taken a halfpennyfor baking a neighbour's loaf) and has a great chargeof children whom he has hitherto brought up tohard work and industrious labour, who otherwisemight have been a charge to the parish, and willbe forced to crave the relief of the parish, to defraythe charge that may ensue upon this trouble given himby a presentment."'The line taken by the authorities was evidentlyintended to keep the trade of baking in a fewhands. The object may have been partly to facilitateinspection and thereby check short measure andadulteration ; whatever the motive the effect mustcertainly have tended to discourage women fromdeveloping the domestic art of baking into a trade.Consequently in this, as in other trades, the woman'scontribution to the industry generally took the formof a wife helping her husband, or a widow carryingon her late husband's business.M7llers :-It was probably only as the wifeor widow of a miller that women took part in thebusiness of milling. An entry in the Carlisle Recordsstates " we amercye Archilles Armstronge for keepinghis wief to play the Milner, contrary the orders ofthis cyttie."' But it is not unusual to come acrossreferences to corn mills which were in the hands ofwomen ; a place in Yorkshire is described as being" near to Mistress Lovell's Milne."3 " Margaret Page,of Hertingfordbury, widow," was indicted for " erectinga mill house in the common way there,"' andat Stockton " One water corne milne . . . .Hertfmd County Rrcrdr, VoL I., p. 365, 1686.' Fergv~on, CarlkZe. p. 278. April 21, 1619.' J. C. Atkinson, Tmkt. N. R. 9. S. Rt-cords, Vol. II., p. 8, 1612.Hrrt md County Rccord~, Vol. II., p. 25, 1698.