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Some Special Interests => Occupation Interests => Topic started by: 4mywife on Wednesday 21 April 04 20:36 BST (UK)
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can anyone suggest w/page on the history of shoemakers etc of london/northampton 1885~ :-[
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Hi,
A few years earlier than you asked for, 1869, but the article on Northampton via the link below does have some descriptions of the working conditions of shoemakers and cordwainers. The article begins:
'The main section of this article appeared in the magazine Good Words on Nov 1st, 1869. It gives a very interesting picture of mid-Victorian Northampton and it's shoemaking'.
http://www.northants1841.fsnet.co.uk/1869.html
Sasha.
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;D thanks for w /page my g/g/parents worked in the shoe trade in n/hampton and its nice to get a feeling for the place
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Sasha,
What a fascinating article, which added some colour to my research. My ancestors (Warren) were in the shoe/boot industry and moved fom Northampton to East London.
Geoff
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thats funny mine did it the other way round, R bruley went from london to n/hampton ;D
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My Grandfather Henry Winch 21.4.1880 - 14.2.1968 was an apprentice shoe maker in East Ham London. I know he was apprenticed to a Mr Onion, and became a Master Boot Maker with a shop in Greenwich High Street. Does any one have records of Mr Onion's apprentises?
I am also looking for info on Henry's father William Winch 1815 - 1900 also from East Ham London.
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While at college around 1960 my regular holiday job was in the shoe industry in Northampton.
The Northampton Museum in Guildhall Road has a register of shoe makers in its industrial section. It used to be very good at providing information from the index and also was keen to add your shoemakers to the index.
David
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i found it interesting to learn that Cordwainers never repaired because they only used new leather ..Cordavan leather which was fine goats leather, that made the finest shoes.
Whereas the cobblers repaired.. i did have a good link i'll see if i can find it.
Debz
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mY 3X great Uncle George SUMMERTON was listed on his 1895 death certificate as a
Master shoemaker of Kings Sutton Northamptonshire.
I am assuming his brother Gayton Mansfield SUMMERTON, my 3x great Grandfather who emigrated to Australia in the 1860's may be listed in England as one also as his trade at mge in England and on his death here in South Australia in 1892 was Shoemaker.
I also found the article on Northampton and its shoe trade very interesting but also gave me another thing to hunt - Mr MANNFIELD's shoe factory. I am now wondering if the Mansfield middle name of my Gayton [ his mother Elizabeth's maiden name] may have possibly been MANFIELD - so easy to be transcribed wrongly with the 's' looking like an 'f' in the old writing. Hmmmph!
How can I find out, from here in the Antipodes, more info on the listing of George and Gayton as shoemakers?
Any help much appreciated. Thanks.
Julie in Adelaide SA
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Manfields were one of the major shoe manufacturers in Northampton right up to the middle of the 20th century when they became part of Charles Clore's British Shoe Corporation. I seem to remember their factory was the one in Wellingborough Road near Abingdon Park. I think they also had a nationwide chain of shoe shops.
They endowed one of the town's hospitals, Manfield Hospital which I think still exists today. Certainly Cynthia Spencer House (Hospice) was in its grounds a few years ago.
David
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Following on on I found this . I worked for BSC for many years when the company traded the Manfield name. There used to be a small museum in head office in Leicester with advertising signs and posters. Cannot remember all of the ones they held but found this on another site.
www.omnesamici.co.uk/Adverts/ManfieldShoes.jpg
Tazzie
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A few bits of Manfield history in here
http://www.northampton.org.uk/history/history.htm
I was a bit surprised to learn that Manfield Hospital was once called Weston Favell House. I used to live half way between there and Weston Favell Village. They were about two miles from each other. I thought Weston Favell House was what became the Westone Hotel.
David
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Thank you everyone for the help re my Shoemaker's enquiry. I have learnt so much about it in the past day but wonder why Northampton centred around the shoe industry. Maybe leather was in great supply???
I guess one can ask the same about Nottingham and the lacemakers etc.
All very interesting!
Thanks again and now on to try and find out the puzzle with Mansfield vs Manfield.
Cheers from SA
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I was taught at school that Northampton and Leicester were the centre of the shoe industry because a lot of the farming was based on cattle and there was clean water available for cleaning and tanning the leather.
David
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Hi David...thanks for that info. I thought that it may be the case as you say. Lots of cattle so lots of hides and today we also have your yummy Leicester cheese - even here in Oz. ')
Does anyone know if I just address my letter to the Northampton Museum in Guildhall Rd, per the Industrial Section, would that suffice? Do they charge for enquiries?
Cheers
Julie in a getting hotter Adelaide
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The address is:
Northampton Museum and Art Gallery,
Guildhall Road,
Northampton,
NN1 1D
Telephone: 01604 838 111
Fax: 01604 838 720
Email: museums [at] northampton.gov.uk
When I last used them a few years ago there was no charge. Forget about the Industrial Section bit, it isn't a very big museum.
David
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Hiya behindthefrogs. :)
I actually found an E-mail address for them from a post somewhere way back in the beginning of this thread and sent off my querie last night. Thnaks for all the help everyone. Now I just have to wait and sea what happens.
Julie in a geting MUCH hotter by the minute Adelaide. [good thing I love hot days!]
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Hi Geoff
Do you have a John warren and his family cordwainers of Stoke demeral in your tree?,his wife Mary nee Sangwin also listed as a cordwainer also his son John,
I have not been able to find them in 1851 census but they are listed in 1841
living on Marlborough st. he is my direct ancestor.
Best Wishes
Lucaduca