COMPLETED - Pocketbook Makers/Jewelcase makers

[paulalou]

I'm looking for a relative who was a pocketbook maker/leathercase maker/jewelcase maker. I know that he didn't own his own business as i can't find him in any directories. What i'd like to know is does anyone know if there was a guild for these professions and/or a list of apprentices. I'm assuming he would have had to be trained to work in this trade but then wasn't a journeyman and hence worked for someone else.

His name was William Smith and lived in Islington in the 1890's - as you can probably tell not a nice rare name in a small village!! A search for him is proving elusive, i have him in the 1891 census. I don't think he married his partner by whom he had 4 children, (all of which were put into a workhouse by the late 1890's with a note 'deserted by parents'), obviously a marriage certficate would help to trace the family back further but doesn't exist. I'm hoping that apprentice records may have some snippet of information that could provide the next clue.

Any help would be appreciated.

Paula 
 
 
 

[Cougar]

Hi
You could perhaps try this site - seems to be American but it comes up in the UK query list as well.  There might be a contact there who can point you in the right direction
The Guild of Book Workers: GBW Newsletter 126... motor functions) to produce a Creative Maker of books. ... The units include case binding, binding in boards, sewn album ... in the current state of leather gold-tooled ...
palimpsest.stanford.edu/byorg/gbw/news/gbw126.html - 86k - Cached - Similar pages
The other option seems to be to ask a qualified antique dealer who if he knows his craft, should be able to help.
Cheers from Oz,
Cougar

[JSFinn]

Paula

The Cordwainers Company founded in 1270 in London specialised in fine leatherwork luxury goods originally, later concentrating on footwear, but by the time of your subject probably was involved in training. There is still a college in Hackney, Cordwainers, now part of the London Institute, which teaches leatherwork arts and trades and they may have knowledge of the 19th trade in London.

The Cordwainers Company have a site http://www.cordwainers.org/

Other companies involved may have been the Leathersellers and the Curriers, though I believe they were mostly concerned with the buying, selling and preparation of leather.

The Corporation of London has a website which has a list somewhere on it of all the livery companies with links to sites where they exist.

http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/leisure_heritage/livery/linklist.htm

best wishes

John

[corkcutter]

You are very unlikely to find any record of apprenticeship as late as the 1890s unfortunately.  Although it won't help you with any personal trail you can find out about pocket book (i.e. wallet) makers in the 1890s from the Charles Booth notebooks.  The website will tell you which number notebook you need and the books themselves are held at the London School of Economics Library in their archive dept.  You can go in there and ask for a day ticket.  The employers interviewed were mainly in Bermondsey so are not likely to be where your ancestor worked, but you will probably find an interesting description of the working conditions and wages.  Cheryl