Rope and Sailmakers of Devonport Dockyard

[bornarnold]

Sailmakers even in my days always carried their own needles in a metal box ,in my time it was a metal tobacco box , and were known for always holding a very sharp knife ,after every cut we resharpened our knives and finished on a piece of wood or leather and shame was put on to the apprentice with a blunt knife ,,

[J.J.]

cere...I don't think you're all that keen anymore but for anyone else looking here are a few paintings, map,etc.  ( the interior of St. Andrew's church on St Catherine St.) from the earlier Plymouth dockyard days in this brief account about William Lenthall Brake
http://www.archive.org/stream/WilliamLenthallBrakeRn/WilliamLenthalBrake#page/n1/mode/2up
(There are more extensive downloadable  versions for those looking, but I saw several OCR ones that were too hard to decipher...)

Here are some directories for those interested
http://www.genealogylinks.net/uk/england/devon/dev-dir.ht

[cire]

Thanks for all the messsages. I started to type a reply before tea but before I sent it there were 4 new messages.
As you say I had put a seperate query out on John Andrew Spencer as a person in addition to the query about the Rope and Sailmakers.
The box is inscribed :-
"Presented to
John Andrew Spencer"
By the Rope and Sailmakers
of HMDockyard
Devonport May 9th 1857"

I was in Plymouth for a couple of days earlier in the year. I went to the Plymouth Museum, but they had nothing. They suggested I went to Plymouth Central Library and looked at Plymouth & Devonport newspapers around May 1857. As it was the last day I was there I didn't get a chance, so it will have to wait until next visit. The museum in the dockyard, I understand, is only open by prior arrangement except on special days. Thanks again for all your interest. I have looked at several of the sources you have provided.
Eric

[Chris Duff]

My great-great-grandfather, William Squance, had a rope and twine manufacturing facility at 6 Fore Street, Devonport.  I am trying to find out more information on this business.  One source I am trying is the South West Maritime History Society in Plymouth.  On 27 October 2002 they had a talk by Martin Read on ropemaking in Plymouth.

Chris in Ontario, Canada

[cire]

Hi Chris
Ropemaking was, and still is, a fascinating process. There was a TV program over here sometime ago which showed the process in action. I think part of the Devonport Naval museum still has a "ropemaker's walk"

Eric