Coach Maker & Coach Smith

[renard]

Coach smith normally a blacksmith who specialized in coach work

[celia]

also Charles Hooker b.1811), who did have a business in Basingstoke in 1851 and employing 3 men. He then moved to St Georges Hanover Square, still as a Coachbody maker but I am unsure about whether he had a business still.

Thanks for the help.

Pipkim

Hi Pipkin, it looks like the business was turned over to a gunsmith? in the early fifties,see
http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/AdvancedSearch.aspx?GeoType=London  see 25th May 1852 second & third down on the left & 7th Juned 1850 is interesting,there are more but later years.My PDF is to slow to look.

Celia

[pipkim]

Hi Celia,

Wow! thanks Celia for looking for me and passing the info on.
That is really interesting and adds more flesh onto the bones of Charles Hooker. I don't understand the legal jargon but it looks that he might of hit hard times in business and sold it all on, debts and all. Now I will have to find more about his move to London.

I've never managed to find anything on that site, so thanks again.

Pipkim 

If I remember rightly, his address in Basingstoke was next to a public house.

[toni*]

i am currently trying to help Trisholdham on her scavenger hunt find her relation James George Grace
for info: http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,403453.msg2725339.html#msg2725339

- wont repeat it on here but on the birth certifcates of 4 children he is given as a coachsmith this is late 1840's early 1850's and on one other he is given as a blacksmith, would this be a natural progression or would he have to do an apprenticeship?

later in the  census he is a blacksmith

also a coachsmith in this census i thought referred to horse drawn carraiges not coaches pulled by engines i.e trains.

a long shot but do you know if there are records of coach smiths?

[pipkim]

Hi Toni*,
Sorry, I don't have any records about coachsmiths and whether they have had or have not had apprenticeships.

The ancestor I have, Charles Hooker b.1811 (who became a coachbuilder), his father was a wheelwright and did an apprenticeship through his school, as did some of his brothers but I haven't had time to confirm that.

A wealthy benefactor left money to build a school, giving poor boys an education and trade. Not all the boys in the Hooker family seemed to benefit if their siblings where still at the school. Some of these school records I have found on the Hampshire archive but not accessed them.
I as yet don't know if there is a central register.

Sorry I can't help any more than that, at this moment in time at least.

Pipkim

[toni*]

thanks for your reply Pipkim, we are still looking for James George Grace in the 1841 census  your comment of being a student and learning a trade made me rethink the one i found at Pembroke College who was a student right age not born in county everthing matches in that respect but looking at the actual image i think his name was Grant and not Grace. Its pre 1847 we cant find him thats why i wondeed about indenture records and the like

Toni

[celia]

Toni
later in the  census he is a blacksmith

also a coachsmith in this census i thought referred to horse drawn carriage.

You are correct A coachsmith Made & repaired Horse drawn Coach's,Blacksmiths if i remember rightly from my last (going in to it)Were also qualified to repair the Iron bits on the coach because they had the equipment to work Iron with.Blacksmith were also responsible for all the ion work you see high up in the old train stations today,so i was told

Celia

[toni*]

so would he have been able to progress from coachsmith to blacksmith without apprenticeship and woul dhe have had to had an apprenticeship for being a coachsmith

[celia]

so would he have been able to progress from coachsmith to blacksmith

Its only a guess, but i would think it might have been the other way round.He would have to know how to work with Iron to work on coach's.So I would imagine he would serve his apprenticeship as a blacksmith first.Blacksmiths did many jobs
once qualified they could make anything On the other hand repairing the ion on a coach is a bit different from making horse shoes,and ion girders They have to do it right or the coach might fall apart.So yes they would probably have to serve an apprenticeship with a coachsmith.
Then they might have various jobs,but always working with.
 Iron.

Celia