Literate Cheshire labourers in the 18th century

[Richard Knott]

The attached is typical of the Minshull family at the end of the 18th century: their firm signature suggests reasonable literacy but they are called labourers. The same was true for William's father thirty years earlier, although a generation later they have become farmers. William's brother, for instance, was described as a labourer in 1810, but a farmer in 1816.

Very few agricultural labourers were literate then, so my guess is that they were small farmers (ie not yeomen or husbandmen), renting their land from others; but does anyone know whether that is normally the case? If so, it is difficult to differentiate between the farmers and the genuine ag labs.

Richard

[hanes teulu]

Had a quick peep at baptisms - marriage was St Oswald?

There are St Oswald baptisms "1800, Ann, father labourer" and "1802 Elizabeth, father cowkeeper" - is this the family?

Added - "1804, Samuel , father farmer"

[hanes teulu]

There's a St John, Chester, baptism "1798, Mary, father laborer"

[Richard Knott]

Thanks for looking. I think that is William's family, but my request was really about what sort of range was covered by 'labourer' then.

There are so many John Minshulls in the Backford/Capenhurst/Chestyer area that I think, in the absence of wills, it is going to impossible to be sure about anything. The family I am focusing on is Mary (1776), William (1778), Hannah (1779) and Thomas (1780) who were born to John Minshull, a labourer and an unnamed wife.

Given that there were at least three other johns having children in the area at the same time, pinning down his wife will be hard so, at the moment, I'm just trying to get a handle on their standing.

Richard