Blacksmith Apprentice

[Sandyhall]

Hi
Can any one help with or point me in the right direction.
I have lots of Blacksmiths/Farriers an even a Veterinary Surgeon from Essex going back for generations. Where do I go to look for Apprentice records as some of them must of been apprenticed at some time or other.
Regards
Sandy

[Geoffers]

Apprenticeship indentures were for the most part private agreements, so survival of records is patchy.

Depending on the period in which you are interested:

The Society of Genealogists has some apprenticeship records

Through the Parish Chest it is possible to buy the 'Board of Stamps - Apprenticeship Books' on CD

County Record Offices usually have collections.

If someone was apprenticed in a borough, then there may be additional records

[michaelpipe]

Dependant on the time, you may find something on SEAX website

http://seax.essexcc.gov.uk/login.asp?Start=True&ERO=2

[Sandyhall]

Hi
thank you both
Sandy

[Colin Moretti]

...even a Veterinary Surgeon from Essex going back for generations. ...

Probably one of the blacksmiths doing a little horse doctoring, one of my 2xg grandfathers described himself as a veterinary surgeon at the time of his daughter's marriage but in truth he'd been a blacksmith/farrier all his working life (the previous year in the census he was recorded as a farrier).

Colin

[Sandyhall]

Probably one of the blacksmiths doing a little horse doctoring, one of my 2xg grandfathers described himself as a veterinary surgeon at the time of his daughter's marriage but in truth he'd been a blacksmith/farrier all his working life (the previous year in the census he was recorded as a farrier).

Colin

Hi Colin
I thought along the same lines until I found one on the 1871 Census it has him as Smith, Farrier Master he was also employing 4 men & 1 boy. On the 1881 Census he is now a Veterinary Surgeon employing 2 men and on one of his son's who are also all Farrier's, marriage cert. he is a Veterinary Surgeon.
Thinking along the lines of if he is a Master Craftsman he would belong to a Guild of that craft.
I have had a look at the "Guild of Blacksmith" web site but it was no help.
Regards Sandy

PS. He is in 1839 Pigot's Directory as a Veterinary Surgeon.

[arthurk]

He might have been a member of the Farriers' Company. Their records are at the Guildhall Library, and according to the library's guide to City Livery Companies, there are quite a lot surviving. The Society of Genealogists have published indexes to the records of a number of livery companies, including the Farriers' (I believe the author is Cliff Webb), and you can use these at the library to decide what originals you need to look at.

Life gets interesting when people are in the "wrong" livery company, possibly because they join the one an ancestor belonged to. The person I was looking for in the Farriers' records was actually apprenticed as a diamond cutter. He turned out not to be an ancestor, but the information I found helped me to decide between two possible marriage entries for my chap.

Arthur

[Ian Hender]

Dear Sandyhall,
I have a blacksmith in my family who was described as a Veterinary Surgeon by his daughter on her marriage certificate in 1839. I did some research and identified the following information that may be of use to you:-

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons was established in 1844. The Edinborough school had been open for a number of years. Their website is at www.rcvs.org.uk

Archives.com has identified that the following records exist at Camden:-
RVC lists of veterinary surgeons, former RVC pupils only, 1794, 1798-1842. (1 Volume)
Register of pupils 1794-1907, showing dates of qualifications as veterinary surgeons (1 Volume) Student entry books 1839-82, 1893-1930 (6 Volumes). Matriculation & College reports (i.e. exam results of individuals) 1871-1883 (1 Volume with some interleaved papers), Examination records 1791-1821, 1830-1844, 1871-82, 1926-33 (4 volumes)
Photograph albums 19th - 20th century (14 Volumes).

Unfortunately, I was unlucky in my research and my ancester never went to the collage, it may have been simply to enhance her social standing in a class concious society.

I hope this helps,

Ian Hender