Apprenticeship Records

[BeeE586]

I have just been browsing that marvellous site 'Yesterdays' Journeys' for Apprenticeship records and found that around 1800 a number of children were apprenticed to Framework Knitters in the Chesterfield area at the tender age of eight or nine. Was this common, or peculiar to this area ? I know that children were employed in both woollen and cotton mills from an early age but I thought this was more of a family thing than a recognized apprenticeship.

At one time my brother in law who was in the police was lecturing to schools and had in his kit a pair of very tiny handcuffs from the Police Museum which had been used to fasten absconding children to their machine. A revolting practice.

Eileen

[Colin Moretti]

I've not looked at a large number of appprenticeship indentures but I have come across one from Titchfield in Hampshire for a boy aged 8 apprenticed as "husbandman" by the parish in 1752 - until he was 24.

We normally think of apprentices as youngsters but I also found one for a man aged 45 who was apprenticed for 3 years as a coach painter (also in Hampshire, 1841)

Colin

[Jan1954]

Eileen,

You may find the Ruddington Framework Knitters' Museum of interest. Have a look at rfkm.org/aboutus.html with the www. in front.

[BeeE586]

Thank you Jan and Colin. I had looked a two or three sites for FWK but not found anything for apprenticeships. Living where I do I am more familiar with cutlers'/metalworkers' apprenticeships where they seemed to start rather later at around 13. Come to think about it, I did have two young sisters in my extended family who were apprenticed aged about 8 and 9 to learn 'skills of housewiferey' on a farm until 21 or married - this in north Notts. I suspect they would be nothing more than household skivvies. This was the age I used to teach and they were just children.

Eileen

Eileen

[chantreywood]

Apparently the typical length of time for an apprenticeship for a Framework Knitter was seven years so they probably needed to start quite early! My daughter is researching FWK for her PhD (including using the machines to knit) so I'll ask her about where there might be more info about apprenticeships.
Karen

[BeeE586]

What a fascinating topic - I wish her well.

Eileen