Apprenticeship records.

Brian Turnbull · Post by **Brian Turnbull** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 8:08 am

My g g grandfather was a potter and reputed to be a specialist in colouring pottery. I guess he would have needed to complete an apprenticeship in the pottery trade. Can anyone suggest where I can access apprenticeship indentures, in the hope of pinning him down as to where he came from etc.

Brian

Post by **SarahND** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 2:03 pm

Hi Brian,
What time frame are we talking about? Do you have any idea what part of the country he was living in?

All the best,
Sarah

Brian Turnbull · Post by **Brian Turnbull** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 10:35 pm

Sarah, sorry I realised after I posted that I hadn't given a time. He was born about 1801, working back from 1841 and 1851 census for Yorkshire where he gave his age as 40 and 50 respectively. He was able to sign his name, so presumably could read and write. In the 1851 census he gave his birth place as Dunse,Scotland. If I have him in the 1861 census for Scotland he was in the Parish of Duddington and Portobello,Edinburgh.
Brian

Muriel · Post by **Muriel** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 11:47 pm

Brian

Portobello would certainly be a good location for a potter; there were a number of pottery works. I don't know if people working there would be in the Edinburgh apprentice registers or not.

Muriel

Post by **SarahND** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 2:33 am

Hi Brian,
Too bad he wasn't born a bit earlier! There are Edinburgh Apprentice Registers online, but only up to 1800.

http://www.scotsfind.org/apprentice_acc ... entice.pdf

However, I must admit that I did a search and couldn't find any potter amongst them (just a lot of people living in "the Potterow"

Maybe someone else will know about other records.

All the best,
Sarah

Brian Turnbull · Post by **Brian Turnbull** » Fri Mar 20, 2009 5:52 am

Thanks Murial and Sarah for your input. At least the info about Portobello having potteries is a good clue. A reasonable move for a potter in Newcastle to get away from a wife and family.

Brian