Hilary C Walker Differentiation Within the Artisan Sector in Saffron Walden in the Eighteenth Century Phd 2014
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Hilary C Walker Differentiation within the artisan sector in Saffron Walden in the eighteenth century PhD 2014 This copy of the thesis has been supplied on condition that anyone who consults it is understood to recognize that its copyright rests with the author and that use of any information derived there from must be in accordance with current UK Copyright Law. In addition, any quotation or extract must include full attribution. Abstract Differentiation within the Artisan Segment in Saffron Walden in the eighteenth century. Saffron Walden has an excellent town archive. There are also other good primary sources. The argument of this thesis arose from these circumstances. The purpose of this study became an investigation of whether the artisan segment of society in a small English market town of the eighteenth century constituted a homogeneous group or whether marked differentiation occurred within that segment. The nature of the artisan segment of the town is examined from the perspectives of the economic, religious and social structures found there. Due consideration is also given to the way in which the town was governed and to the importance of its charitable organisations. The roles of literacy and the ability to be able to afford the security granted by fire insurance in the latter part of the century also turned out to be of critical importance. Life-course analysis for a number of artisans was also carried out permitting a prosopographical approach to be adopted where relevant. It is concluded that for an artisan in the eighteenth century in Saffron Walden a number of factors were vital in determining whether he would be successful. These included his initial family background and position within that family, the trade to which he was apprenticed, his likelihood of gaining patronage and thus access to the benefits that the town’s charitable institutions could provide, including a place at the Charity School, and his religious persuasion, particularly if he was a nonconformist or a Quaker. A man favoured in these ways might gain the appellation of ‘gentleman’. A less fortunate artisan might end his days as a pauper. Differentiation within the artisan segment in eighteenth century Saffron Walden indeed existed. i Abstract i List of contents iii List of illustrations vi List of Maps vii List of Tables viii List of Charts x Acknowledgements xii Abbreviations and Conventions xiii ii List of Contents Chapter 1 Differentiation within the artisan sector in Saffron Walden in the eighteenth century Introduction p.1 Trade and Class in the Eighteenth Century p.8 Interpretative Framework p.14 Historiography p.16 Chapter 2 The town of Saffron Walden i. Saffron Walden in its context p.23 ii. The economic dimension p.28 iii. Saffron Walden and its neighbours p.33 iv. The plan of the town p.37 v. The Spatial Distribution of the Social Structure p.46 of the Town vi. The religious dimension p.52 vii. Conclusion p.55 Chapter 3 The social identity of the artisans – were they of the middling sort? p.58 Chapter 4 Town governance – care and control p.78 Setting the Scene p.81 i. Central government presence in Saffron Walden p.83 ii. The Role of the Corporation in the Economic Life of p.85 Saffron Walden iii. Governance and the parish p.88 iv. The parish and charity p.94 v. Parish constables and the artisans who filled this role p.99 vi. Overseers of the Poor and Churchwardens and the p.104 artisans who filled these roles vii. Conclusion p.109 Chapter 5 Fractionalism as a consequence of mobility The mechanisms and consequences of mobility p.114 iii i. Geographic mobility – the case of the apprentices p.115 ii. Geographical mobility – artisans and settlement p.135 iii. Life course - mobility among artisans p.142 iv. Religious fractionalism and mobility p.151 v. Conclusion p.157 Chapter 6 Economic fractionalism in the artisan segment in Saffron Walden p.162 in the eighteenth century: fact or fiction? I. Was economic fractionalism within the artisan segment p.163 of Saffron Walden society in the eighteenth century determined by the trade or craft which an artisan followed? i. The cordwainers p.165 ii. Bakers’ wills p.166 iii. Metalworkers’ wills p.167 iv. Clock and watchmakers’ wills p.168 v. Cabinet makers’ wills p.168 vi. Cloth workers’ wills p.169 vii. Maltsters’ wills p.170 II. Was economic fractionalism within the artisan segment p.173 of Saffron Walden society in the eighteenth century determined by the personal qualities of the artisan concerned? III. What other factors influenced the existence of potential p.178 economic fractionalism within the artisan sector in eighteenth century Saffron Walden? IV. Conclusion p.181 Chapter 7 The impact of religious fractionalism, literacy and gender on the p.183 artisan segment in Saffron Walden in the eighteenth century. Did religious persuasion matter? I. The religious make-up of the town p.183 II. Religion and the economic success of the artisan p.185 segment of Saffron Walden society i. The Independents and Baptists p.186 ii. The Society of Friends or Quakers p.191 iv iii. Conclusion p.199 III. Literacy and the Artisan: did reading and writing matter? p.202 Did it increase fractionalism? IV. The Female Artisan? Did she exist or was she just her p.215 husband’s helpmeet? V. Conclusion p.223 Chapter 8 Conclusion p.226 i. Fractionalism p.226 ii. Misfortune p.232 iii. Institutional Impact p.234 iv. Summary p.239 Bibliography A) Manuscripts p.244 B) Primary printed sources p.258 C) Books p.261 D) Articles and contributions to books p.267 E) Theses and dissertations p.272 F) Data Sets p.272 Appendices Appendix 1: Wills of artisans p.273 Appendix 2: Fire Insurance in Saffron Walden p.286 Appendix 3: The 1811 Saffron Walden Census p.299 Appendix 4: Thomas Scrambler: A man whose aspirations p.304 exceeded his fate Appendix 5: The fortunes of the Archer family p.306 Appendix 6: The 1793 Survey of the Inhabitants of Bocking p.312 Appendix 7: Places of Worship in Saffron Walden p.315 v List of Illustrations Photograph 1: Market Row p.39 Photograph 2: Butcher Row p.39 Photograph 3: Mercer Row p.40 Photograph 4: Rose and Crown Hotel, Market Place p.41 Photograph 5: A former malting on the corner of p.43 Middleton Place, now a private residence, once a saffron warehouse. Photograph 6: The entrance to the former malting in p.43 Gold Street vi List of Maps 1. Saffron Walden and its surrounding counties p.24 2. Saffron Walden and its hinterland p.25 3. Saffron Walden and Audley End p.27 4. The position of maltings by street in 1794 p.31 5. Edward Eyre’s 1758 map of the town of p.38 Saffron Walden 6. Map of Saffron Walden showing the location p.48 of Almshouse Tenements 7. Map showing 1757 Parish Rate defaulters by p.49 street 8. Map showing 1794 Parish Rate defaulters by p.50 street vii List of Tables Table 1: Owners of Maltings, the streets in which they are listed p.45 in the Parish Rate Book of 1794 (D/B 2/PAR11/2) and their rateable value. Table 2: Poor Rates made between 1794 and 1800. p.92 Table 3: Masters of the Almshouse and the most senior civic role p.98 held by the Master, if any. Table 4: Parish Constables named in Quaker Listing of Distraints p.103 levied for non-payment of Church Rate. Table 5: The civic offices held by men who served as both overseer p.106 and churchwarden in Saffron Walden. Table 6: Occupations of 105 men serving as Overseers of the Poor p.111 whose occupation has been identified. Table 7: Relationships between people with Saffron Walden p.118 connections listed in the Tylers and Bricklayers Register of Apprentices. Table 8: Number of boys in each category of apprentices whose p. 132 masters were located in Saffron Walden or nearby villages. Table 9: Average legacies left by different artisanal groups based p. 171 on locally proved wills and wills proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. Table 10: Percentages of different artisanal groups making reference p. 172 to property in their wills. Table 11: Percentages of each sample group able to sign their name p.173 on their will. Table 12: Percentages of each sample group able to sign their name p.207 on their will. Table 13: Percentages of Masters taking apprentices under p.208 Bromfield’s Charity able to sign their names on Apprenticeship Indentures, making or mark or where there is no evidence. Table 14: Percentages of Saffron Walden based masters able to p.211 sign their names in the four quarters of the eighteenth century. Table 15: References to female apprentices or mistresses in p.217 Saffron Walden. Tables to be found in Appendix1 Table 16: Wills of Bakers p.273 Table 17: Wills of Cabinet Makers p.274 viii Table 18: Wills of Clock and Watch Makers p.275 Table 19: Wills of Cloth Makers p.276 Table 20: Wills of Cordwainers p.278 Table 21: Wills of Maltsters p.280 Table 22: Wills of Metalworkers p.284 Tables to be found in Appendix 2 Table 23: Analysis of Eighteenth Century Insurance records p.287 in Saffron Walden based on UKDA Study SN 1838 Table 24: Locations of properties held by policy holders showing p.294 whether owned or rented based on the 1780 Land Tax ERO, Q/RPI 896 Table 25: Locations of Properties of Insurance Policy Holders p.296 (Based on 1780 Land Tax details ERO, Q/RPI 896) Tables to be found Appendix 3 Table 26: Information drawn from 1811 Census p.300 Table 27: The Enumeration Abstract for the 1801 Census provides p.303 the above information about Saffron Walden ix List of charts Chart 1: Percentages of the population of each of the recorded streets p.47 in Saffron Walden who did not pay the Parish Rate in 1757.