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Topic: Fancy Jet Maker. Completed. (Read 390 times)
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RBC
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Posts: 283
Georgie (My Father) 6 months old April 1904.
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On the 1891 census for Bedford my grandmother and her sister, 17 and 19yrs old, were Fancy Jet Makers, or that's what the occupation looks like.
Could anyone give me any information about Fancy Jet Makers in Bedford.
Most of my female ancestors were Lace Makers or Staw Plaitters.
Thank you.
RBC
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« Last Edit: Monday 19 May 08 14:49 BST (UK) by RBC »
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Cullen (Kent, London, Hove) Head, Watts, Rawlins, Medlock, Cooper, Hillyer (Bedfordshire) Bissell (Warwickshire)
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behindthefrogs
RootsChat Marquessate
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EDLIN
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A fancy jet maker would be making buttons, beads and other fancy goods out of jet.
Jet buttons were a fashion started by Queen Victoria on the death of Albert in 1861.
David
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Living in Berkshire. Origin Northampton & Milton Keynes DETAILS OF THE FOLLOWING NAMES CAN BE FOUND IN SURNAME INTERESTS AT FOOT OF PAGE Wilson, Higgs, Buswell, PARCELL, Matthews, TAMKIN, Seckington, Pates, Williams, Webb, Arthur, MAYNARD, Caves, Norman, Winch, Culverhouse, Drakeley. Johnson, Routledge, SHIRT, SAICH, Mills, SAUNDERS, EDLIN, Perry, Vickers, Pakeman, Griffiths, Marston, Turner, Child, Sheen, Gray, Woolhouse Census Info is Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk |
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alunno-a
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Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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-just to add,
the fashion for Jet jewellry etc started long before Albert's death, it was not really assos with half-mourning dress- just a bit of a myth that!
good real jet came mainly from N Yorks, hence the term "Whitby Jet"- also Spain etc. But it was very fashionable all over England, with both the raw jet, and semi made peices being traded out to the S E as well as finished peices.
I am really jealous, I would love a relative of mine to have been in the trade!!
Sally.
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WRY- Thompson,Cowburn,Walker, Glossop,
London- Chesney/Chesnut
all areas- Tuxworth
Lincs/ Notts- Graves, White, Wilson,Pedge,Tuxford, Bonner
Devon- Dean, Crode (also NFL) Coode, Tucker, Miles ( origin Hampshire)
Beds/Herts/ Northants- Newberry, Shepherd, Norton, Blackabey
Kent- Munn, Moore
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behindthefrogs
RootsChat Marquessate
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Posts: 3270
EDLIN
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My understanding is that while the manufacture of jet mourning jewellery took off in the Victorian period from 1840 onwards its production was mainly limited to the Whitby area of North Yorkshire. It wasn't until 1861 that the manufacture of other small items like buttons spread to other areas of the country in any volume.
I wouldn't regard the complex early mourning jewellery as being the province of the fancy jet maker.
David
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Living in Berkshire. Origin Northampton & Milton Keynes DETAILS OF THE FOLLOWING NAMES CAN BE FOUND IN SURNAME INTERESTS AT FOOT OF PAGE Wilson, Higgs, Buswell, PARCELL, Matthews, TAMKIN, Seckington, Pates, Williams, Webb, Arthur, MAYNARD, Caves, Norman, Winch, Culverhouse, Drakeley. Johnson, Routledge, SHIRT, SAICH, Mills, SAUNDERS, EDLIN, Perry, Vickers, Pakeman, Griffiths, Marston, Turner, Child, Sheen, Gray, Woolhouse Census Info is Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk |
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alunno-a
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Posts: 161
Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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I don't think your ladies would actually have been carving jet, as this was mainly a man's job, the carvers usually having served an apprenticeship- and it required a workshop of sorts, to accommodate the several different turning machines/lathes, and polishers. and it was a bit mucky! Women usually did the end bit of the process-threading beads, gluing the backs onto brooches, ornaments onto hat pins etc, They tended to do this on shop premises at Whitby, but I suppose they could do it at home without any problem, if the employer trusted them with the stock!! they may have been sewing jet ornamentation onto dresses hats etc too. I found an advert in Harrods directory for Peterborough, a Mrs Neale, advertising jet ornaments, feathers and decorations of all sorts along with her "fancy" woollens and clothing.-1876.
One of the biggest Whitby manufacturers- William Wright- had shops in Brighton and Clerkenwell, and others had shops, and workshops in the South.
I think the best book on jet manufacturing if you're interested is "Jet" by Helen Muller, pub Butterworth Gem Books 1987, ISBN 0-408-03110-7
sally
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WRY- Thompson,Cowburn,Walker, Glossop,
London- Chesney/Chesnut
all areas- Tuxworth
Lincs/ Notts- Graves, White, Wilson,Pedge,Tuxford, Bonner
Devon- Dean, Crode (also NFL) Coode, Tucker, Miles ( origin Hampshire)
Beds/Herts/ Northants- Newberry, Shepherd, Norton, Blackabey
Kent- Munn, Moore
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behindthefrogs
RootsChat Marquessate
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Posts: 3270
EDLIN
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I have just checked the records of my son's lapidary work which he did at the age of thirteen some years ago. One of the materials that he used was jet.
As he did this in his bedroom there couldn't have been too much mess. He used a single machine for what he produced. Admittedly it was driven by an old washing machine motor. However I think this proves that basic work producing buttons, beads, cabochons and basic facetting could have been done at home by women.
Archaeological finds show that jet was used for jewellery thousands of years ago.
David
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Living in Berkshire. Origin Northampton & Milton Keynes DETAILS OF THE FOLLOWING NAMES CAN BE FOUND IN SURNAME INTERESTS AT FOOT OF PAGE Wilson, Higgs, Buswell, PARCELL, Matthews, TAMKIN, Seckington, Pates, Williams, Webb, Arthur, MAYNARD, Caves, Norman, Winch, Culverhouse, Drakeley. Johnson, Routledge, SHIRT, SAICH, Mills, SAUNDERS, EDLIN, Perry, Vickers, Pakeman, Griffiths, Marston, Turner, Child, Sheen, Gray, Woolhouse Census Info is Crown Copyright from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk |
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alunno-a
RootsChat Member
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Posts: 161
Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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Hi David,
What thirteen year old boys do in their bedrooms is no business of Rootschat!!!! But I take your point!!
However, two women working at home to manufacture sufficient quantities on piecework to earn anything worthwhile would be pushing it I think. The raw jet needs to be shaped, faceted, and polished in at least two stages,not to mention the hand drilling etc- and it is very delicate stuff. I am sure they could have worked at home if home was a jet workshop. But I have never come across a female mentioned as a carver,or seen a photo. If you have please let me know. (I am very interested in the history of the industry,having collected jet and its assos stuff for years.)
-but its not kitchen table stuff. Whereas threading etc, and using pre manufactured beading etc would be a homeworkers task- a branch of dressmaking, -if you see what I mean.
Sally.
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WRY- Thompson,Cowburn,Walker, Glossop,
London- Chesney/Chesnut
all areas- Tuxworth
Lincs/ Notts- Graves, White, Wilson,Pedge,Tuxford, Bonner
Devon- Dean, Crode (also NFL) Coode, Tucker, Miles ( origin Hampshire)
Beds/Herts/ Northants- Newberry, Shepherd, Norton, Blackabey
Kent- Munn, Moore
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bedfordshire boy
RootsChat Marquessate
 Online
Posts: 3526
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The J is the same as those for Jemima and Jessie and the final t is the same as Margaret. Looks like Jet to me, but I wasn't aware that Bedford had such an industry.
David
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Census information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.ukBeds: Cople: Luke/Spencer Everton: Hale Henlow: Cooper/Watts/Sabey Potton: Merrill Southill: Faulkner/Litchfield/Sabey Woburn/Husborne Crawley: Surkitt Hunts: Gt Gransden: Merrill/Chandler/Medlock Toseland: Surkitt/Hedge/Corn Cambs: Bourn: Bowd Eltisley: Medlock Graveley: Ford/Revell |
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alunno-a
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Posts: 161
Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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How fascinating!
the birth place for this family, is it Cople?-is that Beds? I cant read that county in top entry.
Sally
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WRY- Thompson,Cowburn,Walker, Glossop,
London- Chesney/Chesnut
all areas- Tuxworth
Lincs/ Notts- Graves, White, Wilson,Pedge,Tuxford, Bonner
Devon- Dean, Crode (also NFL) Coode, Tucker, Miles ( origin Hampshire)
Beds/Herts/ Northants- Newberry, Shepherd, Norton, Blackabey
Kent- Munn, Moore
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bedfordshire boy
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Posts: 3526
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Yes, it's Cople, just over 3 miles from the centre of Bedford
David
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Census information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.ukBeds: Cople: Luke/Spencer Everton: Hale Henlow: Cooper/Watts/Sabey Potton: Merrill Southill: Faulkner/Litchfield/Sabey Woburn/Husborne Crawley: Surkitt Hunts: Gt Gransden: Merrill/Chandler/Medlock Toseland: Surkitt/Hedge/Corn Cambs: Bourn: Bowd Eltisley: Medlock Graveley: Ford/Revell |
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alunno-a
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Thank-you, so it is.
I noticed this Jemima Watts was a Lace maker in 1871 census, and a lot of lace milliners are around too. David-- is this likely to have been the hat trade? In which case these fancy jet makers may have been doing hat pins, ornaments- or jetted net ornaments. In which case we may be barking up the wrong tree- they could be working with glass bead work (aka french jet, Vauxhall glass)....what do you think?
I have a couple of bits of french jet bead work c 1890s which I believe was sold as peices for customers to add to their own clothing ??
Sally
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WRY- Thompson,Cowburn,Walker, Glossop,
London- Chesney/Chesnut
all areas- Tuxworth
Lincs/ Notts- Graves, White, Wilson,Pedge,Tuxford, Bonner
Devon- Dean, Crode (also NFL) Coode, Tucker, Miles ( origin Hampshire)
Beds/Herts/ Northants- Newberry, Shepherd, Norton, Blackabey
Kent- Munn, Moore
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bedfordshire boy
RootsChat Marquessate
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Posts: 3526
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Bedfordshire was big into lacemaking, but the lace was mainly sold to merchants/dealers, most of which ended up in London. Much of it undoubtedly was used on hats, but also on clothing. By 1871 lacemaking was in terminal decline in Beds, due to cheaper machine produced lace.
I checked the 1877 Post Office directory but there's no mention of jet manufacturers in Bedford.
It looks to me as though this was a cottage industry type operation, but whether it was real jet or glass beads I haven't a clue I'm afraid.
David
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Census information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.ukBeds: Cople: Luke/Spencer Everton: Hale Henlow: Cooper/Watts/Sabey Potton: Merrill Southill: Faulkner/Litchfield/Sabey Woburn/Husborne Crawley: Surkitt Hunts: Gt Gransden: Merrill/Chandler/Medlock Toseland: Surkitt/Hedge/Corn Cambs: Bourn: Bowd Eltisley: Medlock Graveley: Ford/Revell |
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