Freedom of London - Haberdashers and Coopers

[debbiebozkurt]

Hi

Have found some great family information out via the records relating to the Freedom of City of London Admissions. What is confusing me is my family of Eldridges through their fathers obtain the Freedom of City of London by belonging to the Haberdashers Guild but they were all coopers.

The first record I can find was an Eleazer Eldridge which states Haberdasher on his sons' admittances but he again appeared to be a 18th century cooper according to some of his children's baptism records - good parish clerk was recording that data in the 1740s.

Now I know coopers were barrel makers so why were they admitted into the Haberdasher's guild even up to the mid 1850s?

I looked at the Haberdashers web site but not over helpful.

Can anyone help me with my query.

Thanks Debbie

[stanmapstone]

From "Ancestral Trails" by Mark D. Herber, page 386.
"The guilds' power gradually diminished and most of them had ceased to operate by the late 18th. century. London was the main exception, the livery companies remaining important in the regulation of trade until the 19th. century......Some guilds survived in other places, generally as charitable bodies. As the guilds declined, the trade that was actually undertaken by a member became less important, so that a son might follow his father into a particular guild or livery company even though he practised a different trade."   


Stan

[behindthefrogs]

The livery companies also had an order of precedence and there were advantages in belonging to a higher ranked companies, particularly for example in becoming officers at the guildhall and possibly lord mayor.  The coopers were ranked 32nd while the haberdashers were ranked eigth.  Belonging to the great twelve (top twelve) also carried further advantages.

As a result there was competition to join the top companies and fathers would where it was advantageous ensure their sons were admitted to their company even if they didn't qualify through apprenticeship.

[sarahmocat]

I have found an Eliazer Eldridge who was apprenticed in 1723 to Edward Daniel of St Buttolph's Aldgate. Eliazer was a cooper, son of John Eldridge, deceased, also a cooper.
Would this be your guy?
He was made a freeman in 1730.
The record comes from Findmypast City of London Haberdashers, Apprentices & Freemen.

I found it as I was looking for my ancestor, Horatio Stevens,  who was apprenticed in 1717 to James Daniel and "turned over" in 1721 to Edward Daniel, cooper, of East Smithfield.

I think there were two different Edward Daniels one in East Smithfield and one in Aldgate - both coopers and both had a lot of apprentices around that time. I too was puzzled by the fact that coopers seem to have been recorded in the Haberdashers company but have found no real explanation of it.