Parkgate Road Training College Chester

[wilcoxon]

 I`m looking for a William Jones b c 1842 Bethesda ,Llanllechid, Caernarvonshire
When he married in 1862 in Chester he was an accountant, abode Foregate Street, one of the witnesses was a Timothy Armor. I have found Timothy and he was an accountant in Wrexham.
William`s wife`s family lived in Wrexham and she is there in 1861.

 In 1861 there is  William Jones born 1842   Lleyn Caernarvonshire, he is an inmate / scholar.
Parkgate  Road Training College, Chester

Would this college have also trained accountants or was it just a teacher training school.
His place of birth is not quite correct. but I can`t find any other that fits

[ShaunJ]

Per Wikipedia (University of Chester)  "The university was founded as Chester Diocesan Training College in 1839 by a distinguished group of local leading figures in the Church of England, including future Prime Ministers William Ewart Gladstone and the 14th Earl of Derby. It was the UK's first purpose-built teacher training college,which makes it one of the longest established higher education institutions in the country. In 1842, Gladstone opened the College's original buildings for its first intake of ten male student teachers on the Parkgate Road site, just outside the City Walls, that the university occupies today."

[wilcoxon]

Thanks.
Student teachers, that's my problem  he was an accountant.
perhaps he decided to change profession, I wonder how old they stayed in the college for training.  I spotted some that were much older than William.   

[Jo Harding]

Hello wilcoxon,

I think that in that period of time, accountants qualified by becoming an articled clerk to an existing firm. This usually required payment of a fee to the firm in order to be an articled clerk with them.

I doubt that any training colleges for accountants existed then. The same system operated for solicitors too.

You might like to see what firms of accountants there were in Chester at that time. I know that there have been firms of accountants in Foregate St for many years.

Jo.

Jo.

[wilcoxon]

I`ve been still trying to find WJ in 1861 with no joy.

The witness stayed in Wrexham for a while.
In 1861 There is a Timothy Armor aged 25 lodging at 47 Hope Street, Wrexham, he is a solicitors general clerk born in Llanrhaiadr
In 1871 Timothy Armor aged 35 lodging in at 2 Regent Place,  Wrexham.
He is a Soliciters magisterial managing 3 clerks. He was born in Llanrhaiadr yn Cinmerch, Denbighshire, Wales.
By 1881 Timothy is an accountant living in Denbigh.

[AdrianB38]

It may not be accurate to read too much into the term "accountant". My 5G GF was described as a book-keeper or agent (in the sense of acting as someone's agent in managing financial matters) during his life but in 1822, after his death, he got upgraded to "accountant".

I'm not sure if accountancy is, even today, one of those professions where you must be qualified to use the term to describe yourself (otherwise "Turf Accountants" might be illegal?  )

Going back to the original query, I'd be very worried about equating Lleyn with anywhere in the Bethesda area for someone's birthplace in the census. People do alter their birthplaces from a small place to the nearest large place but that's a serious distance in miles and in the type of countryside. Of course, there could be a mistake somewhere.

[wilcoxon]

Marriage. 17 Dec 1862  St John, Chester, Cheshire,
William Jones, Accountant age 21 Foregate Street  Father's name Owen  Quarryman
Kate Jones, Spinster age 21 Claremont Walk  Father's name Joseph Grocer
Witnesses Annie Eliz Waring and Timothy Armor.

In all other census after his marriage he is born Bethesda.
I can`t be sure but this may be his family .
The problem is I can`t find any of them in 1861, which is why I thought that WJ in Parkgate might have been him.

1851 Bethesda,  Llanllechid, Caernarvonshire
Owen Jones  40 quarryman b  Llanllechid, Caernarvonshire
 Elizabeth Jones  45 b ? Caernarvonshire
 John Jones  11 Llanllechid, Caernarvonshire
 William Jones  9  b Llanllechid, Caernarvonshire

1871 20 Penygraig. Bethesda, Llanllechid, 
Owen Jones 60 quarryman b Llanllechid, 
Elizabeth Jones 65 b Llanwrst Denbighshire

1881 20 Penygraig ,Bethesda, Llanllechid, 
Owen Jones  70 slate quarryman b Llanllechid, 
 Elizabeth Jones  65 b Llanwrst