Help regarding apprenticeship

[Penholder]

My (possible) ancestor, Joseph BONNER, was born in Hinckley, Leicestershire and later apprenticed there by the Officers of the Parish of Nuneaton.     My information comes from a 1747 Settlement Examination in Nuneaton.   It seems the apprenticeship didn't work out because after two and a half years his uncle Richard BONNER paid £2 to have the indenture transferred.   My chap spent five or six years living with him in Burbage and then an unspecified amount of time in Nuneaton before his examination.   If he's the right man then he seems to have been allowed to remain in Nuneaton.

I don't really understand what was going on but I'm guessing there must have been a family connection with Nuneaton before Hinckley?   The names have proved too common to be sure which is the right baptism in Hinckley, particularly as I don't know how old he was at the examination, or to identify grandparents.   He seems to have had his first child in Nuneaton later in 1747 but I have never found a marriage in Warwickshire or Leicestershire - only checking online.    Any explanations would be gratefully received, and also ideas on how to proceed from here.

Diana

[jim1]

He would have been apprenticed until 21.
A typical starting age would be 12.
As an ex apprentice he may have been given certain rights within the Parish.
You don't say what he was apprenticed in.
This is what the Settlement Act was all about:
Acts of Parliament in 1691 and 1697. Between them, these later Acts created a system directed at monitoring migration, in preference to the simple exclusion of outsiders. From the 1690s you could gain a settlement through, birth, marriage, apprenticeship, regular employment for a period of a year, renting a house worth £10 per annum, paying parochial taxes, or serving as a parish officer. As importantly, the 1697 Act built on the rudimentary provision for granting certificates of settlement laid out in the 1662 Act to create a more comprehensive system and mechanism whereby poor migrants could defend themselves from removal, while they sought work. After 1697 a certificate man could not be removed until they actually sought relief from their parish of residence.
Have you seen the document in question ?

[Penholder]

Hi jim1

Thank you very much for your reply.   The only document I have seen is the Settlement Examination of 1747, which gave me all the information I have.   As Joseph was born in Hinckley I don't understand why the Officers of the Parish of Nuneaton would have got involved in arranging his apprenticeship.   Do you happen to know if their records have survived?   It tried looking on the Warwickshire Archives website but couldn't see anything promising.

Since Joseph didn't say how long he'd been living in Nuneaton before the Settlement Examination do you think I should assume it would have taken place at age 21?   That would mean he'd been living in the town for a year or so if I add up the time he spent in Hinckley and the time he spent with his uncle in Burbage.

I don't know for certain what Joseph was apprenticed in but some years later a man of the same name took on an apprentice of his own and he was a frame work knitter.

Regards,

Diana

[jim1]

I would suggest contacting the Nuneaton FHS. There were a number of framework knitters working there & they may have some useful information:
http://www.nnwfhs.org.uk/
You could also take a look here:
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/apprentices-and-masters/
It's possible he was illegitimate/orphan or his parents were receiving relief from the Parish which meant a child or children could then be apprenticed out or found work by the Parish.
Although he was born in another Parish he would have been deemed to be from the Parish of his father which may have been Nuneaton.

[Penholder]

Hi jim1

Thank you for the advice, which I will follow up.   I thought there must be a family connection so it's good to have that confirmed as the most likely explanation for Nuneaton getting involved.   Sadly I can't find uncle Richard being born there but I'll keep digging at making a connection through him too.

Best wishes,

Diana