Are you able to decipher the occupation of this person from 1841 Census?

[careylynne]

Hi there,

Is anyone able to decipher the occupation of the second person, Robert Potts, aged 20 from this 1841 Census? I believe the above name is Ann Lynn -does this say Pauper?

Thank you in advance to anyone that is able to help!

[Ruskie]

Yes, Ann Lynn is a Pauper. I am still working on Robert's occupation, but the "J" may stand for Journeyman.

(It is so feint that I'm not even certain his surname is Potts).

One of the clever people may be able to enhance the image to make it clearer.

Added: Now I think I can see the occupation as "Shoe - J" I can't see anything else. If it is "Shoe" you might expect the occupation to have an abbreviated "maker" (or similar) rather than just plain "Shoe". I think I see a dash before the J but maybe there is a letter or two as well or instead of the dash? 

Does "Shoe something" fit in with what you know about Robert?

[barryd]

I am asking more questions than giving answers. To help I believe we are on the 1841 Census of Widdrington, Northumberland. "Shoe" could be a horse shoe. Is a "J" Journeyman too young at 20. Or is he really older than 20 and the Census Taker following the +- ages that blight that Census. 

[barryd]

Widdrington Village, 1 mile (1.6 km) to the northeast beside the A1065, with one close-knit residential side-street hilly lane, a pub, farm shop, and the parish church (Holy Trinity) that is Grade I listed and dates to the Norman era

[Nanna52]

I agree with you Ruskie, shoe-J. 

[Ruskie]

It depends how long the shoe(making?) apprenticeship was, and how old he was when he started it, as to whether Robert is old enough to be a Journeyman.

For example lets say he started his apprenticeship at age 11 and the apprenticeship was for 6 years, then he would have finished it when he was 17 years old, so it is possible that he is old enough to be a journeyman if his age is accurately recorded as 20 years old. If he started a seven year apprenticeship at age 14 and completed it at age 21 it is still possible Robert was a journeyman if he was aged 24 at census time but his age was rounded down to 20.
(added: ages and time frames are just to serve as an example and may not be accurate) 

It may also be that Robert said he was not a Journeyman but perhaps he was big noting himself.

[careylynne]

Actually the word shoe would make sense, I did not make that out myself.

What I know of Robert Potts is that from 1851 census he was born approximately 1821 and was an Ag Labourer.  The birth certificate of his daughter in the same year states he is a Husbandman.

However in 1854 his second daughters birth certificate he is listed as a cordwainer....and then his first daughters marriage certificate lists him as a shoemaker.

I can't seem to find much on Robert...I cannot locate his death record..though his wife Ann (nee Summerside) is listed as widowed by 1861 before she remarried a couple of years later. I cannot locate a marriage certificate either for Ann and robert so Im struggling to find his parents details to help me explore further down the tree.

There are another Robert and Ann Potts in the same area and I wonder if they are his parents but I have no evidence.

If this says shoe something..it is strange he has changed his profession and years later returned to it.

Thank you for your help!

[Jebber]

There was no change in occupation, Cordwainer is just another term for shoemaker.

[Billyblue]

Re his age - remember that in the 1841 census people's ages were rounded down to the five year mark.  So he
 could have been anything from 20 -24.

As Jebber says, cordwainer is a shoemaker as distinct from a shoe repairer (cobbler)

Dawn M