Glassblowing - Apprenticeship?

[saw119]

I'm currently looking at high level glassblowing in late 18th century London. Does anyone else have experience of glassblowers in their family? Is it the kind of occupation that would have required an apprenticeship? Ratcliff Crown glass is an extreme quality product and highly skilled it seems.

[Viktoria]

You say the firm is still in existence, could you enquire direct  about your relative. They may well have records as an apprentice could serve at least seven years before he got his indentures.
It was a big day, when he was ragged unmercifully ,dunked in water butts,greased and sooted etc.
Have a bash ,you may be lucky.
                                               Viktoria.

[saw119]

You say the firm is still in existence, could you enquire direct  about your relative. They may well have records as an apprentice could serve at least seven years before he got his indentures.
It was a big day, when he was ragged unmercifully ,dunked in water butts,greased and sooted etc.
Have a bash ,you may be lucky.
                                               Viktoria.

Thanks but Ratcliff Crown Glass is a kind of high quality glass used for glazing windows and not a company. I was trying to illustrate the high level of skill required to produce it. Google it, it's quite fascinating actually.

[goldie61]

I see the Who Do You Think You Are magazine for Sept 2017 had a 3 page article about Glassmakers.
Unfortunately it seems to focus on the 19th century, when Tyneside dominated the industry, although it briefly mentions London, Lancashire, Yorkshire and Scotland as other areas where it was made.
It might be worth a read as a general background.
I like the quote "In the 1840s a 13 year old boy would 'blow' 200 pipes of glass in a 12 hour shift".
And we say those were the 'good old days'................ !
You can probably get the issue from a local library (even here on the other side of the world!). 

[Viktoria]

Pilkingtons of Lancashire may have patented the method of "floating" molten glass to make very much larger sheets than was then   possible.Some RootsChatter will know.
Your person would  not be a glassblower as that was not the method for flat sheets.
You need to know who made the Ratcliff Glass in London and go from there.
Best of luck.Viktoria.

[saw119]

Pilkingtons of Lancashire may have patented the method of "floating" molten glass to make very much larger sheets than was then   possible.Some RootsChatter will know.
Your person would  not be a glassblower as that was not the method for flat sheets.
You need to know who made the Ratcliff Glass in London and go from there.
Best of luck.Viktoria.

Crown glass is blown and is not a sheet. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_glass_(window)
I don't know for certain the man I'm researching was involved in the crown glass trade but it was produced in Ratcliff and his occupation is given as 'Ratcliff glassblower'. There is much work to be done though.

[stanmapstone]

From the Glasgow Herald - Monday 10 March 1845

Stan

[stanmapstone]

It was John Bowles whose factory was at the Bear Garden, Bankside, Southwark, and who opened another crown glasshouse at Cockhill, Ratcliff. He later opened a third factory at Lambeth.
You can see Cock Hill on the map at https://www.old-maps.co.uk/index.html#/Map/535697/180790/11/100909

Stan

[saw119]

It was John Bowles whose factory was at the Bear Garden, Bankside, Southwark, and who opened another crown glasshouse at Cockhill, Ratcliff. He later opened a third factory at Lambeth.
You can see Cock Hill on the map at https://www.old-maps.co.uk/index.html#/Map/535697/180790/11/100909

Stan

Yes, it was adjacent to Glasshouse Fields, which is still there amazingly, and can be clearly seen on Roque's wonderful map of 1746. That's the most famous glassworks in Ratcliff. However, is that the only one?