Tin Plate Workers

[kerryb]

I have a family called Traies who lived in London in 1850s to 1890 and most of them were Tin Plate Workers and Gas Meter fitters which I understand is linked.

I have found the main website for the Worshipful Company of Tin Plate Workers and have googled but I can't find any information about the actual work they did, what sort of conditions would they have worked under etc?

Does anyone know a website or a book that would tell me more about this occupation.  It's one of the few industrial occupations on my tree and I would like to know more.

Thank you

Kerry

[Lydart]

Hi Kerry ... I live in the Wye Valley near Monmouth, and there used to be a tin plate works in Redbrook, along the Wye.   I've got lots of books about the area, so will have a browse a bit later for you !   (No idea at the moment what work was done there, but good opportunity to find out !)

[old rowley]

Thanks for putting this up Kerry as I also have some tin plate workers within my family tree who worked in the Bethnal Green area and I would also be interested in what there is around with regards to the type of work that they undertook.

old rowley

[kerryb]

Old Rowley

I wonder whether there were a lot of them in certain areas such as inner cities.  Bethnal Green is not that far from where mine were in Shoreditch.

Kerry

[kerryb]

Lydart

From what I could see on the bits I found on google they seemed to be concentrated in Wales and the South West, presumably where the tin came from.  How they ended up in London not sure?  Interestingly enough my family came to London from Devon.

Looking forward to what ever you can find 

Kerry

[Lydart]

Hi Kerry,
I've not had a lot of luck, but tin-plate workers are shown in photos in a book called 'Monmouth and the River Wye in Old Photographs'; there's also a bit about them in another book, called 'The Water Powered Inustries of the Lower Wye Valley' by S D Coates ... I quote:

"The coating of iron plates with tin to prevent corrosion, tinplate, probably evolved in Germany in the 13th century and its use for containers gradually began to displace fragile glass and pottery and expensive pewter and brass.  Andrew Yarranton is generally credited with having introduced tinplate making into this country following a visit to Saxony in 1665, and by the 1720's Pontypool [a local town in S. Wales] had become an important centre for its manufacture under John Hanbury."

If you want me to scan and send you the pictures out of the first book, send me a PM with your email, and I'll send them that way !

Not a lot of use, and I guess you may get more info on the process by Googling ! 

[kerryb]

Hi Lydart

Thanks for looking, I'm going to have to do some serious googling at the weekend.  The fact that it was water powered has got me even more interested.  Also the fact that in London they have a Worshipful Company.

Kerry

[Rockford]

Kerry,

One of my relations was at various times, a tinsmith, a tin plate worker and a dry gas meter maker!  He started out in Edinburgh and moved to Finsbury in London in the late 1840s, before ending up in Buckinghamshire.  My impression is that, before the days of mass production, he would originally have made [and repaired?] kettles, jugs, cooking and eating utensils, tankards and the like.  When he lived in Finsbury, the neighbours included a tailor, an embroiderer, a green grocer, a clock maker, a master baker and a gold beater, so it must have been a fairly skilled occupation!

I've seen an old photograph of a tinsmith in his workshop around 1900 and it looks like a mini blacksmiths - a small fire and pieces of tin of various sizes hanging about.  There was also a workbench with an assortment of hammers, pincers and other tools.  It didn't look like a large scale enterprise, which perhaps explains why my relation moved South, where there were perhaps more opportunities.

Best wishes

Rockford

[kerryb]

Hi Rockford and welcome to Rootschat.

It is sounding more and more likely that there would have been lots in cities like London where lots of kettles and the such like would be required.  I wonder also if that is why my James Traies left Devon for London in 1800s, more money to be had up there.

I haven't had chance to google yet but when I do if I find anything of any worth I will put the link here so that others can see too.

Kerry