What is a 'delver"?

[Maiden Stone]

I am a bit late to the discussion but have only just found a a forebear's birth certificate on which her father is described as a Stone Delver and this prompted my search. His occupation is confirmed further in the parish christening record as Quarryman.
With regard to changing occupations, two of my forebears in the Denby area around the middle 1800's appear to have moved from Weaving to Mining, presumably because employment back then was so precarious.

There were many stone delphs on the moor and in fields near the Saxon village in the Lancashire Pennines where I was born. Farming, weaving and quarrying went together in the area. Farms were small and farmers had commoners' rights on the moor. Handloom weaving was done in winter by the farmer. His wife and daughters were spinners. I'm currently researching a family from my village, whose 3 generations occupied 7 small moorland farms over 100 years and 2 families they married with who occupied 6 farms on the moor in the next parish. Some of their farms were tiny, less than 10 acres. A few progressed to 40 or so acres of mainly poor land. Each of the 3 families had men who were quarriers for at least part of their working lives.
The patriarch of the family in my village lived 1814-1900. His occupations were weaver 1830s -1846,  farmer 1849, farmer & weaver 1849, handloom weaver 1853, farmer 1855-1861, farm labourer 1871, quarryman 1878, farmer 1881-91. His 4 sons (born 1838-1855) were all quarriers. One later became a farmer. Another set up in a different business in the nearby town and was described as "gentleman" on his son's marriage certificate.
Handloom weaving went into terminal decline in the 19th century. Meanwhile demand for stone increased for buildings in towns.

[Skoosh]

 "When Adam delved & Eve span, who was then the gentleman?"

Skoosh.

[bykerlads]

In West Yorkshire in the 19thC a delver was definitely a stone quarry worker.
My ancestors were delvers in the Elland Flags early1800's, moving to Magnum, Hade Edge, Holmfirth during the 1830's when the quarries were opened up there. The term delver seems to have gradually been replaced by quarryman in censuses as the century went on.
It would have been a hard and dangerous job and it seems that the men tended to work together in family-based groups, employing only men they could trust with their safety.
There was a whole community of delvers living up at Magnum, no doubt in houses built from the very stone they had quarried. And a small mission chapel. These buildings  disappeared I think mid-20thC.
The 3 quarries were named Magnum Bonum, Sans Pareil and, if I recall,  Ne Plus Ultra. Interesting to see the use of Latin and French in such a determinedly Yorkshire location.I have often wondered if the folks there knew what the names meant and how they were pronounced locally.

[Claire64]

Yes, a delver was a quarryman.  There were various quarries where I live, at Green Moor / Hunshelf, between Sheffield and Barnsley.  One of the quarry faces is now recognised as a regionally important geological site.  The stone was recognised as being of excellent qualiity and used nationally.  One of the quarries was called the Delph, and there was a California quarry and an Isle of Skye quarry.  They are no more, but the name lives on in various street names with the name Delph. 

[bykerlads]

Claire 64's mention of Green Moor rang a bit of a bell with me: one of my delver forebears Jonathan Briggs is recorded as resident at Green More on his marriage cert in 1863. His wife Hannah Swire umbrella maker of Holmfirth is also resident at Green More. A bit odd that, especially as she is "of full age" when actually she was under 21.
Jonathan originally from an Elland delver family, had been a quarryman at Hade Edge in 1861 and again from 1871 onwards.
There must have been quite a bit of movement between quarries amkngst the men.
What is missing in his story is where he was in 1851. Absolutely no trace as far as I can see. Must keep "delving into" this mystery!

[peter_gibson_2]

In the early-mid 19th century hand loom weaving ceased to be economical because of the introduction of power loom weaving - the "black satanic mills - which could produce cloth much cheaper.  So they had to find other jobs - perhaps as a delver ?

[Viktoria]

Also the hand looms ,set up in cottages were limited to weaving cloth in width, I think 44 inches.
However the Peninsular Wars demanded uniforms so broadcloth was more economical ,that would be 54 inches.
You know - Sharp, Sean Bean.
However it also denoted fine quality as in “ fine broadcloth velour” .
It all came together as mills were being built with space for the much wider looms .
That is a sketchy account, many weavers went to the towns ,sadly ,to dreadful conditions.Otherwise they took other employment as has been described.
There was an old term “ To dig and delve” .
As FH researchers,we delve into history ,delve into records etc .Delve into the past.
Viktoria.

[BumbleB]

To add a slightly different meaning of "delver".

A Dictionary of Old Trades, Titles and Occupations - Delver = Digger (as in grave delver).

[Simon62]

Mum's side is from Longridge, Lancs. Tootal Heights supplied the sandstone for the old Town Hall in Preston and many other buildings. The railway from Longridge to Preston was originally gravity driven then mules to haul the empty wagons back to Longridge and originally built for movement of stone. Quarrymen and Delvers make up many of my ancesters on that side. Often in census's their occupations would alternate between farming, game keeping and the quarry.

So notorious was the quarry, folk would have days out in their Sunday Best up the hill to look into the quarry and views over the town.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/rpsmithbarney/5821941697/in/photolist-9fCSwh-U4QoNY-rLUkzG-8Gp7ao-rAmWEB-2hFpV7Y-r7uDQb-rKh4y5-YcJmPR-qZV8zh-rSJyK6-9SsYr8-24y1BNi/