births in Portobello

[Templar75]

The top Glass Makers came up from England to work at William Bailey's Glass works in 1826 there was also a top German Glass Maker who worked there.

The Pottery would be Buchan's in Pipe Street.

Portobello comes under the Parish of Duddingston.

Gilmerton is under the Parish of Liberton.

Regards.

Archie.

[bykerlads]

Thanks, Templar.
Is there any way of researching the parish records for Duddingston?
Also, does anyone know if records exist from Bailey's glassworks and Buchan's pottery? ( unlikely, I'd guess?)

[Templar75]

Hi bykerlads,

                     Unfortunately there are no records for employees for both factory's, I served my Apprenticeship as an Engineer there and my dad worked there for 40 years and was a Production Manager.

As mentioned earlier the Glass works was started by William Bailey ( From Newcastle ) then he sold out to 1856-1866 as Messrs. Cooper and Wood (Partnership split) 1866-1926 as Richard Cooper & Co. End of Cooper dynasty. 1886-1920 (New buildings) Thomas Wood, 1920-1937 Woods Bottle Works then 1937 Works taken over by United Glass Bottle Manufacturers Ltd. The Glass works closed in January 1968.

In the earlier years it would have been hard work blowing the bottles the Craftsmen would have had cheeks like a Bulldog, it would be very hot work working around 12 hours per day but I think in those days he paid them well.

I have attached a photo of how the Portobello Glass Works looked in 1859.

Regards.

Archie.

[bykerlads]

Thanks for the info and photo, Archie.
With ref the hard, thirsty work of the glassblowers, the son of my Portobello glassmaker, also called Jonas Bambrough, returned ( early 1850's) to his father's presumed home-town Newcastle on Tyne where he both worked as a glassmaker and was landlord of a pub located very near the glassworks in Byker- I bet it did a good trade with the glassblowers!!

[Templar75]

Hi  bykerlads,

                      I tried a search on Scotlands People but nothing shows up I tried from 1820 to 1840 but came up with nothing, the only things I can think of is : a) He was born in Newcastle or b) he was born on the way up to Portobello and baptised in Portobello when they arrived.

The Furnace they worked at would have been round in shape with possibly 12 Bottle Blowers each having his own little orifice to take the molten glass out, fro there he would have a small bench in which he would have his tools to work on the shape of the Bottle.

At the time of Jonas working there William Bailey had over 200 men working for him which was great for the local area, when I worked there United Glass had just over 300 people at Portobello, with the Glass Works and Pottery on the go at that time there is a strong possibility that both families lived in Pipe Street.

When arriving in Portobello they would have to have gone in front of the Parish Council to be able to live there, he would have to prove he was a skilled Bottle Blower bu not unless William Bailey had done that for him, however they would have to prove they were married.

I remember my dad telling me that there was a Pub smack in the middle of a Glass factory in England, the workers at their main break time just walked out of the area they worked in and straight int to the Pub, and that was back in the sixties. The reason the Pub was ther was, the owner actually owned the land the Pub was on and would not sell it to I think United Glass, my dad actually saw it when he was on a course down there but don't ask me where it was.

Regards.

Archie.

[sstenning]

  Hibee - Brown is such a common name in Edinburgh as you warned, but I will try for Thomas Brown, born there around 1830, who migrated to Sydney where he worked as an ironmoulder and married in 1851.