Do you have corkcutter ancestors?

[Paul Garner]

I have a corkcutter ancestor (born about 1770) who lived and worked in York until sometime between 1807 and 1811 when the family then moved to Doncaster. He carried on working as a corkcutter in Doncaster and stayed there for at least another 20 years. He then moved back to York with his second wife and was recorded on the 1841 census as a corkcutter.

What I would like to know is why a corkcutter would move from York to Doncaster and then back to York. I'm intrigued.

Paul

[Byrnadette Boadler]

Hello,
I'm not sure if this quest is still active - but in the research for a project, I came across a number of listings for this profession on this site:
https://www.lan-opc.org.uk/

Apologies in advance if it has already been well-combed.  I'll list a few entries here

Baptism: 23 Jan 1797 St Peter, Liverpool, Lancs.
Frances Cottral - Daughter of William Cottral & Frances
    Born: 20 Dec 1796
    Abode: not given
    Occupation: Corkcutter
    Register: Baptisms 1793 - 1799, Page 61, Entry 30
    Source: LDS Film 1656377

Baptism: 23 Jan 1797 St Peter, Liverpool, Lancs.
Frances Cottral - Daughter of William Cottral & Frances
    Born: 20 Dec 1796
    Abode: not given
    Occupation: Corkcutter
    Register: Baptisms 1793 - 1799, Page 61, Entry 30
    Source: LDS Film 1656377

Baptism: 21 Dec 1856 St Mary, Oldham, Lancs.
Emma Jane Bell - [Child] of James Campbell Bell & Ellen
    Abode: Smethurst Street
    Occupation: Corkcutter
    Baptised by: F. Parsons, Curate
    Register: Baptisms 1850 - 1858, Page 266, Entry 2125
    Source: LDS Film 1656163

Baptism: 30 Mar 1806 St Peter, Liverpool, Lancs.
Eliza Wynn - Daughter of Richard Wynn & Ann (formerly Davies)
    Born: 3 Mar 1806
    Abode: Stanley St.
    Occupation: Corkcutter
    Register: Baptisms 1799 - 1810, Page 204, Entry 6
    Source: LDS Film 1656377

[Byrnadette Boadler]

Baptism: 24 Nov 1805 St Peter, Liverpool, Lancs.
James Jones - Son of Edmund Jones & Mary (formerly Scarsbrick)
    Born: 5 Nov 1805
    Abode: Gradwell St.
    Occupation: Corkcutter
    Register: Baptisms 1799 - 1810, Page 195, Entry 14
    Source: LDS Film 1656377

Baptism: 23 May 1802 St Peter, Liverpool, Lancs.
Ellen Jones - Daughter of Edmund Jones & Mary
    Born: 1 May 1802
    Abode: Gradwell St.
    Occupation: Corkcutter
    Register: Baptisms 1799 - 1810, Page 131, Entry 10
    Source: LDS Film 1656377

Marriage: 17 Feb 1877 St Luke, Chorlton on Medlock, Lancs.
Thomas Benbow - 31 Groom Bachelor of 17 Royle Street
Agnes Howley - (X), 30 Servant Spinster of 9 Melbourne Street
    Groom's Father: Charles Benbow, Coachman
    Bride's Father: James Howley, CorkCutter
    Witness: John Walmsley; Margaret Warmsley
    Married by Banns by: William Arthur Darby M.A. Rector of St Lukes
    Register: Marriages 1859 - 1883, Page 119, Entry 237
    Source: LDS Film 477547

[Byrnadette Boadler]

Baptism: 5 Mar 1797 St Peter, Liverpool, Lancs.
Richard Corfield Bucknal - Son of Jn Bucknal & Mary
    Born: 14 Aug 1796
    Abode: Coopers Row
    Occupation: Corkcutter
    Register: Baptisms 1793 - 1799, Page 64, Entry 5
    Source: LDS Film 1656377

Marriage: 2 Oct 1854 St Mary, Walton on the Hill, Lancs.
Anthony Chapman - of full age, Cork Cutter, Widower, Walton
Jane Keatley - (X), of full age, Spinster, Walton
    Groom's Father: Anthony Chapman, Cork Cutter
    Bride's Father: Nicholas Pinder, Deceased, Bricklayer
    Witness: John Whitely; Mary Whiteley, (X)
    Married by Banns by: Thomas Hornby Vicar
    Register: Marriages 1854 - 1859, Page 34, Entry 68
    Source: LDS Film 1647985

Marriage: 19 Aug 1857 St Mary, Walton on the Hill, Lancs.
Henry Francis - of full age, Cabinet Maker, Bachelor, Kirkdale
Louisa Brien - of full age, Widow, Kirkdale
    Groom's Father: Richard Francis, Carrier
    Bride's Father: William Leathwood, Deceased, Corkcutter
    Witness: Ellen Hunter; John Hop
    Married by Banns by: Thomas Hornby Vicar
    Register: Marriages 1854 - 1859, Page 159, Entry 318
    Source: LDS Film 1647986

[AnnHackett]

Hi
Can anyone tell me how I can get a copy of Cheryl's article. I've searched a lot and can only find back copies of Family History Monthly back to 2005.
Thanks in advance.

[Lucy2]

Hi
Can anyone tell me how I can get a copy of Cheryl's article. I've searched a lot and can only find back copies of Family History Monthly back to 2005.
Thanks in advance.

Hello   ....   you may by now already have an answer to your question above ??

No, I haven't found the article by Cheryl either, but I did come across the following reference to it >

"Barks Requiem :  The Forgotten Trade of Cork Cutting" - by Cheryl B.....* - 'Family History Monthly' - January 2005 - pp 22-24  :

http://whistlerhistory.com/corker/corkCutter.htm
    ... see "Notes" reference (1) on last page :

[ *  I've omitted author's surname in this post. ]

       ~  Lu

[Abhanliath]

Hi Peter,

Thanks ... I found the same entry, but it casts no light on any link to tobacconists.  I really can't envisage any link, so I think the answer is that there isn't one.  Quite why my g-g-grandfather would have taken a break from a life-long career as a cork cutter (or, at least, claimed to have been something different) is beyond me.  If cork cutting really was so menial, and he had succeeded in becoming a "master" tobacconist, which must have paid much better, why go back to cutting cork?

Cheers

Tim

A tobacconist was someone who had a small shop - in French the word 'tabac' (pronounced taba) still means what the English would call a corner shop or newsagent and the Americans a mom-and-pop store.

[jinks]

Wow glad I found this I thought 'Cork Cutter' was a slightly sarcastic way of saying 'does nothing / gentleman'

Just been researching a Salisbury family in one Census (1891) George Salisbury was a Cork Cutter on other dcumentation / Census records he was a Barman, Licensed Victualler, most often down as a Gentleman.

btw this was in Walton on the Hill, Liverpool, Lancashire, England.

[Abhanliath]

Think of a world without plastics.
When I was a kid all kinds of bottles had corks - medicine bottles, whiskey bottles, wine bottles of course.