Do you have corkcutter ancestors?

[corkcutter]

Thanks everyone for the cork cutter information.  It's really appreciated.  At the moment I have a fairly extensive list of "masters" in England, but of course there are thousands of employees that I need to collect.

Thanks Tim for your suggestion of an "occupations" section.  It would certainly be a great idea if it takes off.

Cheryl

[Timbottawa]

Hi Cheryl,

As well as my own g-g-grandfather, James Boyle, in the 1871 census they had living with them:

J. Marston; 22; born: Leeds, Yorkshire; Relationship: Lodger' Occupation: Cork cutter.

Cheers

Tim

[corkcutter]

Thanks Tim,

I had already picked up the Marston lodger from your 1871 census enquiry and found it quite interesting as Marston is a name that crops up in corkcutting in Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds. Of course this could be coincidence, but corkcutting was such an unusual job that I feel there are usually family ties within common surnames.

Incidentally, I have your ancestor James Boyle (probably) in 1841 in a Salford/Manchester Trade Directory.  These are easy to see on the Leicester University Historical Directories site. 

Cheryl

[Timbottawa]

Hi Cheryl,

Interesting, the record of James Boyle in 1841 in Salford/Manchester, but it can't be "my" James.  He was only born in 1827 in Leeds, so would have only been 14 in 1841 ... possibly apprenticing at the time, but surely too young to appear in a trade directory.

James' father was Archibald, and a joiner, but could the 1841 James possibly be "my" James' grandfather?  As you say, trades tend to run in families, and I've been unable to locate Archibald before he turns up in Rothwell, Yorks, to marry a Grace Watson in 1822.  I've only located two of their children - James and an older sister, so James could have been their oldest son, and named after the grandfather.  Purely speculative, of course, but very interesting!

All the best

Tim

[genna]

Hi Cheryl

I too must read the article you've written about cork cutters. My great grandfather Peter Byrne b. 1842 in Liverpool is shown as a cork cutter on his marriage certificate dated 25/08/1867. His father Joseph Byrne (deceased at the time of his marriage) was either a Cork or Cart manufacturer, the handwriting is difficult to make out. I'm inclined to think it's Cork but will have to do some checking first.

Helen

[Timbottawa]

By the way .... this should really go on "The Lighter Side", but since the topic is on-going here ....

The surname Boyle is most closely associated with Cork, Ireland.  Since at least the 17th century, mayors, bishops, virtually any dignatary you can imagine, carried the Boyle surname.

My brother and I, as well as paternal cousins, were all brought up being told that our g-g-grandfather had been Lord Mayor of Cork.  Quite how my 4 grandparents had ended up solid working class in Yorkshire, I couldn't quite envisage.

But you can imagine how I laughed when I acquired my g-grandfather's birth certificate and saw his father's occupation ... cork cutter.

Anyway, now I instruct my children that their g-g-g-grandfather was Lord Mayor of Cork ... ahem ... cutting!

Cheers

Tim

[exessexgirl]

Just read your items on cork cutting.When my g.grandfather married in 1896 his marriage certificate shows him as a cork cutter. It also shows his fathers profession as a cork cutter. Seems as though it wasn't the nicest of jobs :)Lyn

[lindagene]

Can anyone explain to me just where all the cork that was being cut came from?

Lindy

[Clincher]

I think Portugal was/is a big producer of cork partly because it has the trees and the right climate for the trees and it had a vested interest in producing cork for the use of its own wine trade.
I have heard that since the introduction of screw-on tops for bottles and cardboard cartons for wine the cork trade has taken a hammering. There might be a pun there somewhere.