Apprenticeships

Many parents could not afford to send their children to school at all. Without an education, youngsters usually had three options: domestic service, farm work, or learning a trade. A completed apprenticeship generally provided the best means of making a living, often a very good living. Some of the wealthiest people in Hereford followed a trade and ran a business. A Richard Davies, fishmonger, for example, was a councillor until 1582, when he was disqualified for being a Catholic. In fact the trade guilds (of which there were fourteen by the 15th century) more or less controlled local government.

One way to find out which trades prospered in Hereford is to study the list of trades which participated in the annual Corpus Christi procession. In 1503, for example the following guilds took part:

Glovers; Carpenters; Chandlers (candle makers); Skinners; Fletchers (arrow makers); Vintners (wine merchants); Tailors; Drapers; Saddlers; Cordmakers; Tanners; Walkers (foresters); Butchers; Cappers; Dyers; Smiths; Barbers; Porters; Mercers (textile merchants); and Bakers.

The 1562 list shows some changes:

Carpenters; Corvisers; Goldsmiths; Saddlers; Fullers; Tailors; Butchers; Bowyers (bow makers) and Fletchers; Blacksmiths; Bakers; Drapers; Glovers; Barbers; Dyers; Tanners; Chandlers; and Motley Weavers.

Unfortunately, few guild documents survive for Hereford. Apart from one account book and minute book from the Haberdashers' and Barbers' Company 1612-1757, which is held at Hereford Library, nothing remains.

The children of craftsmen often followed their parents into the same line of work. To become a skilled journeyman, and perhaps even a master, you had to have been an apprentice with a master for between five and seven years, and sometimes even longer. Apprentices lived in the household of the master, where they were given food and drink as well as instruction in the chosen trade. Often the parents had to pay the master to take on their son, but sometimes the apprentice was given a small wage.

The contract between the master and the apprentice was called an indenture. Indentures were legally binding on both the master and the apprentice, and usually followed an accepted standard format. The following extracts of the indenture of Richard Jay to William Jay of Putley, Glover, spell out some of the rules governing the apprentice and some which govern the behaviour of the master:

Richard is to "serve his master well ... fornication within the house of his said Master hee shall not commit, matrimony with any woman dureinge the said tearme hee shall not contract ... he will not waste his master's goods, not lend them to anouther without license, he will not haunt taverns of custom unless about his master's business, nor play at cards or dice or absent himself by day or night."

William Jay was to teach him in the "arte, mistery and occupation of a glover, and find him meat, drink, lodging and boarding". The boy's father, however, was to buy his clothes.

Girls too could be apprenticed to a master to learn a trade. The Hereford Record Office also has the 1665 indenture of Elisabeth Badham of the City of Hereford to Thomas Amies, garter weaver. The wording of this document is very similar to that of William Jay above.

"Thomas Amies as her Master well and faithfully [she] shall serve, his seecretts shall keepe, his comandments lawfull and honest eviewhere shall doe, Fornicacon in the house of her said Master nor without shee shall not comitt hurt unto her said Master shee shall not doe nor cause to be done to the value of twelve pence by the yeare ... but as a true and faithfull Servant ought to behave herselfe as well in works as in deedes."

He in turn is to teach her, give her "sufficient meate, drinke, lodgeinge, washinge and wringinge, and all other things necessary or belonging to an Apprentice of such a Trade to be found after the maner and Custome of the Citty of Hereford. In Wittness whereof the p[ar]ties to these p[re]sent Indentures have interchaingeably putt theire hands and Seales the six and twentieth day of Aprill in the yeare of the rainge of our Sov[er]aigne Lord Charles the second by the grace of God of England Scotland France and Ireland Kinge defender of the Faith &c the seaventeenth Anno Dm 1665."

For a young person to be indentured, a bond had to be paid, which was refunded at the end of the apprenticeship. Poor people often could not afford to pay this money and had to apply to the city, which had a fund set up for such purposes. People often left sums of money in their wills for this fund. Two such benefactors in Hereford were a Mr. Harper and a Mr. Woods. The following excerpts from the Mayor's Court Book for 1659 (held in Hereford Record Office) demonstrate that girls too benefited from this fund:

"Ordered Johan Harris daughter of David Harris and Joane his wife being an orphane to be allowed £3.00 of Harpers mony to be bound to Richard Lawford."

"Ordered Eliz. Thomas to be bound with £3.00 of Mr. Harpers mony bound to Anne Davies semster."

One interesting case of 1619 shows that ruthless masters sometimes tried to get apprentices to run away near the end of their term, so that they would not have to return the bond. Thomas Lucas petitioned the mayor of Hereford, John Clark, "against his master for cruel ill-treatment". He alleged that his master, the dyer Thomas Church, had called him a thief, born of a whore and begotten of a devil. Thomas Church, with the aid of his son, had also beaten him with a great staff and a set of keys, and broken his head in eight places as well as his arm.

Apprentices too were sometimes charged with violent and unseemly behaviour. In 1627 John Addams of Hereford was accused by his master of disorderly and rebellious behaviour. This involved breaking his master's windows, overindulging in alcohol, fighting, gambling, beating the maid, hitting the master and staying out all night. Not surprisingly, the report concludes, "all are in dread of him".

[Original author: Toria Forsyth-Moser, 2003]