Apprenticeships of John Stables & Ann’s (née Tyas) Children
In the 18th and 19th centuries it was common practice for parents to ‘sell’ their children to tradesmen or landowners. The children received work, accommodation and food but their wages were paid directly to their parents until the terms of the apprenticeship had been satisfied. Markets were held annually, where landowners bought children to work their land on one-year contracts, with their wages paid directly to their parents up front.
Before the mid-twentieth century an apprenticeship (usually lasting seven years) was the usual, and often the only way, for a tradesman to train for his occupation.
Under the Poor Law Act of 1601, the parish could pay to have orphans and the children of parents on poor relief apprenticed. This, however, was often no more than a means of disposing of the children cheaply, and they were not apprenticed to learn a trade but merely to become household and farm servants. Copies of apprenticeship agreements, known as 'indentures', can be found in parish and township poor law records.
In some industrial areas, pauper children were 'apprenticed' to factory-owners. Doncaster was a predominantly rural area until the mid-nineteenth century, with few factories. However, the only surviving overseers account book for the township of Doncaster (for 1794-1795) records that children from Doncaster were being sent to the cotton mill of Davison and Hawksley at Arnold, near Nottingham.
Doncaster Archive Services hold information about the apprenticeships of two of John and Ann Tyas’s children. I have transcribed their entries here:
Mary Stables
|
Age: |
14 |
|
Parents: |
John & Ann Stables |
|
Residence: |
Darfield |
|
Date of Indenture: |
28 Feb 1821 |
|
Apprenticed To: |
William Haxworth, Butcher, Darfield |
|
Terms: |
“Till she shall attain the age of 18 years or marriage”. |
Matthew Stables
|
Age: |
11 |
|
Parents: |
John & Nanny Stables |
|
Residence: |
Darfield |
|
Date of Indenture: |
17 May 1817 |
|
Apprenticed To: |
Rev. Henry Cooke, Rector, Darfield |
|
Terms: |
7 years |
It seems that John & Ann may have lied about Matthew’s age, in order to secure his apprenticeship, because my baptism records show that he was born in Bolton-on-Dearne in 1804, which would have made him 13 when he started his apprenticeship.
These are photographs of the actual apprenticeships register of Darfield that is held by Doncaster Archive Services.
Darfield Apprenticeships Register - Introduction
Matthew Stables's Entry - First Half
Matthew Stables's Entry - Second Half
