Any way of tracing jewellers?

[Guest]

Hello all, just joined the site! I have just discovered my great, great great grandfather was a jeweller in Manchester in the middle of the 1800s. I presume he owned a shop as after his death his widow is described as 'working jeweller employing 3 men and 3 boys'. Is there any way of tracing jewellers from days gone by? In one of the censuses, their address is Victoria St in Manchester and as this appears to be central Manchester I thought this may be the shop address but no luck so far! Any help greatly appreciated!

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

Hi Rebecca, welcome to the forum.

I had a quick google using "victorian jeweller" + manchester and came up with a few references but nothing that looks like a site dedicated to the trade and/or people connected to it. In the past I have found sites along those lines in the photographic and clock/watchmaker industries so it might be a case of trying different search criteria. Perhaps the name = jeweller for example might bring something up. If I find anything i'll add it here.

My first thoughts are to check the National Archives for the name and also try the London Gazette site. Would a jeweller be apprenticed or a member of a guild? If it were a small family business however there may not be any records to find, i'm still hunting down my clockmaker after several years but found the photographer straight away.

[Little Nell]

You may be able to trace how long this shop was in business through trades directories. It's also possible the relevant archives may have records.

[Olde Crone Holden]

Have you looked in trade directories? Street directories? Where was he in the previous censuses?

OC

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

Found this, might not answer the general jeweller but handy for anyone looking for a silversmith as it notes names, locations, assay offices and marks for makers,

http://www.thimbleselect.bizland.com/silversmiths.htm#about

[Olde Crone Holden]

My Manchester jeweller turned out to be a pawnbroker, lol.

OC

[Christine in Herts]

This is a good (free) site for trade directories: http://www.historicaldirectories.org/

Christine

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

My Manchester jeweller turned out to be a pawnbroker, lol.

OC

Knowing you OC, that doesn't come as a suprise.

[Olde Crone Holden]

Glen

It came as a big surprise to me and mine though, as we had been brought up on tales of our great grandfather, the Master Jeweller!

OC

[naomiatt]

Hi Rebecca, what religion were they at the time?

[Glen in Tinsel Knickers]

Glen

It came as a big surprise to me and mine though, as we had been brought up on tales of our great grandfather, the Master Jeweller!

OC

A bit like my furniture broker, the directories lead you to think he had a vast emporium full of fine clothes and furniture but it seems it was more like a charity shop with 2nd hand furniture and clothes, he did have several premises at one point and add in the register of servants and book keeping duties though and he did pretty well judging by his estate when he died. The business went to a daughter but not gifted in the will, (that daughter wasn't mentioned at all in the probate) so I wonder if she bought the business before he fell ill or if they did a deal of some kind.

Now there is a thought, perhaps Rebecca night find something via a probate record, maybe not an address but at least an indication of how well, or otherwise, the business did.

[Rebecca Taylor]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I'll try looking at the trade directories and the probate lists next! I don't know the name of the shop but it could have been his own family name of McAlpin as you suggest. I'm not sure of the religion- he was born in Scotland.

[margaretmarch]

I would look at the Manchester City Council website too. They have quite a bit on old Manchester including a whole raft of photographs taken in the 1960s when various areas were cleared for redevelopment.
Can't think to the moment where Victoria Street might have been but there is a contact on the site and they have old maps and when I made an enquiry they very kindly sent me a map showing old streets.
Margaret

[margaretmarch]

Here's a link to the site for old photographs http://www.manchester.gov.uk/info/44..._of_manchester
Margaret