Week 36: Tradesman #52Ancestorsin52Weeks

My great great grandfather James Walker died in 1862 at the age of 85. The occupation given on his death certificate is that of Master Blacksmith. He was retired by that time - he retired between 1851 and 1861 as witnessed by the censuses of those years. Unfortunately by the time of his death, he was also described as a 'pauper'.

James had been born in Linlithgow in 1777, the son of a farm labourer. Becoming a blacksmith was therefore a step up as blacksmiths were skilled craftspeople, providing important services in their community. Valued by both townspeople and farmers, they created and maintained the implements needed for daily life. As well as making the horseshoes we are all familiar with, they would make parts of ploughs, cowbells, tools, hammers - in fact anything that required iron being hammered to create.

Most started an apprenticeship around the age of 14 and this would last about seven years. At that point their 'master' would test their skills and if they passed, the apprentice would become a 'blacksmith journeyman'. These blacksmiths would travel to nearby villages repairing metal tools. Hopefully they would earn enough money to then set up their own blacksmith's shop or 'smiddy'. However, they would still be under supervision of a master.

James had a large family, including eight sons. Only two of them, John and Lamont, my great grandfather, followed in his footsteps.

At age 14 Lamont was an agricultural labourer, but by the age of 23 in 1851, he was a journeyman blacksmith. No mean feat, as only 17% of apprentices would have accomplished that by that age in the 1800s. Lamont lived and worked in Holytown, Lanarkshire before later on in life, moving to Shotts in his 40s, where his address was 'The Smiddy' - so I guess he set up his own blacksmiths shop too. He also became a blacksmith at a local colliery. He didn't get the chance to retire - he died of pneumonia at the age of 51 in 1881. None of his sons followed their father's trade.

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