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I have the GRO marriage certificate for Thomas HATTERSLEY (born 1819 York) and Ann MARSDEN (born 1820) dated 8 Sep 1840 at St Peter & St Paul (later Sheffield Cathedral). His occupation is given as "Scissors" which is not quite informative enough!
Can anyone check the parish register to see if the original is more informative?
On the census 1841 he is shown as a "Scissor Maker", in 1851 he is a "Scissor Smith".
He changed his name about 1842 to Thomas RUDD, reason not known. He had his own company "Thomas Rudd & Sons", date of formation not known.
Two further questions
- how do I find out about his apprenticeship?
- how do I find out when his company was formed? It's under the wing of a different company now and they don't have any information.
J
Hi J,
The only Thomas Hattersley I am turning up on the 1841 census that maybe correct is a 20year old with a 20 year old wife? Elizabeth and son James. He was a cutler.
On the info you have where in Sheffield was he living in 1841 please.
Elaine in Ottawa.
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This is the one:
1841 St Philips Rd, Sheffield Yorks HO107/1335/1 f10
Thos HATTERSLEY 20 Scissor Mak Yes Yorks 1821
Ann HATTERSLEY 20 Yes Yorks 1821
Frederick HATTERSLEY 3m Yes Yorks 1841
FreeBMD death Sep 1850 Ann Rudd Sheffield vol 22 p398 - certificate bought
Hi J,
Should have checked the 1841 census out that we had transcribed back in 2004.
The family is showing up on that.
Checked again on Ancestry and as you said he is listed as a Scissor Maker.
I would say the marriage cert you have is him and the minister at the Parish Church shortened scissor smith to scissor(s). There are two marriages at the Parish Church in September for a Thomas Hattersley.
1. Thomas & Elizabeth Johnson ref. 6/235/471
and
2. Thomas & Ann Marsden ref. 6/228/455
These entries should all be on FindMyPast. I only have Ancestry.
He is NOT listed on the Apprentice & Freemen listed over to the left which you can check for yourself.
Could be that it was after they stopped listing them or he was trained by his father and never reported as such.
Hope this is helpful.
Elaine in Ottawa.
Instant Messenger: Skype
Jay,
The role of the Cutlers Company changed in 1814, so apprenticeships listing by them ceased from that point.
Also at that point the registration of trade marks ceased to be compulsory, though the Company retained jurisdiction over trade marks which had already been registered by 1814.
Do you have the trade mark of Thomas Hattersley/Rudd?
Dave
Jay, a company called Thomas Rudd &Sons cannot have existed before his second son was born. That will give you its earliest possible date.
Dave
Thank you so much for the image of the original. The "B" writing by the clerk is very ornate, but I can see the S for the Smith after Scissor.
Huge help.
Jay
True. His second son was registered as Thomas Hattersley RUDD, born apparently at Leavy Greave, Nether Hallam. Mother Ann/Hanna died at 36 St Phillips Road in 1850, so not sure if Thomas was born in a nursing home or something.
The census returns for father Thomas don't show him as a manufacturer until 1871, previous census show him as scissor smith.
Descendants in Australia suggest that some sons of his second marriage were selling "Thomas Rudd and Sons" scissors out there. But nobody can quite work out when it first started. I do not know of a "mark".
Jay
Hi Jay,
In the newspapers for the year 1867, various dates, there are advertisements
for Thomas Rudd who has opened a shop at no. 8 Change Alley, manufacturer of
scissors, razors, cutlery etc (long list of goods).
Moira.
From Tweedales Directory of Sheffield Cutlery Manufacturers.
Thomas Rudd
According to a trade advertisement. Thomas Rudd established his business in 1844. In the following year, he was listed in Eyre Street. By 1849, he was based in Tudor Street, with a residence in St Philip's Road. By the 1850s, he was making scissors in Ecclesall Road, while also running a grocery business. In the early 1860s, Rudd's address was Victoria Scissor Works, Sycamore Street, where he advertised as a maker of "Fine scissors, tailors and American shears, horse-clipping, pruning, paper and flower scissors and button hooks". He also occasionally worked as a grocer. By 1868 when he advertised in the local directory, he was living in Wolstenholm Road. By 1871, Rudd had moved his business to Norfolk Street and was living in Winter Street.
Thomas Rudd was apparently married twice. A relative of the family has suggested that Thomas Rudd's original name (when first married) had been Hattersley. His second wife was Frances, a scissor burnisher, who was the daughter of Joseph Gibbins. Rudd had several sons from his marriages, including Charles Edward, Albert Edward and William Henry Rudd. Thomas Rudd died on 10 November 1873 aged 54, after a long and painful illness, and was buried in the General Cemetery. He left under £450. Frances was buried in the same grave, aged 53, on 6 August 1886.
The business was restyled Thomas Rudd & Sons and by 1876 was based in Norfolk Street, with Charles E Rudd as the senior partner. Frederick H Rudd was a scissor manufacturer at Regent Works, Regent Street, and also running a tobacconist's shop. Around the turn of the century, the business seems to have disappeared from directories, though by 1905 Charles E Rudd was listed as a scissor manufacturer at No 48 (back of) Eyre Street. Albert E Rudd was a manager at an unknown factory address. By 1911 Thomas Rudd and Sons was listed again at the back of Eyre Street, with Charles E Rudd as a partner, living in Broomspring Lane. The business still operated in Eyre Street in the interwar years, with William Henry Rudd as the partner by the 1930s. It was not listed after 1960 and was absoebed by Bolton Surgical Ltd, a Sheffield maker of surgical instruments.
Angela
Wonderful. Thank you so much. Have you any idea when that entry in the Tweedales Directory was published?
The information contained therein regarding addresses is hugely helpful, though I have the 1871 address as William Street. So he was only 25 or so when he started his business.
Was/is there such a thing as Freedom of the City of Sheffield? Would Thomas have had to obtained his Freedom in order to trade within the City?
Yes Thomas was definitely married twice! His first wife was Ann Marsden (my ggg grandmother) and this Forum helped me enormously in tracking her family background, making her not quite so anonymous as she had been to me.
Frederick H Rudd was my gg grandfather (full name Frederick Henry Hattersley Rudd): the youngest son was Albert Edward Rudd and he definitely went to Australia. He died in 1936 in Sydney with no descendants, but I think there was a couple of other brothers out there at around the same time.
Again many thanks.
Jay
Have just ordered a copy of Tweedales Directory - from "Lulu Press" at £35 cheaper by far than Amazon!
Thank you.