Beatson Clark Apprenticeship Indenture

Beatson Clark - Apprenticeship Indenture of Wilfred Atkinson

This document is an apprenticeship indenture from the Beatson Clark, Glass Manufacturers Collection (307-B). It tells the story of Wilfred Atkinson, who entered the world of glass bottle production over 112 year’s ago. The 1891 census for Rotherham shows young Wilfred living with his father Walter and mother Sarah in a now demolished house on Frederick Street.

He became an apprentice at Beatson Clark in 1895 at the age of 15, his father already worked at the factory as a glass maker. A doctor’s letter attached to his apprenticeship indenture shows that he was “not a sturdy lad” and could not cope with “laborious work” such as glass blowing.

In 1898, just three years after starting the job, a foreman’s book shows that Wilfred was signed off work with a cold and exhaustion. He is then recorded as being off for another 4 weeks resulting in his apprenticeship being cancelled. Wilfred Atkinson does not appear in 1901 census hinted that his glass blowing apprenticeship had already had a disastrous effect in him and he had died.

The Beatson Clark catalogue, which was compiled as part of the Rolling out the Archives Project, is available for viewing now in the Archives and Local Studies Searchroom. Come and search the catalogue and use the records to find ancestors, learn more about the history of the local area or maybe research the history of this well-known local business.

 Image Transcript and History of Beatson Clark Apprenticeship Indenture (275 Kb)