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Archiver > ENG-WARKS-BIRMINGHAM > 2003-04 > 1049234550


From: "Paul Prescott" <>
Subject: Re: [B'ham] Engineer
Date: Tue, 1 Apr 2003 23:02:47 +0100
References: <004301c2efe2$1995f2e0$431f8aca@default> <000b01c2f53b$e0ea6b10$0307a8c0@clg8hzotywl8fm> <00b601c2f7b9$0aacc360$451f8aca@default> <004e01c2f7d3$43769440$29cc86d9@freeserve.co.uk> <00f901c2f88e$77db4b20$471f8aca@default>


Fay:

Yes, I think a "barrel filer" very probably worked in the gun trade. A
"polisher" could work in any of a number of trades, but the gun making one
is fairly likely. The jewellery trade - like gun making, one of the trades
for which Birmingham was famous - is another possibility, and there are
several others.

Returning briefly to "engineer" - mining and train driving are just two
(albeit fairly common) possibilities, Engines were used in many areas of
employment, and the operators of any of them were engineers.

Best wishes

Paul Prescott


----- Original Message -----
From: "alan marshall" <>
To: <>
Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2003 9:37 PM
Subject: Re: [B'ham] Engineer


> Hi Paul,
> Thanks for your explanation of the term "engineer".
> You have opened up a different viewpoint to what I had held. Will look in
> other directions now - mining & train drivers. Thomas Gough was an
engineer
> for at least 24 years which indicates that he had stable employment or at
> least no need to change his type of occupation. His children (the ones I
can
> find anyway) were shown in the various census as barrel filer, polisher,
> brass founder, engine driver, gold beater & 1 was a gun maker but had
> previously been a gun lock filer. Regarding the barrel filer - do you
think
> that this could be a gun barrel filer? Ditto the polisher.
>
> Regards,
> Fay (Aus)
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Paul Prescott" <>
> To: <>
> Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2003 8:10 AM
> Subject: [B'ham] Engineer
>
>
> > Fay:
> >
> > The word "engineer" meant something quite different in the 1840s from
what
> > it means today. Then it just meant "operator of an engine". This could
> be
> > any sort of engine, although in the Midlands mine pumping machines would
> > often be a good bet.
> >
> > The term "engineer" still survives in modern US English with the meaning
> > "driver of a railway engine", although it no longer has that meaning in
UK
> > English. Not sure about Aussie English. That is a possible meaning in
> the
> > 1840s too, but there were many more mines than trains, particularly at
> that
> > date!
> >
> > Best wishes
> >
> > Paul Prescott
> >
> >
> > > Thomas Gough was an engineer
> > > (don't know what sort) 1840's (according to his son's marriage cert
> 1867
> > &
> > > his own marriage cert 1843), seems to have done his apprenticeship
> early
> > > 1800's.
> > > My Dad (Thomas' ggrandson) was a marine engineer - but don't have
any
> > > paperwork on indentures which is strange because he kept a lot of his
> > > papers. He got his tickets at sea following the end of WW2. He served
> in
> > > the merchant navy then after the war he stayed on at sea working on
> Burns
> > > Philp ships until he was finished with studying. I suppose he was
> > > indentured, I don't know.
> > > Fay (Aus)
> >
> >
> >
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