Freemen of Newcastle Part 4 Another Barber Surgeon

Roger Wouldhave (RO020)1652-1681

Roger was baptised in December 1652.  His father was Lawrance Wouldhave (LA010), a coal-fitter, who had married Phillis Ruxabel (PH010) in October 1646 at All Saints Church in Newcastle.  Roger was the fifth of seven children.

A modern view of the Castle Keep, the last refuge
during the siege of Newcastle. 
St Nicholas Cathedral can be seen to the right of the Keep

Roger's parents married and raised their family in turbulent times; the Siege of Newcastle had ended in unconditional surrender of the Royalist Town to Scottish troops acting for the Parliamentarians in October 1644.  The town had suffered much damage particularly around the Quayside and from Westgate to the Bigg Market.  The townsfolk had endured nine weeks of rationing and lack of firewood. The Royalist casualties were not recorded but it is likely that most of the town’s garrison was killed either during the siege or the sacking that followed.  It is possible that Roger was named after a relative, Roger Wouldhave, who was involved in the defense of Newcastle and later served in the Scottish Army. 

Modern view of Tudor houses in Newcastle which filled
the Sandhill, Westgate and Quayside areas

In May 1646 King Charles I was held prisoner by the Scots in a stately mansion called Anderson Place, which was on the west side of Pilgrim Street and he was allowed the freedom to move around Newcastle in daily walks or riding, until an escape attempt, organised by the Queen, who was in France, was thwarted by the Scottish troops. After 9 months of negotiations, Charles was handed over to the parliamentary commissioners and the Scots left Newcastle. Charles I was executed in 1649 and the Commonwealth proclaimed which lasted until 1660 when Charles II acceded the throne.

Roger was three years old when his father died in 1657 and he is mentioned in Lawrence’s will (National Archives Prob11/276) as a beneficiary.

In September 1669 Roger was bound apprentice to Robert Rooksby to serve seven years apprenticeship as a Barber Surgeon.  By this time the monarchy had been restored with the accession of Charles II. Roger was admitted to the Company of Barber Surgeons in 1676. He was mentioned in the company minutes when he complained that another member of the company had taken a patient, Robert Bartram, out of his hands; he was later remunerated for this. Roger attended meetings until his death in October 1681, aged 29 years. His burial was recorded in St Nicholas register in Newcastle and it notes that he was buried in woollen.  The Burying in Woollen Acts 1666-1680 required the dead to be buried in a pure English wool shroud and not a foreign textile, unless destitute or a plague victim.   

Freemen of Newcastle Part 3 Barber Surgeons

The earliest records of Barber Surgeons in Newcastle start from 1442.  The oldest minute book is from 1616-1686, order books date from 1619 and apprentice enrolments from 1723 (From Tyne and Wear Archives).

The Arms of the Company of Barber Surgeons in a display
at Tyne and Wear Discovery Museum

Barber surgeons differed from Physicians in that they were trained by trade rather than academically.  They could perform minor surgical procedures such as bloodletting, cupping therapy or pulling teeth.  They could also cut hair, shave or trim facial hair.

A Display of instruments used by barber Surgeons including a
Bone Saw and Amputation Knives at the
Tyne and Wear Discovery Museum

Apprenticeships lasted seven years during which time marriage was forbidden. In 1671 apprentices paid forty shillings at the end of their seven year term in order to become free brothers.  Those who were sons of brothers had to pay thirty three shillings in order to become a free brother.

In the latter part of the eighteenth century the company declined partly due to the growth of hospitals and medical schools as well as the improvement and specialisation of medicine.

John Wouldhave (JO010) 1635-1704)

John was the son of Henry Wouldhave of Newcastle upon Tyne.  He was baptised in Newcastle St John’s in 1635. He was apprenticed to Robert Archbold in 1650 to serve for seven years.  Near the end of this time he and his master were held to account for his marriage to Ann before he had completed his apprenticeship.  In the Minute Book for a meeting on 16 February 1657 the consequences of this are given: John is fined 40 shillings and if Ann was found to be with child before his apprenticeship expired he would be fined 40s for every child.  In November that year John paid his 40s fine for his early marriage and also 40s to be admitted into the Company.

John and Ann’s first child was Margerie, born 2^nd August 1661.  They had a second daughter, Bridget, born 1663 and a son, John, born in February 1668.  Ann died in May 1668 and John, no doubt needing someone to look after his very young family, remarried in August 1668.  His wife was Grace Rutter, a widow.

 John is listed as an attendee at many of the meetings in the minute books and he is also listed as attending the burials of other members of the Company.  His signature is in the minute books alongside that of other members of the Company on agreeing changes to their constitution.

John's signature 3rd from the bottom

He became employed directly by the Company of Barber Surgeons and Wax and Tallow Chandlers in 1690; he had a salary of £2 per year.  It isn’t clear what work this involved although it is listed that he provided food (1690), looked after the workmen (1692) and travelled on behalf of the Company (North Shields in 1692). In 1703 it appears that he was provided with a house to live in by the Company, possibly because of his age or physical condition.  He died the next year and was buried in St John’s in October 1704.  He was described as a Barber Surgeon of Manor Chair in All Saints Parish in the register.  The Company paid the church dues and also paid his salary to his wife (£2 and 6 shillings).  His wife Grace was paid various sums during the next few months and then received a ‘pension’ of 10 shillings each year until her death in May 1708.  The Company also paid for her coffin.  

Freemen of Newcastle Part 2 Skinners and Glovers

The Skinners were one of the oldest guilds of the town of Newcastle, dating from at least medieval times. Following the dissolution of the monasteries in the reign of Henry VIII, Blackfriars in Newcastle was bought by Newcastle Corporation in 1544 and leased to some of the town’s guilds.  The Skinners and Glovers were based in the buildings of Blackfriars for centuries.  The buildings of Blackfriars survive today forming a picturesque survival from medieval times with small shops and a restaurant.

There were Wouldhaves admitted to and working in the Guild of Skinners and Glovers from the beginning of the seventeenth century until the middle of the eighteenth century, all from one family line. They are all recorded in the registers of St Andrew’s Church, which dates from the late 1100s.

 

The baptismal font at St Andrew's
Church, Newcastle

Thomas is the first Wouldhave mentioned in the registers as a Skinner and Glover. He was possibly born in 1610, the son of Thomas Wouldhave, a yeoman, who died before his son’s birth.  From the books of the Skinners and Glovers, available to view at Tyne and Wear Archives, Thomas was apprenticed to Robert R Bates in 1619. Thomas married Elizabeth Hixson in 1628 and their son Robert was born in 1629. Thomas died in 1653 and in his will he asked to be buried in the Parish Church of St Andrews, on the North side. He left his house to his wife, Elizabeth and another “little house” adjoining it. After her death, the house was to pass onto his son, Robert.  The “little house” was to pass to his daughter Elizabeth after his wife’s death.

Inside St Andrew's Church,
the North Aisle is on the left
of this picture

Robert Wouldhave appears on the list of Newcastle Freemen in 1649 as a Skinner and Glover.  He also was the Parish Clerk of St Andrew’s from 1667.  He seems not to have been successful in the parish clerk role because in 1673 the Vicar complained about his conduct and asked for him to be excommunicated. Robert married Susan Stanger in 1652 and they had a number of children who did not survive infancy.  Their son John (JO039) born in 1671 was entered into the book of Skinners and Glovers in 1677 as a free brother’s son.

John married Ann Smyth in 1695 and their son William (WI039) was born in 1697. John lived in the Groat Market of Newcastle, where he is likely to have sold his wares; he died in 1704 and was buried in the North Aisle of St Andrew’s.  In his will he left all his “ready money, household goods, plate, stock in trade, shop goods and all other effects” to his wife Anne. 

William was apprenticed as a Tanner to Thomas Pattison and appears to have been very successful in this area.  His death notice in the Newcastle Courant in 1759 said

“He had acquired a handsome fortune in the business of a Tanner and Skinner with good character”

William's signature on the will of Susan Hylton

William did not marry.  His will included some small gifts:

·         John Barnes of Sunderland, Boatbuilder £100;

·         William and Francis Stainback , sons of Francis Stainback, late innkeeper of the city of Durham £50 each;

·         Servant Mary Smailes £20;

·         Ralph Smith, saddler’s apprentice in Sunderland, son of Ralph Smith of Sedgefield, Balcksmith, £20.

The residue went to his sole executrix Alice Thompson, wife of Thomas Thompson, Newcastle upon Tyne, Joiner.  It’s not yet clear what relationship there was between William and Alice.

William was also involved in the wool trade.  In some communication with Isaac Wilson in Kendal about an alleged debt for wool received, it is clear that William is dealing in wool of various qualities (Letter available for viewing at Kendal Archives).  Thomas Thompson pursued the debt after William’s death.

Wouldhave as a middle name Part 1

The forename of a relative is sometimes used to honour a particular familial connection or heritage. This can be helpful in tracing the ancestry of a person, although it can take some research to find the original connection.  In 1789, the 18th-century inventor William Wouldhave (WI050) proposed a model for a self-righting lifeboat in response to a competition to reward any inventor who could provide a craft for the purpose of saving lives from a shipwreck. 

The monument to Wouldhave and Greathead was used on
commemorative certificates from South Shields

Although his model did not win the competition, William’s concept led to the building of the first lifeboat by Henry Greathead. There was correspondence in local and national newspapers fifty years later, but it wasn’t until  1887 that William Wouldhave was commemorated by the Wouldhave Memorial, at Pier Head, South Shields for his part in the invention of the self-righting lifeboat.  It seems likely that some parents had heard the name Wouldhave from the newspapers and may have had it in mind when they chose a middle name for their child – especially if there was someone in their family with that surname.

The Etherington Family

The Etherington family, originating in the Barnard Castle area, used the middle name Wouldhave for 3 generations and the link to the surname comes from the early 19^th century. 

Wouldhave origins

Henry Hutchinson was a whitesmith in Barnard Castle.  A Whitesmith was someone who worked in tin or other light metals.  They worked mostly on cold metals (in comparison to a Blacksmith who worked on hot metals). Henry Hutchinson married two Wouldhave sisters.  In 1803 he married Mary Wouldhave (MA096) born 1778.  Mary died in 1807 aged 29 years, a month after the birth of her daughter Frances.  In 1814 Henry married Mary’s younger sister, Hannah (HA091) born 1786.  Hannah died later in 1814, aged 28 years, two months after the birth of her daughter Mary.

Mary and Hannah were daughters of Michael Wouldhave (MI091) and Hannah formerly Crampton (HA094).  Michael was registered as a Freeman of Newcastle through patrimony, his father having been a Barber Surgeon.  Michael was a woollen stuff maker and dyer (listed in a directory in 1793 of Barnard Castle).

Mary Hutchinson (born 1814), daughter of Henry and Hannah, married Thomas Etherington in Gainford in 1833.  They were living in Gainford in the 1841 census. Thomas was a carpet weaver.  Although the woollen industry was prominent throughout the 18^th century in Barnard Castle and the surrounding area, a decline in the demand for woollen cloth early in the 19^th century resulted in high unemployment.  In order to make use of the plentiful supplies of wool in the area, manufacturers introduced carpet weaving.  Factories were built along the riverside and by 1834 the town had seven carpet manufacturing businesses.

1st generation

Mary and Thomas had several children including Thomas Wouldhave Etherington (1) born in 1857.  Thomas was also a carpet weaver and he married Mary Jane Robinson at Startforth in 1879.  Thomas died aged 40 years of heart failure and pneumonia.  His family lived in The Bank, in Barnard Castle.  His son, Thomas Wouldhave Etherington (2)was born in 1882. 

2nd generation

Thomas Wouldhave Etherington (2) married Mary Lizzie McKitton in 1907.  His brother John married Annie Mole in 1909.  The both had sons with Wouldhave as a middle name.

3rd generation

Robert Wouldhave Etherington was the son of Thomas (2) and Mary Lizzie. He was born in 1908 and died in 1932.

Thomas Wouldhave Etherington (3) was the son of John and Annie.  He was born in 1909, married Mary I Rutherford in 1932 and died in 2000.