Cabinet Makers, Joiners and Upholsterers

Historically, the term ‘joiner’ ranks above ‘carpenter’ and below ‘cabinetmaker’. The ‘carpenter ‘was mainly concerned with large work and with comparatively soft woods; the ‘joiner’ was mainly concerned with small work in more expensive and harder woods. A ‘cabinetmaker’ made more elaborate furniture, the term "cabinet" being applied to a piece of furniture consisting of a case or box with doors and drawers. Essentially, a ‘cabinetmaker’ was a woodworker who made cabinets and carried out the finer kind of joiner's work.

With the industrial revolution and the application of steam power to cabinet making tools, mass production techniques were gradually applied to nearly all aspects of cabinet making, and the traditional cabinet shop ceased to be the main source of furniture, domestic or commercial. The Wouldhaves in these occupations would have experienced ongoing change in their working practices throughout the nineteenth century. They may have had their own businesses, employing others, or been employees in large businesses.

Michael Wouldhave MI101

Michael was born in 1781 and lived in Barnard Castle.  He was listed in the Gazeteer of Durham in 1827 as living/trading in the Market Place, Barnard Castle.  He was the son of Michael Wouldhave (MI091)(1745-1812) and Hannah (HA091)(1718-1823) nee Crampton, who lived in Barnard Castle.

St Mary's Barnard Castle

Michael Snr had rights as a Freeman of Newcastle, a member of the barber surgeons. Freedom of the City of Newcastle upon Tyne could be claimed in one of two ways. 

• Sons of freemen inherited the freedom from their fathers i.e. by patrimony. But if the father died before his son’s admission (usually at age of 21years), then they were forfeit of their rights. No illegitimate sons could inherit the franchise.
• Freedom was also obtained by serving seven years as an apprentice. Apprentices then gained the right to enter the appropriate trade guild, which in turn gave them the right to seek admission as a Freeman.

Until the Reform Bill of 1832, the Freemen were the only people with the right to vote for their representatives in Parliament. Michael (MI091) was listed as a voter in the poll book for Newcastle of 1777-1780. He was a Freeman by patrimony – his father William was a Freeman. Michael Jnr (MI101) may have become a Freeman (on payment of the admission fee) but we have not found any evidence yet to show that he did.

Poll Book for Newcastle 1877

Michael (MI101) married Jane White in September 1806 in Barnard Castle. Michael worked in Barnard Castle as a Cabinet Maker for some years (in the Pigot’s directory of 1828-29 Michael is listed as a cabinet maker on Market Place and also in charge of the Fleece Inn), until he moved to Leeds with his family sometime in 1830s. Leeds occupied an increasingly favourable position as a trading centre in the North of England during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. According to a Leeds directory of 1839 Michael was a joiner and cabinet maker at Pottery Field and in 1842 Michael is listed at Coburg Street in Leeds. In the 1851 census Michael is living with his family in West Avenue in the St Andrew’s district of Leeds. In 1861 he was a widower living in St James Street with his daughter Hannah (grandmother to Willie Wouldhave Stead – see blog of First World War Wouldhaves part 2).

Jane died in 1851 aged 73 years and Michael died in 1865 aged 84 years. They had a large family, several of whom were also involved as cabinet makers, tailors or upholsterers. All of their children were born in Barnard Castle.

• Sarah Wouldhave (SA103) was born 1807 and married Thomas Bowman in 1827 at Gainford.  Sarah was widowed by the time of the 1851 census; Sarah and her son, Joseph Bowman, were living with her parents in Leeds.  Joseph was listed as a Cabinet Maker.
• Thomas Wouldhave (TH101) was born in 1809 and married Mary Wild in 1838 in Leeds. Thomas was a Cabinet Maker in the 1851, living at Myrtle Place, Hunslet.
• Michael Wouldhave (MI102) was born in 1812 and married Mary Allen in 1857. He was also a cabinet maker and in the 1861 census he is living in Castle St, Leeds.
• George Wouldhave (GE101) was born in 1814.  In the 1851 census he is living with his parents and his occupation is Tailor.
• Hannah Wouldhave (HA109) was born in 1817 and married Robert Wright in 1842 in Leeds.  In the 1861 census she is widowed and living in St James Street, Leeds with her three children and her widowed father.  Her occupation is upholsterer.
• William Crampton Wouldhave (WI104) was born in 1819 and married Sarah Thomas in Leeds. In the 1851 census William is living with his family in Farrar Street, Leeds and his occupation is Tailor. In 1861 they are living in Darley Street, Leeds.  By 1881 he has moved to London and is living in Woodstock Street, Westminster; his daughter Sarah is a tailoress.
• Robert Wouldhave (RO101) was born in 1821 and married Rosetta Churchill, a widow, in 1867 in Harrogate. In the 1871 census he is living in Thomas Yard, Leeds. 
• John Henry Wouldhave (JO111) was born in 1824 and married Jane Dunnington in 1857.  John Henry was an upholsterer and employed a number of men.

Marriage entry for William Crampton Wouldhave (WI104)

Further information about Michael's children will be given in a later blog.