The Linlithgow Incorporation of Shoemakers

My 4th great-grandfather Joseph Greenock (1790-1853) was a shoemaker in Linlithgow, Scotland. The shoemaking trade operated under the auspices of the Linlithgow Incorporation of Shoemakers, the local guild. Today the Incorporation's surviving records are held in the National Library of Scotland, in downtown Edinburgh, where it just so happens I visited recently.

Title page from one of one of about a dozen books in the collection

I found references to the Linlithgow collections at the National Library some time ago, and was of course disappointed that they weren't available online. But then we decided to visit Ireland and Scotland this summer, so I thought I might be able to squeeze in an attempt to see the collections while I was there.

My ancestor listed his occupation as "shoemaker" when he joined the British Army in 1808, and was a practicing shoemaker after he left the army in 1826. Two of his sons were also shoemakers. So I figured that if the surviving records included something about apprenticeships or the dues of journeymen, then I should find some references to my ancestors. Spoiler: I found no references to any of my ancestors, not one word. If you're reading this hoping to uncover some nugget about them, you're out of luck. But if you're interested in the arcana of 19th century trade union record keeping, hoo boy, have you come to the right place!

Here's me in the Special Collections Reading Room

We were only going to be in Edinburgh for a couple of days, so I thought it was unlikely that I'd be able to get the necessary library card, do whatever it took to qualify as a researcher, and then actually get access to the collections.

It turned out to be much simpler than I thought. I had started my library card application online, so I just had to finish that up with a quick in-person visit with a member of the library staff. He patiently walked me through the basics and handed me the printed card. I was worried about qualifying as a researcher, but it turns out that there is no such step -- the library card is all you need. One minor hitch is that when you request a collection from the very friendly and helpful Enquiries Desk, the materials have to be physically brought up from whatever catacomb they are stored in. That takes time, of course, possibly stretching to hours. So in my case I did all the up-front work in about 30 minutes of one day, then returned to view the materials the next day. Couldn't be easier, especially since the library is right in the heart of Edinburgh.

The Materials

For the period 1800-1850, I found three broad categories of materials:

• A membership and apprenticeship notebook.
• Sederunt books, essentially meeting minutes.
• Cash books, ledgers listing incoming and outgoing funds, item by item.

The Wrong Joseph Greenock

While I didn't find my ancestors, I did find another Joseph Greenock referenced quite a few times. Or I should say Joseph Greenoak, because while others wrote his name Greenock, he and his son always spelled their name Greenoak. I've run across this person before. He's a generation older than my ancestor (born about 1762, died Christmas Day 1825). He married a woman named Helen Forgie in 1894, after my Joseph was born. But Greenoak was then about 32 years old, so there's an outside chance that there was an earlier marriage that produced my ancestor.

Joseph had a son named Robert, also a shoemaker, who ended up in Edinburgh. Robert erected a verbose tombstone in Linlithgow that named and dated the whole family, so we know a lot about them.

Now the hard truth is that I only spent a couple of hours looking through these books. I was in Edinburgh for the first time, Fringe was going on, my family was out and about, and there were a lot of competing attractions. I looked at every book, focusing on the period from about 1800, when Joseph might have been apprenticed, until about 1853, when he died and his sons had become journeymen. I'm still surprised I didn't see any references to them, and I must accept that it's possible I just missed them.

The Membership Notebook

The smallest book in the collection was possibly the most interesting. It had pages the size of index cards (so probably trigesimo-secundo), bound in leather without a written title or label. I'm referring to it as the Membership Notebook because it recorded when people were accepted into the trade as a journeyman, and when they took on apprentices.

Joseph Greenoak takes an apprentice

Since there weren't many new shoemakers or apprentices in a given year, you can find a decade of records in just a few pages. The problem is that the ordering of the pages is jumbled -- it reads in the ordinary way, but when you turn it upside down and start from the back, it has different records in that direction, too. And I'm not sure it doesn't change directions a few times internally. So while there aren't many records to read, it is hard to be sure you have comprehensively covered a given period of time.

An example of taking an apprentice:

Linlithgow 1st March 1802

Joseph Greenock having an apprentise bound for seven years named James Mitchel and payed five shillings sterling to the box.

William Duncan D

Our Joseph was only 12 at the time, so he could have been an apprentice at around this time, but could not have been a master. In fact our Joseph was a journeyman his whole life, never a master, so he couldn't have taken an apprentice at all.

Later, we find Joseph's son Robert Greenoak (1798-1872) entering the trade as a 21-year-old:

Linlithgow July 29 1819

Robert Greenoak essay being sighted and was aproven of and took his oath of Fidelity and paid five shillings to the Trade and six pence to the clark and was entered accordingly

Samuel Marshall D

The essay was a test, a set of shoes made by the applicant's own hands to prove the applicant's abilities.

Sederunt Minutes Books

I would guess that most of the books in the collection were meeting minutes. They tended to follow a few set patterns, but it wasn't clear to me whether that corresponded to different sorts of meetings, or just different times.

The Incorporation had certain roles that were, as far as I can tell, typical among trade associations of the time.

• A Deacon was elected each year to lead the organization.
• A Boxmaster had possession of the cash box, but not its keys.
• Two Keymasters held the keys to the cash box.
• A Clerk took the meeting notes
• Six masters, who were I think nominated by the Deacon, formed a board.

We therefore see lots of entries like the following, naming the officers:

Linlithgow 23 October 1813

This day the trade being met for the purpose of electing their Deacon and other officebearers Peter Calander was unanimously elected and gave his oath of fidelity and Thomas McBay Boxmaster and gave his oath of fidelity and the following six masters

    Alexr Caldwall )

    Thomas Taylor ) Keykeepers

        Six Masters

        Willam Lam

        Joseph Greenok

        Robert Spence

        James Hardie

        James Clark

        John Easton

        James Darling Clerk

        Peter Callander Deacon

Joseph Greenock's wife was Elizabeth Callander, so it's possible we're seeing a couple of distant relatives in this entry.

The Incorporation sometimes had to lay down the law:

Linlithgow 24 August 1818

The Trade being met in the Deacon’s own house on account of James Hardie Junior having brought cut stuff from Glasgow and we haveing found it enfringeing on the Rights of the Incorporation the said James Hardie appeared and acknowledged his fault and the trade is unanoumas that the Stuff shall all be returned tomorrow with the first Cannon made and unmade and the trade has appointed Joseph Greenock David Callender and Alesander Law to go along with the Deacon and send back accordingly.

Samuel Marshell D

Robert Spence

David Bedback

James Hardie

James Hardie Junior

William Clark

James Grozier

John Callender

Alexr Taylor

Alexr Law

Alexr Duncan

Thomas Taylor

David Callendar

Joseph Greenoak

David Marshall

Robert Harte Clark

Young James Hardie didn't come quietly, however. The next entry:

Sedurent Linlithgow 25 August 1818

The Trade being met in the house of the Deacon when the Deacon reported to the trade that they waited upon James Hardie Junior this day executing to his appointment see his shoes & stuff pack and returned to Glasgow when we would not agree to what was done last night but rather abused the members that was appointed by the Incorporation when the trade came to ?? this night that they informed the Deacon to apply to the Majisterial Court for a warrant or the like ?? as they see fit be put ?? to him for curing on that unregulation? ?? for bringing cut stuff from Glasgow.

    Samuel Marshall

    Alexander Taylor

    David Reddoch

    David Callender

    James Grozier Junior

    James Spence

    James Hardie Junior

    Robert Spence

    William Ergan

    James Clarke

    James Mitchell

    John Callender

    Rob Harte Clarke

    Samuel Marshall D

I didn't follow this sordid story in detail, but I'll note that James Hardie Jr appears to have been a member in good standing later on, so I suppose it all got patched up.

A few years later Joseph Greenoak himself was elected Deacon, recorded by his son the clerk:

Linlithgow Sept 21 1821

The Trade being met in the Court House by orders of the Deacon in his absence the late Deacon was called to the chair. The dues drawn 12/ the Boxmaster presented his accts when the were approved of and the Trade proceeded to elect a Deacon for the insuing year when with the exception of one vote Joseph Greenoak was unanimously elected Deacon John McAlpin Boxmaster & gave their oath of Fidelity

Masters

James Hardie James Hardie Junr

James Clark James Duncan

George Stanners Thos McBay

Key Keepers

Robert Spense         Willm Law

Robert Greenoak Clk

Joseph Greenoak D

The spelling in all of these entries is as close as I can make it out.

The Cash Books

The Cash Books are just ledgers recording practically every transaction of the Incorporation. There were separate pages for incoming and outgoing, and the book itself had pre-printed ledger lines.

An example of Outgoings, starting in September 1825

Sept	24	To the Drummer + Piper at the Election		3	0
	-	To Presenting the Deacon in Counsil		4	0
Novr	7	Spent at Willm Edgars funeral		5	0
		To Henry Murry for cleaning the Seat in the Church		5	0
		To David Haddoch for warning? the Trade		0	7
	14	To David Haddoch? for warning? the comitee (sic)		0	7
		Spent at the Kents Drawing (?)		2	0
		To Widdow Arsbald?		4	0
		To Widdow Forgie		4	0
		To Widdow Brawn		4	0
		To Widdow Duncan		4	0
		To Widdow Waugh		4	0
		To Widdow Hardie		4	0
		To Widdow Edgar		4	0
			2	8	2
	12	To David Reddoch? for warning? the Trade		0	7
	13	Spent at Walter Woods funeral		5	-
		Given to Widow Wood		5	-
Decr	24	To warning? the Trade			7
	26	To George McGrigor for running the Bells		1	-
	-	Spent at St. Stephens		5	-
		Payd part of James Thompsons … Bill	3	5	4
			17	0	0
	27	To Deacon Greenoaks funeral warning			7
	28	Spent at Deacon Greenoaks funeral		5	-
1826 Jany	7	Payd the remainder of James Thomsons Bill in full with interest	3	16	-
		To repairing Betty Langs Door			8
		To Widdow Brown		1
March	30	Payd for Insurance the Trades house		9	6
			24	18

An example of an Incomings page, starting in September 1832:

Sept 1832	20th	Receivings brought forward	29	?	?
	-	Received from John Reid part of his rent	-	?	?
	-	Received James Flint rent	3	?	?
Sept	20	? of dues at the Election	1	?	?
			35	9	?
			34	?	?
		Ballance lying in the boxmaster’s hand	-	15	?
		? James Grozier Rent from May 17th		?	?
Income		Ballance in the Boxmaster's hand	1	3	?
Octr	23	Received from Daniel McGregor as part of his rent	1	15	?
Novr	15	Received David Kerr Whitsunday rent
		by Alexander Spence	1	12	?
		Received Archibald Ainslie Mar+ Rent	1	17	?
		Received from John Durey a balance of his rent		6	?
Novr	19	Received from John Reid his Mar+ Rent	1	7	?
Decr	5	Received Mr. Henderson privilege money	1	1	?
-	-	Received part of James Nimmo Mar+ Rent	1	15	?
	9	Received David Spence Mar? Rent	1	7	?
	17	Received Mr Allison’s Rent in full	5	-	-
	27	Received Bailie Edgar’s privilege money	1	1	?
		Drawn at the St. Stephen Meeting	-	8	6
1833 Janry	1	Received from James Halleday in part of rent	-	5	6
May	15	Received from James Nimmo the ballance of his Martinmas Rent	-	11	0
-	-	Received from John Reid his Whitsunday Rent	1	7	6
-	-	Received from Ebenezer Allan his rent in full	1	16	-
-	-	Received from James Grozier in part of his rent	-	5	-
-	20	Received from John Ward for giving up the claim on Willm Wilson’s clock and looking glass	1	17	?
		Received from Alexander Spence David Reves Rent	3	5	?
			28	2	4 1/2

From this we can see that the Incorporation operated on the traditional Scottish Term Days of Whitsunday (May 15) and Martinmas (November 11, sometimes noted above as Mar+).

One Last Book

There was another type of book that I didn't quite figure out. It was basically a list of names, mostly the same names one would see in the Sederunt Book, and an entry for each year.

Must be dues payments, right?

Lessons Learned

I do almost all my genealogical work online. I've never studied actual historical documents before. So what did I learn from this? First, I think I got lucky with the whole situation; the National Library is conveniently located and well-run, and I could do all the set-up work one day and return the next to do the actual reading, all within one trip to Edinburgh.

In the Reading Room, I didn't really understand what I was seeing. I took a lot of photos (with permission), but it wasn't until I went back over the photos and did some background reading that I began to understand what they were actually telling me. So I suppose in a perfect world I would have done some of that while still in Edinburgh, and then went back for a deeper look. But realistically there just wasn't time.

In any case, this experience does remind me that there is a mountain of information available offline, inconveniently far from where I am at any given time, and probably not indexed for a quick search. But it was thrilling to open each of those collection boxes, slide out a leather-bound book, and carefully open it up not knowing what I might find. Maybe not thrilling to read about, but thrilling to do.