If there were glassmakers amongst your ancestors, you may find the quest to trace your family history coming to a sudden stop as their names appear and disappear from the records with alarming frequency. Barnsley's fame as a major glassmaking town was based on bottles, millions of bottles, which spread its reputation world wide. However, the skill required to make bottles in common soda glass was not difficult to acquire, even when made by hand using a mould. Boys of ten are often found in the 19th century census returns as glassblowers.

Working with leadglass to make more decorative glassware, such as decanters and drinking glasses, which could then be cut and engraved, was a different matter. This demanded a high level of skill, only learned over many years of experience.

When the Wood brothers came from Dudley, in the Midlands in 1831 to develop the glassworks established in Worsbrough, there were no skilled men in the Barnsley area who were capable of producing the fine lead crystal glassware. They brought a group of men with them from Dudley but, as glassworkers were notorious for moving from one works to another forever seeking pastures new, the men had moved on by the time of the 1851 census. Wood Brothers continually had to recruit from far and wide to maintain their workforce, which was constantly changing. This movement from works to works can be said to be rather inconsiderate of the glassmen if you are tracing your family tree. Few stayed put anywhere for more than a few years.

In the 1830's the brothers brought with them George Clare (cutter), William Dundon (blower) from Ireland, George Fox (cutter), George Harvey (blower), Ruben Harvey (blower), William Hassel (cutter), John Jolly (cutter), Edward Neild (blower), Joseph Roberts (maker), William Rodgers (maker), and Joseph Simon (maker). All these men had left the area by the 1851 census.

The following list gives the adults who were glass-workers employed at the Worsbrough works giving age on first appearance, where born and the census years they appear. There were, in addition, children working in the glasshouse, including some whose surnames are not given here as the head of the family was not at the works. These would make an additional list.

In the following list, origins without a specified county or country are Yorkshire.

During the nineteenth century it was necessary for glassworkers to live near the glasshouse. Glass technology of the time was somewhat hit and miss so that, although the men would turn up for work at 3am on Monday Morning, the glass founder could not guarantee that the glass would be ready and the men may have to be sent home again. They had to live near enough for call-out when it was ready.

In 1871 the landlord of Worsbrough Hall, W.B. Martin, would not renew the lease of the glassworks site on the canal bank near the Worsbrough Bridge Basin. In 1871, the entire works, complete with its glassworkers, (excepting the Priestleys who were still in Worsbrough at the 1881 census), moved to the new works at Hoyle Mill in Barnsley.

None of these names appear in our own family history and their pursuit has been taken no further. However, if any member does find an interest, they should be able to pick up the names of later specialist lead glass workers in the 1881 census for the Barnsley Hoyle Mill District but ……. over to you!

© Dr D Ashurst 1995

The above article was first published in the Journal of the Barnsley Family History Society in January 1995. Reproduced by permission of the Committee & Editors. All Rights Reserved