Brass manufacture isn't a new thing, even the Romans experimented to produce it. Until the passing of the Mines Royal Act in 1689 which removed the crown monopoly on mining and brass production the trade had heavily relied on skilled workers from the continent.
Up until the end of the 18th century Bristol dominated the brass industry in Britain. In the 18th century Birmingham's toy trade produced items such as buckles, button and sugar tongs and large amounts of sheet brass and ingots from the Champion Brass Works in Bristol made their way to Birmingham
The first patent for "Refining copper and manufacturing brass and brass wire" was granted in Birmingham in 1767. Until the 19th century casting (pouring molten copper alloys into moulds) was the usual method used by brass founders. Braziers produced candlesticks, pails, kettles and kitchen utensils working with sheet brass. Both Braziers and Brass Founders had their own guilds established in London, but Birmingham was not a guild town and this allowed it to attract workers and entrepreneurs from near and far.
By the time Queen Victoria came to the throne in 1837 Birmingham had become the centre of the industry. Innovative practices, organisation of the workforce and working practices were factors which benefitted the growth in the industry. A lot of the work of a brazier had been taken over by stamping machines, but casting continued to prosper in the production of buttons, doorknobs, curtain rods and church furniture.
As demand for one type of product declined another took its place: electrical fittings for the developing Electric Lighting industry, scales for weighing letters came out of the launch of Penny Post. By the end of the 19th century manufacturers were producing a wide range of goods, some specialising in one area others offering a range. These included lamp-making, gas and electrical fittings, bell and general foundry, cock-making and plumbers brass foundry, rolled brass, stamped work, naval brass foundry and tube manufacture. The increasingly mechanised stamping and piercing work manufacturing buttons, medals and other ornamental work resulted in a larger female workforce.
Metal frame beds and brass bedsteads had become more desired and fashionable in the early 1800s as they were more hygienic and easier to clean (recommended by Florence Nightingale) and the developments in production resulted in higher quality metals at cheaper prices.
Some of my grandmother's aunts left their home in Leamington, Warwickshire as young girls and found employment in Birmingham in the 1880-1890s. For a short time before her marriage Fanny Timms was a Metallic Bedstead Decorator. What exactly did a Bedstead Decorator do ? Painting decorative detail using a set pattern or design on porcelain or china decorations or bed knobs ? Did she have a creative flair or was it just a matter of reproducing a pattern over and over again ? Fanny married John Ashford who was a Cycle Polisher in the burgeoning Bicycle industry. In 1901 on the census their neighbours were mostly Brass Dressers, Pearl Workers, Brass Casters, Brass Polishers, Japanners and Brass Finishers.
There have been lots of B occupations mentioned here - more than I had initially decided to mention - and to think I always though Birmingham was most famous for chocolate and that Bournville factory run by the Cadbury family.
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