Genealogy Chat

Hello all...I hope this is the right place to post this, as a Newbie!

I've discovered that the Hubbard ancestors in my family were 'hatters' by trade. They lived in Borough/Southwark in the 1800's, which seems to be when hatmaking was well established in the borough.

I was wondering....I know in 1841 they were shown as living in Bolton Street, (now Dolben St) in Southwark....Is there any way I can find out exactly where they worked?? The reason is, I'm aware that Christys, the big hatmaking company was around the corner from there, so was wondering if they worked there..

Any way to find out??!?!

Thank you.

Thanks Linda! Will contact the museum and see what they say...

Would be great if my ancestor did work for Christys!

Steph

On the census info the one you saw or later - did it say "at home" or anything? A lot of workers were "out workers", collecting materials and then delivering the finished goods for payment. Unfortunately I dont think its likely you will ever find any sort of records to prove or disprove their employers.

You could try the Southwark Archives Library or google for Southwark Hatters:

Christy’s - Hatters, Bermondsey Street.

Christy's workshops were on on both sides. In 1843, Christy’s was reputed to have been the world’s largest manufacturer. The Southwark silk hat trade employed about 1500 workers at the end of the 19th century. In the early Victorian period felt hats were popular.

An important chemical during the shaping of the hats was dilute sulphuric acid, a highly poisonous substance – hence the saying ‘as mad as a hatter’. Beaver and rabbit skins were also used to make hats. Beaver skins were imported by the Hudson’s Bay Company from the 1670s. In contrast to leather-

Hi Steph,
Quite a few of my family were Hatters in the 1800's in Southwark. I never thought to find out where they worked. One James Males actually hung himself and it was thought to be through the chemicals used in the industry which lead to temporary insanity.
If you get in touch with Christy's and they have a list of people who worked for them I would be very interested.
regards
Shirley

If you look at historical directories, there were dozens of hatter companies in Southwark at that time.