Pewterers' Company Apprenticeships

The older records of this company are deposited at the Guildhall Library, London.

The Pewterers' Wardens' Accounts survive from 1451 and give names but no details of apprentices and their masters from 1488. The Company's Court Minute Books also give names of apprentices and masters from their commencement in 1551, but without details until 1611. The first entry giving details is for 12 Nov 1611 and is in GL Ms 7090/3 which covers 1589 to 1611. Succeeding volumes in this series cover the following periods 1611-43 (GL Ms 7090/4), 1643-62 (GL Ms 7090/5), 1662-75 (GL Ms 7090/6), 1675-91 (GL Ms 7090/7), 1691-1711 (GL Ms 7090/8), 1711-40 (GL Ms 7090/9 and 1740-71 (GL Ms 7090/10). For three years - 1644-46 - the Court Minute books are deficient and a basic, undetailed record has been recovered from the Wardens' Accounts 1572-1663 (GL Ms 7086/3). Occasional clarifications have been made from some of the surviving rough court minutes 1702-71 (GL Mss 7104/4-26).

Apprenticeships 1764 to 1862 are contained in a special register of apprenticeship bindings (GL Ms 7102), which has been included here up to the end of 1800.

A recent publication The Pewterers of London 1600-1900 (C. Ricketts, London, 2001)lists all those who became free of the Pewterers' in this period, including details of their apprenticeship and other aspects of their careers. However, the online index here contains all apprenticeships in its period, whether the apprentice subsequently became free of the Company or not.

The records of 5,221 Pewterers' apprenticeships have been abstracted.