Working around Horsham 1894 - From apprentice to journeyman
Billy’s five year apprenticeship came to an end in April 1894.
He was now a ‘journeyman’, a tradesman paid by the day and subject
to the varying fortunes of the building industry. For the
first few months he stayed on with Sendall Brothers, the company he
had served his apprenticeship with. Billy’s accounts of his work at
that time are still little more than a short record of where he had
worked that day and for how many hours. He was rather more
interested in his friends and his after-work activities and the
following couple of month’s excerpts from his diary provides a more
inclusive account of this time. This first month I have selected
starts with Billy’s completion of his apprenticeship at the end of
April 1894.
Saturday 28th April 1894
Finished apprenticeship at Sendall Bros. today. They made the
offer of 5d per hour for a year or 6d and I take my chance.
Resolved to accept the latter. Spent the evening with Bern[
1]. Took collection of eggs to Charles Marten
for the Museum. Looked in Schoolroom and saw a rehearsal for B of M
entertainment.
Sunday 29th April 1894
Called for Bern then went to Chapel. In the afternoon went to
East Street Primitive Methodist Chapel for the first time. Service
taken by Miss Worboys. Chapel in the evening and choir
practice.
Monday 30th April 1894
Selehurst Gardens 11½hrs[
2]. Gym
this evening as the room’s engaged on Thursday evening.
Tuesday 1st May 1894
Selehurst 11½ hrs. Monthly drill of Fire Brigade this evening.
Took engine to Station and Burfood Rd. Afterwards out with
Nelson Baker[
3] who told me a fine
tale about Sam Baxter.
Wednesday 2nd May 1894
Selehurst 11½ hrs. Come of age today. Mother gave me a silver
watch chain. Father a set of gold studs (the ones Mother gave him
when married), and Bern Charles Kingsley’s “Alton Locke”. Stayed
indoors this evening.
Thursday 3rd May 1894
Shop, F.E.S. and Kings Head. Total 10 hrs. Went with Bern to B
of M entertainment in School room. Very good. Afterwards cleared
room for games.
Friday 4th May 1894
Selehurst 11½ hrs. Choir practice in the evening.
Monday 7th May
Selehurst 11½ hrs. Bern and I started this evening to stain
and varnish the Gallery stairs at F.C.C.[
4]
Tuesday 8th May 1894
Selehurst 11½ hrs and Chapel stairs. Bern very queer again
tonight. Going to be examined tomorrow. Fear something serous is
the matter with him.[
5]
Wednesday 9th May 1894
Selehurst 11½ hrs. Bern was examined by Dr. Kirsopp today who
thinks his liver is out of order. Good job it is nothing more
serious. This evening while out on a stroll we called in at the
Chapel, saw our job was alright, then went up in the Gallery and
fished out from behind the boards a lot of scraps of paper, the
work of Tom Ireland, Sam and Arthur Baker while Sunday School
scholars.[
6]
Thursday 10th May 1894
Too wet for Selehurst so had to stay in Shop. 10 hrs. Choir
practice for Whit Sunday, Afterwards looked in Albion Hall and
heard finish of concert. Very good.
Friday 11th May 1894
“Kings Head” 10 hrs. Good practice for Whit
Sunday.
Kings Head Hotel, Horsham,
2008.
Saturday 12th May 1894
12th May 1894
“Kings Head” 7½ hrs. Was fool enough to lay in bed till 6.45
so had to lose an hour. Spent the evening with Bern and Willie
Sendall.
Sunday 13th May Whit Sunday & Bank Holiday
Monday 14th May 1894
Wait for the forthcoming theme on holidays to find how Billy
spent this Bank Holiday weekend.
Tuesday 15th May 1894
Work goes rough. This afternoon went to Kings Head for 3½hrs.
In the evening came on to rain so went home with Bern to develop
plates taken at Leith Hill etc.[
7]
Think they will turn out A1. Afterwards went for a walk.
Wednesday 16th May 1894
Kings Head 10 hrs. Met B and went for a walk round
Blackbridge, Tower Hill etc. Wrote to AJB to Suez[
8].
Thursday 17th May 1894
Kings Head 9½ hrs. Gym, after a short drill, had run out round
Denne Park and Devils Lane. Detachment of R.A. with 4 guns came
through from Lewes to Godalming.
Horsham from Denne Park, 1895;
reproduced with permission from West Sussex Past Pictures; Ref:
PP/WSL/P000993;
Image credit.
Friday 18th May 1894
Kings Head 10½ hrs. After tea helped F.E.S. writing Grists
Board (?) in the Bishopric, 2 hrs, then choir practice. Bern and I
had run round the cricket field in the moonlight in preparation for
the run.
Saturday 19th May 1894
In dinner hour and after work saw cricket match. Horsham and
MCC resulting in victory for the former. Spent the evening with
Bern. Very cold wind.
Sunday 20th May 1894
It being Trinity Sunday Bern and I went to the Parish Church
this morning[
9]. Heard the Vicar
preach on the Athanasian Creed. Stayed in doors after dinner. No
choir practice as it was settled to drop the anthem for 4 months so
Bern and I went for a walk to Bridge Heath with Miss D Price.
Afterwards heard band. Sis
[10] went
back to Guildford today.
Old Horsham Church, St. Mary's
Church, Horsham, 1851; reproduced with permission from West Sussex
Past Pictures; Ref:PP/WSL/PC004721;
Image credit.
Monday 21st May 1894
Kings Head 10 hrs. In the evening stained the treads and
risers of staircase and passage then out for a run round the
cricket field with Bern.
Tuesday 22nd May 1894
Kings Head 10 hrs. Mitchell’s blinds in Shop 3½ hrs.
Wednesday 23rd May 1894
Kings Head 10 hrs. Gym Committee meeting this evening.
Afterwards heard band and had a run.
Thursday 24th May 1894
Kings Head 10 hrs. Had another run out with Gym this evening
over Park, Bourne’s Hill etc. Received present from Aunty
Nelly.
Friday 25th May 1894
Kings Head 10 hrs. Choir practice.
Saturday 26th May 1894
Kings Head 8½ hrs. Rather slack in the shop just now. 4 stood
off tonight. After work and in dinner hour saw cricket match,
Brighton Teachers and Horsham. Ern Killick played remarkably well
taking most of the wickets and scoring 125 not out in a grand
style. S.W. Cattley 60. Result: Teachers 115, Horsham 277 for 3
wickets. Spent the evening with Bern.
Sunday 27th May 1894
Chapel in the morning, Met Bern after Sunday School and went
to tea at Jim Lindfield’s. Chapel again in the evening. “Pleasant
Hour” after the service.
Monday 28th May 1894
Kings Head then the Gables, Wimblehurst Rd. 10 hrs. Sized
stairs etc. this evening.
Tuesday 29th May 1894
Gables 10 hrs. Finished stairs then had run round cricket
field with Bern and Joe.
Wednesday 30th May 1894
Gables 10 hrs. Liberal Meeting in Albion Hall respecting
candidates for District Councils etc.
Thursday 31st may 1894
Gables 9½hrs.
- [1] Bernard Baker was
Billy’s best friend throughout the period he kept this diary.
- [2] Billy had been
working on a job at Selehurst, one of the finer houses in Horsham,
for several days by this time.
- [3] Nelson was Bernard
Baker’s younger brother and another friend of Billy.
- [4] Horsham Free
Christian Church.
- [5] Bernard Baker had
indifferent health throughout this period and Billy was frequently
worried on behalf of his friend.
- [6] Arthur was another
brother of Bernard and Tom and Sam were two more close friends of
Billy and Bernard.
- [7] Bernard Baker and
Billy had recently bought a second hand camera together and were
trying it out.
- [8] ‘AJB’ refers to
Arthur Baker who was a steward on a steamship plying the London to
Sydney run. Billy maintained a regular correspondence with Arthur
over several years.
- [9] Billy was a member
of the Horsham Free Christian Church rather than a regular member
of St. Mary’s, the Horsham Parish Church, but he did tend to go to
the latter on the major festivals of the Church Calendar.
- [10] ‘Sis’ was the
nickname of Amelia Hoad, Billy’s 20 year old sister who was in
domestic service in Gilford and presumably had spent a few days
back at home.
Share this
page (third party services may set cookies)