- Joseph Ashton – active around 1870 – 1900 – Whitwick
- James Peters and James Peters jnr. – active around 1846 - 1909 – Whitwick
- George Peters (son of James and brother of James jnr.) - active around 1871 - 1891 - Griffydam
- John Tugby – active around 1846-1863 – Whitwick
- Leonard Palmer – active around 1861 - 1900 – appears on the 1861, 1871, 1881 and 1891 censuses as a spar manufacturer in Griffydam
- John Goodacre – active around 1890-1900 – Zouch
- Charles Platts - active around 1861 - 1900 - appears on the 1861, 1871 and 1881 census as firstly a plasterer, then as a spar manufacturer, and on the 1901 census as a retired bauble maker, Griffydam
- Oliver Farnsworth - active around 1881 - appears on the 1881 census as a spar manufacturer, Griffydam
- Thomas Spinks who was active around 1841-1846 and is listed in the 1841 Pigot’s Directory as a “spar ornament manufacturer” based on Pleasant Row.
- Thomas Brook was active around 1849, being listed in the Post Office Directory of 1849 as working on Woodgate.
- John Cunningham was first mentioned in the Post Office Directory of 1849 as a “spar manufacturer” based in Mill Street. In White’s Directory of 1863 he is listed as a “spar ornament manufacturer” working in Churchgate. In White’s Directory of 1877 John Cunningham is working at 7 Warner’s Lane, Churchgate, and is listed as a “spa ornament maker”.
- Henry Moore appears on the 1851 census as a “maker of plaster ornaments” and is lodging, with his wife, in Wheatsheaf Yard, presumably the yard of the Wheatsheaf pub on Ward’s End, now the Orange Tree.
- William Polkey is listed on the 1851 census as living on Fennell Street and being a “spar turner’s apprentice”.
- William Ford of Loughborough, spar ornament maker, listed on the 1841 census (although I have not been able to find the entry).
Other areas of the country were also involved in the manufacture of spar ornaments, but these are more often focused on material other than alabaster, so for example, Blue John is often called Derbyshire Spar, but it’s a semi-precious mineral, a form of fluorite has bands of blue, purple and yellow in it, and numerous products - ornaments and jewellery, for example - have been made from it. Much of the fashioning of Derbyshire Spar took place in areas like Matlock.
So, the British industry of spar making in Leicestershire ceased to be profitable at the beginning of the twentieth century and the craft thus died out.
The interesting thing for me is that the Blue John baubles were made by a John Platt for a period of time near Chatsworth ......maybe Charles Platts of Griffydam was a relative?
ReplyDeleteHi Artypie! There may well be a connection between John and Charles, although I haven't been able to track anything down - there are simply too many John Platts to check through!! Thanks for reading the blog. Lynne
DeleteMy great great grandfather was James Peters. Very interesting article as I am researching my family tree.
ReplyDeleteHi Shani! How lovely to hear that one of the spar ornament makers was your great great grandfather! Have you contacted Whitwick Historical Society - http://www.goleicestershire.com/history-and-heritage/whitwick-historical-group.aspx ? Good luck with your family tree and thanks for reading the blog. Lynne
ReplyDelete