1. Burton (1681) p. 2; in a lawsuit of 1654 a linen-draper claimed that, although an apprentice might be of little value to his master in the first part of his time, 'in the latter parte he could be worth £20 a year or more' and other witnesses put the value at £30 or £40 (MCI 68). [BACK]

2. Many such apprentices never bothered to take up their freedom, as can be seen by the very great difference between the numbers who became apprentices and the numbers who became freemen. For some data in the middle of the seventeenth century, see S. R. Smith (1973) pp. 197-8. [BACK]

3. See, for example, Campbell (1747) pp. 127, 195-6, 283. [BACK]

4. In general on the decline in apprenticeship, see Kellett (1957-8) pp. 388-9, Kahl (1956), Glass (1969) p. 385. The freedom of the Companies was increasingly acquired by redemption (a flat fee) and by patrimony (because one's father had been a freeman). See p. 256, for examples of the Distillers' Company selling the freedom to interlopers who wished to trade in the City. [BACK]

5. On the need for immigration to maintain the population, let alone increase it, see Wrigley (1967) and Finlay (1981) pp. 8-9. [BACK]

6. For what follows on the geographical and social origins of apprentices, continue

      see Stone (1966), Glass (1969), Kahl (1956), S. R. Smith (1973), Kitch (1986) and Wareing (1980). The main source for analysis of both social and geographical origins are the records of the Livery Companies, especially the apprentice binding books, which normally give the place of origin and the occupation and/or status of the father of the apprentice. Comments on the geographical origins of the sample are based on 236 out of 375 cases for which this information is available and on social origins on 211 cases. [BACK]

7. See pp. 7-13. [BACK]

8. Stone (1984) pp. 233-4. [BACK]

9. Fletcher (1975) p. 37; GHMS 10823/1 p. 38; North (1890) ii, 2-3. [BACK]

10. North (1890) i, 21; ii, 46; GHMS 10823/1 p. 35. [BACK]

11. Apprentices in London were supposed to be 14 before they were bound (see Laws (1765) p. 112). We can calculate the ages at apprenticeship of just over half the sample: 30 per cent were 16 and 81 per cent were between 15 and 18 inclusive. These ages are much lower than those discovered by Rappaport for the middle of the sixteenth century; he found that most men in London did not start their apprenticeship until they were 20 or older (Rappaport (1983) p. 115). These are surprising findings and one wonders what these young men did between leaving school and taking up their apprenticeships. [BACK]

12. Wadsworth (1712) p. 58, quoted by Morgan (1944) p. 39; Campbell (1747) pp. 2-3. [BACK]

13. E.g. Burton (1681); Trenchfield (1671). [BACK]

14. For Purcell, see the apprenticeship bindings of the Drapers' Company and notes attached to them; for Randall, S.93 and Drapers' Company records; Williams, S.114, Meredith, S.270; Stationers' Company records. [BACK]

15. MCE 1679, Sturges v. Compeere; Collection , 10 February 1693. [BACK]

16. MCI 385, 57. [BACK]

17. CLRO Small Ms. Box 40, No. 14. Contract between Richard Robinson and Isaac Terry, ironmonger, 9 August 1682. [BACK]

18. For those members of the sample for whom information is available, the terms were 113 at 7 years, 74 at 8 years and 5 at 9 years. [BACK]

19. Clothes were often a point at issue in disputes between masters and apprentices, and many witnesses provide valuations (MCI & MCE passim). See also p. 284. [BACK]

20. Defoe (1726-7) i, 183; Wood (1935) p. 215; Kirkman (1673) p. 34; Beloff (1942) p. 39; MCI 379, 411 (and several other cases, e.g. 371, 377). [BACK]

21. These figures are all gleaned from cases in MCI and MCE. For the rise in premiums, see Defoe (1715) pp. 260-1; Defoe (1724) pp. 10-11; Dunlop (1912) pp. 199-204 suggests that premiums were relatively new but see Thrupp (1948) p. 214 for premiums being paid in the fourteenth century. [BACK]

22. Jordan (1960) pp. 166-72; MCE 1678-9 Maslyn v. Phipps; 1680-1 Parsons v. Royce. [BACK]

23. Dunton (1705) pp. 34-9; cf. Beloff(1942) p. 39; MCE 1680-1 Gawden v. Harris. [BACK]

24. Campbell (1747) p. 304; see also Dunlop (1912) p. 54, Miège (1691) iii, 112; Laws (1765) p. 112. It seems clear that some masters failed to enrol continue [BACK]

      apprentices for reasons of deliberate fraud, using this loophole to get rid of their apprentices after a few years and then take on a new lad with a new premium. See, for instance, MCI 377 (1680). Contracts were broken by sueing in the Common Law side of the Mayor's Court—see the cases in MCE—and attempts to recover premiums were normally made on the Equity side of the same court—see MCI.

25. GHMS 12017 pp. 19-20; MCI 413; MCI 444. [BACK]

26. MCI 441; MCI 420. [BACK]

27. Defoe (1724) pp. 12-13. [BACK]

28. Kirkman (1673) pp. 35-6; MCI 358. [BACK]

29. MCI 358; on the work done by merchants' apprentices, see Vernon (1678), MCI 358, 391 etc. [BACK]

30. Campbell (1747) p. 283; cf. pp. 195-6; MCI 377; MCI 379; MCI 373. [BACK]

31. On the education of surgeons, see Peachey (1924) Ch. 1; on apothecaries, Wall et al (1963) pp. 76-90; on masterpieces, Dunlop (1912) Ch. 13. [BACK]

32. Mason (1754) pp. 14-19; North (1890) ii, 37; Kirkman (1673) pp. 46-7; MCI 70; MCI 419. [BACK]

33. Dunlop (1912) pp. 196-7; Nichols (1812-15) i, 307; MCI 427. [BACK]

34. On service in general, see Kussmaul (1981). [BACK]

35. MCI 413B. [BACK]

36. For some complaints about food, see MCI 67, 391, 461. On diet in general, see pp. 279-80; for some violence, see MCE 1680-1 Parsons v. Foyce; MCI 66. [BACK]

37. MCI 62, 368, 370, 377, 382, 385. [BACK]

39. MCI 358 (1678). [BACK]

40. MCI 382, 390; cf. 358, 369, 378, 391 etc. [BACK]

41. MCI 371, 377, 379, 390 etc. [BACK]

42. Miège (1691) iii, 112; MCI 42, 48, 66, 368, 371, 386 etc. [BACK]

43. Glass (1969) p. 1386; S. R. Smith (1973) p. 96; Finay (1981) p. 67, drawing on work by Elliott, estimates that there were 32,000-40,000 apprentices in 1600 and 27,200-32,640 in 1700, a huge relative fall from 13.6-17.0 per cent of total population to 4.0-4.8 per cent; for a study of the apprentices as 'adolescents', see S. R. Smith (1973) (2). [BACK]