Albert Milsted’s Unexpected Career Shift: From Furrier to Engineer

A Humble Beginning: Hat-Making and Public Houses

Before his foray into engineering, Albert Milsted’s career followed a vastly different trajectory. He initially worked as a hat-maker, a skilled craft requiring precision and an eye for fashion. The hat-making trade was a stable but competitive industry, with many artisans operating small workshops to cater to the growing middle class of Victorian Britain.

Albert’s early life also included time spent working in public houses. Inns and taverns were at the heart of Victorian social life, providing spaces for trade, conversation, and community gatherings. Whether as an employee or manager, Albert would have gained valuable experience in business dealings and customer service—skills that would later serve him well in his entrepreneurial ventures.

The Shift to Engineering: A Bold Declaration

By 1855, Albert Milsted had made a remarkable career shift. At just 27 years old, he transitioned from furrier and publican to engineer and iron founder. The first official record of this transformation appeared in The London Gazette on 27 October 1855, in a notice announcing the dissolution of a business partnership:

“NOTICE is hereby given, that the Partnership between us, Thomas Roberts, Frederick Charles Cowell, Albert Milsted, and Samuel Edwards, under the firm of Roberts and Company, as Iron Founders and Engineers, at Barbican and Martin-street Foundries, in Plymouth, in the county of Devon, has been dissolved, as regards the said Thomas Roberts…” (London Gazette, 19 October 1855)

For a man with no formal engineering background, this was an extraordinary leap. Engineering in the Victorian era required technical knowledge, often acquired through apprenticeships and years of hands-on experience. While others in the field, such as Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Robert Stephenson, had rigorous scientific training, Albert appears to have entered the industry through sheer determination and business acumen.

Why Plymouth? A Hub of Industrial Growth

Albert’s decision to establish himself as an engineer in Plymouth was likely influenced by the city’s booming industrial sector. During the mid-19th century, Plymouth was a vital naval and commercial hub, home to the Royal Dockyard and numerous iron foundries. The city’s location on the coast made it an essential centre for shipbuilding, railway expansion, and manufacturing.

The Barbican and Martin Street iron foundries, where Albert’s business was based, were well-positioned to take advantage of the growing demand for metalwork. These foundries would have produced materials for ship construction, railway infrastructure, and possibly even industrial machinery. Given his prior experience in business, Albert may have identified engineering as a lucrative opportunity rather than a field he was traditionally trained in.

A Self-Made Engineer

Albert’s transition from hat-maker and publican to engineer highlights the fluidity of career paths in Victorian Britain. Unlike today, professional titles were often self-declared, and experience in business or industry could outweigh formal education. The expansion of industrial cities like Plymouth created opportunities for ambitious individuals to redefine themselves.

While it remains unclear exactly how Albert acquired his engineering knowledge, his ability to secure business partnerships in a competitive field suggests he possessed both technical competency and entrepreneurial spirit. His reinvention as an engineer set the stage for further ventures in the foundry business—an evolution that would see him both rise and fall in the industry.

In the next blog, we will explore the establishment of Roberts & Co. and Albert Milsted’s early experiences as an iron founder in Victorian Plymouth.