Category: Uncategorized
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The Rise of Roberts & Co.: Albert Milsted’s First Engineering Venture
Establishing a Foundry Business By 1855, Albert Milsted had fully immersed himself in the world of engineering and iron founding. His name first appeared in connection with the trade in The London Gazette on 27 October 1855, marking the beginning of his partnership in Roberts & Co. The firm operated from the Barbican and Martin…
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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…
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Engineering in Victorian Britain: A Golden Age of Innovation
The Victorian Era: A Time of Progress The Victorian era was a time of extraordinary progress in science, technology, and engineering, driven by rapid industrialisation and urbanisation. The expansion of factories, mechanisation of production, and the growth of cities created a demand for new infrastructure, leading to remarkable advancements in engineering and innovation. British engineers…
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Across the Atlantic – Ellen Milsted’s American Journey
From Cardiff to California: A Bold New Chapter Among Albert Milsted’s family, his sister Ellen Milsted took a particularly adventurous path. Unlike her mother and sisters who remained in Wales or England, Ellen left Britain entirely, seeking a new life in California during the late 19th century. Her story is one of emigration, adaptation, and…
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The Other Milsteds – Elizabeth and Her Daughters
Life in Cardiff: The Fate of Elizabeth Milsted While Albert Milsted abandoned his past and reinvented himself, his mother, Elizabeth Milsted, remained in Cardiff, where she carved out a life with her daughters. After Albert’s bankruptcy in 1853, it seems he cut all ties with his family, leaving Elizabeth and her daughters to fend for…
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Alice Dawkin – Marriage and a New Life
A Register Office Wedding At just eighteen years old, Alice Dawkin married Thomas Davies in the Bedwelty District Register Office on 30 May 1868. Their decision to marry in a register office, rather than a church, speaks volumes about their social and religious choices. The Significance of a Civil Marriage The Marriage Act of 1836…
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Margaret Dawkin – A Life Marked by Change
From Glamorgan to Ebbw Vale Margaret Dawkin was born in Llanblethian, Glamorgan, in May 1822, the daughter of a gardener. By 1841, her family had moved to Llandaff, a small town near Cardiff. Llandaff, historically significant for its cathedral and ties to Welsh nobility, was an interesting place for a working-class family. The move to…
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A Life of Reinvention – Albert Milsted’s Third Marriage
A Quick Turnaround: From Loss to New Beginnings On 17 February 1857, Albert Milsted married Mary Murch in Exeter, just a month after the death of his first wife, Mary Ann Worthington. This swift remarriage raises several questions. Was Albert already acquainted with Mary Murch? Was this a marriage of convenience or one born of…
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Reflections on Albert Milsted’s Rise and Fall
A Story of Reinvention – Or a Cautionary Tale? Albert Milsted’s journey, as chronicled in the previous blogs, is one of dramatic highs and devastating lows. His story reflects the volatile nature of Victorian commerce, the fragility of success, and the complex web of personal choices that shaped his life. Was Albert a shrewd entrepreneur…
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Bankruptcy and Reinvention
A Sudden Downfall (1853) Despite their previous success, ‘R & A Milsted’ collapsed in March 1853 when Albert was declared bankrupt. The fallout was swift, with the bankruptcy courts in London taking charge of the case. By 20 May 1853, a certificate of bankruptcy was issued, and the business’s stock and assets were auctioned off:…
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Scandal in the Family
A Shocking Theft Allegation Tragedy struck in 1852 when Robert Milsted died of asthma and bronchitis on 23 March, leaving behind a widow and a seemingly thriving business. However, just a month after his death, Elizabeth Milsted found herself embroiled in a scandal. On 24 April 1852, The Cardiff and Merthyr Guardian reported on her…
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A New Start and Harsh Realities
A New Start Across the Severn (1846-1851) By 1846, Robert Milsted and his family had relocated from England to South Wales, where they established a thriving business in Cardiff and Swansea. Despite Robert’s prior insolvency issues, their fortunes seemed to have reversed. Trading under the name ‘R & A Milsted: Furriers and Straw Hatters (Wholesale…
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Love, Loss, and Bigamy – Victorian Marriage in Context
The story of Albert Milsted and Mary Ann Worthington is a tangled one, woven with tragedy, survival, and the stark realities of Victorian marriage and social expectations. What may seem unusual—an 18-year-old marrying a widow 14 years his senior, only for their union to dissolve within a few years—was not unheard of in the 19th…
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A Marriage of Convenience? The Mysterious Separation of Albert and Mary Ann
After the harrowing events at The Old Castle in 1843, Mary Ann Worthington found herself in a precarious position. Her husband, Thomas, had perished in a tragic fire, and though the inquest ruled his death an accident, the turmoil that followed left Mary Ann in financial and social uncertainty. But among the witnesses at the…
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Fire, Tragedy, and Scandal at The Old Castle
The night of 6 June 1843 was one that would be forever burned into the history of Bristol’s Castle Street. The Old Castle tavern, run by Thomas Worthington and his wife Mary Ann, became the scene of a horrifying tragedy when a devastating fire broke out, consuming the ancient wooden building in minutes. The alarm…
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A Young Woman’s Struggles and a Life in the Inns of Bristol
Mary Ann Tozer was born around 1812 near Bridgwater, Somerset. Her early years were marked by hardship and responsibility beyond her age. By the time she was just 15 or 16, she had given birth to a son, Frederick, in 1827. The circumstances of Frederick’s birth remain unknown—was he the result of a youthful romance,…
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Imagining the Life of Albert Milsted in 19th-Century Bristol
A Life Shaped by Industry and Change Albert Milsted grew up in the heart of Bristol’s bustling hat-making industry, surrounded by the clatter of tools, the scent of leather and fur, and the endless stream of customers seeking the latest fashions. His father’s work as a cap and furrier craftsman would have shaped Albert’s early…
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Life in St James Churchyard: Home and Business
The 1841 Census records Robert and his family living in St James Churchyard, a bustling area of shops and houses surrounding the graveyard of St James Priory and the nearby Haymarket. More precisely, Pigot’s Directory of Gloucestershire (1842 and 1844) lists Robert’s business premises at 6 St James Parade. The earliest map of this area,…
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Robert Milsted: A Hat Maker in 19th-Century Bristol
Robert Milsted’s Move to Bristol and Hat-Making Trade Sometime before 1820, Robert Milsted moved from Cornwall to Bristol and found employment as a hat maker. Wearing a cap or hat was an essential feature of 19th-century etiquette, indicating social and economic class as well as marital status. For instance, a man wearing a top hat…
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Reflecting on John Milsted’s Legacy: Family, Change, and the Forces of History
John Milsted’s life narrative reflects personal resilience amid the societal transformations of 18th-century England, characterized by complex family dynamics and economic shifts. His journey from Kent to Bath and Helston reveals themes of adaptation, social mobility, and reinvention, serving as a reminder of how historical forces shape individual destinies and family legacies.
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John Milsted: A Journey from Kent to Helston and Beyond
John Milsted (1741–1792) lived a life that reflected the social and economic shifts of 18th-century England, transitioning from his probable birthplace in Kent to the bustling city of Bath and finally to Helston, a thriving Cornish market town. His story is one of movement, reinvention, and family complexities, emblematic of the period’s challenges and opportunities.…
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The Scadden Family: Artistry and Resilience
The Scadden family, originating from Thomas Scadden in Somerset, has a rich history in Cornwall, with descendants engaged in various endeavors, notably Richard Scadden (1719-1802), an influential ceramist and artist. Their legacy reflects creativity, resilience, and the impact of ancestry on community development and appreciation for art and history.
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The Milsted Family and Their Connection to Cornwall
Albert Milsted’s Early Life Albert was born in 1826 to Robert and Elizabeth Milsted in the city of Bristol. It is uncertain when and why Robert moved to Bristol from his home county of Cornwall. Having searched birth, baptism, marriage, death, burial, and census records, two other Milsted families (both heads of the family named…
Albert Milsted: A Man of Victorian Reinvention 