Help with deciphering OPR Image

jillwelsh · Post by **jillwelsh** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 10:36 pm

Hi there

Can anyone help with deciphering the occupation of John Williamson (married Elizabeth Kinloch) - could it be "threadmaker"?

http://talkingscot.com/gallery/displayi ... ?pos=-1014

Jill

Post by **AndrewP** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 10:45 pm

Hi Jill,

I think you are right with threadmaker. Most of the occupations on the page are from the weaving industry, so threadmaker fits in reasonably there.

All the best,

AndrewP

PaulaD · Post by **PaulaD** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 10:51 pm

Hi Jill,

It looks like thread maker to me.

Paula

Post by **Pandabean** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 11:14 pm

I to think it may be Thread maker.

However it does look slightly odd. It looks like there is only an "e" after what looks like an r and before a d. The d does look stretched out.

Would "thread" have been spelt "thred" back in those days?

Post by **emanday** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 11:20 pm

Any chance it could be velvet maker?

IanS · Post by **IanS** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 2:46 am

Hi, I'll go with (oil of) Vitriol Maker, (sulphuric acid) an early bleaching agent.

''Charles Tennant came from Ochiltree and was apprenticed to a weaver before setting up as a bleacher at Darnley near Barrhead. In Tennant the practical chemical inquiry and innovation of earlier Scots was married with a sound business sense. At bleachfield he experimented with chemicals used in the textile industry. In partnership with Charles Macintosh he patented a process to make a dry bleaching powder and their chemical works at St. Rollux in Glasgow was soon the largest and most successful in the world. Bleaching powder did away with the need for Roebuck's rather dangerous vitriol for bleaching and unlike Roebuck, Tennant became wealthy from his developments''

Also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfuric_acid

Post by **SarahND** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 10:27 am

Vitriol looks right to me, nice find!

Regards,
Sarah

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 10:49 am

Definately vitriol.

David

nelmit · Post by **nelmit** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 11:02 am

The second word doesn't look like master but the first word could be school.

Otherwise I'd go with the thread.

Annette M

Russell · Post by **Russell** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 11:23 am

I'll go with Ian's great interpretation Vitriol maker. Fits well for the time too.

Takes more than a Bleachfield to prepare cotton and cloth

Russell