broker/ shop keeper Glasgow

[Ketzel]

My husband's great-grandmother, who had emigrated from Riga to Glasgow c. 1895, was a widow with many young children. She lived at 36 Bridgegate until she left for the U.S. in 1906. In the 1901 Scottish census her occupation is given as broker shop keeper. Is there any way to guess from this combination what kind of shop she kept?

[johnniegarve]

Sounds like a pawn shop!

[Ketzel]

Sounds very plausible. How much of a stake would she have needed to start a pawnbroking business, do you think? Would it have been easier or harder than being a milliner, for example?

[Currie]

Hello Ketzel,

The Commercial Dictionary of Trade Products. (I’m not sure when it was published, maybe 1870’s?) describes a Broker’s Shop as a warehouse for old goods, second-hand furniture, &c. http://www.archive.org/stream/dictionar ... okers+shop
and it describes a Pawn-Broker as a shopkeeper licensed to take in goods on pledge, who advances money thereon at a fixed rate of interest. http://www.archive.org/stream/dictionar ... earch/pawn

I think you needed a special license to operate as a pawnbroker and perhaps someone in that business would be more precise in its description.

It may be worthwhile searching for the person’s name in the following to see if it crops up with further clues as to the nature of the business.

Glasgow Directories, see http://www.archive.org/search.php?query ... pe%3Atexts

The 19th Century Glasgow Herald, see viewtopic.php?f=1&t=15443

Also here (type Glasgow in ‘Return results that come from’) http://news.google.com/archivesearch/advanced_search

The Edinburgh Gazette http://www.edinburgh-gazette.co.uk/

If you like, and if you don't get anywhere, you could post the lady’s full name.

Hope that helps,
Alan

[johnniegarve]

This could be right Alan, the Briggait, where she lived was centred on the Fishmarket and and Paddys Market, (sadly only recently closed down) which was largely concerned with second hand clothes etc'. Stalls at the Briggait cost shillings in rent and were supplied by hawkers going round the doors or with a horse & cart, trading china etc' for old clothes. The stuff not fit to be sold on went to the ragstore for paper manufacture. Investment would be minimal. Many a wean was dressed oot the Briggait!

[Ketzel]

That's very helpful! Thanks, everybody.

Elaine