judy olsen wrote: > The answer is, any of the things that would cause a person to move > 'down' the career ladder these days, just in a 19thC form. > > As a master blacksmith he ran his own business and would be > vulnerable to bad debts, general economic downturn and loss of > business due to the railways. > > But since he has gone from master blacksmith to labourer, my bet > would be that he had some illness or injury that prevented him doing > the job. This could be anything from poor sight, to industrial > accident to too much beer (very thirsty work). Or just general > decline and weakness due to a chronic condition such as TB. So I > reckon the answer to your question could be on his death cert. I've had a look for his death and found two likely candidates. One in 1883 (age 55) in Newcastle under Lyme RD and one in 1912 (age 83) in Wem RD which covers Shawbury where "my" John PYE was born. I'll have to have a look at my finances and hope I can get in quick before the new series of WDYTYA has an effect on delivery times.