Tmollaun@aol.com wrote: > Perhaps he had financial troubles and had to sell his business and/or > equipment. I've a feeling it was economic reasons, rather than health that caused the move. I need to find out the reason: competition, lack of trade, misdemeanour of some sort, an opportunity that didn't pan out.

I am getting a bit muddled as to where John was and when, but just to chuck into the pot.... Blacksmithing was a capital intensive and sought after trade. Setting up a new business in a new town would be difficult - you would have to muscle in on the existing trade as well as finding a forge to work in. You can often see men taking on their sons and nephews as apprentices and in this case at least one son took up the trade. Its a bit like foxes - the countryside can only support a given number, after which the extra ones starve. But...Shropshire had industry as well as agriculture. Blacksmithing was an industrial trade as well as a rustic one. Perhaps part of the story was the offer of good money to work for an employer, even temporarily. Judy On 6 Sep 2006, at 20:29, Charani wrote: > Tmollaun@aol.com wrote: > >> Perhaps he had financial troubles and had to sell his >> business and/or >> equipment. > > I've a feeling it was economic reasons, rather than health that caused > the move. I need to find out the reason: competition, lack of trade, > misdemeanour of some sort, an opportunity that didn't pan out. > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ENG- > SHROPSHIRE-PLUS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message