There were a lot of lathe treaders in the Potteries, mainly women - a lathe was used to smooth rough bits off items produced on the thrower's wheel. A quote from "Cup & Saucer Land": "An old method of turning the lathe - still in vogue (in 1908) - is by means of a spring board axed on the ground and connected with the lathe. A woman stands on this board and keeps it in motion by a constant upward and downward movement of the body, which sets and keeps the lathe in motion. This woman is known as a "Lathe-treader". "Cup & Saucer Land" was a re-print by the Staffs & SOT Archive Service of a book originally published in 1908, written by Rev Malcolm Graham, Vicar of Burslem. Best regards Eileen ----- Original Message ----- From: "Anne Peat" <anne.peat@bigwindows.demon.co.uk> To: <ENG-STS-THE-POTTERIES-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, July 15, 2005 5:53 PM Subject: Re: [Pots] Meshec and the lath treader - any Ideas? > Names: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego - the three children of Israel cast > into the fiery furnace by King Nebuchadnezzar ( see O.T. Book of Daniel) > > Plaster and lath was a way of constructing walls and ceilings ( our church > porch has it) and sometimes floors. > see > http://www.soundhome.com/topics/topic_plaster.shtml > A list of old occupations has > > > LATH RENDER(ER) > A person who puts the first coat of plaster onto laths on floor and > ceiling. (a plaster's assistant). > > perhaps this was what your lady did? > > HTH > Anne > On 15 Jul 2005, at 17:04, DrGeneal@aol.com wrote: > >> I thought after 50 years of Genealogy I'd seen most things but today I >> had >> two novelties presented to me by the 1891 census of Newcastle-under-Lyme >> The writing is by no means immaculate but the boy is named MESHEC and the >> daughter of 18 years is a "lath treader" The rest of the family work at >> an >> iron works, presumably Shelton bar and have perfectly ordinary English >> names. >> Fed into the 1901 census the search turned up almost 200 !! Meshachs but >> I had >> not seen it before. >> What on earth does a lath treader do? are these bits of wood used wet to >> make them pliable? >> >> the enumerator has added the word "Earth" in the vicinity.A possibility >> is >> that she operated the treadle of a lathe, but that seems a peculiar job >> for a >> girl. Anybody any ideas (particularly a plasterer?) DrGeneal >> >> >> >> ==== ENG-STS-THE-POTTERIES Mailing List ==== >> The List for the Pottery Towns of the Ancient County of Staffordshire >> > > > ==== ENG-STS-THE-POTTERIES Mailing List ==== > The List for the Pottery Towns of the Ancient County of Staffordshire >

Thanks Eileen, Nice to know! Anne On 15 Jul 2005, at 18:34, Eileen.Hallam wrote: > There were a lot of lathe treaders in the Potteries, mainly women - a > lathe was used to smooth rough bits off items produced on the > thrower's wheel. A quote from "Cup & Saucer Land": > "An old method of turning the lathe - still in vogue (in 1908) - is by > means of a spring board axed on the ground and connected with the > lathe. A woman stands on this board and keeps it in motion by a > constant upward and downward movement of the body, which sets and > keeps the lathe in motion. This woman is known as a "Lathe-treader". > > "Cup & Saucer Land" was a re-print by the Staffs & SOT Archive Service > of a book originally published in 1908, written by Rev Malcolm Graham, > Vicar of Burslem. > > Best regards > > Eileen > > -I thought after 50 years of Genealogy I'd seen most things but today > I had >>> two novelties presented to me by the 1891 census of >>> Newcastle-under-Lyme >>> The writing is by no means immaculate but the boy is named MESHEC >>> and the >>> daughter of 18 years is a "lath treader" The rest of the family >>> work at an >>> iron works, presumably Shelton bar and have perfectly ordinary >>> English names. >>> Fed into the 1901 census the search turned up almost 200 !! Meshachs >>> but I had >>> not seen it before. >>> What on earth does a lath treader do? are these bits of wood used >>> wet to >>> make them pliable?