For any artisan who wished to earn a living in modern times, the nineteenth century was a golden age. In Europe, the British Isles and America, the life-chances of the middle and lower classes were gradually improving and their pockets might often have one or two pennies left over at the end of the week […]
Emanuel Hauptmann: the Father of Japanese Cut Glass Read More »
This post introduces four British men who worked in the Victorian glass industry all their lives, each with their specialised skill. They were ordinary, and yet extraordinary – ordinary in terms of their glassmaking abilities, and yet extraordinary in the effect they had in a very far-off place. During a short period of work
They went to larn ’em: four British glassmakers in early Meiji Japan Read More »
The name Haden has its roots in the West Midlands of England. A survey of names in the 1881 Census for England shows that about two thirds of all those with the surname Haden lived in the West Midlands, the highest concentration being in the county of Worcestershire. It was amongst these people that the
Origins of the Haden family of Wordsley, Birmingham and America Read More »
Perhaps the most popular and enduring kind of tale ever told is the one that ends with a proposal of marriage. But when it comes to biographies, the story of a life must surely begin with a proposal, and a marriage. Traditionally, the ultimate question was asked on one knee; banns were read in church; finally the
Introducing the Haden family of Wordsley, Birmingham and America Read More »