Family Detective

Over the past few weeks, one of our researchers has come across various people working in a paper mill. She thought that within a paper mill there would be limited job prospects, however she quickly found that she was mistaken! The machines were run using horse power, so young boys were employed to take care of the horses. They were given the rather fitting title “Horse Boys.” Someone, male or female, who had just finished school could be employed as an “Assistant Paper Maker.” From there, they could become a “General Labourer” and work all over the mill, or continue as an assistant until they were deemed good enough to become a “Paper Maker” in their own right. If they didn’t like the sound of this, they could become an “Apprentice” and specialise in a specific area of paper making. It seems to have been quite an honour to be an “Envelope Maker” or even a “Cardboard Box Maker”!