- 39.1.1 - Mary Brittain (1813-1833)
- Courtesy of another researcher; unverified
- Baptism and burial verified
- Born soon after parents wedding
- Died at age 20
- 39.1.2 - Edward Brittain (1815-48)
- Courtesy of another researcher; unverified.
- Baptism is verified but seems unlikely, given the other Edward below
- May have been a shopkeeper/grocer and pork butcher
- Died at age 33
- 39.1.3 - Charles Brittain (1817-1882)
- See Chapter 39
- 39.1.4 - Eleanor Brittain (1820)
- May have married George Moore in Lapworth nr Solihull, Warks in 1853
- 39.1.5 - Edward Brittain (1821-1893)
- Married Emma Mills in West Bromwich in 1841
- They lived at 58 Dartmouth St, 86 Lupin St and 86 Horsemarket St, Duddeston
- He followed his brother Charles' early occupation: that of silver plating - 1841: Handsworth; 1851-1891: Electro-plater from 1861) / plate worker / silversmith
- Children:
- Mary Ann Brittain (1850)
- George Brittain (1852)
- Charles Brittain (1854)
- Ellen Brittain (1858)
- John Edward Brittain (1862)
- Walter Brittain (1866)
- William Henry Brittain (1868)
A note on electro-plating
By 1839, scientists in Britain and Russia had independently devised metal-deposition processes similar to Brugnatelli's for the copper electroplating of printing press plates. Soon after, John Wright of Birmingham, England discovered that potassium cyanide was a suitable electrolyte for gold and silver electroplating. Wright's associates, George Elkington
and Henry Elkington were awarded the first patents for electroplating
in 1840. These two then founded the electroplating industry in Birmingham from where it spread around the world.
A local history site points out that, while "some fine gold and silver articles were produced, but the bulk was plated jewellery and toys: Brummagem (from Bromachem, an old version of 'Birmingham') became a byword for cheap and tawdry goods."
The Woolrich Electrical Generator of 1844, used by Elkingtons' and now in Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum, is the earliest electrical generator used in industry. As the science of electrochemistry
grew, its relationship to electroplating became understood and other
types of non-decorative metal electroplating were developed. Commercial
electroplating of nickel, brass, tin, and zinc
were developed by the 1850s. Electroplating baths and equipment based
on the patents of the Elkingtons were scaled up to accommodate the
plating of numerous large scale objects and for specific manufacturing
and engineering applications.
 |
| Elkington Silver Electro-Plating Works, Birmingham |
 |
| Elkington electroplated nutcracker (for sale) |
- 39.1.6 - William Brittain (1823)
- Courtesy of another researcher; unverified
More information on these families in Chapter 52.
Next (Maria's siblings)
No comments:
Post a Comment