Description
Fire insurance policies offer a rich, and largely untapped, vein of information to historians. In particular, for paper historians they contain information about buildings (their number, approximate spatial location to each other, uses, and most importantly from a fire perspective, construction materials), their ownership and occupation. In addition, they may include a partial inventory of equipment, details of the grades manufactured, and sometimes they offer an insight into the personal wealth and possessions of individuals and about any subsidiary occupations they may have undertaken.
This publication is the first to offer paper historians access to almost 2400 policy transcriptions in a single volume, covering the dates 1710-1842. In particular it gives full transcriptions of policies covering paper makers and paper mills, along with those for raw material suppliers (rag merchants, size manufacturers, sulphuric acid makers etc) and machinery and equipment producers (including mould makers and paper machine manufacturers). Partial details about paper and board dealers and converters, including paper stainers and wall hanging makers, are included as well.
Having all data in a single volume allows historians to assess regional variations. For the first time, those interested in paper mills can quantify differences in regional insurance costs, variations in building materials, and how stoves and steam engines slowly infiltrated the sector. Meanwhile, having multiple policies relating to a single mill gives an insight into how a site may have developed over time.
For those interested in social history, many policies cover clothing, glass and plate, and even printed books; the insurance costs of these relative to those for buildings and equipment can be quite staggering and gives an insight into the cost of living at various periods. Also, in addition to paper mills the policies include numerous other types of buildings such as living accommodation (with associated conveniences, such as wash rooms and brew houses), farms and their outbuildings, workplaces unrelated to paper manufacture (such as bakeries, tanneries and mills of various kinds) and even a theatre!
Overall, the book is the first compendium of insurance information relating specifically to the paper industry, and as such is a unique reference source for paper historians.
