Object number
2006/28
Description
Compasses used at Reading Brewery from 1948. Used to find the correct radius of the cask head by 'stepping' the compass.
This pair of cooper's compasses is from a set of cooper’s tools used by the donor during his apprenticeship and career as a cooper at Reading Brewery from 1948. A cooper uses a compass to find the correct radius of the cask head by 'stepping' the compass around the groove until the points meet after six steps.
Physical description
1 pair of compasses : metal
Archival history
Mr McCarthy started his coopering apprenticeship at Reading Brewery on 10 June 1948, aged 17, and finished in March 1952. No members of his family were coopers but he started because his friend’s father was a cooper. He worked 40 hours a week during his apprenticeship doing piecework with a trained cooper who was his master. Up to the age of 18 all earnings went to the master cooper; aged 18-20 half went to the apprentice, a quarter to the master and a quarter to the brewery; aged 20-21 two thirds to the apprentice, one sixth to the master and one sixth to the brewery.
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