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Letter Cutter

P

Peter Walker

gone but not forgotten
Our neighbour Alf Sargent was one of the very few letter cutters in Birmingham, perhaps in the world. He had his own business, with a (work)shop, I think, in Lench Street in the Gun Quarter.
With the aid of a massive monocle he somehow cut the tiny dies that stamped manfucturers' names and trademarks on pressed metal products. One of his clients was Joseph Gillot's the pen nib makers, on which the lettering was less tha a millimetre high. He packed up in about 1955, and they took a boarding house in Weston-super-Mare.
A very skilled and specialised trade, but I don't think it made a lot of money, although they were not hard up. They certainly never ran a car.
 
I think it's likely Alf was descended from a line of letter cutters. My great great great grandfather George Sargent (born 1806) was a letter cutter who lived on Aston Road. He had a few sons who also became letter cutters, and one of them, Thomas, was living at 8, Lench Street in 1871 and 81. Another of his letter cutting sons, George, lived at 9, Tower Road, Aston in 1881 and had a son called Alfred. I wonder if your Alf was descended from him?
 
Hi,
I have only just discovered the Birmingham History forum.
My grandfather Alfred Brookes was a Letter Cutter until his death in 1922. He had his workshop at the bottom of the garden 85 High Street, Aston.
He made almost all the shop signs in brass and copper along New Town Row, Aston.
The 1901 Census states, he and my grandmother lived at 5 Court, 13 Tower Road, Aston.
Have you got any Brookes's in your family.?

Iris Binden
 
Hi Iris.

I don't have any Brookses in my known family tree, but the fact that your grandfather had a Sargent christian name, was a letter cutter, and lived almost next door to where some of my Sargents lived certainly raises the possibility he could in my extended family tree. I shall post an update here if I find evidence that confirms this.
 
Just found this chat about letter cutters, one of my relatives was a letter cutter. Edward Thomas lived in Aston near the jewllery quater, im unsure if he worked for someone else. He did a few different jobs , on his daughters birth certificate he had gone back into the trade.
Adele:thumbsup:
 
Isn’t it great when you find a thread that is relevant to your family. Alfred Sarjant was my maternal grandfather, he was married to Lillian Rowlett. He did move to Weston Super mare in mid 50’s with his daughter Margaret & husband Stanley Sims. They bought and ran a guest house for 3/4 years. I was born there and we moved back to brum in 1958. Sadley Alfred died in 1956.
 
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