Appleyard, George

Church St, Conisbrough, Yorks.; cabinet maker and upholder, paper hanger and decorator (b. 1814-d.1886)

Son of Joseph and Jane Appleyard of Conisborough. Born in 1814, he spent his life in Conisborough and was variously described in Census Returns as cabinet maker, farmer, draper, grocer, undertaker and furniture remover. In 1851 he moved to a larger house sufficient to accommodate wife, children, a female servant and two journeymen. In 1861, described as cabinet maker, he employed three men, two of whom lived in. He employed the third man as a farm hand on 20 acres, expanded to 50 by 1871. A daughter living at home was described as an upholsteress and one of his sons managed the farm. By 1881, George was a widower with two domestic servants and two men and a boy employed in business. A son, also George, was recorded in 1881 as a ‘Master cabinet maker’ employing four men and three apprentices. Presumably he had taken over his father’s business. The youngest son, William, emigrated to Australia shortly after 1854 with his wife Hannah.

A mahogany and satinwood Davenport at Cusworth Hall Museum bears the paper label of George Appleyard.

Source: DEFM; Banham, ‘Johnson & Appleyards Ltd of Sheffield: A Victorian Family Business’, Regional Furniture (2001)