In the seventeenth century the main occupation of most of the workers in Mushroom Green was nail making, an occupation carried out at an hearth sited in the brew-house at the back of the house.
Nail making in those days was done by hand, and was a trade which required similar skills to those of a blacksmith. However, the work was lighter and so was often done by women, who could combine work with their other domestic chores. It was still very hard work that was badly paid, and open to fiddling by nail-masters, foggers and the truck system.
Around 1830 machine made nails were introduced in Birmingham and these were a lot cheaper than hand-made, so the nail-makers looked for different work.
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| Reference: | 691 |
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| Updated: | Wed 6 Jun 2007 - 13 |
| Interpretation written by | Louis Howe |
| Author's organisation | Curatorial |
| Organisation's website |