What is a Copperlite Miller?

LowlanderDaughter · Post by **LowlanderDaughter** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 5:21 am

Does anyone know what a Copperlite Miller would do? Would this be concidered an electricianist? Does it have something to do with the railroad?

Thank you,
Rhonda

Bervonian · Post by **Bervonian** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 9:58 am

Hi Rhonda. Just a suggestion. Perhaps it has been wrongly transcribed and meant to be 'coprolite miller' ? Coprolite is defined as 'fossil dung, or loosely applied to phosphotic concretions'.
See this website for further information:
http://www.btinternet.com/~fred.stentif ... lites.html
(Or simply Google 'Coprolites')

Isles.

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 10:23 am

Hi Rhonda
Can you tell us where you have seen mention of this occupation (census? marriage? birth?), what part of the country it was mentioned in, and the date please?

Best wishes
Lesley

LowlanderDaughter · Post by **LowlanderDaughter** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 3:45 am

I found the phrase in the statutory birth registery for 1881 and 1883. It was my great-grandfather's profession at the time his children were born. My family was living in Bo'ness, West Lothian. The hand writing is very clear.

Post by **SarahND** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 4:51 am

Hi Rhonda,
Well, there he is... even Ancestry agrees he's a "Copperlit Miller"-- and he's the only one in Scotland in the 1881 census!!! Intriguing

k

All the best,
Sarah

Currie · Post by **Currie** » Mon Mar 16, 2009 6:45 am

Hello Rhonda,

I think Bervonian had the right idea.

The coprolite may have been imported from overseas or may have been local. If it was supplied to the end user in a rough state in large chunks it would have had to have been ground almost to a powder, plus whatever other treatment was needed, before it was suitable to use as fertilizer on farms. Alternatively the grinding or milling etc may have been completed before it got to the farmer.

Here’s a section of an article in The Ipswich Journal, July 23, 1870, about a Coprolite Mill which took first prize in its category at the Royal agricultural Society’s show at Oxford.

“The only coprolite mill tried was by Messrs. E. R. and F. Turner. It is both a crushing and a grinding mill, consisting of a pair of French burr stones, 4½ ft. in diameter, fitted upon a hurst in the usual manner. At one corner of the lower frame of the hurst is a pair of chilled iron rollers for crushing the coprolite before it passes into the stones. The crushed stuff is elevated to the hopper over the stones by elevators, and either the stones or the crusher may be worked separately. By the trial arrangements a quarter of a ton of cropolite should have been crushed, but a mistake was made in serving the material out, and there was but 4 cwt. 3 qrs. 12 lbs. This was crushed in 4 min. 58 sec., and ground in 21 min. 28 sec. Some large occupiers make their own artificial manures, and this mill has been constructed by Messrs. Turner for their use. It can be worked by any portable or fixed engine in the same manner as the corn mills, or other machinery on the farm. The particular machine now spoken of is going to Mr. Campbell's, of Buscott Park, near Faringdon Berks, where machinery of all kinds is employed, not even excluding that used for the manufacture of sugar from beet.”

There’s more detail about the process in this book. http://books.google.com.au/books?id=vxy ... 2&as_brr=0

‘Copperlite’ was apparently a glazing method like leadlight except that the divisions between the pieces of glass were strips of copper instead of lead. I don’t know how ‘milling’ could be involved there.

I can imagine copperlite and coprolite sounding exactly alike. Was he living in a rural area?

Hope that’s useful,
Alan

LowlanderDaughter · Post by **LowlanderDaughter** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 3:55 pm

I don't know if this helps or not, but they lived in Bo'ness" off of South Street" in 1881. And in 1883 the birth registry (I think) says "Borrowstounness Bo'ness." Thank you for your help.

Rhonda

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 4:09 pm

Hi Rhona

And in 1883 the birth registry (I think) says "Borrowstounness Bo'ness

Bo'ness is the shortened, and more usually referred to, form of Borrowstounness - they are, as far as I'm aware, the same place.

Best wishes
Lesley

WilmaM · Post by **WilmaM** » Tue Mar 17, 2009 5:43 pm

LesleyB wrote:Hi Rhona
Bo'ness is the shortened, and more usually referred to, form of Borrowstounness - they are, as far as I'm aware, the same place.

They are indeed Lesley - much easier for the road sign writers!

Rhonda, South street in Bo'ness was right in the 'thick' of the old town I can't see anything obvious on any old map to indicate what he might have worked at. Plenty industry around there though, docks, mines [coal & Fireclay], railway, iron works etc

Bo'ness [confusingly] can be known as Bo'ness, Borrowstounness, Carriden, Grangepans, Kinniel - all part and parcel of modern day Bo'ness, a rather neglected and run down town now but it's been a hive of industry in the past and has a very interesting history and traditions.

LowlanderDaughter · Post by **LowlanderDaughter** » Thu Mar 19, 2009 3:07 am

I started this post with "Copperlite Miller" which was my great-grandfather's occupation listed on the birth certificates of his two children born in 1881 and 1883. The last child born in Bo'ness in 1887 states his occupation as "Phosphate Miller." I assume he is using a different word to explain the same job. Am I right? Thank you so much for your input, I really appriciate it.

TalkingScot.com

What is a Copperlite Miller?

What is a Copperlite Miller?

Copperlite miller

Where I found it

Where they lived

Phosphate Miller?