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Cotherstone: Indenture papers of Edward Henderson

This Indenture, made the twenty second day of November, 1871, between Edward Henderson aged seventeen years, a native of Lerwick, in the county of Zetland, of the first part, and Charles Nelson (?) of Sunderland, in the county of [Burdeson?], of the second part, WITNESSETH, That the said Edward Henderson hereby voluntarily binds himself Apprentice unto the said Charles Nelson...for the term of three years from the date hereof; And the said Apprentice will faithfully serve his said Master, his Executors, Administrators, and Assigns, and obey his and their lawful commands, and keep his and their secrets, and will, when required, give to him and them true accounts of his or their goods and money which may be committed to the charge, or come into the hands, of the said Apprentice...and that the said Apprentice willl not, during the said term, do any damage to his said Master..., nor will he consent to any such damage being done by others, but will, if possible, prevent the same, and give warning thereof; and will not embezzle or waste the Goods of his Master...nor absent himself from his or their service without leave; nor frequent Taverns or Alehouses, unless upon his or their business; nor play at Unlawful Games; IN CONSIDERATION WHEREOF, the said Master hereby covenants with the said Apprentice, that during the said term he... will ..use all proper means to teach the said Apprentice or cause him to be taught the business of a Seaman, and provide the said Apprentice with sufficient Meat, Drink, Lodging, Washing, Medicine, and Medical and Surgical Assistance, and pay to the said Apprentice the sum of Thirty pounds, in manner following; (that is to say) nine pounds for the first year of the said term, ten pounds for the second year, eleven pounds for the third year and also to pay a further sum of five pounds if he serve his time duly out ot the satisfaction of the said Charles Nelson; the said Apprentice providing for himself all sea-bedding, wearing apparel, and necessaries.....In witness whereof, the said parties have hereunto set their hands and seals, the day and year above written.
	Captain Edward Henderson
	[signed] Charles Nelson (Master). [signed] Edward Henderson (Apprentice). Registered at the Port of Newport this 23rd day of November 1871. [on reverse, handwritten] This is to certify that Edward Henderson has served out a term of Apprenticeship of Three Years, with me in the Barque "Cotherstone" to my entire satisfaction, and I can confidently reccommend him to any person who may require his services, as a good Seaman, Sober, steady and attentive to his duties. 25/11/74 John T Laurenson Master of the Barque "Cotherstone" of Sunderland. Edward Henderson has served his time out to my satisfaction. Charles Nelson, Sunderland 1 of 11 mo 1875.
About Sunderland (Source: http://www.sunderland.com/history/) The approach of the seventeenth century saw Sunderland developing as salt pans established on the Wear used coal brought down the river from the County Durham coalfields, better quality coal being exported. A new quay was built to facilitate the shipment of both salt and coal. Local landowners reacted to the demand for coal by sinking pits near the Wear. In the Civil War the merchants of Sunderland supported Parliament and the town acted as a naval base until the capture of Newcastle from the Royalists in October 1644. As a result of the war Newcastle lost a monopoly they had enjoyed in the North East of England, and Sunderland took advantage. Increased traffic saw improvements to the harbour throughout the eighteenth century, whilst related industries such as rope and sailmaking flourished. As the settlements on each side of the river grew, the numerous ferries were replaced in 1796 by the famous iron bridge. 1832 saw Sunderland becoming a parliamentary borough, bringing together the various communities as one. By the 1830’s Sunderland’s shipbuilding output almost equalled that of all other ports in the country put together and during the nineteenth century became the world’s largest shipbuilding town. The town’s importance as a port also grew with the advent of a network of railway linking it to the collieries. By this time the town had its own colliery – Wearmouth and was also gaining fame for it’s pottery and glass. In 1888 Sunderland became a county borough. During WW1 the town was bombed by Zeppelins, but the war and its immediate aftermath saw the shipyards working at full capacity. The depression hit the town hard however and by 1930 shipbuilding had almost ceased, although the docks and the mines were not quite so hard hit. During the period between the wars a third of Sunderland’s working population was unemployed. In the mid 1930’s the government began to encourage new industries in the areas worst affected by unemployment and Sunderland’s first industrial estate was established at Pallion in 1938. During the Second World War, Sunderland was one of the heaviest bombed towns in the country (the bomb damaged houses were replaced after the war) and shipbuilding was increased to meet the demands of an island race reliant on ships to bring supplies across the Atlantic in order to carry on the fight against the Axis forces. Since the end of the war however, increased overseas competition has seen the shipbuilding industry flounder until it disappeared completely in the 1980’s.