Apprenticeship indenture An apprenticeship indenture was a signed agreement that specified the terms by which a master took on a new apprentice. During the 1500s to 1631, aspiring clock- and watchmakers typically completed apprenticeships through guilds, such as the Goldsmiths’ and Blacksmiths’ Companies. After the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers was established by royal charter in 1631 until roughly 1900, apprenticeship indentures in the City of London followed a standard format. This included the name of the apprentice and his father’s name, location and status or position. It also included the name, location and profession of the master, the terms of the apprenticeship, the start date, the required signatures, the type of training to be provided, and the rules that the apprentice must follow. There were two copies of the indenture, each of which was signed by the master and the apprentice as well as a justice of the peace. The master and the apprentice each retained a copy. The indenture was enforced by biblical scripture: His Lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful Servant; thou haft been faithful over a few Things, I will make thee Ruler over man Things : Enter thou into the Joy of their Lord. Matthew XXV: 21 The rules specified in the indenture concerned every aspect of the apprentice’s life and behaviour in and outside the workplace. For example, apprentices were forbidden from engaging in fornication or marrying within the term of the apprenticeship. They were not allowed to gamble, visit taverns or watch plays. Nor were they granted any time off. They were also prohibited from socialising with lewd women and from talking about their master’s secret art (thus preventing the sharing of trade secrets). In addition to providing training, the master was responsible for lodging, clothing and feeding the apprentice. He was also liable for any loss incurred by his apprentice. In sum, the master was solely responsible for his apprentice, and the apprentice was under the complete control and protection of his master. The apprentice effectively became a ward of his master: he was taken in by his master’s family and became part of his master’s household. A clockmaking apprentice was almost always a boy, and he typically began his indenture at the age of fourteen. The master was a Free Brother of the Clockmakers’ Company. Apprenticeships typically lasted for seven years. During this time, apprentices could be passed on to a different master. It was not until 1889 that the terms of indenture relaxed. The Act (of 1889) ‘in relation to the binding of apprentices according to the custom of the city of London, and to the form of indenture of City apprenticeship’ allowed for apprenticeships to be shortened to no less than four years, and for apprentices to marry (or at least to no longer be punished for doing so). Also, if mutually agreed between the master and the apprentice, the apprentice could be paid a wage and live on his own, assuming responsibility for his own living expenses. Thus, by the 20th century, apprenticeship indentures had evolved into agreements that more closely resembled today's employment contracts.
