John Wood

Summary

• born: about 1832 in Leeds, Yorkshire, England,
• occupation: Railway Plate Layer.
• married: Alice Ryan
• children: Alice Jane, Joseph, Mary Jane, Eliza Mary, Jane and Maria.
• died: between 1891 and 1901

Notes

• 1881 census: at 14 Barnsley Buildings, Baildon, York, England. John Wood, head of household living with wife Alice and 6 children. Age 49. Occupation Railway Platelayer, born Leeds, York. [complete entry]
• Brought up as a Methodist, converted about time of death to a catholic
• Was said to be a Lord Mayor of Morley (between Leeds & Bradford) - Don't think this correct.

Where He Lived?

• in 1881 John census lived at 14 Barnsley Buildings, Baildon
• in 1864 lived at 18 Twenty Row, Richmond

What is a Platelayer?

John worked as a plate layer. A "plate layer" ("platelayer" is also correct) is a person who works on the track -- that is, the structure, including ballast, sleepers, baseplates, spikes and rails -- that supports the train wheels. The term is a survivor from the days before the first railways, when iron plates were laid on wooden sleepers to keep cartwheels from sinking into soft ground, and to allow horses to pull greater loads -- thus, "plateways" and "platelayer". When rails took the place of plates, the "plateway" became a "railway", but the term "platelayer" continued to be used until quite recently.