Blue paper cover, containing maths exercises by Francis Hood, about 1843

Paperback book with blue cover. The front is inscribed 'Francis Hood'.
The exercises, in two sections, are written in black ink, with underlining in red.

[section one] The Application to Compound Multiplication
Involves complex calculations based on supposed cases. For example, working out the wealth of a man from the details of his will, or the amount stolen in a robbery from the compensation awarded. As well as many financial transactions, references also made to cambric, clothing charity children, and weekly budgeting.

[section two] Weights and Measures
A series of multiplications and divisions of measurements in various units.

There are several pages throughout the book which have sections removed. The back cover of the book is marked with doodles, and writing 'Francis Ho' and 'glory', surrounded by dots.

Given by Barbara Jones

This collection of books belonged to Derby tailor Francis Hood and his children.

Francis was born in Ashbourne, Derby, in 1800. In 1823 he married Susanna Wilson, and they had five children. All their names, apart from the youngest, Susanna, appear on the exercise and copy books. Francis was a successful tailor, and the enterprise grew to be a flourishing family business.

George (born 1827) was a tailor with his father by the age of 14. He died aged only 24.

Elizabeth (born 1830) became a milliner and dressmaker. She married Scottish draper John Train, but was soon widowed, and thereafter is listed is woollen goods trader as well as dressmaker.

Francis (born 1832) moved to Australia, possibly before his twentieth birthday, where he stayed the rest of his life.

Henry (born 1836) was an apprentice in 1851. Ten years later, at the age of 25, he inherited the family business, and by 1881 was employing 6 men and 2 boys. He was married to Elizabeth from Somerset, and they had six children. He was able to retire in his mid-sixties and move to a country house on the proceeds of the business. Soon after, Elizabeth died, but Henry remarried at the age of 72 to a woman 31 years his junior. His second son George (born 1868) continued the Hood dynasty from the 1890s, though the shop in St John Street, Ashbourne, remained ‘Henry Hood & Son’ in 1900.

Susanna (born 1838) never married, and lived with Elizabeth. She was also a dressmaker.

The books were passed down through Henry’s children to the donor’s husband.

The Hoods were a family of tailors based in Ashbourne and Derby, whose sons were taught accounting, measuring, letter-writing and numeration in preparation for the trade.

Francis Hood (b.1799) enrolled his sons George, Francis (b. 1832) and Henry at Mr Hawkesworth’s Commercial and Mathematical Academy, and they also benefited from printed textbooks and copybooks to practice their copperplate handwriting.

This exercise book belonged to the younger Francis, and contains conversions between units of measurement, and a series of complex mulitplication problems drawn from real world examples. Some, for example, require the pupil to calculate the cost of clothing charity children, and to divide the spoils of war equally among soldiers.

B.280-2012