Hard brown paper cover, containing maths exercises, by Henry Hood, Derby, about 1848

Hardback book with loose cover made of light brown paper, folded to make dust jacket.
The name 'Henry' is written in ink, within ruled lines, sideways across the cover. On the front page inside the book, the 'Miss E Hood' is written in ink, and the letter 'M' appears between two parallel ruled lines.
The following pages, up to about halfway through the book, are filled with maths theory and practice. Each topic has a title written in large black letters, an introduction outlining the rules, and a number of worked examples. The sections are:
- Numeration
- Addition
- Subtraction
- Multiplication
- Division
- Comp-Addition

The other half of the book starts at the other end, when the book is turned over. The first page is inscribed 'Mast H. Hood', and underneath 'W. Hawkesworth's Commercial and Mathematical Academy'.
The following pages are used for the theory and practice of mathematics relating to trade. The sections are:
- Practice '... it is a concise method of computing the value of articles, &c. by taking aliquot parts', followed by eight rules, each with a decorated heading and an introductory paragraph of text. Commodities used in the examples include coal, iron, wood, currants, sugar, gold, cochineal, and Champane (sic).
- Simple Interest

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.

B.283-2012