John
Clamp was born
in 1833 in Durham. He was the third child of Thomas and
Jane Clamp. His father, Thomas Clamp, was the Registrar for Births, Deaths & Marriages for some of the surrounding
districts where they lived.
His eldest brother, also called Thomas, followed in his father's footsteps, starting out as an Attorney's
Clerk, and then progressing to Deputy Registrar and then Registrar of Marriages - although, ironically, he never
got married himself.
His younger brother, William, is shown as an Apprentice to the Pharmacist on the 1851 census, but
by 1881, he is a musician.
It also appears that he had a sister, Jane, but I need to do some more research about her.
After finishing his education, John became an Apprentice to a Cabinet
Maker. He got married to his wife, Catherine, sometime in the early 1860s.
They continued to live in Durham until around 1869 when they moved to Newcastle upon Tyne, where
they lived until he died. Together, they had at least seven children, six daughters and one son, also called
John. His son, John, was born in 1870, and was also a Cabinet Maker.
John's main occupation was as a Cabinet Maker until sometime between 1881 and 1891,
when he began to make Banjos as his only or main occupation. Please see my page entitled 'Original Price List'
for more information on the Banjos he made. He continued this until his death in 1907.
His daughter, Cecilia, was an acomplished 'banjoist' and she also was a banjo teacher.
Please see the 'Cissy Clamp' page for more information about her.
