EATON, John (Grimwade p.499)

[buckler]

Nephew of Samuel Eaton, a silver bucklemaker in Huggin Alley/Lane

The parish records of Northampton shows his parents, John Eaton Senior and Elizabeth Eaton had several children baptised at Scaldwell ( including John on 28th May 1724) in 1724 to 1734. The family then moved to Maidford (twenty miles away) where two more children were baptised. Both John Eaton Senior and Samuel Eaton, his brother, seem to have arrived with their father George Eaton the Elder at Scaldwell, probably from Fleckney in Leicester, just before 1713. They seem to have been small farmers ( Husbandmen) . The two silversmith Eatons were thus related, Samuel Eaton being the uncle of John,

John Eaton’s apprenticeship on 3rd October 1738 to Edward Beddow, Citizen and Goldsmith gave him freedom of the Goldsmiths on 2nd May 1745, whereas his uncle Samuel Eaton, to whom he had been turned over on 11th December 1745 only had freedom of the Leathersellers.
This is significant as John took several apprentices, virtually all of whom were then turned over to non- Goldsmiths Company masters, thus giving those apprentices freedom of the superior Goldsmiths Company. One could refer to John as a flag of convenience !

His known apprentices were :-
William Cattell, George Smith, Joseph Lewis, George Eaton (his cousin) and Jeremy King (all turned over to Samuel Eaton, Leatherseller )
William Tayler (turned over to his father, William Tayler I, Leatherseller )
Jonathan Christopher (turned over to Benjamin Cooper, probably a Haberdasher)
John Packwood. —who seems to be the only one who he kept !

His main occupation was bucklemaking and trafficing in apprentices !
I’ve never seen any examples of his marks, although my scrutiny is largely limited to buckles and tongs.

He resigned from the Livery of the Goldsmiths on 29th May 1767 and died in October of the same year.

Records of St John Zachary parish show the burial of John Eaton on 21st Oct 1767. As the church had been destroyed in the Great Fire of London and not rebuilt he was actually buried in the Church of St Anne and St Agnes into which St John parish had been merged. St Anne & Agnes parish records also show the burial on the 21st October - 4 days after probate was granted.

The Gazetteer and New Daily Advertiser, Thursday, October 22, 1767 reports
"Saturday last died at Islington, Mr John Eaton a silver buckle-maker in Gutter Lane”
Note that he died in Islington.


The will of John Eaton, Goldsmith of Gutter Lane, was proved at PCC on 17th Oct 1767. Signed on 15th June 1767, witnesses were John Adams, William Harris and Mary Stead (?).
He left everything to his wife Martha Eaton and appointed her as sole executor. No further useful details.

Gazetteer and New Daily Advertiser of 31 October 1767 carried an advertisement for the auction in early November of :-
" All the genuine household furniture, plate, linen, china and wearing apparel, together with all the implements, utensils and stock-in-trade of Mr JOHN EATON ,Bucklemaker, deceased ,at his late house in Gutter Lane; also the lease of the said premises ,being convenient and in good repair. The furniture consists of good beds and bedding, mahogany chairs tables, a very good double chest of drawers, a neat desk and book case, sconce and other glasses, an exceedingly good table clock and useful kitchen furniture. The stock is of a variety of sorts of buckles, finished and unfinished, together with all the patterns and tools used in that branch "

So far so good !
He appears to have suddenly retired to Islington probably with poor health , died and left his property to his dear wife.

However the Goldsmiths Company Court Book 17 (1767 -1772) records the election on 25th February 1768, of Martha , widow of John Eaton, together with three other widows, as an almswoman to one of the rooms at the Goldsmiths Almshouse vacated by the deaths of four other almswomen. She was obviously in poverty.

From the prompt sale of the premises, household furniture as well as the stock and tools and the subsequent charity to his widow it would appear that Mr Eaton was probably insolvent on death, and perhaps not carrying out his trade due to creditor pressure.

[buckler]

The circumstances of John Eatons resignation from the Livery make it totally clear that as suspected he was in severe financial difficulty by 1767. He actually asked for the return of the £20 he had paid to join the Livery in 1758 !
And got it !

Goldsmiths Hall Court Book 16 page -422 dated 29th May 1767 states :-
" .... was received the Petition of John Eaton, a poor Liveryman of this Company and he being called in [to the Court ] the same [the petition] was read setting forth that on or about the 8th day of March 1758 being a Bucklemaker and in good Business he paid a Fine of Twenty Pounds to the Company on his being admitted to the Cloathing [Livery] but is now reduced to low Circumstances and hath a Wife and Child to support and therefore praying for a Return of his Livery Fine. And the Petitioner being withdrawn [ from the Court room ] it was moved .. .. [ that his £20 be returned ] .. .. on his executing a release of all his priviledges as a Liveryman of the Company."

[silverly]

25 June 1760 John Eaton of the Parish of Saint Zachary London Batchelor and Goldsmith aged thirty-four years and upwards bound in marriage to Martha Saunders Spinster aged twenty-five years and upwards.