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Born 21st April 1756, the son of George Eley, yeoman of Foston, in the county of Derby
According to "Eley Cartridges" by Bill Harding , both the Fearn and Chawner families came from the adjacent parishs to Foston, i.e. Scopton and Sudbury

A Sun Insurance policy of July 1781 indicates that he was working as a silver buckle maker at 29, Greenhill Rents , St John Street .

According to “ Eley Cartridges “ in January 1782 he was at 36, Aylesbury Street, Clerkenwell , again as a silver buckle maker.
Heal also records him as a bucklemaker, Aylesbury Street in 1782

Sued ( ?William ) Yardley in July 1790 for infringement of his patent (No 1427 ) when the Jury, contrary to the direction of the Judge upheld the patent . However in December 1790 a case was raised against him which repealed his patent .
The Times reported "The numerous buckle-makers in and around the Court were rather noisy in expressing their approbation of the verdict by repeated huzzas ! "
It would seem that the bucklemaking establishment silversmiths had ganged up on Eley and the judgement looks, to modern eyes, somewhat of a travesty of justice

William Eley married Sarah Gardiner , the daughter of Lt -Col Gardiner in 1794. He would have been nearly forty at this date.

Died March 1824. The will of Willam Eley of Buntingford, Hertfordshire was proved at PCC on 7 April 1824 which may well be his .

THE COURT FOR RELIEF OF INSOLVENT DEBTORS

The Matters of the Petitions and Schedules of the Prisoners hereinafter named (the same having been filed in the Court) are appointed to be heard at the Court-House, in Portugal Street, Lincoln’s-Inn-Fields, on Thursday the 17th day of December 1829, at Nine o’Clock in the Forenoon:

Cutmore, John, the younger, late of No. 3, Lovel's Court, Paternoster-Row, in the City of London, in Partnership with Thomas Cutmore, as Silversmiths (sued by the name of John Cutmore, and sued with Thomas Cutmore), and formerly of the same place, Clerk to Mr. Eley, and also lately residing at No.3, Ampton-Street, Gray’s-Inn-Road, Middlesex, out of business.

Cutmore, Thomas, late of No. 33, Rockingham-Row, New Kent-Road, Surrey, in Partnership with John Cutmore the younger, carrying on business in Lovel's-Court, Paternoster-Row, London, as Silversmiths, but formerly of Tonbridge-Place, New-Road, Middlesex, and next of Crown-Place, Norwood, Surrey, also at same time in Partnership as aforesaid, and also late of No. 23, New-Street, Covent-Garden, Middlesex, out of business.

Source: The London Gazette - 24th November 1829