HARRISON, William I (Grimwade p.538)

[buckler]

HARRISON, William I (3158-9)

Many people will have tongs or nips by this maker and the following quotes from an ex-apprentice, William Winterbotham. may be of interest

Of Harrisons wife (who is presumed to be the woman described as the mistress of the house )
“vulgar in her manners and language, bad in her temper, and worse in her principles”

Of Harrison
"always politicking”
“a normally sober, if gourmandising, craftsman with a ‘tolerable fortune’ who regularly served all parish and ward offices with credit to himself and satisfaction to his neighbours and was …a Liveryman of the Goldsmiths’ Company , on the Court of Assistants, a Common Councilman, and engaged in most of the ordinary concerns of Parish and City business to which he devoted much of his time “

Harrison used to take Winterbotham to civic feasts " thus imprudently exposing [him] to scenes which had no tendency to improve his morals”

William Winterbotham who was an apprentice of Harrisons from 1778 to 1784 later became a Calvinist assistant minister tried for sedition in 1793. I suspect that Winerbothams religious views may have somewhat coloured his recollections but Harrisons preference for socialising and leaving the business to the care of his apprentices may be explained by his wifes character !
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[buckler]

Further information
""At the time [c1775] of my first connection with him [Harrison] he was about 58 years of age [so born around 1717 ,probaby free around 1738]. He had risen from the humblest ranks of life by his industry and sobriety; had been introduced into the business and house where it was carried on by its former possessor for whom he worked ; he had been 28 years in the business [ hence started about 1748 ] and accumulated for those times a tolerable fortune."

According to Grimwade , Harrisons master may have been James Steward to whom a William Harrison was apprenticed 3 February 1737, although this date seems inconsistant with Winterbothams account, as does the address of the premises. We know Harrison was free of the Goldsmiths as he is described as "Citizen and Goldsmith" in the turning over to him of Samuel Moulton in 1766. And the David Beasley used Goldsmiths apprentice records to link Winterbotham with Harrison

The following gives a lovely picture
""he was one of those old fashioned citizens who thought a good dinner the best of all the good things of this lower world . Of this I could furnish many anecdotes. When not thus employed he continued his application to the working part of the business with the steadiness which was the result of habit. His rule then was daily to take his pint of porter after dinner at a neighbouring public-house - this with the pipe and newspaper occupied two hours . Every leisure evening was spent in a similar manner at another house of the like description, from which he returned regularly at about ten o’clock, generally sober, always good tempered, but sometimes a little elevated"

I will tell my wife that I am merely a little elevated the next time I overimbibe
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[buckler]

David Beasley of the Goldsmiths Company has kindly informed me that there is "a pencil note in the library copy of Grimwade to the effect that he [ Grimwade ] has got the wrong Harrison as an apprentice".

It seems that he may have been " the William Harrison, goldsmith, who was made a freeman by redemption (payment) on 2 August 1753. This William became a liveryman in June 1763 and it is suspected that he died between the years 1795-1801, his name appearing on a livery list of the earlier date but not the later one"

As Winterbotham tells us that Harrison "was a Liveryman of the Goldsmiths’ Company , on the Court of Assistants......, " this man seems to fit . It looks as if Harrison's master was a member of another Company and his original freedom was of that company, and he bought his freedom of the Goldsmiths once he was established in his business . Also explains why his apprenticeship is not in Goldsmiths records.

Harrision took a number of apprentices — Samuel Dellany (after 1754 — he was turned over to WH from two other masters — Michael Boult and John Allen a Glover); Charles Vincent (1754); Samuel Fletcher (1760); John Maley (1762); Samuel Moulton (after 1764 - he was turned over to WH also from two other masters — Edward Cooke and Samuel Cooke, Musician); Joseph Hilton (1769); William Winterbotham (1778); and William Thompson (1778).
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[buckler]

An examination of the Poor Rate Book of St Olave, Silver Street indicates that Harrison took over his premises at No 38 , Monkwell Street from a William Coles around 1754, who had previously taken the property from a Mary Kent around 1740. Coles, who seems to be separate from the William Coles given in Grimwade, is probably the William Coles shown in the Land Tax records of St Michael Wood Street from before 1736 to 1740 , the dates matching nicely.
For Willliam Coles please see viewtopic.php?f=74&t=23175 . And have an aspirin ready

17 October 1766
Sun Life insurance policy " at the Spurs in Monkwell Street ". His shop sign was probably a pair of spurs

Entered a mark as bucklemaker, still at 38, Monkwell Street in 1781 He was probably around 64 at this time and as his mark not yet been on any post duty buckle, may have retired during the 1781 -1784 period.

His neighbours at No 37, Monkwell Street were the silversmiths Richard Pargeter (to 1758), Henry Bickerton (from 1759) and from at least 1776 Thomas Wallis .
Thomas Tookey occupied Nos 35 and 36 in 1778 to 1780 at least.

He is shown in the Poor Rate book for St Olaves, Silver Street at No 38 Monkwell Street in 1784 , but by 1785 the premises were charged to a John Warren, who is also charged with No 22.

However he appears as a silversmith at Monkwell Street ,Wood Street in Wakefieild' s Merchant & Tradesmans General Directory for 1790 - although the directories of the time were not always updated properly .

Probably died between the years 1795-1801, as his name appears on a livery list of the earlier date but not the later one.

[buckler]

There are several possibilities for Harrison's original apprenticeship , although the main probability was until recently thought to be a William Harrison son of John, St Sepulchre, London, citizen and blacksmith who was apprenticed to John Jarvis , Blacksmiths' Company on 4 Jul 1734. [a John Jarvis is recorded in Grimwade as recording only one mark, as smallworker, in 1731 at Middlesex Court ,Batholomew Close- and who is known to have made at least one buckle ]

However Silverly has recently discovered that the 2 August 1753 freedom thought to be his was :
"William Harrison, son of John Harrison of Walsall in Staffordshire bucklemaker who was made free in the company of goldsmiths by redemption paying the standard fee and indentified as a silversmith."
This is almost certainly this bucklemaker .
Whether John Harrison of Walsall in Staffordshire bucklemaker equals John Harrison of , St Sepulchre, London, citizen and blacksmith is at present unknown.
Another explanation is that perhaps the two John Harrisons were actually father and son, and that William Harrison was the younger brother of that son.
Or maybe coincidence and no connection !
The saga continues

[buckler]

9 February 1765
Gazette and Daily New Advertiser reports
"A few days since was married Mr William Harrison, silversmith in Monkwell Street to Mrs Brown, (his fourth wife) of Great Arthur Street "
The comment "(his fourth wife ) is the newspaper's , not mine !
He seems to be something of a character

[buckler]

4 November 1784
Whitehall Evening Post reported
"the house of Mr Harrison, working silversmith in Monkwell Street, near Cripplegate, was broken open and robbed of plate and other property to a considerable amount "

4-6 November 1784
General Evening Post reports in an account of a robbery trial involving a man and his wife who appeared to have been the receivers of this stolen material
"Mr Harrison of Monkwell Street appeared and identified several articles of plate upon their premises as being part of the property stolen out of his house a few nights since"

[silverly]

9 February 1765
Gazette and Daily New Advertiser reports
"A few days since was married Mr William Harrison, silversmith in Monkwell Street to Mrs Brown, (his fourth wife) of Great Arthur Street "
The comment "(his fourth wife ) is the newspaper's , not mine !
He seems to be something of a character

27 January 1765 William Harrison of the Parish of Saint Olave Silver Street Widower married Hannah Browne of the Parish of Saint Luke in the County of Middlesex Widow at the Parish Church of Saint Alban Wood Street in the City of London. The witnesses were Jonathan Hyatt and William Hall.