RUGG, Richard (Grimwade p.648)

[MCB]

Christenings were held at St Andrews, Holborn in 1748 for Honor, in 1749 for Richard, in 1750 for John and in 1752 for Mary, all children of Richard and Mary Rugg of Caroline Court and Saffron Hill.
Indentures were signed in 1754 by Thomas Wicker, in 1758 by John Crouch (Grimwade p.480), in 1759 by William Watson, in 1761 by John Hutson (Grimwade p.556), in 1763 by his son Richard and in 1764 by John Glover to be his apprentices.
The burial of a Richard Rugg of St John’s Square recorded at St James, Clerkenwell in 1775 presumably related to the son born in 1749 as Grimwade suggests Richard Rugg senior died 1795-1801.

[buckler]

Grimwades suggestions for dates of death are often based on livery lists etc which survive at Goldsmith's Hall. By noting the presence of a name and its omission from the next list ! Often correctly, although resignation from the Livery, bankruptcy etc does confuse the matter on some occasions.

[MCB]

During research to update the biographies no evidence of a significant error rate has been found in the silversmiths’ years of death which Grimwade reported.
Website searches to provide the above detail showed only one recorded burial of a Richard Rugg in the London area 1795-1801. This was in the St Mary, Whitechapel register for 1800. He was recorded as a labourer. Although the death of Richard Rugg the silversmith was not traced in the London area in 1795-1801 there was no reason to suppose one had not been recorded outside that locality for which website records are sparse.
The matter has however been reviewed again and a further search has been made to locate Richard junior.
The previously mentioned burial at Lewisham was recorded on 13th March 1775. Grimwade shows Richard Rugg entering his second maker’s mark at Goldsmiths Hall on 18th March 1775 from Clerkenwell.
The website showed the marriage of a Richard Rugg to Grace Pitts in June 1775 at St Alphege, Greenwich. On the face of it nothing connected this event either to Clerkenwell or Lewisham. On closer examination of the register itself however it reveals the marriage took place there because the Lewisham church had been pulled down. The bridegroom is shown from St John parish, Clerkenwell and the bride from Lewisham.
The proximity of these events now becomes apparent.
It would seem the family had residence at Lewisham. It was Richard Rugg senior’s burial recorded there on 13th March and the Will granted probate on 22nd March and in the National Archives is his. His son, not he, entered the maker’s mark on 18th March using the Clerkenwell address, took over the business and married in June.
Grimwade mentions Livery was granted in 1771, presumably to Richard senior. His death in 1775 would, of course, explain his absence from the Livery lists 1795-1801 but leaves the questions of whether his son was granted the same honour and whether it is his absence Grimwade mistakenly noted.
For the record no trace has yet been found of junior’s demise although it was probably somewhere outside London and perhaps between 1795 and 1801.

Mike

[silverly]

The 1796 Poll Book for the City of London lists a Richard Rugg of the goldsmith company with the place of abode Howland Street, Tottenham Court Road.