The indentures Joshua Jackson signed in 1762 were to be the apprentice of Richard Binley (Grimwade p.441) of the Goldsmiths Company not, as Grimwade suggests, Richard Bailey. There is a document in which Margaret, the widow of Joshua Jackson’s master, turned him over to Samuel Meriton I of the Turners Company on 7th June 1764 to learn to be a goldsmith rather than, as Grimwade suggests, in 1762 on the day the indentures were originally signed. Robert Binley’s burial was recorded at St Ann and St Agnes on 12th May 1764 and Joshua Jackson’s freedom document in 1769 refers to Binley having originally been his master.
A family tree on the Ancestry.co.uk website suggests that he married Betty Viviash at St George, Hanover Square in 1771 but no confirming evidence has come to light. Similarly no evidence has been found of christenings of the six sons the family tree identifies although the existence of two sons is confirmed by later documents (see below).
He entered marks at Goldsmiths Hall in 1779 as a smallworker from Monkwell Street, in 1784 from 27 New Street, Clothfair and also from that address in 1787 and 1794.
Indentures were signed in 1788 by Samuel, the son of James Jackson (Grimwade p.310, 343), watch case maker of Bridgwater Street, to be Joshua’s apprentice at New Street.
There are applications by sons Joshua (born 1784) undated but indexed to 1810 and Thomas (born 1789) dated 1820 for freedom by patrimony in the Goldsmiths Company.
Joshua Jackson, Citizen and Clockmaker paid Duty in 1797 for the apprentice indentures of John Toye. Grimwade speculated that the Joshua Jackson (Grimwade p.310) who entered the mark as a watch case maker from 10 Bridgewater Gardens in 1795 may be one and the same as the goldsmith referred to above although, somewhat unusually, the mark changes from I.I entered in 1779 as a smallworker to J.J for the case maker. The entry for John Toye in the list of Duties Paid might incorrectly refer to “Clockmaker” which would also be unusual but equally may identify another Joshua Jackson. No indentures for a Joshua Jackson as a clockmaker have been found.
There is a burial of a Joshua Jackson aged 75 years, late of Acton, recorded in 1821 at St Mary Acton. Goldsmiths Alms Houses were situated in Acton and the detail is probably relevant here.