18th Century London Goldsmith Advertisements

[dognose]

John Hopkins - London Evening Post - 20th October 1747

John Hopkins (Grimwade 1054, 1355), was apprenticed to Andrew Archer on the 5th June 1716. He was granted his Freedom on the 5th December 1723.



John Fossy - General Advertiser - 24th October 1747

John Fossy (Grimwade 1288-9, 1310), was apprenticed to Thomas Tearle on the 7th May 1724. He was granted his Freedom on the 9th September 1731. Grimwade records his death in 1746 and suggests that his son took over the business following his father's demise, but the wording of this advertisement 'still continues.....as he has done for near twenty years, last past' would imply that he was still alive in 1747.



John Stamper - Whitehall Evening Post and London Intelligencer - 10th January 1769

John Stamper (Grimwade 528), was apprenticed to William Darker on the 15th December 1731 and turned over to John Hopkins on the 10th July 1735. He was granted his Freedom on the 7th February 1739?/40. He was to spend a period in partnership with Edward Aldridge (1753-7). Grimwade records his death as 'before 1796'



Thomas Chesson - General Advertiser - 28th January 1748

Thomas Chesson (Heal p.124), This business was suceeded by Henry Hurt, who in turn was suceeded by Thead & Pickett where Philip Rundell started his career.


Trev.

[MCB]

Hello Trev

Here are some more historical references to these individuals:

John Fossey
No reference appears on web sites for the suggested death in 1746 .This may of course be due to incomplete records. There is however a record of burial of a John Fossey at St Margaret Lothbury on 18th February 1755, just a little way from Lombard Street.

John Stamper
A John Stamper was buried at St George in the East Cannon Street Road on 6th September 1778.

Thomas Chesson
A Thomas Chesson was buried at St Martin Ludgate on 2nd November 1759.

John Hopkins
This name is too numerous to make any attempt to accurately identify the individual, however the speculation on page 551of Grimwade’s biography that he might be the silversmith who died on 4th August 1779 could have some truth in it. A John Hopkins was buried at St Bride’s Fleet Street on 11th August 1779 which is close by the business address in the advertisement of 1747. He was 81 years old. Judging by the fact that John Hopkins was said to have been apprenticed as a silversmith in 1716 a date of birth around 1699 wouldn’t be wholly untoward.

Regards
Mike

[dognose]

Hi Mike,

Many thanks for adding this information. It all helps build up a more complete picture of their lives.

Regards Trev.

[dognose]

Matthew West (Grimwade 3094) was apprenticed to John Spackman on the 26th October 1682 and Free on the 6th December 1689. His only mark was entered as a largeworker, undated, but probably April 1697 on commencement of the register. He was elected to the Livery in April 1705.

It was not, however, from his skill as a silversmith, that Matthew West is mostly remembered.


Matthew West - London - 1722


Matthew West - London - 1731


Matthew West - London - 1731

The ingenious Matthew West, in 1713, hit upon the idea of a method of getting around the law that had made lotteries illegal in Great Britain since 1689 (The Act for the suppression of lotteries - 1689). Under the Act anyone who purchased a lottery ticket was liable to a fine of £20, West's method to get around this law was to divide each ticket into eighths, thus the purchaser was only buying a share and not the ticket. This arrangment was incredibly successful with West selling 50,000 tickets to the public at ten shillings each. Following the pressure of Matthew West's success the law was changed in 1736.


Matthew West - London - 1733

The above advertisement, from March 1733, goes a little way to resolve the confusion in Grimwade regarding the Seven Stars address, with the move likely to have happened in the later part of 1732 or the early part of 1733.

Trev.

[dognose]

Another, earlier advertisement from John Hopkins (Grimwade 1054,1355). This time from 1738.



Source: London Evening Post - 28th November 1738

Trev.