William & William Eley & Fearn

( 1824 )

William Eley: Son of George Eley of Foston in the County of Derby yeoman, apprenticed to William Fearn 7 November 1770 on payment of £25. Free, 4 November 1778. Mark entered as spoonmaker, in partnership with George Pierrepont, 11 November 1777. Address: 46 Little Bartholomew Close. Second mark, alone as smallworker, 3 November 1778. Address: 2 George Stree, St. Martin's Le Grand. Took out patent for 'Eley's New Constructed Buckles', 16 August 1784, the described as of Clerkenwell Green. Fifth and sixth marks as such, 12 March 1790 and 5 May 1795, same address. Seventh mark, in partnership with William Fearn as plateworker, 4 January 1797, same address. Eight mark, with the same, 29 January 1802. Address: 1 Lovell's Court, Paternoster Row. Livery, October 1806. Ninth mark, in new partnership with William Fearn and William Chawner, 10 April 1808. Tenth mark, reverting to partnership with Fearn only, 6 October 1814. The signature to the next mark entry under the same heading is clearly that of William Eley II (q.v.). As well as the addresses above, Heal also records him as a Bucklemaker, Aylesbury Street (Clerkenwell), 1782. Died March 1824. William Fearn: Son of William Fearn of the Parish of Sedbury in the County of Derby farmer, apprenticed to Thomas Chawner 6 October 1762 on payment of £25. Free, 7 February 1770. Mark entered as smallworker April 1769. Address: 5 Brownlow Street, Holborn. Second mark as spoonmaker, 13 May 1774. Address: 75 Wood Street. Appears twice in the Parl. Report list 1773, as spoonmaker, No.78 Wood Street, and without category, 5 Brownlow Street, Holborn, presumably at this time maintaining two workshops. Bankrupt July 1777, as silversmith, Wood Street (The Gentleman's Magazine). Third mark, in partnership with George Smith as plateworkers, 3 November 1786. Address: 60 Paternoster Row. Moved to 1 Lovell's Court, Paternoster Row, 29 August 1790. Fourth mark, in partnership with William Eley, 4 January 1797. Address: 14 Clerkenwell Green (perhaps a branch workshop). Fifth mark, with same, 27 January 1802. Address: 1 Lovell's Court. Sixth, with W. Eley and W. Chawner, 10 April 1808. Seventh, with W. Eley only, 6 October 1814. Eighth, with W. Eley II, 14 May 1824. On this last entry he omitted to sign the register. His signature is already shaky in 1814 when he must have been about sicty-six, so that by 1824 he was unusually old to be still in business, presumably as a sleeping partner. Heal also records him in Castle street in 1783, of which there is no evidence in the registers.