John was born about 1804 the son of Alexander Brymer and Harriet. He was christened on the 5th September 1804 at St. Swithin, Walcot, Somerset.^[1]

John, ex-Capt. 5th DG, married Eliza Mary Tugwell, a widow, on the 5th of August 1834 at St. Mary the Virgin, Bathwick, Somerset. The witnesses were N. R. Tugwell, Lewis Tugwell, D. Tugwell, G.C. Tugwell, F. Kirwan and Jane Anne Brymer.

1841 Census on the 6th of June 1841 John, with independent means, was living at Burgate House, Fordingbridge, Hampshire with his wife Eliza, and their children Mary, James and William.

1851 Census on the 30th of March 1851 John, a fund holder, was living at Crowe Hall, Bath, Somerset, with his wife Eliza (shown as Elizabeth), and their son John. They were staying with his brother-in-law George C. Tugwell (shown as Tafwell) and his family.

Residence
(6.6.1841) Burgate House, Fordingbridge, Hampshire
(30.3.1851) Crowe Hall, Bath, Somerset

Occupation
Fund holder (30.3.1851)
The Marital Arms of Brymer and Tugwell

The armorial bearings as engraved upon these wine coolers are those of Brymer impaling Tugwell. These armorial bearings denote the marshalling of a marital coat showing on the dexter (the heraldic right on the left as you view the piece) the arms of the husband and on the sinister (the heraldic left on the right as you view it) the arms of the wife.

They may be blazoned as follows:
Arms:
(on the dexter) Per bend erminois and gules in chief a demi Catherine wheel in bend of the last (for Brymer)
(on the sinister) Azure three garbs or on a chief argent a boar's head sable¹ (for Tugwell)


Crest:
A plume of six ostrich feathers alternately gules and argent charged with an escutcheon of the last thereon
a Catherine wheel of the last (for Brymer)
Motto: Virtute [By virtue]

These armorial bearings ² undoubtedly commemorate the marriage of John Brymer
(baptised 5th September 1804 died 7th December 1870), of Ilsington House,³ Puddletown in the County of Dorset
and Eliza Mary Tugwell (baptised 29th February 1816 died 27th November 1893).

John and Eliza were married at the Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin,
Bathwick with Woolley in the County of Somerset on the 5th August 1834.⁴
John was a younger son of Alexander Brymer,⁵ a Scottish born merchant of Halifax, Nova Scotia and later of London and Somerset and his wife, Harriet Dobson (née Parr),⁶ whilst Eliza was the only daughter of George Hayward Tugwell,⁷ of Crowe Hall, Widcombe, near Bath in the County of Somerset and Sarah Clutterbuck.

During the 19th Century the Brymer and the Tugwell families or members thereof were successful bankers in the City of Bath. Prior to his marriage to Eliza, John served in the British Army as a Captain in the 5th Dragoon Guards.

He later served as the High Sheriff for the County of Dorset in the year 1865.
 
¹ Also blazoned as 'Azure three garbs or tied gules on a chief argent a boar's head couped sable langued gules'.
² The arms and crest of Brymer were granted to John's father, Colonel Alexander Brymer,
of Bathwick, Co. Somerset [College of Arms Grant Book Volume XXVIII, folio 49].
³ John acquired Ilsington House and its surrounding estate in 1861.
⁴ John and Eliza were married by John's elder brother, The Reverend William Thomas Parr Brymer,
the incumbent of the Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Bathwick with Woolley, Co. Somerset.
⁵ Alexander served as one of Her Majesty's Council Nova Scotia,
Colonel Commandant of the Militia and Deputy Paymaster General in the Province.
⁶ Harriet was the daughter of John Parr, the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia.
⁷ George served as the Mayor of Bath for the years 1817 and 1827.

 

The firm of Edward Barnard & Sons (otherwise known as the Barnard Brothers) is quite possibly the oldest silversmithing company in the world, its origins can be traced back to Anthony Nelme (d. 1722) who established his firm in London circa 1680. Through succession and proceeding partnerships the firm was amalgamated in 1786 by Charles Wright with neighbouring silversmith Thomas Chawner who, at the time, was master of Edward Barnard – Chawner made Edward Barnard the foreman of the company. In 1796 Chawner took an engraver, John Emes, into partnership and when he retired Emes became the sole owner and Edward Barnard became the firm's manager. On Emes' death in 1808 Edward Barnard went into partnership with the widowed Rebecca Emes and Henry Chawner; the firm now trading as Emes & Barnard. After Rebecca Emes’ withdrawal from the business in 1829, Edward Barnard became the proprietor together with his sons, Edward, John, and William, trading under the name Edward Barnard & Sons.

Edward Barnard & Sons skill, knowledge and adeptness in both the Neoclassical and Rococo styles ensured their longevity as a firm, represented by fine quality silver. The company’s clients included Rundell, Bridge and Rundell, Elkington & Co., and the Goldsmiths’ Company. After many relocations of premises and centuries of trading, the firm eventually closed in 2003.