Skilled Hands: The Life of a Watchmaker – John Brownbill, 1738-1802 by Jon Kehrer, Queensland Family Historian vol.45(1) pp.8-10, February 2024.
John Brownbill was born into anonymity, and subsequently baptised on Sunday 30 July 1738 at St. Michael’s Anglican Church in the village of Huyton, Lancashire. He was the eighth of the nine children born to Jonathan Brownbill and Ellin née Barton, namely: Elizabeth in 1720, Mary in 1722, Martha in 1725, Margery in 1727, Jonathan in 1729, Margery in 1732, Mary in 1734, John in 1738 and James in 1742.(1) Two of his sisters, Mary and Margery did not survive childhood.
The family moved in stages to Liverpool and settled in Chapel Street, where John’s father, Jonathan took up the trade of cabinetmaker.(2)
John himself was trained as an apprentice watchmaker, and qualified as a journeyman specialising in watch movements (3) by working under a master watchmaker in Liverpool. He appears to have been a private apprentice, as stamp duty was never paid on his apprenticeship.
In due course, John proposed to one Ellen Barker, and they had their marriage banns published each Sunday from 13 to 27 November 1757 at St. Thomas’ Anglican Church in Liverpool.(4) They were subsequently married on Tuesday 29 November 1757 at that church, and lived in Chapel Street (5) near family. In 1758 they lost their twin Boys, John and Michael, (6) but in 1759, another son, Jonathan was born. (7) Ellen died shortly afterwards, presumably from post-natal complications, and was buried on Wednesday 26 April 1760 at St. Peter’s Anglican Church, also in Liverpool.(8)
Ellen’s death was followed the following year by that of John’s younger brother James, who may have been living with them. He was buried on Thursday 16 April 1761 at St. Nicholas’ Anglican Church, also in Liverpool. (9)
Having a young baby boy, John quickly found a wife for himself and a mother for his young son. He applied for a marriage licence on Thursday 23 July 1761 for himself and one Mary Richardson on which there was 9d. stamp duty. The £200 bond required was guaranteed by himself and Thomas Harold, who was a sawyer and a rather generous neighbour. The licence was granted the same day for celebration at St. Peter’s Anglican Church,(10) where the couple was married on Friday 24 July 1761. They went to live at a residence at 6 Prussia Street, (11) where he had recently established his own watchmaking business. (12) He was 22 and she was 23.
John and Mary had seven children, namely: Ellen in 1763, (13) Matthew and James in 1765, Betty in 1767, Molly in 1770, Jenny (aka Jane) in 1772 and John in 1775. Molly died as a babe in arms. (14)
Initially John continued to specialise in watch movements, (15) but rapidly established himself as a watchmaker in his own right, (16) and continued in that trade and in his own business near the corner of Prussia and Plumb(e) Streets for the rest of his life. (17) The premises expanded over the years to include other shops and their residences, but always in Prussia Street, even after the Liverpool railway station was established and resumed some of these properties.
In the meantime, John may have taken on Robert Simpson as a private apprentice, (18) as stamp duty was never paid on this apprenticeship. Robert married John’s daughter Jenny (aka Jane) by licence at St. Paul’s Anglican Church on Sunday 14 October 1792. (19) This time it was John who joined Robert to guarantee the £200 bond required. (20) The couple and their two children eventually moved in 1796 to Poulton-le-Fylde in Lancashire where Robert established his own watchmaking business and raised his family. (21)
John took on another apprentice, John Crookall, whose apprenticeship commenced on Friday 11 May 1792, and then another apprentice, George B. Booth, whose apprenticeship commenced on Wednesday 6 August 1794. Each apprenticeship ran for 6 years, for which a training premium of fifteen guineas was paid, and stamp duty of 2½% was levied for the registration of their indentures by William Poole (22) (b.1696, d.1779), who was the Receiver-General of the Stamp Office, and located in the county town of Lancaster at that time.
John’s wife, Mary died and was subsequently buried on Friday 24 November 1797 in the churchyard of St. Nicholas’ Anglican Church in Chapel Street. (23) She appears to have shared the grave of her father, but without any addition to
the inscription on its gravestone.
John and his now much reduced household continued to live in his residence near the corner of Prussia and Plumb(e) Streets, where they were recorded by the first national census on Tuesday 10 March 1801, which survives in the library of the Athenaeum of Liverpool.
In this census, the household was recorded as a single family of three males and one female living in a freehold residence in Prussia Street, with John Brownbill as its head with two males in trade, (24) presumably that of watchmaker. It would seem likely that John was living with one of his sons, and that son’s wife and son. John died ten months after the census on Monday 4 January 1802 at the age of 63 and was subsequently buried on Thursday 7 January 1802 in the churchyard of St. Nicholas’ Anglican Church in Chapel Street. (25) He shared the grave of his wife and her father, with an addition to the inscription on its gravestone simply reading “John Brownbill” (26) – a not quite anonymous end.
An example of his work has survived in Edinburgh, which we auctioned on Wednesday 2 September 2020. This example was sold for £1500, which included a 25% buyer’s premium, and was described in our catalogue.
Amended from the original, and republished with permission of the author and journal.
Endnotes
- Baptismal Register, Michael’s Anglican Church, Huyton, 1720-1742.
- Baptismal Register, St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Liverpool 1777. See Baptism of Thomas Brownbill of 26 January 1777.
- Marriage Bonds and Allegations – Cheshire, Cheshire Records Office, Chester 1761. See marriage bond of John Brownbill and Mary Richardson 1761.
- Banns Register, St. Thomas’ Anglican Church, Liverpool 1757.
- Wedding Register, St. Thomas’ Anglican Church, Liverpool 1757.
- Burial Register, St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Liverpool 1758.
- Baptismal Register, St. Nicholas’ Anglican Church, Liverpool 1759.
- Burial Register, St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Liverpool 1760.
- Burial Register, St. Nicholas’ Anglican Church, Liverpool 1761.
- Marriage Bonds and Allegations – Cheshire, Cheshire Records Office, Chester 1761.
- Wedding Register, St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Liverpool 1761.
- Oriorau (Patent Lever), Yr Amsereau, Liverpool, 20 May 1857, p.1a.
- Baptismal Register, St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Liverpool 1763.
- Baptismal Register, St. Nicholas’ Anglican Church, Liverpool 1765-1775.
- Baptismal Register, St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Liverpool 1763. See Baptism of Ellen Brownbill of 24 March 1763.
- Liverpool Directory for the Year 1767 by John Gore, Liverpool 1767, p.154.
- Burial Register, St. Nicholas’ Anglican Church, Liverpool 1802, and
An Account of the Population of Liverpool taken in pursuance of an Act of Parliament – March 1801 by Liverpool Town Corporation, Liverpool 1801. See Prussia Street in central Liverpool. - Marriage Bonds and Allegations – Cheshire, Cheshire Records Office, Chester 1792. See the marriage bond of Robert Simpson and Jenny Brownbill in 1792, and Baptismal Register, St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Liverpool 1795. See the baptism of Mary Simpson 22 May 1795, and Liverpool Directory for the Year 1796 by John Gore, Liverpool 1796, p.155.
- Wedding Register, St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Liverpool 1792.
- Marriage Bonds and Allegations – Cheshire, Cheshire Records Office, Chester 1792. See marriage bond of Robert Simpson and Jenny Brownbill 1792.
- Baptismal Register, St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Liverpool 1795. See baptism of Mary Simpson 22 May 1795, and Baptismal Register, St. Chad’s Anglican Church, Poulton-le-Fylde 1797. See baptism of John Simpson 26 May 1797.
- National Archives: IR1/35-36 Board of Stamps: Apprenticeship Books 1710-1811. See entries for John Crookall of Liverpool for 11 May 1792 and George B. Booth of Liverpool for 6 August 1794.
- Burial Register, St. Nicholas’ Anglican Church, Liverpool 1797.
- An Account of the Population of Liverpool taken in pursuance of an Act of Parliament – March 1801 by Liverpool Town Corporation, Liverpool 1801. See Prussia Street.
- Burial Register, St. Nicholas’ Anglican Church, Liverpool 1802.
- Memorial Inscription, St. Nicholas’ Anglican Church, Liverpool 1802.
