Heady was in the centre of crystal glass engraving , he and his workshop were the main jacobite engravers , more info on him would be good , when did he die , his son christopher , he would have engraved , i see he must have had more decendents with a joseph mentioned .
where did charleston get his info?
have you heard that AMEN glasses were done by Robert Strange , i have Geoff Seddons Photos and seem to know more about the engravers then than anyone ,if i can help you have my email ,you can ad me as a link if you wish , i have largest georgian glass collection on display outside the national gallery of victoria , i would probably have the largest collection of jacobite glass for sale , down here i have to buy them to see them ,you can see them on my web site ,
very informative site without the usual perpetuating silly ideas that some come up with,
cheers Ian

I my comment, posted yesterday, I forgot to mention my e-mail:

petersdorff@gmail.com

Dear David,

I recently discovered that one of my ancestors was a glass-cutter in London. On further research I came across your detailed website and wondered if you have heard about the following glass-cutter:

Nicholas Pentony,
born … (unknown date and place),
married Westminster (St Martin in the Fields) 1791 Catherine Spavan (bapt. 1761,
buried Southwark (Christ Church) 1830.

In the burial entry for Catherine it is stated that she had lived in Hatfield Street.

William, a son of Nicholas and Catherine, was born in 1800 – but baptized in 1806 (14 May, Christ Church, Southwark).
It is in this entry of 1806 that Nicholas is being called a glass-cutter.

Nicholas died at some date before the marriage of his son (certificate of 1829, island of Mauritius). According to this document (in French) Nicholas had been a "négociant".

Could it, therefore, be possible that Nicholas had his own shop?

I would appreciate it very much if you could kindly let me know if you have ever heard about this glass-cutter with the name of Nicholas Pentony.

I do hope that your book will soon be available again.

With kind regards
fp

Personal recollection. At the time of these visits I was Professional and Technology Officer working at the MOD, Herstmonceux, Sussex.

With Jeff Thompson, barometer restorer based in Brighton I visited Mr McCarthy in about 1973 and 1974 to purchase new barometer tubes and mercury in glass thermometers. A barometer tube made by Mr McC was fitted by Mr Thompson to an instrument then in the possession of (Sir) Nicholas Goodison and is shown in his work on the subject. This instrument had a number of replacement wooden parts also made by Mr Thompson.

Mr McC also manufactured curved thermometers of the type used on portable aneroid barometers. He made thermometers that matched existing scales but how closely they did I do not know.

The premises were on the side of the road opposite the sorting office. One entered the workshop straight off the street. There was a mass of glass tube most stored vertically, short lengths of thermometer tube were stored in cardboard boxes as were finished thermometers. Most striking were the curved thermometers ranging in size from about 20mm diameter to about 60mm diam. and the tubes for marine barometers which had restrictions in the bores. Clean (triple distilled I was told) 'new' mercury was stored two 72 lb steel flasks on the floor and dirty mercury was stored in a much smaller one. Heating the glass was by hydrogen? torch in another workshop at the rear. When I first met Mr McCarthy he was recovering from a heart attack which, Mr T. informed me, was Mr McC's second.

The firm appears to have been in existence for about 100 years. Glass blowing skills were obviously transferable from one aspect of the trade to another.

John Griffiths, Formerly Curator of Horology at Liverpool Museums and Curator, Prescot Museum.

Hello,
Thankyou for a very informative site, my GGG grandfather George Armstead was a glass engraver and it has been quite difficult to find any reference to him.
His wife's maiden name was GOODCHILD and I noticed a Goodchild on your pages who was also a glass worker there maybe a link.
Is there any where you could suggest I look for info. I'm in Australia so it's a long distance research.

Thankyou again

Listed in Kent's Directory 1776, Kent's Directory 1778 and New Complete Guide to All Persons Who Have Any Trade or Concern With the City of London and Parts Adjacent, 15th edn, 1777
Herman & Dederick AYCKBOWM 27 New Road, Ratcliff, London cut glass manufacturers

Wills, Geoffrey. English and Irish Glass. Doubleday & Co,: New York/ Guinness Signatures: London, c1968.

I have been given a copy of Indenture papers for Thomas Hutchins, for an apprentice to John Michardl Koppel (or Keppel) of Oxford Street Soho. The document is dated February 1799. Do you have any information? Is this of any interest to yourselves?

Regards
Celia Lawrence

Hello, I am researching a Victorian House in Castleford West Yorkshire (now demolished) Kippax Hall near Leeds. It was built for an Edgar Brefitt (d.1913). What I know so far is, he was a London glass merchant who bought a Castleford glass works in 1844. It became Brefitt's Glass Works and later the Aire and Calder Glass Bottle Company and in 1913 became part of United Glass Bottle Manufactures Ltd. They had premises at 83 Upper Thames. I assume this would be Upper Thames Street? Edgar Brefitt was Sheriff of London in 1875.
I would be grateful for any information about Brefitt and his firm and premises in London or for any suggestions of sources for research to follow up on.

Regards
Chris Hand
Wakefield