Thomas Croome

Thomas Croome (trading c1769 - 1791)
 
Thomas Croome was christened on 31 May 1737 in St Philip and St Jacob church in Bristol. His father William was a tobacconist, and the family later moved to London where William died in 1767.
 
Thomas was apprenticed to a London scalemaker John Swithin on 6 September 1751 in the Haberdashers' Company.  Although it might seem strange that he was a Haberdasher, that company's links to the haberdashery trade had died by the end of the 17th century, so being apprenticed to a member of that Livery did not mean that the trade of haberdashery was being learnt.
 
Thomas traded between 1769 and 1791 from premises in Smithfield.  His early address labels state ‘At the Justice & Scales, No.6, near Cow Lane, West Smithfield', but by 1784 this had become ‘At the Sign of the Justice and Scales, at No. 6, West Smithfield, London'.  This location, with the addition of No 7, became the head office of Herbert & Sons from 1868 until 1960.
 
We have five sets of Thomas Croome's scales in our collection, which can be seen here.
 
Thomas took 5 apprentices between 1769 and 1786, including William Northfield in 1774.  He died in 1791 and was buried at St Sepulchres, Holborn on 27th August.  The business was carried on by John Wynn.
 
Thomas Croome married Mary John in St Sepulchres on 17th April 1770, and their children were Eleanor (23/4/1771), Mary Maria (5/10/1772), twins Fanny & Betsy (27/10/1780), Thomas (11/9/1782), and a second Eleanor (6/5/1785).
 
London Lives contains these interesting references:
 
The Justices' Working Documents from the Middlesex Sessions Papers for May 1784 records this purchase:
 
Mr Newpourt, Bt of Thos Croome Jany 24 a painted Beam With a Pair of Copper Scales & Weights 0 18 0
 
Rec'd the contents and paid Thos. Croome
 
The same working papers also show his trade card from 1784:
 
THOMAS CROOME,
 
SCALE - MAKER,
 
At the Sign of the Justice and Scales, at No. 6
WEST - SMITHFIELD, LONDON:
 
MAKES and Sells all Sorts of Scales, Weights and Steel-
yards, Wholesale and Retail.  All Sorts of Scales, Weights,
and Steel-yards, Clean'd and Repair'd.
 
N.B. Scales and Weights Clean'd and Adjusted by the Year.
 
 
See advertisement on the right in the ‘jobs wanted' section of the Morning Herald on Monday, November 13th, 1786 for a cook.
 

 
Thomas Croome
Picture of Thomas Croome
Image of Thomas Croome