William Perrin

William Perrin was born in Maidstone in 1851, and at the time of the 1861 census was living there with his mother Mary, a former papermaker, and his grandfather Joseph, a retired brewhouse worker.

 

In 1871 aged 19 his occupation is given as ‘scalemakers apprentice’, but as he was still living in Maidstone it is likely that he was working for another firm, perhaps for Robert Henry Wood who had split from his brother Henry at 6&7 West Smithfield in 1861 and had taken the part of the business in Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells.

 

By 1881 aged 30 William is shown as a scalemaker, living alone in Richmond Street, St Georges, Southwark, so it is probable that he was by then working for George Herbert either at St George in the East or West Smithfield.

 

William married Eliza Susan Barnes at St. Saviour’s in Southwark in 1882, and their fourth child Daniel Ernest (Ernie) was born in 1887.

 

William completed 50 years service with the Company.  This remarkable length of service was subsequently matched by his son Ernie, who himself completed 50 years with the Company in 1950.