John Wynn

(trading c1784 – 1815)

 

John Wynn (also spelled Whinn and Winn) was apprenticed in the Blacksmiths' Company to a well-known London Scalemaker, William Astell of Great Bandyleg Walk in Southwark, on 7th November 1776.

 

John was free on 2nd September 1784, and probably then started working with Thomas Croome at 6 West Smithfield, who died in 1791.

 

John took on apprentices of his own: William Scarrett (1793), Thomas Birchfield (or Burchfield) (1799), Richard McCraight (1807) and John Bartlett (1811, turned over in 1814 to Robert Wood).

 

Towards the end of his life, John Wynn went into partnership with Robert Wood, trading as Wynn and Wood, and their business was mentioned in this article in the Morning Chronicle of May 5th 1817.

 

John was admitted to the Livery of the Blacksmiths' Company in 1808, and died in May 1815.

 

John Wynn's Will was witnessed by two persons in the scale trade, Samuel Meymott and William Ford, and was sworn by Robert Wood and Thomas Wynn, John's brother, also a scalemaker of 54 West Smithfield.

 

John had clearly had a problem with Thomas Birchfield, who had finished his apprenticeship in 1806, as a Codicil to his Will states ‘The person Thos. Birchfield my late apprentice having set up against me as a Scale Maker, if it should please God to call me, I leave it to my Executors that he by no means have it or reside in my house or Business'.

 

Thomas Birchfield did not have John Wynn's business, or indeed his house, but set up just round the corner at 1 West Smithfield, pictured right in about 1840.  With his son he also rented 83 West Smithfield, shown here in 1844.  He died in 1851.