Yarnold
Clock and watchmakers
"Gloucestershire Clock and Watch Makers" by Graham
Dowler says that William was born in 1859 and that he was the first child of
James Henry Yarnold a carpenter, joiner and cabinetmaker and his wife
Frances Brown of Cheltenham. The 1851 Census
shows "Henry" Yarnold aged about 30 was lodging in Glou By the 1881
Census William then aged 22 had moved to Thornbury and the Census shows him
lodging with Esther Morgan "an eating house keeper" living at
18 High Street.
He married Ella Jane Riddiford on 3rd November 1881. On August 14th
1885 The Bristol Mercury had an article which said that William Yarnold
bought a premises in the High Street which was occupied by the Rev. T. Kirby
at £19.00 a year for £375. This property was at 16 High Street. William Yarnold
was a prosperous businessman and owned other properties which added to his
income. We know from other documents that he
acquired 6 St Mary Street on 21st January
1885 for £117. The 1887 Rate Book shows that the property he bought in the High Street was
occupied by William Vowles and his St Mary Street property was occupied by
William Cole. We believe that he might also have owned at least one of
the brick maker's cottages in Gillingstool. By 1890 the
Special Rate Book shows that he owned and occupied the shop in the High
Street which is shown above. The 1891 Census
shows that William Yarnold then aged 32 and described as watchmaker and
jeweller was living with his wife Ella in the High Street. At that
time their children were; Percy aged four, Frederick aged two and Victor
Gerald aged less than one month. The 1901 Census shows that Frederick
aged 18 and Percy aged 14 had already become apprentices in the watchmaking
business. Victor was only aged 10 at this point but he too was
destined to become a watchmaker. Their children now included Reginald
aged five, Mabel three and Albert one month. William Yarnold
was a member of the Gleemen. This was a well known group of singers in
Thornbury The business was
obviously thriving as despite the extensive household they had two servants
living in the house Sarah Rugman aged 17 and a nurse Mary Long aged 64.
A reminiscence by Betty Longman nee Sage recalled
Yarnolds always had a sign in the shop
'NO REPAIRS
We have a thumbnail image on the
left of a photograph of the whole Yarnold clan taken before 1946.
Please click on it to see a larger photograph.
William had retired by 1926. When his son Victor was married in 1926
the newspaper said that William and Ella lived in Caerwent in Alveston. Victor took over the
family business and the High Street premises. By 1938
the Electoral Roll shows that William and Ella returned both to Thornbury and to the
High Street. They were living at a house called Westbourne which we
understand to be 55 High Street.
In his will dated 18th September 1940 William appointed his sons
Frederick William Yarnold of Malmesbury, Percy Yarnold of Nailsworth and
Victor Gerald Yarnold of Thornbury to be his executors. On 19th April
1945 in a codicil to his will he appointed Reginald Harry Yarnold of
Gloucester to replace Frederick William Yarnold who had pre-deceased him.
Ella Jane Yarnold
died on February 12th 1945 aged 83. The Electoral Roll the following
year suggests that William continued to live at Westbourne. William
Yarnold died on January 6th 1947 aged 87. He was buried with his wife
in Thornbury Cemetery.
On 21st June
1947 William Yarnold's executors sold 6 St Mary Street to Leslie James and
Lyndon Augustus Hawkins for £450. Of the
children Frederick
William Yarnold was baptised on 5th July 1882. We have been
told that he became a watchmaker in Malmesbury. Frederick died in
1945. Charles James
Yarnold was baptised 9th October 1884. He died January 2nd 1891
aged six. His death was recorded in the Council School log book.
Sadly he had died of complications after he contracted measles in the
epidemic in Thornbury that year. Percy Yarnold
was born 29th July 1886 and baptised on 25th August 1886. In 1912
Percy married Florence Marion Webb in Stroud. On 1st September 1913
they had a daughter Florence Mary Yarnold in the Stroud District. He
appears to have run a business there for many years. The Gazette
of May 19th 1917 reported "At the Nailsworth Military Tribunal the military
authorities applied for a review of the certificate of conditional exemption
granted to Percy Yarnold 29, bespoke tailor and outfitter married and passed
C1. The certificate was granted at Thornbury where Yarnold's father is
also in business and it was confirmed on 20th March 1917." At the
review Mr William Yarnold, Percy's father, was quoted as saying that
"it was most difficult to get anyone to undertake the business and quite
impossible to entrust a woman with it. He might say that his son was
doing his bit as a member of the Volunteer Force at Munitions Works and was
also cultivating a large garden. It was also stated that the
respondent had two brothers in the army." The Tribunal allowed the
military appeal but directed that the man should not be called up before
June 30th. Kew Records
Office has a record of him which gives his navy number as F33295 and quotes
a file reference ADM 188/625. His naval record shows that he was
called up and says that he was "engaged in hostilities" from 11th July 1917.
The record says that he served in President II as an aircraftsman second
class. This means he was in the Royal Naval Air Service which in World
War II became the Fleet Air Arm. President II is what the navy refers
to as a "stone frigate, in London." This is actually the Admiralty in
London and it is an accounting base because sailors have to be assigned
somewhere when between ships. The record also shows that he was posted
to Daedalus 1st February 1918. This was another land base for the
seaplanes. Percy Yarnold died in 1981 and his death was
registered in Bristol. Herbert Henry
Yarnold was born on February 18th 1889 and was baptised on 13th March
1889. He died on 18th January 18th 1891. Victor Gerald
Yarnold was born on 26th March 1891 and baptised on 15th April 1891.
The 1915 newspapers show that Victor was involved in WWI but we know nothing
about his army career. In September 1926 he married Kate Isidora Woodcock the head mistress of the
Infants' Department of the Council School
whom Pam Lewis remembered as being "a nice kind lady." Kate was born 20th
February 1895. The couple were
married in Hyde, where Kate's mother, a widow, was living. They
returned to live in Thornbury after their marriage. Victor took over the
family watchmaking business after his father's death, although it seems to have
traded as William Yarnold until about 1935. After this period the
Trade Directories show only Victor Yarnold. In 1946 and 1950 Electoral
Rolls Victor and Kate were living at a house they called Caerwent in the
High Street. By 1954 their address was 7 High Street and in 1958 it
was 16 High Street. They did not appear in the Electoral Rolls of
1961. In 1981 Victor died in the Okehampton area. Kate died in
the Barnstaple area in 1983. Florence
Ella Yarnold was born March 15th 1893 and baptised on May 3rd 1893.
She died on 17th March 1898. Reginald Harry
Yarnold was baptised on 13th September 1895. A newspaper report of
6th April 1918 says "congratulations are due to Reginald Yarnold the
son of Mr. and Mrs. Yarnold of Thornbury on having been chosen to receive
the Military medal for distinguished service overseas. He was one of
the first to volunteer from Thornbury. " He died in 1967. Mabel Annie
Yarnold was born 8th October 1897 and baptised 29th October 1897.
In 1910 she went to Thornbury Grammar School. She married Daniel
Savery in Thornbury in 1929. She died in 1972. Albert was
born on 12th March 1901. He left school in 1915 aged 14. He died in 1939. The youngest
child, Dorothy was born 1904. She married Norman Wood in
Thornbury in 1930.
Click here to read about the
other clockmakers in Thornbury.
This page was last updated:
21/03/2012
The
photograph on the left is of Yarnold's clock and watch-making business in
the High Street in Thornbury.
Click here to read about the
other clockmakers in Thornbury. The
building is the tall light coloured one with "The Noted House" sign at its
roofline. Despite the fact that it was a jeweller and watchmaker,
there appear to be a great many other wares outside the shop front.
The High Street is recognisable today and the shop is now known as 16 High
Street. The building on the extreme right was the Market Hall and is today
called a shop called Wildings. The building with the distinctive
pitched roof and bay windows is now a charity shop and once was a tea shop
called Nell Gwynne's.
cester
with his wife Frances and their two year old son William. Although
William's father, James, was a carpenter, the head of the household,
interestingly was Robert Brown a watchmaker. It seems likely that
William's father had married into a clockmaking tradition which William came
to follow. According to Dowler, William was apprenticed to William
Mann of Gloucester. We have a photograph here on the right of
William Henry Yarnold as a young man.
.
We have a photograph of them here on the left taken in the 1890's at
Berkeley Castle. It is a thumbnail image so please click on it for a
larger version. Yarnold is in the front row and has a very distinctive
hairstyle with a central parting and curls. He was an active
participant in many other aspects of Thornbury life. The Bristol
Mercury of 1899 for example shows that he was an officer for the Court Leet
(a Searcher and Sealer of Leather) who helped to ensure the quality of
craftsmanship in the area and he was also a juryman for the Borough of
Thornbury. He also stood for election as councillor. This latter
attempt was unsuccessful and he polled only nine votes and came last out of
the 19 people standing for the election.
An
advertisement for his business
appears here on the right as a thumbnail image.
Please click on it for a larger version. Another advertisement
found in a South Gloucestershire Gazette of 1911 advertised "Yarnold's
Railway Timekeeper 25/-". This is an interesting sign of the
times. "Railroad watches" were introduced in America and became very
popular after a fatal crash in 1891 caused by the railroad engineer's watch
which was four minutes out because it had stopped and been restarted.
These "railroad watches" were high quality (at least 19 jewels and sometimes
23 or 30). They were inspected and approved for use on railroads.
"Railway Timekeepers" were cheaper versions of this using a similar name and
appealing to the mass market. They have been likened to buying fake
Rollex watches!
THIS WEEK.' Yarnold was well off and didn’t want the work. "