18th century London businesses

[Somerset Sal]

I'm certain that my ancestor William Giles kept a hat/clothing shop at 37 Fish Street Hill in London between 1775-1790. (Ancestry's collection of directories shows him at this address and so do the baptism records for his children.)

There's another William Giles operating a sugar cooper business on Water Lane and yet another one with a grocery business on Wardour Street. All seem to be operating in the 1780s and disappear from the directories after 1790. (Not sure if the directories ceased publication at that time.)

Does anyone have any suggestions about how I might find records that link these two latter businesses to the same William Giles?

I cannot find a will listed on the National Archive site that might fit any of the above.

One possible link is that William Giles's (of Fish Street Hill) in-laws were connected with the slave trade and that might show a link to the sugar cooper business.

William Giles of Fish Street Hill seems to have edited and written several books, which suggests he had a lot of leisure time - perhaps owning two or more businesses and delegating the actual work to employees made this possible.

Any suggestions of where to go next gratefully received!

Belinda

[angelina]

have you tried just putting 'william giles' in national archives and seeingwhat comes up - i found insurance details on there for one family.
also what happens when you google william giles and and fish street hill?
failing all that can you get on the hisotrical directories site and put the names in there and see what turns up? probably not early enough for you but you may be lucky.

[Somerset Sal]

Hi! Thanks for your thoughts: yes, I've ransacked TNA for every reference to a William Giles. Googling him doesn't produce anything helpful. I have found that there's a trial in the Old Bailey records for 1800 of a man who stole a loaf of sugar from WG's grocery shop and in his evidence WG says that he was sitting in his parlour (at the premises) when the theft took place. Which is inconclusive either way: he could have moved from Fish Street Hill to Wardour Street at any time in the preceding 20 years. If only the wretched man had left a will!

I'll have a look at other directory websites, but I'm not hopeful: the entries are usually just the bare facts about each business address and they don't usually say that this person owns 2 or 3 businesses.

Thanks again,
Belinda

[Heather Positive Thinker]

Why do you feel they may all be the same chap ? The occupations are very different?

[Somerset Sal]

This is where it gets a bit complicated: William Giles also wrote and edited books, which argues that he had quite a lot of leisure time (probably during the hours of daylight). I have made the unhappy discovery that some of his in-laws were connected with the slave trade. His various in-laws include quite well off (not necessarily through the slave trade) ship's captains and naval officers and one is described as a "gentlemen". I've probably read too much Jane Austen, but I think a girl from this prosperous sort of family would not have married a mere shop-keeper. It seems more probable that he was relatively well off and possibly an entrepreneur operating one of more businesses. The sugar cooper business made me think that this might be a business connection to his slave-trading in-laws.

On the other hand there might be no connection at all!