This page gives brief details some of the main characters involved in English drinking glass making and selling 1642 - 1702. Alphabetical A-D
Bago. In 1641 the glass house at Greenwich was owned by Jeremy Bago and Francis Bristow. Jerimiah Bague married Suzanna Henzie (from a well-established glass making family) in Oldswinford on 8th April 1619 and he had returned there by 1650. He was clearly a man of some standing in Oldswinford, being described as 'Mr' when being chosen as churchwarden in 1634. There seem to be many variations of the name, and it is possible that he was related to the Bagget/Bagot family in Oldswinford. It seems very likely that there was also a son of the same name.
Baily. A William Baily was recorded as being a glassmaker and emigrating to Hamburg in 1690.
Ballana. Francisco Ballana (Ballanata) was an Italian glass maker who probably worked for Mansell in England and Vernatti in Scotland in the 1630s.
Barrow. A William Barrow was recorded in Scotland in 1678 & 1682 as being a London Glassmaker.
Biondi. Francisco & Valeria Biondi (Bynndo) were Italian glass makers who probably worked for Mansell in England and Vernatti in Scotland in the 1630s.
Blathes. A William Blathes was recorded as being a glassmaker and emigrating to Hamburg in 1690.
Bowles. In 1678 John Bowles and William Lillington were making "white glasses" at Stoney Street in Southwark. Bowles came from a rich Lincolnshire family and in 1695 was one of the commisioners for managing the duty on glass. Phineas Bowles is also mentioned in 1691 and again with Robert Bowles in 1693.
Bristow. In 1641 the glass house at Greenwich was part owned by Francis Bristow. He had been involved in a range of different glass houses, including one in Coventry in 1621.
Brooke. A Joseph Brooke was a glass blower at Philadelphia, USA. The most likely candidates for Joseph are: a christening at St Boltoph without Aldgate on 2 November 1648, or one at the nearby church of Stepney St Mary Whitechapel on 29 January 1636. A Joseph Brooke 'of London' was also recorded as marrying Mary Humhreys on 17 February 1680. All the churches concerned are close to known London vessel glass houses. The Brooke's may have been an adventurous glass making faimly at that time, because a Godfrey Brookes was recorded as being amoung five glassmakers who emigrated to Hamburg to make glass in 1690.
Burroughs. Associated with the Blackfriars Glasshouse in London. In February 1667 John Burroughs had a fine from the Glass-Sellers Company reduced in consideration of his 'great loss by the late fire' and in 1669 Mr Burroughs was mentioned in a petition against the import of Venetian Mirrors. In 1674 John Burroughs was a signatory on the Indenture of agreement between the London Glass Sellers Company and George Ravenscroft for the supply of the new flint glass, and he was master of the Glass Sellers Company from 1681-2. He presented the company with a silver cup in September 1687, and a piece of plate in 1700.
Clellow. The Clellows may have been immigrant glass makers. It is a very uncommon name and appears in Oldswinford parish records from 1646 to 1713. A William Clellow, son of Richard Clellow was apprenticed as a (vessel?) glass maker in Bristol in 1678, but there is no sign of him staying in Bristol to practice as a glass maker (see Bristol pages).
Clifford.
Clifton. William Clifton was owner of the West Yorkshire glass house at ferrybridge in 1696. He was party to a petition to Parliament against the glass tax the same year.
Collier. A Stephen Collier, glass maker joined a partnership in Bristol to make vessel glass. A Stephen Collier was living in Old Swinford in 1672 when he married and had children Sussanna and Stephen in 1685 and 1687. Son Stephen married Ann Rogers (presumably from Holloway End) in 1714 and it was probably he that went to Bristol.
Conklin. Ananias & John Conkin were glass makers at Salem in USA. Ananias was made a freeman in Salem 18 May 1642. The Conklin family were probably glass makers before they moved to England at the end of the 16th Century. If this is the case, then it is prossible that the family came from Lorraine in France. There does not appear to be any record of the family at other glass-making sites, so this would suggest that they came straight to the Nottingham area. I can find no record of glass making in the Nottingham area until about 1614, but the presence of an earlier glass industry would not be at all surprising, and would explain why another glass house was established there in 1614. There seem to be a number of places and dates given for Ananias's birth, but I think it is unlikely that he was born in Kings Swinford before the first glass house was established there and that seems fairly well established as being about 1613. Thus it seems more likely that he was born about 1607 in Nottingham and was working in Kings Swinford at the time of his marriage to Mary Lavender (Launder) at Nottingham St Peter's Church (23 Feb 1629/30) when he was referred to as 'of King Swinford'. Both Ananias and John seem to have son's called John, but one John stayed in England and is recorded as having children in Nottingham. Ananias's son John was apparently born in Salem in about 1638, so I suspect that the one who married Helena was this one. John is said to have been born in about 1600 and married Elizabeth Allseabrook in 1625 in Nottingham, where daughter Dorothy was born in 1625 and son John was born in about 1630. At the time of the marriage John was described as of Nuthall, glassmaker. Apparently, in about 1630, John and Elizabeth also had a daughter Rebbecca who was born in Gloucester, so this may indicate the date when they moved, possibly when the Wollaton works closed. Frances Conculyn was one of the earliest recorded glass makers in the Stourbridge area, being recorded in Oldswinford in 1613, but it is not clear what his relationship to these glass makers was, although it is not a common name.
Cooke. John Cooke, merchant and his wife Elizabeth took William Clealoe (Clellow) lately of Stourbridge as an apprentice in June 1678 at Redcliffe Backs to instruct for seven years in "arte vitrearii" (glass making). There were a number of members of the Clellow family mentioned in Oldswinford, Stourbridge (a parish where a number of glass houses were sited) records from 1646-1713, but not William. As described above, John Cooke also took Charles Lowden as an apprentice glass maker in 1681. A John Cooke was christened in Oldswinford, son of William Cooke in 1647 and there is a record of a John Cooke marrying Elizabeth at Blockley in 1664. A John Cooke was quite an influential merchant in Bristol about this time, being a member of the Merchant Adventurers of Bristol from 1667 and Chamberlain from 1680 - 1698. In 1713 a John Cooke made an agreement with another Old Swinford glass maker Stephen Collier (christened 1687) to make flint glass in Bristol. He was apparently still involved in this venture in 1741, so it is a possibility that he was the son of the other John. It seems probable that John senior was not himself a glass maker and owned the glass house at least for the period he took apprentices. It is likely in fact that he built the glass house and recruited the Lowden family to come and work for him. He may well have relinquished ownership to concentrate on his civic duties and a more lucrative merchant's business.
Dagnia. The Dagnias were possibly not vessel glass makers in this period. A number of references mention that Edward Dagnia glass maker was working in Bristol in 1651. The original quote from which this comes is given by D.R. Guttery in his book From Broad Glass to Cut Crystal, and this refers to an Edward Dagnia glass maker then living in Bristow. It had been assumed that Bristow meant Bristol, but an alternative interpretation that would be more consistent with the quote is that it meant Bridstow close to Newent and Gloucester, in an area which had been a centre for glass making (particularly bottles) since the 16th century. During 1662-1664 Edward Dagnia senior was recorded as working in Scotland; dying between December 1664 and October 1665. His son John Dagnia was also recorded there in 1665 and son Edward Dagnia jun. in 1664. On 2 March 1672 Edward Dagnia had son John christened at St Nicholas church Gloucester. Edward's third son Onesiphorus was working at the Closegate glasshouse in Newcastle, probably before January 1680. All three sons had probably moved to Newcastle to make bottles by 1684.
Davie. A John Davie was recorded in Scotland in 1682 as being a London Glassmaker.
De Hooe. The de Hooe (de Houx) were also a family of vessel glass makers and Jacob De Howe married Ann Tyzack in Oldswinford in 1625.
de la Cam. john de la Cam was a French 'arcanist' who signed an agreement with the Duke of Buckingham to make 'rock crystal' glass in a glasshouse in teh Charterhouse yard in 1660. He was in Nimwegen in holland by 1668, but never seems to have been successful.
Demarin. A Matthew Demarin was recorded in Scotland in 1664 as being a Glassmaker.
Dixon. A Richard Dixon came from Worcester to manage the Bolsterstone glass house in the late 17th Century, but left in 1702 to found his own glass house. The Worcester glass house is said to have been owned by Edward Dixon. Edward was in prison for debt in 1727, and a Hugh Dixon glass maker was bankrupt in Dudley in 1713, so Richard may have left if the Worcester Glass house closed, like many others, as a result of the glass tax in1697 and Edward may not have recovered from the financial losses involved.
Duke of York. The Duke of york owned a glass house at the Hermitage Stairs. The Duke of York's ownership probably ceased in 1685, and would have certainly ceased by 1688.