Waggitt Clockmakers in York Yorkshire

My WAGGITT family of clockmakers can be traced back to Richmond, Yorkshire where Michael WAGGITT married Anne ALDERSON in April 1752. Their 10th child a son named Michael, who also became a clock and watchmaker, married Ann WASTELL Aug 1790 in Barnard Castle where their first child, a son Charles was born. The family moved to Leeds Yorkshire by 1792 where two children were born. They were in York by 1802 and Michael worked as a clockmaker in Bell's Yard, Petergate. (Baines 1822) Their son Charles started his apprenticeship in June 1804 at 14 years of age to York clockmaker Thomas AGAR and was free in 1812. Charles was married to Mary BIRCH in Holy Trinity Goodramgate Jan 1820 and by 1834 we know he had a clockmakers shop at 2 Micklegate. On the 1841 and 1851 census the shop was located at 14 Bridge St. where it stayed until 1872. Both of Charles two sons were also clock and watchmakers.

John the youngest son, born 1824 York, received his freeman's papers to work as a clockmaker in York in Feb 1846. By 1851 he was married to Eliza CALVERT and living in Tadcaster. These WAGGITT's moved to Bishop Auckland and on to Gateshead. John's son Harry was the only son who according to the 1891 census was also a clockmaker although I have no record of him working after that date.

George, the oldest son, born 1820 York, remained in York and received his freeman's papers as a clockmaker the same day as his brother in 1846. In 1851 George and his wife Hannah PRATT (m. June 1848) were located at #9 South Prospect Street. George's father, Charles, dies in September 1857 so George moves in to
# 14 Bridge Street to take over his fathers business and look after his mother.

On the 1871 census all is well with the WAGGITT family at #14 Bridge St. and they have a boarder by the name of Robert John PICKERING, age 25. It happens that George at this time has a daughter named Lavinia at home who is 21 years old. Things are looking good and George moves his clockmakers shop to # 6 Bridge St. in 1872 but unfortunately he dies that December. What to do with the business? None of his sons are interested. In the 1876 York directory the clockmakers shop at # 6 Bridge St. is listed under a James PICKERING and remains that way until 1900. After some checking I find that James PICKERING is 40 years old in 1881 and 47 in 1891. Could he have been 25 in 1871 and using the name "Robert John"? Was James a relative of the boarder? We do know that George's daughter Lavinia has an illegitimate child in 1879, 3 years after her father's death. The child had no father listed but was named James Pickering WAGGITT. If the boarder was indeed 'James' PICKERING he did all right for himself. He took over the WAGGITT's clockmakers shop and moved the family to #3 Fishergate. He has a son by the daughter of the clockmaker he's just replaced and never acknowledges her. He remains unmarried at # 6 Bridge St. and Lavinia dies a spinster in a workhouse in April 1910. Seems like a sad way for a family of clockmakers in York to end.

The original Michael mentioned at the start is the fellow who made the clock I now own. It was made about 1760 in Richmond Yorkshire. I firmly believe that this Michael was born in 1725 in Muker Yorkshire after exhausting all other baptism records around. Even the continuation of family first names is accurate. If I could only somehow prove that jump backwards I could add another two generations with siblings to my tree. But alas so far no proof and I've run out of suggestions.