Granfurdeus Begats

While sifting through old documents, I came upon this little bit of history that I wrote up a few years ago concerning the famous British Planemaker, John Green and the connections to one Phillipson and Thomas Granford. Herewith in full is...

Granfurdeus Begats

I was curious about the relationships between Grandpa Furdeus (at one time thought to be Thomas Grandford) and Thomas Phillipson after comparing the similarities between the planes. After a bit of investigation, herewith are my discoveries...

Granfurdeus Begats

Yeah and did Thomas Granford take unto his trade Robert Wooding in  1699.  Wooding did marry Elizabeth in 1708. Fortune refused to shine  upon his house and poore Elizabeth died in 1710. Wooding, ever the bon vivant, did take unto his marriage  bed Ann Gibbons, now Ann Wooding, in  the year 1713 (this being the year in which he did take Thomas  Granford's business of the Shoppe of the Three Planes, locke stocke and  barrele). Robert ate a bad sausage (sic) and passed away in 1728. In  that year, 1728 did Ann Wooding take unto her self an apprentice, Thomas  Phillipson. Following this did she take James Clark and Robert Fitkin as  apprentices too. Yeah and Ann Wooding was a lusty mistress!

Thomas Phillipson took unto himself nine apprentices between 1740 and  1759. Verily only four are known to have been planemakers. Thomas must  have been a difficult and demanding master! So did he put forth unto the  Planemaking World Edward Hill (1754), John Green (1756), John Day (1759)  and J. A. Wealthdale (1744). As did his wife, Susannah. Oh! Susannah!  did take five apprentices of her own of which naught is known. Verily  did the mistresses of planedom go through many an apprentice.

John Green, once attaining his fullness, made planes under many Naymes  and of many Playces... John Green of London and John Green of London,  John Green of York, John Green again of York. Then did John Green, no  not that John Green, the other John Green, did take as to an apprentice  Richard Bywater (1799), John Burton (1794) and Joseph Watson (who knows  whence he came).

Upon the Death of John Green (no not that John Green, The John Green),  did William Ferrand, known as John Green the former's Cousin and Robert  Wilkinson, who had worked for John Green the later did purchase at a  reasonable price the holdings of John Green. It doesn't matter which  John Green. Just be assured that it was one of the John Greens. In the  true fashion of Honesty in Business did Ferrand and Wilkinson make and  issue planes bearing the stamp of John Green, tho he be long mouldering  in his grave.

Of note is Thomas Phillipsons introduction of the Phillipson Pattern  chamfer termination, so unlike that of his predecessors. His chamfers  did stop abrubtly without the grace of the single or double gouge  reliefe of those who came before him. Howsoever this labour saving  fashion did catch on with his apprentices and Yeah even with  compatriots, many of whom adopted said termination in their vain efforts  to earn gold from the shirt tails of he who traced his lineage to  Granfurdeus.

Thus ends the Begats of Granfurdeus.

Till next, Gary