Title
Frank James' research notes on William Hancock
Reference
HANC/5/04
Production date
01-01-2002 - 31-12-2006
Creator
- James, FrankBiographyBiography
(fl 1970-2010), Family historian
Frank James is descended from John Hancock. He is the collector and historian of the family archives and between 1970 and 2010 amassed a significant quantity of material about the family. This culminated in him co-authoring a book with John Loadman, 'The Hancocks of Marlborough. Rubber, Art, and the Industrial Revolution: A Family of Inventive Genius' (2010, OUP).
Scope and Content
Frank James' research notes on William Hancock, 1789-1848. Includes:
- Information and photographs of a cabinet made by William Hancock and which forms part of the Royal Collection
- Notes about caoutchouc binding and The Keepsake
Extent
1 file
Language
English
Level of description
FILE
Repository name
Science Museum, London
Associated people and organisations
- Hancock, WilliamBiographyBiography
(1789-1848), Cabinetmaker
William Hancock was born the fourth son of James Hancock, a cabinetmaker from Marlborough. Few firm details are known about his life. He established a cabinet-making and upholestery business in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk from 1815. His cabinet-making work is known to include an elm cabinet of 'superior beauty' that was presented to King George IV in 1825 and which remains in one of the private state apartments in Buckingham Palace. He was however declared bankrupt on 2 June 1821. He allegedly made the first set of inflatable rubber cushions for the Houses of Parliament between 1834 and 1840. He also developed the Hancock company’s production of perfect binding for books which was patented in 1836.
William Hancock died on the 20 June 1848 in Milton, Gravesend.
Conditions governing access
Open Access
Conditions governing Reproduction
Copies may be supplied in accordance with current copyright legislation and Science Museum Group terms and conditions
Finding aids
Box 10
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