User:Jackross/William France Jnr (CabinetMaker & Upholsterer)

William France, Jnr cabinet-maker and upholsterer (1759-1838) First draft of text

William was the second son of John France, cabinetmaker, and nephew of William France, senior. He was christened at St Martin- in the Fields on January 14th 1759. His elder brother Edward was formally apprenticed to his uncle William but there is no evidence of this in William’s case and when his uncle died in 1773 he was not left a share in the business perhaps because he was only 14. However when his father died in 1775 he was left a half share of the business and when in 1777 his brother died he inherited his share, but as he was not of full legal age trustees were appointed and Thomas Beckwith, who had worked for Thomas Chippendale joined the partnership which traded as Beckwith and France.

Beckwith was married to Jane Donowell, whose father was a surveyor and managed Lord Salisbury’s London Estate. It was through this contact that in 1780 the partnership was appointed to supply furnishing to Hatfield House, much of which is still in the house. Lord Salisbury was appointed Lord Chamberlain in 1783 and in 1784 Beckwith and France received the Royal Warrant as cabinetmakers and upholsterers to the king an appointment which France held for the remainder of his working life. The partnership supplied a vast number of items to the royal household, not only for the use of George III but for his children, court officials and increasingly government departments. Much of this furniture, after over 200 years, has been dispersed but some items remain in the Royal Collection.

They were also the royal undertakers and France and his successors organized the funerals of members of the Royal Family until the 1920,s including those of George III, George IV and Queen Victoria and was also  involved with the state funerals of Lord  Nelson and William Pitt.

In 1787 William France married Phillis Beckwith a cousin of Samuel Beckwith, they had seven children the eldest son William Beckwith France was destined to join the business.

Other than the items which were supplied to the Royal Family and are recorded in the Lord Chamberlain’s Bill Books, held in the National Archives, we know little of the partnership’s other customers. It is known that they supplied a table to Lord Verulam and continued to work for Lord Mansfield at Kenwood and the Duke of Beaufort acquired steps for his library from them in 1782 but otherwise little can be attributed to them.

Thomas Beckwith died in 1804 and the partnership was split between France and Beckwith’s son Samuel who continued to trade from St Martin’s Lane. Whilst France, who continued to hold the Royal Warrant, moved to premises at 31 Pall Mall, convenient for St James’s Palace where the Lord Chamberlain ‘s offices were located. One of France’s account book survives in the National Archives covering the years from 1804-11 and gives the details of items he supplied to over 200 customers. These included The Duke of Bedford, Lord Packenham, Sir William Oglander, Sir Jacob Ashley for Melton Constable, Norfolk and Lord Rivers for his house at Stratford Saye, Hampshire. Lord Rivers later sold the property to the Duke of Wellington and some of France’s furniture is still in the house.

In 1807 William Beckwith France joined the firm and in 1809 it started trading as William France and Son, however in 1812 William left his father who replaced him with Thomas Banting and the firm’s name changed to France and Banting.The business continued working for the Lord Chamberlain’s office although its style changed as new family members joined. An interesting commission was to supply furniture for Napoleon’s use on St Helena, but the Emperor died before the items could be delivered and in May 1822 50 lots were sold by Christies. Then in 1825 in consideration of  a pension of £500 per annum and a partnership for his youngest son John Hale France, William retired and the firm traded as Banting France and Banting. However John Hale France claimed that the Bantings were excluding him from his rights under the partnership and he brought an action against them. This matter was settled but the firm traded thereafter as Banting and Son thus ending the France connection with the business. William France died in 1838 in Boulogne, France aged 79.