Ther Frank Family

John Frank

There is a lease of City lands dated 16th May 1700 which refers to premises that John Frank alias Yorke had at Redcliff Gate. A condition of the lease was that the porter of the gate had use of a kitchen, every night, between 10 o'clock and 4 o'clock in the morning. His father, Christopher Frank, a tobacconist, had originally held the premises from 22nd April 1670. The lease also says that Christopher had a brother called Richard (BRO 04335/8). There is no record of John Frank paying any rates of premises at Redcliff Gate, so prsumably they were let to a tenant. This is presumably the John Frank who paid rates on the Redcliff Back pottery for 1707-08 (James Margerum began paying rates in 1705).

Thomas Frank I

This person was originally thought to have been the son of Thomas Franks of London, a tailor deceased, who was apprenticed to Edward Ward in 1689, and who became free in 1698 (the entry actually calls him Thomas Franklyn). Thomas Frank married in 1697, which is unlikely while still serving an apprenticeship. It is probable that Thomas Franks (or Franklyn) is not the same person as Thomas Frank, who is in some way related to John Frank.

Thomas Frank was a quaker, and was described as a gallypot maker, when he married Hester Martine on 25th March 1697. A daughter, Hester, was born on 27th September 1699. His wife died (the name was recorded as Esther) on 19th July 1700 in St Philip's parish. He married again, to Elizabeth Collins, daughter of Richard Collins, late of Bath, on 23rd June 1701. They had the following children: Mary (born 21st January 1702), Thomas (born 20th May 1703, buried 15th March 1707), Hannah (born 26th February 1706), Elizabeth (buried 21st June 1711) and Richard (born 13th November 1711). A Thomas Frank married a Mary Williams on 7th December 1746 in St Leonards parish, whoever this is must be a different person as the marriage was not a quaker ceremony. Thomas was buried at the Quaker's burial ground in Redcliff Pit on 17th March 1757.

In 1709 Thomas Frank commenced paying rates on the Redcliff Back pottery. In 1698 he took an apprentice, and between 1707 and 1733 a further 16. The ones from 1707 presumably refer to the Redcliff Back pottery, it is not known to which pottery the first (Peter Griffiths) was apprenticed to. He continued to run the pottery until 1744, although from 1738 this was in conjunction with his son Richard. He also had a house in Redcliff Hill (1728-42).

Signature of Thomas Frank in 1697