Son of Thomas Swindell and Elizabeth Macdonald, born on the 2nd of December 1784, baptised on the 16th of January 1785 at St Luke Old Street (Finsbury), London
Married Sophie (died 1837 4)
Children (* baptised at the Independent Tabernacle, St Luke)
Thomas, born on the 13th of June 1814, baptised on the 2nd of August 1814*
Sophia, born on the 26th of August 1815, baptised on the 3rd of October 1815*
John, born 25th of May 1817, baptised on the 5th of August 1817*
James, born on the 6th of July 1819, baptised on the 7th of September 1819*
Jesse, born on the 27th of July 1821, baptised on the 2nd of October 1821*
Sophia, born on the 20th of October 1823, baptised on the 2nd of March 1824*
?Joseph, born 1820/25
Elizabeth Maria, born on the 1st of July 1827, baptised on the 4th of December 1827*
Mary, born on the 12th of January 1829, baptised on the 7th of July 1829*
Susannah, born on the 1st of February 1831, baptised on the 7th of July 1833 at St Sepulchre
Edward, baptised on the 7th of July 1833 at St Sepulchre
Harriet, born on the 19th of August 1834, baptised on the 14th of June 1835*
Edward, born 1836/7 in Clerkenwell
Possibly died in 1853 or 1858
One of six sons, Thomas appears to be one of only two to survive. His father lived in the same area of London and could well have worked in the watchmaking trade which was centered there. Thomas was definitely a watchmaker, with his own premises. He insured his property at 10 Berkley Street in 1819 with Sun Insurance, but by 1834 was insuring 14 Berkley Court 3. He was still living there at the time of the 1851 census.
Thomas was followed in the trade by his sons John and James. Jesse also started as a watchmaker but 'dropped out' to become a rag packer.
1 Appears in 1841 and 1851 census. In 1851 he would have been 66 rather than 65, but quoting his birthplace as St Luke's make this a fairly firm identification. Not found in 1861 census
2 The death of a Thomas Swindell was registered in Clerkenwell in the second quarter of 1858 (FreeBMD 1b 301). The death of a Thomas Swindall was registered in Newington in the second quarter of 1857. (FreeBMD 1d 114). The death of a Thomas Swindell was registered in Shoreditch in the third quarter of 1853 (FreeBMD 1c 91).
It is difficult to decide which refers to this Thomas and which refers to Thomas Swindell - Shoreditch and Clerkenwell being adjacent.
3 Guildhall Library: Records of Sun Fire Office [MS 11936/479 and 540] (A2A Access to Archives)
4 The death of a Sophia Swindell was registered in the third quarter of of 1837 in Clerkenwell (FreeBMD 3 65)
5 In the 1841 census Thomas and Sophie Swindell apparently have a son Joseph aged 15-19. All the other children were baptised at the Independent Tabernacle, St Luke, Finsbury (Shoreditch) but Joseph is missing from those records. Joseph could have been born around 1821-1825.