Chapman, George & John, 31 Market Pl., Hull, Yorks., u and cm (1776–1815). John Chapman, the founder of the business was the son of Thomas Chapman of York, a painter. John took the freedom of York as an u in 1776 and in the same year established himself in a shop and house in the Market Pl. at Hull. This he insured for £600, with an additional £250 cover for utensils and stock, and £100 for warehouse stock. In February 1793 he insured a ‘house, shop & warehouse in one building on the East side of Market Place Yard, on the W. side of Tinkle Street’ with two tenements adjoining at £500. The tenements may have been used as a lodging house as he advertised this aspect of his business from 1791. By 1803 his son George was assisting with the business which was styled John Chapman & Son. The father is however no longer named after 1807 and had probably died by this date, or certainly retired from the business. George took the freedom of York as an u in 1810. He followed a similar line of trade to his father and included paper hanging and paper staining in his activities. He died in 1815.

Apps of the business included Thomas Hallam of Rotherham, May 1802; Christopher Burnett of Laceby, Lincs., July 1802; Richard Binnington of Hull, March 1803; Charles Hart; Thomas England of Sutton near Hull, October 1806; Thomas Marshall of Hull, January 1807; Thomas Dobson of Hull, May 1807; Edward Gainer of Hull, May 1810; Thomas Johnson of Sculcoates near Hull, January 1812 and William Collison, James Hill and Charles Robinson, all of Hull, July 1813. The death of George Chapman in 1815 forced the assignment of Edward Gainer to a new master, Robert Waugh and Thomas Johnson to George Brook both in March 1815; and James Hill was also assigned to Robert Waugh, March 1818. A number of commissions undertaken by the business are recorded in the Hull Corp. archives. These included work on the Corporation pews in Holy Trinity Church in November 1798, and upholstery work including blinds, curtaining and recovering 8 cabriole chairs, 1814–15, amounting to £43 3s. The painting of 4 small and two arm chairs ‘blue striped with white’ cost an additional £1 4s. [D; poll bk; York freemen rolls; Hull app. reg.; Hull Corp. accounts bks; GL, Sun MS vol. 392, p. 291; vol. 248, ref. 369067] B.A.