Coxeter, William, London and Oxford, u and cm (1767–81). Son of John Coxeter of Witney, Oxon., blanket maker. App. to Charles Westwood of London, upholder, 3 July 1760 and free of the Upholders’ Co. by servitude, 6 August 1767. In the following year he was living in the parish of St Michael's, Wood St and on 2 November 1768 married Elizabeth Marriatt of Witney at that town. By September 1774 he had established himself in Oxford and had a cabinet manufactory in New Inn Hall Lane. On 5 July 1776 he announced from this address the sale of the furniture and instruments of Richard Church. In October of that year a serious fire occurred at his workshop which was partially burnt down. His foreman had to be sent to the Radcliffe Infirmary with burns, and Coxeter estimated the loss of goods and tools at £300. In addition, property owned by a London victualler, Thomas Dawson, to the value of £254 was also destroyed. Neither were insured and a subscription list was opened which by the end of November had brought in £185 9s 3d. With this Coxeter was able to reimburse his workmen, William Whitmore, Daniel Shepherd, Edward Evans, Lewis Lewis and George Breakspear for their personal losses. The partially burnt out property was sold by auction in February 1777. Coxeter obviously learnt a lesson from this disaster and immediately took out insurance on his new premises in the High St near the New Market. In both 1776 and 1777 cover of £500 was taken out of which £350 and £450 respectively were in respect of utensils, stock and goods. In August 1778 he moved his workshops back to New Inn Hall Lane, and gave up the High St premises. Apart from his furniture manufacturing he appears to have been involved with the sale of house property. Bankrupt in late 1781. [GL, Upholders’ Co. records; Sun MS vol. 253, p. 337; vol. 259, p. 573; Bodleian index of Oxf. marriage bonds; Jackson's Oxford Journal, 3 September 1774, 5 July 1776, 21 October 1776, 7 February 1777, 7 January 1778, 26 August 1778, 10 April 1779, 16 April 1780; Gents Mag., December 1781]