Sympson, Thomas (1662–1692)
Sympson, Thomas (?)
London; joiner (fl. 1662–92?)
In August 1666 he provided Samuel Pepys with presses for his books. In total Pepys had twelve of these oak bookcases constructed for his house in York Buildings, London.
Pepys bequeathed his collection of books and the bookcases to his old college, Magdalene in Cambridge, where they now stand. Sympson carried out other work for Pepys including chimney pieces.
He was probably a master joiner employed at the Deptford and Woolwich dockyards. A pair of bookcases described in the inventory of 1710 as ‘2 Glass Presses wth Books’ were made for the library of Dyrham Park, Gloucestershire, to the orders of William Blathwayt (1649-1717), who furnished the house between 1692-1710. One of these bookcases is now in the V&A and the other in the USA (illus., Walton, Furniture History (1986), fig.10).
Dyrham bookcase made of oak, with original crown glass and iron fittings, c. 1695 [W.12:1 to 11-1927]. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
These are similar to those made for Pepys and may also have been made by Sympson.
Source: DEFM; Walton, ‘An Inventory of 1710 from Dyrham Park’, Furniture History (1986).
The original entry from Dictionary of English Furniture Makers, 1660-1840 can be found at British History Online.
Occupation
Material