Thomas Blunt

Thomas Blunt (died 1823) was an English instrument maker, of scientific, optical and mathematical instruments. Blunt was apprenticed in 1760 to Edward Nairne (1726–1806), whose partner he later became. The two ran a business together from 1774 to 1793. According to Thomas Blunt's January 1760 apprenticeship contract, his father, William, was a shoemaker in Barnes, Surrey. Thomas's birth date has yet to be discovered. His burial record stated that he was 83 years old when he died on 16 March 1823, giving a birth year of 1739 or 1740. An obituary gave his age as 84. Yet, those dates would mean that Thomas was 20–21 years old when he began his apprenticeship, which is rather late in life. A more common age would be 15 or so, suggesting a birth date of around 1744-1745. Two of Blunt's sons, Edward and William, became members of the Spectacle Makers’ Guild as consequences of their father's membership. According to their admission papers, Thomas Blunt became a Guild Member in 1769. The next identified record of Blunt's life is the 20 December 1773 marriage contract between Thomas and the father of Mary Moys Fly, John Moys Fly. Mary was then 19 years old, and, as a minor, required her parents’ permission to marry. The contract states that Thomas Blunt was a resident of Tooting, Surrey. He may have operated a business in that town during the seven years between the end of his apprenticeship and the beginning of his partnership with Nairne.