This information has been updated with many thanks to Miles Harrison, who has recently published a new book "Exeter and West Country silver 1700-1900".  This is an extremely comprehensive book and can be bought directly from Miles - simply click HERE

Francis Parsons' career is quite complex as he worked with a number of business partners. The dates are approximate but as accurate as we know of:

13th December 1797 - Alone
22nd December 1797 to 25th March 1800 - with Stephen Crees
28th March 1800 to 28th November 1802 - Alone
4th December 1802 to 23rd March 1803 - with John Bennett
15th January 1803 to 31st May 1805 - Alone
8th June 1805 to 24th December 1806 - with Joseph Goss
2nd January 1807 to 6th August 1808 - with B Goss
19th August 1808 to 30th November 1810 - Alone
4th December 1810 to 6th August 1814 - with Joseph Goss
27th August 1814 to 2nd November 1815 - Alone
25th November 1829 to 20th August 1831 - Alone

Very often his partnerships are recorded as "Parsons & Co." so we can not actually be sure of any of these start and end dates.

It therefore means that Francis Parsons & Stephen Crees only worked together between 22nd December 1797 and 5th September 1799, a period of just over 20 months, during which time they submitted 168 pairs of sugar tongs for assay. However there were tongs assayed by Parsons & Co. between 5th September 1799 and 25th March 1800. As a working hypothesis I will assume that Parsons & Co. actually meant Parsons & Crees, but had just been registered as Parsons & Co. at the assay office instead of recording their full names. Parsons & Co. sent tongs for assay up to 25th March 1800.

Click here to see some tongs by Francis Parsons alone
Click here to see some tongs by Francis Parsons & Joseph Goss
Click here to see some tongs by Francis Parsons & B Goss