Briffett, William

Also known as: Briffet

Singer

Collection date: Aug 1905

Area: Somerset - Bridgwater Town

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William Briffett of Bridgwater (1834-1912): age 71, 2 songs on 21 Aug 1905 + 11 songs on 19 Jan 1907: William Briffett was not nautical at all. He was baptised 7/12/1834 at St Mary’s Bridgwater, son of John Briffett, brickyard labourer & his wife Hester Briffett. William was younger brother of singer John Briffett. He married Mary Mahale Churchill, daughter of John Churchill (cordwainer) at Holy Trinity on 24/4/1858. They had 8 children.

William lived most of his life in West Street as a brickyard labourer and was 71 when Sharp moved across town to find him. He contributed 13 songs to Sharp’s collection. One, ‘The Pride of Kildare’ (FT558), is in the book ‘Still Growing’ (published in 2003 by EFDSS). William died Oct qr 1912 5c 390.

Note: William’s older sister Elizabeth Briffett (b1827) married James Barnard, father of the singer John (Jack) Barnard at St Mary’s church on 12/7/1853. William Briffett was thus Jack Barnard’s uncle.