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William Hardiman was born in Spitalfields in 1872. His father was Edward Hardiman 1836-1880, a Shoe maker and his mother was Harriet Hardiman 1839-1910, a Purveyor of horse flesh. William has been put forward as a JTR suspect and he is the brother of my JTR suspect, James Hardiman 1859-1891, a Cat's meat man.
Around 1890 William was discovered by C.R. Ashbee,' Trundling a cat's meat barrow in Whitechapel ' and taken on as a trainee metalworker at the Guild of Handicraft. Hardiman was taught modelling by Ashbee and later became the Guild's chief modeller for metalwork, also working on leather panels for upholstery and wall coverings. The Victoria and Albert museum holds twenty nine leather panels which Hardiman modelled for the 'Magpie and Stump', the house Ashbee built for himself, his mother and his sisters.
Hardiman's life ended tragically. He died in the London Hospital, having been taken there on 29 Dec 1905 after drinking Hydrochloride Acid. A verdict of suicide was given at the Inquest in January 1906.
An extract from, 'The Simple Life-C.R.Ashbee in the Cotswolds by Fiona MacCarthy 1981 gives more detail:
For some years now, he had been going gradually crazy. First of all, his madness took a harmless form, but recently he had been prone to fantasies of persecution, at the height of which he had travelled down to Campden brandishing a stick at his old foreman, W.A. White and Mrs White, his wife, accusing them of getting the detectives on to him. His death must have been greeted with relief as well as sadness.
Around 1890 William was discovered by C.R. Ashbee,' Trundling a cat's meat barrow in Whitechapel ' and taken on as a trainee metalworker at the Guild of Handicraft. Hardiman was taught modelling by Ashbee and later became the Guild's chief modeller for metalwork, also working on leather panels for upholstery and wall coverings. The Victoria and Albert museum holds twenty nine leather panels which Hardiman modelled for the 'Magpie and Stump', the house Ashbee built for himself, his mother and his sisters.
Hardiman's life ended tragically. He died in the London Hospital, having been taken there on 29 Dec 1905 after drinking Hydrochloride Acid. A verdict of suicide was given at the Inquest in January 1906.
An extract from, 'The Simple Life-C.R.Ashbee in the Cotswolds by Fiona MacCarthy 1981 gives more detail:
For some years now, he had been going gradually crazy. First of all, his madness took a harmless form, but recently he had been prone to fantasies of persecution, at the height of which he had travelled down to Campden brandishing a stick at his old foreman, W.A. White and Mrs White, his wife, accusing them of getting the detectives on to him. His death must have been greeted with relief as well as sadness.
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