Francis Molton (c.1768-1848), or Francesco Moltino, was probably born in Italy in about 1768. He married a local girl, Frances Stannard, in Norwich on 30 Nov 1794 in St Peter Mancroft church. They had at least eighteen children, nine of whom died in infancy. The living children included Mary Ann (1797 - 1878), Frances (1800 - 1865), Elizabeth (1801 - 1833), Francis (c.1813-1888), Lucy (1814 - 1851), and Peter (1826 - 1892).
Mary Ann married with Andrew Barnascone (c.1789 - 1828), barometer maker, of Boston, Licolnshire, on 3 April 1820 at St Lawrence, Norwich. In the 1830 she was a jeweller at Golden Ball street, Norwich, (1830 Pigot, National, p.576) and in 1836 she was a toy dealer in Magdalen street (1836 W. White, Norfolk, p.212). On the 1851 census she was housekeeper to the Tagliabues in London.
Frances married with Thomas Ellison, barometer maker and turner.
Elizabeth married with George Rossi, barometer maker and jeweller (see ROSSI George on this website), and Lucy married with William Henry Hooper, a goldsmith. Francis junior was a landscape painter. He married with Elizabeth Nockolds and ran into debt in the late 1830s. He moved to London and changed his name to Francis Moltino. After a long illness he died on 15 April 1888 in the district of Wandsworth.
In 'The Italian Influence on English Barometers from 1780' Edwin Banfield writes: 'It is believed that Francis Molton was an Italian and that his surname was anglicised from the Italian surname of Moltoni. (...) The theory of Molton's Italian origins is strengthened by the fact that his premises in St Laurence steps were taken over by an Italian clock and watch maker, George Rossi, in 1822, when Molton moved to Dove Street. Rossi also made or sold barometers.'
In 1822 Francis was an optician, a barometer & thermometer maker, a glass, china & earthenware dealer, based at St Laurence's Steps, Norwich. By 1830 he had moved to Dove Street. He still worked as an optician and lived in Dove Street on the 1841 census.
Francis Molton's name appears in the following trade directories:
1802 Peck Norwich, p. 26, Moltin Francis, Weather Glass Maker, 11 Lower Westwick Street
1810 Berry Norwich, p. 111, Molton Fr., Weather Glass Maker, Lower Westwick, opposite St Laurence's steps
1822 Pigot National, p. 298 and 300, optician, barometer & thermometer maker, glass, china & earthenware dealer, St Laurence's steps
1830 Pigot Norfolk, p. 578, optician, barometer & thermometer manufacturer, Dove street
1836 White Norfolk, p. 205, optician, barometer and thermometer manufacturer, Dove street
1839 Pigot Norfolk, p. 497, optician, Dove street
1842 Bltyth Norwich, p. 218, optician, Dove street
Francesco Moltino died in Norwich on 6 December 1848. His wife Frances lived at the Great Hospital on the 1851 census. She died in the first quarter of 1858.
Edwin Banfield describes how Francis Molton 'made high-quality stick and wheel barometers, some with shell inlay and some with the dial at the top of the case. On some wheel instruments he favoured a cogged spindle to adjust the set hand (...). The brass key below the case is connected to the cogged spindle which engages a cogwheel that turns the set hand. No other maker appears to have adopted this method.'
Norfolk Museums and Archeology Service has two instruments made by Francis Molton:
NWHCM : 1940.36.22 : B: 'combined thermometer and compass, bone/ivory case, brass pique border, brass mounted compass inset in hinged lid, thermometer, tube missing, mounted on bone/ivory, scale in Fahrenheit and Recaumur, on reverse F. Molton, Norwich, circa 1810 to 1825, hinge broken'.
NWHCM : 1971.55.166 : B/S: 'barometer; mahogany, inlaid roundel with flower in centre at top and bottom, inlaid woods in the form of shells on either side of upper swelling, inlaid string round perimeter of barometer, inscribed Molton St. Laurence Step Norwich; thermometer above barometer with engraved metal calibration decorated with three leaves at the top, engraved metal dial to barometer inscribed as above, door in back gives access to glass tubes, early 19th century.' This barometer was made before 1830, because F. Molton lived in Dove street from 1830.
Several specimens of Francis Molton's work can be found online:
'A mahogany Wheel Barometer, circa 1830, the 12in. silvered dial engraved at the centre with a globe, alcohol thermometer, hygrometer and spirit level signed F. Molton, St. Lawrence Steps, Norwich, the case with a swan-neck pediment, brass urn finial and carved ivory terminals, 120cm.; 47in.'
http://vintageantiqueblog.com/barometers-and-scientific-instruments/19th-century-barometers
'Antique Barometer by Francis Molton of St Lawrence Steps, Norwich. A fine Norfolk wheel barometer. The 8" diameter silvered brass scale calibrated from 28" to 31" with usual weather indicators shown. The concave glazed brass bezel with brass pointer hand. The thermometer with silvered brass scale calibrated from 0º to 130º Fahrenheit. The mahogany case with light coloured veneers and double edge stringing. The broken architectural top with central brass finial.' P. A. Oxley
http://www.british-antiqueclocks.com/stock/francis-molton-st-lawrence-steps-norwich/#header
'English satinwood barometer, by F. Molton, St Law Norwich First half 19th century a shaped and inlaid case fitted with barometer and thermometer. (Minor loss to inlay, and minor age crack in base). H37" ' icollector.com, auction date 22 Jun 2002
http://www.icollector.com/English-satinwood-barometer-by-F-Molton-St-Law-Norwich-First-half-19th-century-a-shaped-and-in_i317540
'F. Molton St Lawrence Steps Norwich barometer, medallion and shell in laid mahogany case, tube is intact, 10.5'' W, 2'' D, 36.5 '' tall.' Four Seasons Gallery, Lot 79, Robert & Helen Duncan Living Estate Antiques, Jun 5th 2010.
http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/7533364
'F Molton of Norwich Barometer. Georgian Mahogany inlaid barometer by Molton of St Lawrence Steps Norwich, lovely original condition having a silvered dial and concave bezel.' William James Antiques.
http://www.williamjamesantiques.co.uk/f-molton-of-norwich-barometer-i245.html
'Francis Molton, Norwich; a George IV mahogany and inlaid wheel barometer with thermometer and silvered register above a circular main register with central sweep hand, inscribed Frans. Molton at the bottom of St. Lawrence Steps Norwich, the line-inlaid case set with oval and round rosette panels, 101cm high' icollector.com, auction date 2 Apr 2003
http://www.icollector.com/Francis-Molton-Norwich-a-George-IV-mahogany-and-inlaid-wheel-barometer-with-thermometer-and-sil_i729138
'Francis Molton round topped wheel barometer. A relatively early mahogany wheel barometer, with floral and shell style 'Sheraton' inlay to the top, bottom and sides, and satinwood edgelining, singed on the 8 inch silvered dial 'Molton, St Lawrence Steps, Norwich' with a blued steel hand in the form of an arrow head and a crescent shaped tail, which was fazed out by 1825, and a brass pointer. With a large cast brass deep bezel typical of this type and an arched silvered thermometer to the trunk. The case is of the rarer style with a rounded top and bottom as opposed to the pediment top. Height 36 inches.' Extence
http://www.extence.co.uk/1074moltonbaro.html
'Molton Norwich, flat fronted mahogany cistern stick barometer circa 1825. This has a broken architectural top with a central brass finial. Below it is a rectangular glazed door protecting the dial. The veneers to the front of the body of the barometer are laid chevron fashion. There are raised shaped blocks to the top of the body on either side and fluting running down it with ebony & boxwood stringing. The turned bowl protecting the cistern, now screwed into place, is decorated with chevron stringing and an ebony? disc with ivory centre.
The dial has a spirit thermometer on the left graduated 0 to 120 degrees with marks for Summer Heat; Freezing, etc and on the right the barometric pressure scale with sliding register and comments such as Very dry; changing & Storm. Length: 38" ( 98.6 cm).' The Edenbridge Galleries
http://www.cinoa.org/index.pl?isa=Metadot::SystemApp::AntiqueSearch;op=detail;id=46512
'Early Georgian banjo barometer by Molton, Norwich. Round top, chequered stringing and early dial. Unique adjuster from the bottom. Circa 1815.' Summersons, 3 Jul 2011
http://www.antiqueclocksandbarometers.net/phdi/p1.nsf/supppages/0937?opendocument&part=2
'An early 19th century mahogany wheel barometer by F Molton, Dove Lane, Norwich, having thermometer scale and silvered dial.'
Eighteen eighteen auctioneers, Lot 17 from Antiques, Collectables, Books and Ephemera, etc (Tuesday 19th January 2010)
http://www.1818auctioneers.co.uk/sales/lot/22906/66/17/An-early-19th-century-mahogany-wheel-barometer-by-F-Molton--Dove-Lane--Norwich-having-thermometer-scale-and-silvered-dial/
'An early ninteenth century wheel barometer in a mahogany veneered banjo shape case, inlaid stringing to the borders, the rounded top above a silvered thermometer dial, an 8in barometer dial engraved with a globe and F. Molton, Dove Lane, Norwich. 3ft (91.5cm).' Salisbury Auction Centre, lot 191, Wed 8 Dec
http://www.auctionmarts.com/%5Ccatalogue%5Cc63746.pdf
'A first half of 19th Century Mahogany and Boxwood line inlaid Wheel Barometer, F Molton of Dove Lane, Norwich, the rounded head and baluster neck with a silvered single scale alcohol thermometer, to a spun brass bezel with convex glass enclosing a singed silvered 8" dial, with scale of 28-31, height 36" ' Keys, lot 1456, 14 Nov 2007
http://www.keysauctions.co.uk/results.php?sid=476&lim=10&mode=browse&show=0&keywords=&startfrom=&st=&p=77
'Georgian Wheel Barometer in mahogany, signed F. Molten (Dovetail Lane, Norwich, England), 36 inches tall' Plato Auctions, lot 132, 20 Nov 2010
http://www.platoauctions.com/Nov%2020%202010%20ORDER%20OF%20SALE.html
Notes:
Edwin Banfield 'The Italian Influence on English Barometers from 1780', Baros Books, 1993
The marriage record can be found on the IGI Familysearch
See Norfolk Sources for the 1822-1842 trade directories. The 1802 directory can be consulted at the Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library. The 1810 directory is online at Gutenberg Project
Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service Online Collections Catalogue.