| Administrative History | John William Freeman was born Swannington on 30 December 1863. He was apprenticed to a Draper, and served 20 years with T. B. Pickworth of Coalville. In 1898, he opened his own shop in Church Gresley. He and his wife Charlotte (nee Goodlad) had four children, including Eric who followed his father into the trade and served during the First World War, and Frank became a chemist. As a widower, he remarried in 1928, age 64 (Gresley marriage register) and died 10 September 1941. |
| Custodial History | These records were donated to Ironbridge Museum in the 1980s, but the staff were unsure what to do with them at the time. During a review of uncatalogued material, these items were rediscovered and offered to donated to Derbyshire Record Office by Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust in December 2022. |