William Reynolds was a quality silversmith, noted as supplying the freedom boxes to the Cork Corporation for over twenty years during the period 1757-1780. The son of James Reynolds of Ballyspellane, Co. Tipperary, he was apprenticed to George Hodder on the 4th November 1750 and was granted his Freedom on the 27th February 1758. He married Mary Foot at St Peter's Church, Cork on the 10th September 1761. William Reynolds registered his mark at the Dublin Assay Office in 1784 under the Statute 23-24 George III c.23 (Ireland 1783) that required all those involved in the Gold and Silver trade to enter their names with the Dublin Company. His address was recorded as North Main Street. He is thought to have at least four sons, and one, at least, became a silversmith. William (II) was apprenticed to his father in 1781 and became Free in 1790. William (II) is noted as having served his apprenticeship under William Reynolds (I) and John Warner, a possible indicator of his father's demise sometime after 1785 (the date of the last known freedom box). Much of the above information is to be found in the book 'Cork Silver and Gold - Four Centuries of Craftsmanship' by John R. Bowen and Conor O'Brien. Published by The Collins Press. The book was published to coincide with the exhibition held at the Crawford Municipal Art Gallery, Cork in 2005. It is a book well worth obtaining as it is an invaluable source of information regarding the Cork silver trade.