Henry Chawner became a freeman of the Goldsmiths' company on 7th December 1785 and entered his first mark as a plateworker on 11th November 1786. on 2nd March 1789 he married Miss Hore, daughter and heiress of edward hore of Esher, Surrey.
Chawner retired to the manor house, newton valance, which, with the surrounding estate, he had purchased in 1810. he is said to have "... converted the old house into domestic offices and added thereto a villa, in the grecian style. it contains a large collection of paintings and other works of art, amongst which is the angouleme china vase, mounted in ormolu....the same that was rejected by george iv for whom it was ordered, in consequence of a small fire flaw which came in the burning." Chawner died there in March 1851.
The relationship between the Chawner and Barnard families can be traced back to 1773 when Edward Barnard (was apprenticed to Thomas Chawner (henrys father). In 1786 Henry combined his fathers business with that of charles wright and made Edward Barnard Foreman. Ten years later Henry took John Emes into partnership and upon chawners retirement emes bacame sole owner with Barnard as manager. emes died in 1808 and his widow Rebecca took up partnership with Barnard, Henry Chawner was still a sleeping partner. Mrs Emes withdrew from the partnership in 1829 and Edward Barnard became propietor with his sons; Edward, John and William, trading as Edward Barnard & Sons. in 1838 they moved to new premises in Angel st, St Martins-le-Grand, City.