Robert Coster was born in Reading and baptised in St. Mary's church on 1st April 1677. He died on February 27th 1749 and was buried at Avington near Hungerford on March 3rd 1749. His gravestone can still be seen and gives his age as 73. He is described as: "Rob Coster, watchmaker late of Newbury"
Robert Coster's father was Robert Coster, the eldest surviving son (a son Barnaby died in infancy) of Barnaby and Mary Coster nèe Gibbs of Hungerford. Robert senior was baptised at Hungerford on 3rd November 1642. He was buried at St. Mary's Reading, January 27th 1707.
Robert Coster senior came to Reading on his marriage at St. Mary's in October 1671 to Martha Hix. Their children were Barnaby 1672, died young, John 1673, Martha 1675, and Robert 1677.
Robert Coster was apprenticed in the Clockmakers Company at the age of 18 on 28th August 1695 to Luke Wise. Luke Wise was the son of John Wise, born Banbury 1624, Free of The Clockmakers 1646. He was a cousin of Joseph Knibb. Luke Wise married Elizabeth Pemberton of Tilehurst near Reading 27th December 1679 and settle in Reading. He returned to London for a short period in 1693 on the death there of his father and became Free of The Clockmakers by patrimony in 1694. Presumably Robert Coster had already been apprenticed to him in Reading and his apprenticeship was varied in its third year to a London Clockmaker's Company apprenticeship either because of Luke was now able to take an apprentice to the Clockmakers having taken up his freedom or because there was a Coster family pressure. The Costers were undoubtedly related to Robert Coster who was apprenticed in the Clockmakers Company to John Freeman in 1647, free 1655.
It seems that Robert Coster married sometime before 1706. A Mrs. Coster, wife of Robert, is recorded buried at St. Mary's Reading on March 3rd, 1706. Probably they had a daughter, Mary who would be the Mary Coster, spinster, buried beside Robert Coster at Avington. The parish record shows the burial as 1746. Robert Coster's mother Martha died 5th March 1703.
Luke Wise was back in Reading by 1697, the corporation diary shows him as a Councilor in that year, subsequently Mayor in 1705-6. He died 1735. His son Luke was apprenticed to him in 1698, predeceased his father and died in 1704. Robert Coster probably set up in business in Newbury in about 1703. There in no record of a remarriage. A bracket clock by him is illustrated in "Chats on Old Clocks", there is a lantern clock signed Robert Coster, Newbury in Windsor Castle.
Sources: Genealogical Society, Boyds and Gills Marriages, St. Mary's parish register. County Record Office Reading. Avington parish records. Newbury records, Bodlein Library. Wills. Guildford Library, Records of the Clockmakers Company. Mormon Microfiche on English Baptisms and Marriages, Middlesex, Berks, Wilts, Hants, Oxen. Records of the Austin Friars Dutch Church, marriage licenses, London, Salisbury, etc. etc.