William Joyce may have followed his father in the North Shropshire village of Cockshutt into making longcase clocks. Alternatively he may have derived his profession from a cousin John William Joyce in Wrexham.

For a comprehensive history of 8 generations of a fascinating clock and watchmaking family see Chapteron JB Joyce & Co Ltd in Shropshire Clock and Watchmakers by Douglas J Elliott.60

Children and marriages rather unclear.

http://www.ellesmere.info/news/merenews/Issue%2019.pdf

The Joyce company went on to become the most prominent makers of tower clocks in the World.

The family business was handed down from father to son and moved to High Street, Whitchurch, Shropshire in 1790.

In 1904 J. B. Joyce moved to Station Road, Whitchurch.

In 1834 Thomas Joyce made large clocks for local churches and public buildings. In 1849 the company copied the Big Ben escapement designed by Lord Grimthorpe. The firm made large clocks for many public buildings, both at home and overseas, and for some of the principal railway companies. Unfortunately many clocks were changed to electric motors made by its parent company Smith's of Derby during the 1970s, thereby losing a heritage of mechanical clocks. Since 1945 the company has installed over 2,000 large public clocks in Britain and Ireland, the majority being the synchronous mains controlled type and a high proportion installed in churches.

The company still exists under the name JB Joyce and has been part of the Smith of Derby Group since 1965.

There is a museum on Willam Brown street, Whitchurch where the interior mechanisms are on show.