Hi again Sandblown. Below is the summary of what I conclude and you will see that you and I agree about James the carpenter (and yes he was convicted of larceny in 1811)
So, the possible anomalies/ niggles are:
• The birth date of 1788 in the OU thesis (no source) in the context of building evidence in 1848. William was born in 1795. We know there can be errors with births - however, 1788 corresponds to the birth of William’s brother James.
• Profession as carpenter in OU thesis, 1848. There no evidence at all that he was a carpenter, unlike his brother James, who was a carpenter.
• The 1841 court case showing William to be an established builder and a man of substance; the houses in Denby (Denbeigh?) Street not found on FindMyPast street search; no evidence that partner was George Bass
• Absence of surveyors’ reports before 1846. Explanation is that the first district surveyors for suburban areas were appointed in 1845
• The 1859 probate showing assets of below £200, strange for a successful builder living in one of the houses he built in Danvers Street
Possible explanations:
• William was operating 2 professions side by side, maintaining the bakery side pending take over by his eldest son, age 22 in 1841.
• The OU thesis reference to George Bass’ partner, William Winks, a carpenter born 1788 may, in fact, refer to William’s brother James, born 1788, a carpenter.
• Conclusion to initial query: given the name of the street and given the evidence for Winks Buildings Battersea (see previous post), I suspect (and regret) that William Winks was almost certainly the builder responsible for the insalubrious Winks Buildings.
So, thanks a lot for your productive input, Sandblown - and thanks too ShaunJ for the 'sanitary' references and the pointer to Battersea