George Edward

 

George Edward was born on 25th August 1865 at 246 Bath Street, Glasgow:

This is still standing 159 years later:

It is the door with the bins on either side (and presumably the upper floors) and may have looked grander at the time!

George was born partially deaf.

George's father, David,  and described his occupation as Master Watchmaker, but I suspect this covered more general work in jewellery, silverware etc.  He had married Mary Anne Nisbet on 14th September 1864 so George was their first born.

George's siblings were Margaret (born 1868), Mary (1871), Edith (1872), Winifred (1875), David (1880) and Catherine (1887, 22 years after George).

The Edward family are missing from the 1871 Census (possibly travelling overseas?),  Around this time, George was beginning his education at "The Glasgow Institution", which I take to be the Glasgow Deaf and Dumb Institution, recently moved to a new building at Prospecthill Road, Langside (see this link for more):

Rather alarmingly, the contemporary description refers to it having space for "150 inmates".

In the 1881 Census the Edward family were staying at Glenburn, Dunoon, which now appears to be the Glenburn Hotel:

I would be interested to know if it was a hotel in 1881 - while George's father was wealthy, I am not sure he could have afforded anything this size.  But the Census records the Edward family and two servants as the only occupants.

Around this time, George may have been sent to Kensington in London to attend the Oral School run by Gerrit van Asch (see this link for more):

George had the ambition to become an artist and attended the Glasgow School of Art between 1881 and 1886 (his sister Mary, younger by six years, also studied there).

By the 1885 Valuation Roll, the Edward family were resident at 10 Kelvin Drive.  This is also still standing:

Sometime after 1886 George realised that making a living as an artist would not be easy and decided (or was it decided for him?) to join the family firm.  We are told he learned the business by working in all the departments of the company.

I cannot find a source with sufficient detail of the business history of the firm to be certain so some of what follows is surmise and I would be happy to be corrected.  I believe it was initially set up as "George Edward Limited" by George's grandfather, also called George (born 1808), possibly in 1838.

The first specific mention I can find is an 1845 newspaper report of a presentation of a gold watch, made by George Edward, jeweller, of Gordon Street, Glasgow, to the "letter-carrier" for service to the Stobcross Street area in Anderston.  This is not the 1845 watch, alas, but a later example of the company's work:

In 1863 there is the first mention of George Edward & Sons at 56 and 58 Gordon Street, and also at 2 Renfield Street.

In 1865 the company acquired a shop at 117 Princes Street, Edinburgh.

In 1867 the firm advertised a sale as they were leaving 58 Gordon Street on Whitsunday.

In 1867-1868 George Edward and Sons is first recorded in the Glasgow Post Office Directory at 92 Buchanan Street.  Here is a photo of the shop:

In 1874 the local paper in Greenock carried an announcement the firm was closing its branch at 8 Hamilton Street (acquired four years earlier) to concentrate on its business in Glasgow

In 1875 I found the first mention of business premises in London, at number 19, Poultry - this sounds an unimpressive address but is in the heart of the City of London, where several main streets meet in front of the Lord Mayor's Mansion House, the Royal Exchange and the Bank of England.  The company's shop was still there in 1898.

The founder, George (born 1808) died in 1878 but may have handed control to his son David before then as his cause of death mentions 'senility' (presumably dementia).

In 1889 there was a shop at 8 Albert Place, Rothesay.  Here is a photo from the 1970s(?), number 8 is immediately to the right of the Royal Hotel:

Number 8 was 'The Tartan Shop' by the time of this photo!

From the 1890s newspaper coverage switches from 'trading-up' on business addresses to emphasis on the quality of the work, maybe also the quality of the clientele, by publicising commissions won, trophies presented by the company for sporting events, stands at exhibitions, what's on display in the shop window on Buchanan Street, etc.  George's father, David, was presumably still in charge and this may have freed George to indulge one of his passions, for sailing.

He was a member of the Royal Western Club, Gourock, and the Clyde Corinthian Yacht Club.  In 1902 he won two races and came second in a yacht called the Osprey and in 1903 he won six races and came third in three others (for more detail on the yacht click here).

His second yacht, the Majel, won most races in the 1904 Clyde season.  (Majel may mean swallow but I can find no verification.)

I haven't tried to list all George's yachts here but I particularly liked a yacht he bought in 1913 called Lady Jean and renamed Lady Sophie after his oldest daughter (for more detail see this link):

The yacht is now owned by a private concern in Lithuania who are said to be restoring her.

George was also a charity patron, having been on the board of the Glasgow Mission for the Deaf and Dumb from 1880 (aged 25) and as his position in the company was established there are reports of trophies he donated for sporting events within this community.

A bachelor until shortly before his 40th birthday, George married Charlotte Moir on March 29th, 1905 at Queens Park Parish Church on Queens Drive, Glasgow.

They moved to 13 Queens Gate, Hyndland, now 128 Dowanhill Street:

Three children were born in the next four years: Sophia (1906), David (1908), George Moir (1910).

Then three major blows hit George.  First, while on holiday in Colonsay, his son David fell from the pier and was drowned aged four (27th July 1912).  Next, his father (also David) died on 3rd March 1913.  Finally on 1st November 1913 his sister Mary, who had followed in his footsteps to Glasgow School of Art and hence may have been closest to him, died aged 43 (Mary Sherwood Findlay, died of cancer of the oesophagus).

Generally we know less about George after this time.  In 1913 Charlotte gave birth to another boy, christened David Valentine (born on 14th February).  The family moved to St Germains, a large house by a small loch in Bearsden, Glasgow (seen here on the left in a 1955 photo):

For more on St Germains click on this link.

The business appears to have continued to prosper, although newspaper reports become fewer over time - there is the sense things have matured, the reputation is established and the drive to expand has diminished.

In 1924, quite unexpectedly, George died, aged 59.  

This is from the Milngavie and Bearsden Herald, the newspaper for the area where George had lived for at least ten years - but the reporter cannot find out his age or even (if you read carefully) his date of death.  Reviewing the Scotland's People website (access to official records of births, marriages, deaths, etc), there is no record of George's death.  I can find no mention online of where he is buried.  There do not seem to have been any other newspaper reports of his death, although the value of his will (approximately £4.4 million at today's prices) was covered.

Thus ends the story of George, a man of many parts - conquering his deafness, a designer, a successful businessman, a yachtsman of some talent, a patron of charities, husband and father.  But ultimately somewhat mysterious, virtually unphotographed, and an enigma.

For the story of George's children and wife, click on this post.