Topic: Ink Wells, Ink Bottles and Stands

[Paul S.]

Occurs to me that always possible it might be of interest to have a section on these things  -  just an idea, although appreciate there may not be more than two or three dozen in total.............   I don't know if we have any Board members who specialize in collecting these designs.

The earliest dated Registered example I can see appears to be March 1848, but as we know from experience on occasions the original factory drawing doesn't always carry a worded description, and certainly one of these four (Rd. 75988) nearly escaped the net.           Fortunately, when I checked the Register for this item there was a description, which removed any doubt  -  there are many blank lines in the Register and it's not easy to be certain of the intended use of some small bottle shaped designs.

With regard to these particular ink related designs, the names of some Registrants turn up more frequently than others, and although this may imply coincidence only, I suppose there's always the possibility that those individuals had a particular reason for specialising in ink wells/stands etc., either as manufacturers or wholesale agents.
Rd. 79180, which is the most recent of these four Registrations, was allocated to Henry David Green Truscott, of London, which is well outside the normal area of glass production, and this may indicate they were not manufacturers  -  perhaps Fred can shed light on that side of the subject.

Anyway, hope of interest - there will be others to trickle in over the coming days/weeks.

[agincourt17]

Thank you, Paul.

The Henry Pershouse designs have already been discussed on the GMB at
http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,58216.msg329826.html#msg329826
and already added to the GMB RD database, but I attach some photos of RD 50988 as permanent references here.

I will see if I can find out any more about RDs 75988 and 79180 before I add the design representations to the GMB RD database in turn.

Fred.

[agincourt17]

In addition to the glass ink box RD 75988, registered by Eliezer Edwards, Birmingham on  15 January 1851 - Parcel, I have so far found another five of his glass design registrations so far by searching TNA online design registration summaries:

RD 109830, registered 30 April 1857- Parcel 4. Subject: Flower trainer or support. Class 3: glass

RD 155257, registered 1 October 1862 - Parcel 3. Description: Inkstand. Class 3: glass.

RD 164138, registered 9 July 1863 - Parcel 8. Subject: Inkstand. Class 3: glass

RD 197154, registered May 8 1866 - Parcel 2 (with registrant's address given as 49 St. Paul's Square, Birmingham). No description of item  given. Class 3 : glass. 

RD 221520, registered 12 September 1868 - Parcel 2 (with registrant given as E Edwards, with address as 49 St. Paul's Square, Birmingham). No description of item given. Class 3: glass.


St Paul’s Square, is a Georgian square in the Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham, and named after the church which still stands in its centre. It is the last remaining Georgian square in the city. Built 1777–79 on the Newhall estate of the Colmore family, it was an elegant and desirable location in the mid-nineteenth century. At the end of the nineteenth century the square was swallowed by workshops and factories, with the fronts of some buildings being pulled down to make shop fronts or factory entrances. Much restoration was done in the 1970s and many of the buildings are Grade II listed.
No. 49 no longer seems to exist in its mid-Victorian form, but it seems unlikely that the address would have been a factory or manufacturing base at that time.  I've done a few quick Birmingham directory  and genealogy searches but, unfortunately, I haven't been able to find Eliezer Edwards so far.


TNA also has the following (non-glass) design registration records with Eliezer Edwards as registrant:

RD 72305, registered 3 October 1850. Description: Tray for Inkstand. Class 1: metal.

Useful Registered Design Number: 2973, registered 7 October 1851.  Subject: Inkstand. Category: Drawing, Geometrical and Mathematical Instruments, Pen, Holder, Pencil, Writing Materials, Inkstands, Desks, Colours and Sketch Boxes.

Useful Registered Design Number: 3826 registered April 10 1856. Subject: Insect trap. Category: Traps for Birds, Vermin, Insects. (Class I, Metal). Remarks: 699 provisional registration.

RD 136881, registered 21 December 1860. Subject: Cover for an inkstand. Class 1: metal.

RD 157526, registered 17 November 1862. Description: Perforated Metallic Box. Class 1: metal.

Provisional registered design number 626, registered 22 November 1862. Subject: Perforated metallic box.

Provisional registered design number 627, registered 22 November 1862. Subject: Perforated metallic box.

Provisional registered design number 628, registered 22 November 1862. Subject: Perforated metallic box.

RD 158049, registered 3 December 1862. Description: Writing Tablet and Linen Stretcher. Class 1: metal.

RD 191168, registered 20 October 1865. No description of item. Class 1: metal.

RD 191243, registered 23 October 1865. Subject: [Rod bracket ? With bird and tendril detail]. Class 1: metal

RD 197153, registered May 8 1866. Subject: [Posy or buttonhole pin]. Class 4: earthenware

RD 197297, registered May 10 1866. Subject: [Metal ornamental design ?]. Class 1: metal

RD 209857, registered July 30 1867. No description. Class 1: metal.

RD 218325, registered 22 April 1862. Subject: [Buckle]. Class 1: metal

RD 227613, registered 3 March 1869. Description: Steel pen or match box.


From the nature and variety of these registrations I think it is most likely that Eliezer Edwards was a retailer, wholesaler or manufacturer's agent for small ornamental domestic effects or stationery items.

Fred.

[Paul S.]

yes, I think you're right about Edwards being a non-manufacturer Fred.                 I do have pix of Regs. 164138 and 155257, and will post these in the coming days.

As to missing descriptions of 197154 and 221520..................    There is nothing in the way of text on the original factory drawing for 197154, and the Register is equally quiet .......    just a blank line  -  but the drawing is of a circular, very shallow flat-based plate-like shape, with a low up-turned gallery cut round entirely on its rim with scallops, as though to act possibly as indents for cigarettes or cigars, or of course dip-pens.      In the centre of the piece is a raised well-shaped structure which flares toward its base  -  could be for the fag ash, or possibly ink.
I'll post this in the coming days and people can make up their minds as to what this item was intended for. 

Regarding 221520 - the original drawing states CLASS III, and shows what appears to be an ornamental draw knob, the stub of which has been given a threaded profile - so presumably you could screw it into a draw front ?? -  I can't imagine it's a decanter related piece.       Again, both the original drawing and the Register lack any text description, but as you'll see when I do get to post this picture, it does look to be a glass draw knob.........   I think.

thanks for your very comprehensive input on this one, much appreciated, and adds masses to our knowledge of Eliezer Edwards etc., and makes the thread really interesting.          Obviously, I wouldn't intend to add any Reg. images etc. of those CLASS I or IV items, and will confine my pix to CLASS III glass. 

[agincourt17]

RD 79180 glass ink bottle, registered 10 June 1851 - Parcel 4 by Henry David Green Truscott of 7 Coburg (sic.) Road, Old Kent Road, London. Class 3: glass.

The design representation seems to show a metallic cap or closure.

TNA's online registration design search does not record any other designs by this registrant.

Google Maps' Street View shows that 7 Cobourg Road still stands as a smart Georgian or early Victorian terraced property only a few yards from the junction with the Old Kent Road. No sign of it having been retail or wholesale premises, though I suppose that it could have served as an office address.

Fred.

[Paul S.]

re 79180  -  yes, it does look to have a metallic cap/top of some sort  -  but then I think I've seen ink wells/bottles in the past somewhere that had brass top fitments/caps  -  early inks were corrosive, and dip pens originally had steel nibs which presumably didn't last too long, so brass used where there might have been contact with the ink.             Quite likely one of the reasons for the introduction of 14 ct. gold nibs (18 ct. is/was the standard minimum carat in France I think) - gold being unaffected by the ink and aesthetically pleasing at the same time.

no doubt the Register clerk getting confused with the Dukes of the House of Saxe-Coburg who were big cheeses in Bavaria around the middle of the C19  -  I have checked the Kew Register page and the word is spelled Coburg  -  as I hope you can see in the attachment - although apologies as it's a very poor quality image.                 You can blow the thing up, which might help  -  I tried using Picasa and IrfanView, and although I can get the page to come up really great on my screen, for some reason I'm not clever enough to manage to save the magnified result  -  will have to speak to sons to see if they can educate me.

[Anne]

Henry David Green Truscott was born in London on 24 Oct 1812.

On 1851 Census he was shown as resident at Coburg Road, Camberwell, Surrey, and occupation given as Ink Maker

On 1861 Census he was shown as resident at 13, Wellington Place, St Mary Newington, Newington, London, and occupation given as Appraiser & Writing Ink Manufacturer

On 13 April 1866 in the Probate for the Will of his aunt he was described as a "Writing Ink Manufacturer".

On the 1871 Census he was shown as resident at East Street, St Mary Newington, St Saviour Southwark, London, and occupation given as Writing Ink Manufacturer.

On 19 April 1876 in the Probate for the Will of William Girling he was described as "Ink Manufacturer".

On the 1881 Census he was shown as resident at 192, East Street, Newington, St Saviour Southwark, London, and occupation given as retired from business, aged 67.

On the 1891 Census he is shown as resident at Surrey Square, Newington, St Saviour Southwark, London, and occupation given as Living On Own Means,  aged 78.

In 1895 in the Probate for the Will of his dau. Lucy he was described as a "gentleman".

Died 26 Mar 1899, St. Saviour, Southwark.

I think that explains why he registered a design for an inkwell.

[Anne]

Eliezer Edwards, b. 1816, on 1861 Census at 23, Reservoir Road, Edgbaston, Kings Norton, Worcestershire, occupation Glass ink stand manufacturer.

[Paul S.]

thanks for your input on Eliezer Edwards, Anne, very informative and adds much of interest.          His Christian name is apparently from old testament Hebrew - although that doesn't necessarily mean he was Jewish........   in the C19 it was commonplace to give biblical fore names to children. 

So it seems we have two addresses for Mr. Edwards - both overlapping in date .............    one in B'ham and the other in Worcestershire  -  the former being a business address and Kings Norton his domestic residence, perhaps.

But can we rely on the accuracy of the 1861 census showing that he was a manufacturer - and not simply a wholesaler/agent  -  perhaps he thought it gave him better status to say he was a manufacturer.

[agincourt17]

Thank  you, Paul, for the pic of the entry for RD 79180 in the register.

Thank you, Anne, for your diligent and valuable genealogical input. I wonder when Coburg Road officially morphed into Cobourg Road?

Fred.