Evans & Owen:
History
The
Company[1]
At
age 30 in 1846 Samuel Evans started a drapery business on Bartlett Street in
Bath after he moved there from his home 127 miles northwest in Machynlleth,
Wales. A draper[2]
was a person or business that sold cloth and dry goods. Samuel quickly became quite successful and
well known. Then around 1853[3]
his 13-year-old nephew Thomas Owen, who was also born in Wales, was apprenticed
to him. By 1861[4]
Thomas Owen’s half-brother, Owen Owen, also moved
from Wales to Bath and became an assistant to his brother Thomas and an
apprentice to his uncle Samuel Evans.
After working together for nine years, Thomas became a partner in the
company, and it was renamed Evans & Owen in 1862. The firm was listed in a Bath city directory
in 1864[5]
as Evans & Owen, linen drapers at 5, 6, &7 Bartleet Street and at 1 St.
Andrew’s terrace. Also, that year both
Samuel Evans and Thomas Owen were listed separately with the words “(Evans
& Owen)” next to their names. The
brother Owen Owen learned a lot from his years
working with his uncle and older brother and in 1868[6]
he moved to Liverpool where he established his own drapery business which was
very successful and later became one of the largest stores in northern
England.
Evans & Owen was listed in an
1880[7]
trade directory as “general drapers and silk mercers” and “carpet warehousemen
and general furnishers”. Additionally,
in 1880[8]
they placed the advertisement seen here in a local directory which shows a
drawing of what the business in Bath looked like. Lists of products sold by this company in
1879 and nine years later in 1888 can be found in the Images section of this
chapter.
Over the years the business expanded
significantly and became one of the best-known businesses in Bath. When Samuel Evans died in 1885, Thomas Owen
took over the company and in 1889 converted it to a limited liability firm
known as Evans & Owen Limited.
Thomas became the chairman with two directors: William Tonkin, a draper
who originally had a shop in Frome a town 13 miles south of Bath, and his
brother Owen Owen who lived in Liverpool at the time,
164 miles north. The firm was listed in
an 1889[9]
city directory as drapers and general warehousemen and the following prospectus
about the company’s conversion was placed in a local newspaper in September
1889[10].
“PROSPECTUS
The Business of Messrs. Evans & Owen,
of Bath, has a widely known reputation in the city of Bath and the adjacent
Counties, as well as many other parts of the Kingdom. It was founded in the year 1846 by the late
Mr. Samuel Evans, who in 1862 took into partnership Mr. Thomas Owen, the
Vendor, and he became the sole proprietor on the decease of Mr. Evans in 1885.
The business from its commencement has
been almost continuously a growing one, and the certificate of a well-known
firm of Chartered Accountants printed at the foot shows that the sales during
the last three years have been the largest since the establishment of the
concern.
Being desirous of dividing the
responsibility of carrying on so large a business, and at the same time
ensuring the energy which the growing importance of Bath requires, Mr. Thomas
Owen has arranged to associate with himself as Directors Mr. W. Tonkin, late of
Frome and Mr. Owen Owen, of Liverpool, two gentleman
of great experience in the trade, and in order to give the present managers and
customers an interest in the business which shall be beneficial to all parties,
it has been decided that the concern shall be registered as a Company limited
by shares.”
At
some point Owen Owen gave up his directorship role
and focused his attention on his Liverpool business. Then when Thomas Owen died in 1898, William
Tonkin became the chairman with several other new directors. Tonkin kept his position as chairman until
his death in 1912. Evans & Owen
Ltd. continued to be a successful business in Bath until sometime around 1973[11]
as that was when the last advertisement of theirs was found in a local
newspaper. Also, during the 20th century[12]
several other companies had the Evans and Owen name making it difficult to
determine which was which.
To date only one Avery style needle
case has been found with the Evans and Owen name. It is the Quadruple - Nickel Silver Plain
with no Decoration seen here[13]. The Quadruple needle case was Avery’s first
design which was patented in the UK in 1868 and in the USA in 1870. It is also the most popular Avery style
needle case and can be found with 21 different external decorations and with
the names of 33 different companies stamped or engraved on it. It seems most likely that the reason this
version was created with very little external decoration was so it could later
be engraved with someone’s name as a customized gift.
The
Evans Owner
Samuel
Evans was born in Ruthin, North Wales c1816 and was baptized that year in Llanfwrog, a village about a mile west of Ruthin. He was the son of William and Jane Evans, and
his father was a Wesleyan minister. At
some point between 1816 and 1822 the Evans family moved to Machynlleth, in
Central Wales, a town 50 miles southwest of Ruthin. Samuel had at least 2 sisters, Esther
Elizabeth Evans who was born in Machynlleth in 1821 and Jane L. Evans who was
born in Wales c1825. In 1846 Samuel left
Wales and moved to Bath, 127 miles southeast, where he established a drapery
business and by 1851 was listed as a draper with his sister Jane living with
him. Samuel married Elizabeth Scrivener
in 1859 in the Islington section of London, 109 miles east of Bath, and they
returned to Bath. There had to be a
reason why Samuel traveled so far for work and marriage. It seems most likely that perhaps his father
knew someone in the Bath area who helped Samuel start his business there and
possibly, also knew someone in the London area and arranged his son’s
marriage. Samuel and Elizabeth had 9
children between 1860 and 1877: Samuel Price Scrivener, Bessie Jane, William
Arthur, Esther L., Henry, Gertude Lloyd, James Herbert, Alice Maude and Edith May.
In
1861 the family was living on Alfred Street near one of their shops and Samuel
was listed as a draper employing assistants, porters
and servants with 10 draper assistants and 3 servants living at the same
residence. His drapery business must
have been very successful because by 1864 the family had a second residence 6.5
miles northwest of Bath in the village of Bitton. Obviously, the family resided in both places
for various periods of time because 3 of their children were born in Bath and
the other 6 in Bitton. In 1881 Samuel
was listed as a draper and paper maker employing 78 men, 40 girls and 25
boys. Unfortunately, he was involved in
an accident in 1884[14]
and died in Bitton less than a year later in 1885[15]
at age 68. The accident and his obituary
from local newspapers are transcribed below.
“CARRIAGE ACCIDENT
AT BITTON. - On
Tuesday evening as Mr. Samuel Evans, of the firm of Messrs. Evans and Owen,
Bartlett-street, was being driven to his home, Beech-house, Bitton, with a
friend, the two horses drawing the carriage bolted near Bitton and the vehicle
was overturned, and dragged along for several yards. Eventually the horses were stopped and the
occupants of the carriage were got out unhurt.
The coachman, however, named John Brown, of 35, Walcot-street, sustained
severe contusions by being thrown off the box and was brought to the Royal
United Hospital.”
“DEATH OF MR. S.
EVANS, OF BATH.
Mr.
Samuel Evans, of the firm of Evans and Owen, linen drapers, of Bartlett
Street, Bath, died on Saturday at Weymouth, where he had been for three weeks,
under the care of Dr. Wood and Mr. Stockwell, surgeon, of Bath. Mr. Evans was the son of a Welsh Wesleyan
minister, and from small beginnings built up one of the largest business
establishments in Bath, besides taking a leading part in other commercial
enterprises, all of which bear the stamp of success. He came to Bath in 1846, and commenced business
in Bartlett Street. He afterwards
removed to the shop at the corner of St. Andrew’s Terrace, and under his
energetic management the prosperity of the establishment increased. House was added to house, both in Alfred
Street and the terrace, until the block was taken by him and his partner, Mr.
Owen, and at the present time as many as 200 hands are employed on the
premises. Of late years he entered
extensively into paper making undertakings, being at the time of his death
senior partner in paper mills at Ely, Cardiff, Ripponden
(near Halifax), and Ramsdunck, Holland.
Including those in Bath, he employed about 650 people, and the wages and
salaries paid by him amounted, it is calculated, to about £30,000 a year. In the early part of June last year Mr. Evans
was returning from Bath to his residence at Bitton, and was severely shaken by
the upsetting of the carriage. It was
thought at first that the injuries were of a trival
kind, but he was shortly confined to his bed.
Subsequently he went to Bournemouth and returned very much improved in
health, but a relapse occurred and Sir James Paget was consulted. Mr. Evans rallied and then went to Weymouth,
but an internal disease baffled surgical skill, and on Saturday night death
took place. Mr. Evans was not in any
sense a public man, but he was a liberal subscriber to the institutions and
charities of Bath. A short time since he
contributed £250 toward the
funds of the North Wales College. He
leaves a widow and eight children. The
funeral will take place on Friday, when the remains will be interred at
Lansdown cemetery.”
Samuel
was buried at the Lansdown Cemetery in Bath and his estate, valued at £83,254 (approximately £6,831,014 today[16]),
was proved by his business partner Thomas Owen and two Wesleyan ministers. His wife continued to live in Bitton with
several of their children until at least 1911 and then she moved to
Weston-super-Mare, 27 miles west of Bitton along the Bristol Channel section of
the west coast of England. She died
there in 1915 at age 79 and was buried at the Lansdown Cemetery in Bath. Elizabeth left an estate valued at £6,968 to her son James Herbert
Evans.
The
Owen Owners
Thomas
Owen was born in 1840 in Blwch, Machynlleth, Central
Wales, the son of Owen Owens Sr. and Susanah Jones and the grandson of Thomas
Owen Sr. Both his father and grandfather
were Welsh farmers. Thomas’s mother
Susanah died in 1843 after the birth of his brother John that year. Three years later in 1846 his father married
his second wife Esther Elizabeth Evans, the sister of Samuel Evans. Owen and Esther had at least 3 children which
became Thomas’s half-brothers and half-sister: Owen Jr., Jane Lloyd and William F.
In 1851 the Owen family farm was listed as having 600 acres employing 4
laborers with 4 farm servants and 3 house servants and the grandfather was
listed as an annuitant indicating a certain degree of wealth. In 1853 Thomas moved to Bath and became an
apprentice to his step-mother’s brother Samuel Evans. By 1861 at age 20 he was
listed as a draper with 9 assistants including his half-brother Owen Jr., 2
porters and 2 servants.
In
1868 Thomas married Elizabeth Todd, the daughter of Charles Todd of Bacup, Lanacashire, 180 miles
north of Bath. Thomas and Elizabeth had
6 children born in Bath between 1870 and 1875: Charles Todd, Lilian Susannah,
Elizabeth Hoyle, Owen, Margaret Isabel and Lucie
Gwendoline. Thomas was listed as a
master draper in 1871 and as a draper and paper manufacturer partner employing
over 400 hands in 1881 and the family had 2 or 3 servants during those years. He was listed as an Esquire when he became
the chairman of Evans and Owen in 1889 indicating he had achieved a high level
of success. In 1891 he and Elizabeth
were visiting a health resort in Bishopsteignton,
Devon, 90 miles southwest of Bath, not far from the seaside resort of
Torquay. At some point between 1881 and
1898 Thomas, Elizabeth and their children moved to Westminster in London, most
likely around 1892 when Thomas became an M.P. for the Launceston division of
Cornwall. This Owen family also had a
residence in Central Wales where Thomas was born and unfortunately where he
died in 1898 at age 57. The sad story of
his death is listed in his 1898[17]
obituary below. Thomas left an estate of
£272,912 (approximately £21,334,131 today[18])
to his wife and two sons Charles Todd and Owen.
“SAD DEATH OF MR.
THOMAS OWEN, M.P.
The death of Mr. Thomas Owen, M.P. for the
Launceston division of Cornwall, is reported to have occurred in North Wales
under very painful circumstances.
According to the evidence given at an
inquest held on Monday evening, Mr. and Mrs. Owen went down to their residence
in Montgomeryshire on Friday for a short rest, the latter still suffering from
the effects of a severe attack of influenza.
On Sunday they were out most of the day,
and at half past five in the afternoon they followed a narrow path up the
hillside for some distance, when Mrs. Owen, finding the fatigue of the climb
too great for her to continue further, sat under a waterfall. Mr. Owen, remarking that he had heard it was
as easy to cross the waterfall as to go by the path, got up and walked
about. After a while, not seeing him
come back, she called to him, but obtained no reply. Knowing that he was fond of climbing the hills,
and roaming about, and confident of his ability to take care of himself, she
returned home, but finding he did not come at the time expected, dispatched
servants in different directions. A
lengthy search discovered his dead body lying face downwards, and in a stream
which flows from the lake above the house.
He had evidently been carried a considerable distance down the stream,
and a severe blow on his forehead pointed to his having been stunned and
drowned. The spot where Mr. Owen got
into the stream was described as most dangerous, and a point which no one could
cross in safety. It is thought Mr. Owen
was making the attempt when he slipped and fell into the stream.
The jury, after a short deliberation, came to the conclusion that Mr. Owen was drowned after being
stunned, as the result of a fall. They
requested the coroner to convey an expression of their sympathy to Mrs. Owen
and family.
Mr. Owen was the son of Mr. Owen Owen, yeoman, of Bwlch and Cymyrhaid,
near Machynlleth. He was born in 1840 at
Cymyrhaid, near to where his dead body was found on
Sunday, and became a warehouseman in his uncle’s draper shop at Bath. Eventually he was taken into partnership, and
the business grew to a vast commercial undertaking, which was turned into a
limited company, under the title of Messrs. Evans and Owen. He was also the head of the firm Messrs.
Thomas Owen and Co., of Cardiff who own some of the largest paper mills in the
country, and chairman of the Bath Paper Mills Company, Limited.
He was a staunch Methodist and a generous
supporter of the denomination for which he practically built two chapels. He was a strong Liberal, and was in the later
years the principal proprietor of the Western Daily Mercury. In 1892 he contested the Launceston division
of Cornwall in the Liberal interest against Sir Lewis Molesworth., Bart.
(Liberal Unionist), and was returned by a majority of 964. At the general election in 1895, when his
opponent was Mr. F. Wills, his majority was reduced to 658, the figures being:
T. Owen (L.), 3,655; F. Wills (U.), 2,975; Liberal majority, 658.”
Thomas Owen’s half-brother Owen Owen Jr. was born in Cwnyrhaiadr,
Machynlleth, Central Wales in 1847, the son of Owen Owen
Sr. and Esther Elizabeth Evans. When Owen was 13 years old in 1861 he was living with his older half-brother Thomas in
Bath working as an assistant to his brother and as an apprentice to his uncle
Samuel Evans. Owen Jr. moved to
Liverpool in 1868 and established his own draper business there and by 1871 was
listed as a fancy draper employing 25 men with his younger brother William P.
Owen living with him. He continued to
live and work in Liverpool and in 1889 became a director in his half-brother’s
business of Evans & Owen Ltd in Bath where he was listed as an
Esquire. In 1891 Owen married Ellen
Maria Richards in Weymouth, Dorset, a town 218 miles south of Liverpool. At some point between 1893 and 1895 the
family moved to the London area, 196 miles southeast of Liverpool and settled
at Hamilton Terrace in the St. Marylebone section of the city. Owen and Ellen had 1 child born in Liverpool
in 1893: Murial Gwendolen, and 3 children born in Marylebone between 1895 and
1902: Harold Owen, Eira Dilys and Arthur Loyd Owen. In 1906 Owen traveled to the USA visiting New
York and Chicago before returning to London.
This Owen family had two residences, one at Fitzjohns
Avenue in the Hampstead section of London and another 226 miles northwest of
London in the northern Welsh coastal town of Penmaenmawr,
only 4 miles west of the town of Conwy.
Owen died at his home in London in 1910 at age 62 and left as estate
valued at £463,568 (approximately
£36,238,130 today[19]). His 1910[20]
obituary, transcribed below,
provides additional information about his success and career which was focused
on his business in Liverpool. His
wife continued to live in Hampstead and died 26 years later in 1936 in Chester
at age 77 leaving as estate of £57,143.
“DEATH OF MR. OWEN
OWEN.
STORY OF HIS CAREER
Growth of a Great
Enterprise.
A feeling of profound sorrow will be
experienced throughout business circles in Liverpool at the news of the death
of Mr. Owen Owen, J. P., chairman of Messrs. Owen Owen, Limited, London-road, which occurred rather
unexpectedly at his residence in London on Sunday evening. The said event followed on an operation for
an internal complaint. Mr. Owen was in
Liverpool as recently as a fortnight yesterday, when he presided at a meeting
of the directors of Owen Owen, Limited, and was then
apparently in his usual health and vigour. He left Liverpool for his London residence,
Manor House, Fitzjohn-avenue, Hampstead, the following morning, and it was on
arriving home that the first symptoms of illness manifested themselves. He complained first of slight pain. The family physician attended him, and two or
three days later another doctor was called into consultation, as a result of which it was deemed advisable to perform an
operation. The minor part of the
operation was carried out on Sunday, the 20th inst., whilst the more serious
part was performed on Tuesday last by the eminent specialist and the King’s
physician, Dr. Thomas Barlow. Mr. Owen
came through it with apparent success, but he suddenly took a turn for the worse. His condition gradually became weaker, and
the end came as stated on Sunday evening, Mr. Owen passing quietly away in the
presence of his family.
Mr. Owen Owen’s connection with Liverpool
provides a most interesting chapter in the history of one particular
phase of the city’s business development, as it also furnishes a
remarkable example of what may be accomplished by a combination of business
aptitude, untiring energy, and unfailing industry. “Great events from little causes spring,” and
to apply the saying in illustration Liverpool has a striking demonstration of
how a small, obscure shop has grown into one of the largest and most extensive businesses
emporiums out of London. It was in the
drapery that Mr. Owen first launched upon his business career. His father, the late Mr. Owen Owen, of Bwlch and Cwmrhairdr,
was a farmer, but agriculture did not attract the son, who preferred a
different walk of life. He was
apprenticed to his uncle, a Mr. Evans, who was a draper in Bath, and after
remaining there a short period he proceeded to London to acquire that
experience which ever after served him in good stead. Equipped with a full knowledge of the drapery
business, Mr. Owen Owen as a young man came and
settled in Liverpool, where he opened an establishment on a small portion of
the site in London-road which is now covered with an imposing pile of buildings
in which the ramifications of the huge concern are centered, That shop was numbered 121, and the range of
the buildings now extend from 119 to 123.
These cover an extensive area, stretching from the frontage in
London-road to the rear, a distance of 300 feet, with
an average width of 123 feet. Another
department quite apart from that of the draper and hosiery is
located in premises on the other side of Stafford-street and abutting on
London-road.
In this initial venture were laid the
foundation of the present colonial business, brought to fruition by the
application of those qualities of foresight, shrewdness, indomitable energy,
and enterprise which Mr. Owen possessed in especial degree. Progress stamped the business at its
inauguration 42 years ago; sometimes it was steady, at others it was by leaps
and bounds, necessitating at intervals additions to the premises to cope with
the expanding trade. For some time it had been the wish of Mr. Owen Owen,
as chairman of the directors, that the front portion of the building should be
reconstructed, and it has only been due to a disinclination to disturb the
routine of the business that the scheme was not carried out earlier. In August last year, however, it was decided
to carry out the projected scheme of improvement, and a very handsome frontage
from the designs of Mr. Walter W. Thomas, architect, of this city, has been
secured, at the same time making for more up-to-date internal
accommodation. It was given to Mr. Owen
before his death to witness the completion of this undertaking which for so
long he had had in contemplation.
It is scarcely necessary to enlarge on the
fame and prestige of Owen Owen, Ltd., not only
throughout the United Kingdom, but internationally. It is the Mecca of customers from all over
Lancashire, Cheshire, North Wales, and the Isle of Man, whilst orders are
received from Japan and other countries.
It is a veritable hive of business activity, as may be imagined when it
is stated that a staff of about 1,000 persons - buyers, clerks, salesman,
saleswomen, assistants, &c. – is required to cope with the demands made
upon it by an army of purchasers.
Amongst these employees the loss of the controlling head of the company
will be keenly felt. The relations
between the employer and employed were in this case of the most amicable
character. Always concerned for the
welfare of his staff, he displayed towards them a considerateness and
kindliness of heart which was highly appreciated and won the admiration of
all. There was one direction in particular in which his sympathetic regard and
large-heartedness were displayed. When
any of the staff were run down in health and in need of recuperation his fine
Welsh residence at Penmaenmawr was placed at their
disposal, and in this way many an employee has benefited in health from a
holiday at the picturesquely situated mansion amongst the bracing Welsh hills.
Mr. Owen Owen,
up to about fifteen years ago, resided in Prince’s-road. He then left Liverpool and took up his
residence at Manor House, Hampstead, London, to enable him to be in touch with
other enterprises with which he was closely connected in the metropolis. His visits to Liverpool were, of course, very
frequent, his presence being required on the occasion of
the directors’ meetings and at the annual meetings of the company. He would, in the ordinary course have
presided at the annual meeting which is to be held on Thursday next. His business associations occupied the whole
of his time to the exclusion of participation in public work, which he never
sought, the only position of a public nature which he held being that of a
justice of the peace for Caernarvonshire.
Whatever leisure time he had was usually devoted to recreation in the
form of golf or motoring. He was the
chairman of the Penmaenmawr Golf Club. A few years ago Mr.
Owen Owen made a
extensive tour of American, partly for pleasure and partly to make himself
acquainted with business methods there, and he returned very greatly impressed
with what he had seen. It is
interesting, in view of the annual conference of Shop Assistants which has just
been held in Liverpool, to note that the deceased gentleman was in accord with
their desires and aims for their betterment, and he some time ago afforded
practical proof of his sympathetic interest in their movement by closing his
establishment at four o-clock on a Saturday afternoon.
Mr. Owen Owen,
who was about 62 years of age, leaves a widow and four children. The eldest son is being educated at Harrow
School. There will be a funeral service
at Rosalyn Hill Unitarian Church, Hampstead, at 11:15 a.m. tomorrow. Mr. Owen was a Unitarian, and when he resided
in this city he was a member of the Unitarian Church
which formerly stood at Renshaw-street.”
The
Tonkin Owner
William Tonkin was born in 1839 in
Wedmore, Somerset, a town 26 miles southwest of Bath and was baptized there
later that year. His parents were John
and Sarah Tonkin with his father’s occupation listed as a linen draper. By the time he was 11 years old in 1851 he
was working as a draper and grocer most likely for his father who had the same
occupation that year. At age 21 in 1863
he was living in Melksham, Wiltshire, a town 12 miles east of Bath where he
married Sarah Jane Maggs. He was listed
as a grocer at the time of his marriage.
William and Sarah lived in Melksham until at least 1869 as 2 of their
children were born there: Sarah Annie and William Bernard. By 1871 the Tonkin family moved to Frome
about 13 miles south of Bath where William consistently worked as a draper and
the family had two servants. William and
Sarah had 4 more children born in Frome between 1873 and 1877: Edith Jane,
Mabel Herbert, Wilfrid and Charles Herbert. Unfortunately, Sarah died there in 1879 at
age 37. In 1881 the family continued to
have two servants but now also had an unmarried housekeeper named Elizabeth N.
Smith who was probably taking care of the 5 children living in the household
while William was working. Later that year
William married Elizabeth. After
becoming a director of Evans & Owen Ltd in 1889 where he was listed as an
Esquire, the Tonkin family moved to the Bath area, at first living in Charlcombe, 2 miles north of the center of Bath, then later
to the Walcot section of Bath. Elizabeth
died there in 1907 at age 55. Although
William was listed in 1901 and 1911 as a retired draper he served as the
chairman of the Evans & Owen Ltd. business for a period
of time after Mr. Thomas Owen’s death in 1898. William died in 1912 at age 72 leaving as
estate valued at £15,646
(approximately £1,223,082
today[21])
to his sons. His 1912[22]
obituary, transcribed below, provides additional information about his life and
degree of success.
“DEATH
OF MR. WILLIAM TONKIN. A PROMINENT BATH
CITIZEN.
One of the best known
citizens of Bath, a former member of the Corporation, a leading commercial man,
and one who held a very prominent position in the Wesleyan Community, passed
away very suddenly on Saturday. We refer
to Mr. William Tonkin, chairman of the extensive drapery and furnishing firm of
Messrs. Evans and Owen, Ltd., of Bartlett and Alfred Street, Bath. The sudden demise of Mr. Tonkin caused a
painful shock throughout their large establishment when the unexpected news
reached it this morning. The shock was
all the greater as during the week Mr. Tonkin, in pursuance of his usual
practice, had attended at the Company’s business daily and lunched at Alfred
Street, while on Friday night one of the officials of the Company was at his
residence, “Theela,” St. Stephen’s Road, engaged in a game of draughts with Mr.
Tonkin, who appeared to be in his usual health. It was known that the deceased gentleman
suffered from a weak heart, and any exertion was harmful to him, but we believe
that only a week ago his medical man, Dr. Melsome,
called in a second opinion at the desire of Mr. Tonkin, the result of which was
an agreement that their patient would probably be spared for several years to
come. Mr. Tonkin, who was 72 years of
age, retired to rest at his usual hour, and must have passed away peacefully in
his sleep, for he was found dead in bed this morning.
The deceased was a native of Somerset,
having been born in the historic parish of Wedmore, where his father was
engaged in agricultural pursuits. He had
an intimate knowledge of the marshy country in which Wedmore is situated, and
we remember when the Somerset County Council not long ago held a special
inquiry into the liability of the Axbridge District
Council to repair what are known as the “Droves,” i.e., country lanes giving
access to large grazing pastures, Mr. Tonkin came before the Commission and
gave valuable information as to the custom in connection with these
thoroughfares.
When a lad, Mr. Tonkin went to London to
serve an apprenticeship with a well-known drapery firm, and having gained
experience there, opened a business at Melksham which prospered under his
proprietorship, and which he sold to take over a larger establishment in the
town of Frome. In 1889, when the firm of
Messrs. Evans and Owen was converted into a limited liability company, the late
Mr. Thomas Owen, M.P., who knew Mr. Tonkin’s business capabilities, invited him
to Bath as a managing director of the Company.
He accepted the offer and devoted himself with untiring energy and the
utmost conscientiousness to promoting the welfare of the reorganized
undertaking. Upon the tragic death of
Mr. Thomas Owen, at Machwaleth in 1898, Mr. Tonkin
succeeded him as chairman of Evans and Owen, Ltd. In that capacity he has paid unremitting care
to the interests of the shareholders, and at the same time has always been
highly respected and regarded as a personal friend by
the members of the staff. His speeches
at the annual meeting always gave a concise review of the Company’s position,
and the shareholders regarded his utterances as being entirely trustworthy, for
he was never a man of extravagant words, and he inspired confidence in every
circle when his opinions were expressed.
For some years past Mr. Tonkin has had associated with him as directors,
Mr. A. J. Sims, and Mr. H. Marden, of London.
Mr. Tonkin did not share the predominant
political views of his native place, where the “Wedmore blues” are famous for
their strong party adherence, for he was a life-long Liberal, and soon after
his arrival in this city came into close touch with the leading members of that
side. In 1893 he accepted nomination for
Walcot Ward, and was returned without opposition to fill an extraordinary
vacancy caused by the elevation of Mr. J. E. Sturges to the aldermanic
bench. He continued a member of the City
Council until 1908, when ill-health compelled him to relinquish municipal
work. Mr. Tonkin’s business qualities
enabled him to render valuable assistance on many of the most important
committees, and it is no secret that he was offered the Mayoralty of Bath when
the selection lay with his political colleagues, but his physical strength was
not sufficient to allow him to accept nomination, much to the regret of
everyone on the Council. He was a man of
the most genial disposition, very charitably inclined, and was one of those who
never tired of doing good by stealth.
As we have said, Mr. Tonkin was a Liberal,
and at one time, Chairman of the Bath Liberal Association, but he was never an
advanced or aggressive politician. In
this respect the broadminded attitude which he observed on every subject was a
conspicuous feature of his career. When
he retired from the Council, a little over three years ago, genuine regret was
expressed at the circumstances which compelled him to withdraw, though his
decision was not surprising, as he had had several sever illnesses, necessitating
long periods of absence from the Council Chamber.
The deceased gentleman was one of the most
prominent members of the Wesleyan body in the West of England, and it was in
this connection that he became acquainted with the later Mr. Thomas Owen. He was a regular worshipper at Walcot
Wesleyan Chapel, and was a very acceptable local preacher, his name being on
the Circuit Plan for many years, though of late he had felt unequal to the task
of occupying the pulpit. He was one of
the trustees of the Walcot Chapel, and at one time was a class leader. He was a lay member of the Conference
Committees, and was intimately associated with Kingswood School, being a member
of the Management Committee. Mr. Tonkin
was one of those who helped in the formation of the Bath Cabinet Works, Ltd.,
and was a director of the Company at the time of his death. He was married, his second wife pre-deceasing
him seven years ago. There were three
sons and three daughters by his first marriage.
One of his sons is connected with the
management of Spencer’s well-known engineering works at Melksham. Another is a solicitor in Bristol, and the
youngest, after learning the profession of an architect at Messrs. Silcock and
Reay, went to South Africa, where he is practicing. One of Mr. Tonkin’s daughters married Mr.
Hancock, of Shrewsbury, son of Mr. George Hancock, formerly manager of the Bath
Stone Firms, Ltd.”
Left to right: Steve Brett, Terry
Meinke and Chris Brett. A special thank you goes to Chris and Steve for taking
Terry to all of the places in Bath she wanted to
visit. Chris is the editor of the Dorset
Thimble Society’s newsletter and she and her husband drove to Bath from their
home in Poole so they could show Terry around.
Chris is the only known person to have an Avery needle case stamped with
the Evans & Owen Bath name.
