1872 Barling Magnum
- Thread starter sablebrush52
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I think that the silver workmanship is remarkable. I am certain that the threaded tenon is silver- all in one piece and the band is really chunky. This, apparently, was made seven years after Barling first worked with Briar,
according to Alpascia
1851 - No briar pipes exhibited at World's Fair
1856- Loewe company established. Loewe introduced briar pipes in London
1860 - Ben Wade founded
1861- Briar pipes in London !
1865 - Barling started making briar pipes
1872 - THIS PIPE - Made in the 7th year of Barling making briar pipes
1876 - Created BBB Brand
1879 - Comoy arrives in London
according to Alpascia
1851 - No briar pipes exhibited at World's Fair
1856- Loewe company established. Loewe introduced briar pipes in London
1860 - Ben Wade founded
1861- Briar pipes in London !
1865 - Barling started making briar pipes
1872 - THIS PIPE - Made in the 7th year of Barling making briar pipes
1876 - Created BBB Brand
1879 - Comoy arrives in London
Oops I was re-reading this thread and my dates were off. I thought you said the pipe was made in 1875, but you said 1872. It still puts everything into perspective though.
It is difficult too imagine the making of that pipe. Did the carver use a foot powered trundle lathe, did he rough it out with hand knives first, and what about that stem... How many false starts or did he get it right the first time? The silverwork is flawless from the photos... A piece of art. And as asked previously, are you going to use it as designed, at least once?
O M G !!!
My jaw just dropped. The whole thread, from the gorgeous Barling, great photos, history and more, this is something special. Glad for you Jesse, as well as Ken in making this happen.
My jaw just dropped. The whole thread, from the gorgeous Barling, great photos, history and more, this is something special. Glad for you Jesse, as well as Ken in making this happen.
Since it has already been smoked, of course he will. :twisted:
The Borg are amateurs compared with the compulsion inherent in this situation. Jesse can flap and yowl and attempt to resist all it wants, it will do no good. In the end, he will because he must. :mrgreen:
I plan to smoke it at least once, but before I do I'll do an assessment on internal condition. If I have any doubts, then when George has time I'll send the pipe to him for a once over. Ancient pipes can be very fragile. Wouldn't do to crack the thing.
As for what to smoke, I'm not sure. Something that smokes more coolly than Virginias, and I'll use a nice British Swan Vesta sulfurless match or two.
As for what to smoke, I'm not sure. Something that smokes more coolly than Virginias, and I'll use a nice British Swan Vesta sulfurless match or two.
"I am certain that the threaded tenon is silver..."
I am certain that you are correct, as on Page 27 of the "B. Barling & Sons Catalogue facisimile" printed a few years back by sablebrush52, it shows drawings of cased, single, amber-stemed briar pipes, and the accompanying nomenclature reads "Silver Screw..."
I am certain that you are correct, as on Page 27 of the "B. Barling & Sons Catalogue facisimile" printed a few years back by sablebrush52, it shows drawings of cased, single, amber-stemed briar pipes, and the accompanying nomenclature reads "Silver Screw..."
Hi Jesse,
I think Mike hit it on the nose; the pipe was made for a tobacconist called Wright of Cheltenham.
The full name of the company was Frederick Wright, and in October 1907 it was reorganized as Frederick Wright Ltd. The story is a bit convoluted, but cut to the essentials it amounts to this. Frederick Wright was born in Islington (part of London) about 1849. As a young man he learned the tobacco trade working for Huxley & Co., staying there some 8-10 years (different dates were given at different times) . The evidence is a bit contradictory but it’s a safe bet that Wright started at Huxley about 1863 and left no later than 1872. The Huxley family and their tobacco manufacturing business, based on Whitechapel Road, are worth a write-up of their own but we’ll save that for another day.
In the very early 1870s young Wright migrated from London to Cheltenham, where he and his wife Louisa (b. about 1844 in Salisbury, died in Cheltenham in 1892) settled for the remainder of their lives. Given that Wright almost immediately bought a business there it seems tenable that the move was precipitated by the opportunity, but this is supposition. The Cheltenham tobacconist that Wright bought had been established by Henry Vaughan many years before, perhaps as early as the beginning of the 1840s. Vaughan was a hotelier, wine merchant and sometime tobacconist. For whatever reason the tobacco trade failed to interest him and it was sold and resold several times before winding up in Wright’s hands. The original location for Vaughan, and Wright as his successor, was 112 High Street in Cheltenham. The business prospered under Wright’s ownership, gradually expanding through the establishment of new branches and the acquisition of other businesses, e.g. the Gloucester tobacco enterprise of Joseph Jew (1829-1883) in 1883. By that year Wright had shops at The Cross in Gloucester, Agincourt Square in Monmouth, and three locations in Cheltenham (112 High St, 327 High St, and Montpelier Rotunda). Later on Wright established locations in Bath and Stroud, and after his death the business expanded to many other towns as well.
After decades of building the business, Frederick began to think about succession no later than the time of the reorganization. As background it’s useful to understand that Frederick and his wife Louisa had had three children together. The first, Frederick James, died before the age of two. The second, Ernest Henry (1875-1946) and third, Eliza Louisa (1880-1970) survived to maturity. Frederick and his surviving son, Ernest Henry, had a falling out. This culminated in a visit by Ernest to the family business in 1909 which ended in a fight between him and Henry Richard Sims, an accountant acting as secretary of the company. After embarrassingly public litigation this resulted in Ernest being cut out of the business, and Sims remaining on to eventually become its managing director. Meanwhile sister Eliza’s branch of the family remained closely involved. Eliza married Henry Mortimer Simmons (1879-1931) in 1904, and while his day job was as a jeweler, he looked after the family’s interests by serving as Chairman of the company. Eliza and Henry had two sons and a daughter. Both boys, John Thackwell (1907-1966) and George Mortimer (1910-?) were employed at Frederick Wright Ltd, and served as directors of the entity. Each was married and John at least had children, but whether this next generation was active in the business is unclear to me.
For that matter I’m not sure when the business ceased to exist; certainly it continued to appear in Gloucester telephone directories as late as 1984.
So in sum, your pipe dates from the very start of Frederick’s tenure in Cheltenham. It’s therefore remarkable not just as an early briar, or an early Barling, but as a tangible link to the beginning of a prominent chain of tobacconists that eventually spread throughout the area. Assuming it’s up to being smoked, tell me what you think.
Rgds,
Jon
I think Mike hit it on the nose; the pipe was made for a tobacconist called Wright of Cheltenham.
The full name of the company was Frederick Wright, and in October 1907 it was reorganized as Frederick Wright Ltd. The story is a bit convoluted, but cut to the essentials it amounts to this. Frederick Wright was born in Islington (part of London) about 1849. As a young man he learned the tobacco trade working for Huxley & Co., staying there some 8-10 years (different dates were given at different times) . The evidence is a bit contradictory but it’s a safe bet that Wright started at Huxley about 1863 and left no later than 1872. The Huxley family and their tobacco manufacturing business, based on Whitechapel Road, are worth a write-up of their own but we’ll save that for another day.
In the very early 1870s young Wright migrated from London to Cheltenham, where he and his wife Louisa (b. about 1844 in Salisbury, died in Cheltenham in 1892) settled for the remainder of their lives. Given that Wright almost immediately bought a business there it seems tenable that the move was precipitated by the opportunity, but this is supposition. The Cheltenham tobacconist that Wright bought had been established by Henry Vaughan many years before, perhaps as early as the beginning of the 1840s. Vaughan was a hotelier, wine merchant and sometime tobacconist. For whatever reason the tobacco trade failed to interest him and it was sold and resold several times before winding up in Wright’s hands. The original location for Vaughan, and Wright as his successor, was 112 High Street in Cheltenham. The business prospered under Wright’s ownership, gradually expanding through the establishment of new branches and the acquisition of other businesses, e.g. the Gloucester tobacco enterprise of Joseph Jew (1829-1883) in 1883. By that year Wright had shops at The Cross in Gloucester, Agincourt Square in Monmouth, and three locations in Cheltenham (112 High St, 327 High St, and Montpelier Rotunda). Later on Wright established locations in Bath and Stroud, and after his death the business expanded to many other towns as well.
After decades of building the business, Frederick began to think about succession no later than the time of the reorganization. As background it’s useful to understand that Frederick and his wife Louisa had had three children together. The first, Frederick James, died before the age of two. The second, Ernest Henry (1875-1946) and third, Eliza Louisa (1880-1970) survived to maturity. Frederick and his surviving son, Ernest Henry, had a falling out. This culminated in a visit by Ernest to the family business in 1909 which ended in a fight between him and Henry Richard Sims, an accountant acting as secretary of the company. After embarrassingly public litigation this resulted in Ernest being cut out of the business, and Sims remaining on to eventually become its managing director. Meanwhile sister Eliza’s branch of the family remained closely involved. Eliza married Henry Mortimer Simmons (1879-1931) in 1904, and while his day job was as a jeweler, he looked after the family’s interests by serving as Chairman of the company. Eliza and Henry had two sons and a daughter. Both boys, John Thackwell (1907-1966) and George Mortimer (1910-?) were employed at Frederick Wright Ltd, and served as directors of the entity. Each was married and John at least had children, but whether this next generation was active in the business is unclear to me.
For that matter I’m not sure when the business ceased to exist; certainly it continued to appear in Gloucester telephone directories as late as 1984.
So in sum, your pipe dates from the very start of Frederick’s tenure in Cheltenham. It’s therefore remarkable not just as an early briar, or an early Barling, but as a tangible link to the beginning of a prominent chain of tobacconists that eventually spread throughout the area. Assuming it’s up to being smoked, tell me what you think.
Rgds,
Jon
Jon,
I'm truly gobsmacked at your ability to bring historical context to life. Thanks for sharing this story!
I'm truly gobsmacked at your ability to bring historical context to life. Thanks for sharing this story!
That is terrific stuff, Mr. Guss! Some of what you dug out could form the basis of a TV series or movie... Great read.
Thanks Jon for that very comprehensive information. I am wondering if there is any connection between Henry Simmons and H.Simmons, tobacconist in Burlington Arcade, London W.1 which was a very well established shop just off Picadilly? I think that Dunhill bought the business in the 1980s
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