Hi Ahi,
There are two distinct pieces of the backstory. The easier one is about the tobacconist that sold the beautiful bulldog you own, the complicated one is about the Deguingand family and their involvement in the manufacture of briar pipes. I'll start with Aldous, which is a clear story if somewhat lengthy, and will have to defer the Deguingand story for another day when I have time to address it.
George Walter Aldous (1840-1891), born in Suffolk, lost his father at an early age and decided to try his luck in the colonies. He emigrated to Australia in the 1850s, joining the throngs who searched for gold throughout the state of Victoria; Ballarat, Bendigo, Donelly, Fairy Creek and Inglewood are among the places he looked. By the 1860s he decided to abandon Australia for the new gold digs at Hokitika, situated on the west coast of New Zealand's South Island. There he is reported to have done very well. Exactly how well is perhaps a little suspect, since within a few years Aldous had established himself as a barber in Greymouth, some 20 miles north of Hokitika on the coast. One ad from 1868 is rathering charmingly addressed "To the Heads of Greymouth", and goes on to proclaim that "Gentlemen Can Get THEIR HAIR CUT IN ANY STYLE of FASHION at ALDOUS'S LONDON HAIR-DRESSING SALOON, Next the Alliance Concert Hall, Boundary Street, Greymouth." Already a theme develops: George's advertisements would continue to offer expression for a unique voice and colorful personality.
Those who've read some of my other posts will recall that in the Victorian era it was a hop, skip & a jump from cutting hair to selling tobacco. This hop Aldous made no later than 1875, when his advertisements identify him as "George Aldous, Hairdresser and Tobacconist". In a foreshadowing of a later mania for purveying dubious nostrums Aldous issued an ad announcing that "ALDOUS'S SPECIFIC STANDS UNRIVALLED FOR PREVENTING THE HAIR FROM FALLING OFF, CURING DANDRIFF; It instantly and permanently allays irritation of the Scalp! One Trial will prove the fact!". By the time this ad appeared Aldous had moved a couple of hundred miles northeast to Blenheim, on the northern tip of the South Island and across Cook Strait from Wellington.
In the summer of 1876 Aldous decided to move again, this time to the relatively new capital city of New Zealand, Wellington. In a particularly charming ad Aldous let the good people of Blenheim know that a priceless opportunity to add to their art collection would, for a limited time, be available. "NOW the season for the Exhibition of the Fine Arts has commenced, Mr ALDOUS begs to notify that mixed classes will be allowed to inspect his vast collection of PICTURES from 8 a.m. till 10 p.m., likewise the prices. Genuine Oil Paintings, 25s each. Lots more cheaper still. Must be Sold. Clearing out. Going away to Wellington. Pictures framed cheap. N.B. --- I shall be very angry if people think that I am joking. Yours most earnestly, GEO. ALDOUS".
I especially appreciate his willingness to allow mixed classes to examine his treasures, as well the somewhat minatory nature of his closing remarks.
In any event once on the North Island Aldous set up shop as before, this time serving as hairdresser and tobacconist to the people of Wellington. The new address of the business was Lambton Quay, where it was to remain for decades to come. Within a couple of years of the move to Wellington distinctly less is said of hairdressing, leaving the reader to infer that tobacco and over the counter remedies (for corns, bunions, chilblains, etc) were becoming the more important aspects of Aldous' trade. As for the tobacco side of things, in addition to importing blends it seems evident that George did a little manufacturing of his own. In 1876 he advertised looking to buy a tobacco cutting machine,
It's a little difficult to tell exactly how successful George was, but it seems pretty clear he was a respected member of the community and left behind a thriving business when he died in 1891 after a series of paralytic strokes, a world away from the land of his youth. He was all of 51.
In the intervals between cutting hair and tobacco and selling patent medicines and cigarettes George found time to marry not once but twice. His first wife died after only three years of marriage, leaving a daughter for George to raise. But not alone. Two years later George married again, this time to Priscilla Fellows; she provided George with seven children, five of whom would live to maturity. Priscilla herself outlived George by some 40 years.
Of the kids, two were sons: George Phillip Fellows Aldous (1876-1936), and Charles John Fellows Aldous (1878-1940). While too young to take over the business when their father died (George was only 15, and Charles 13), they certainly helped out in the shop and eventually served as partners and jointly ran the show. For a number of years after George's death, however, Priscilla was boss; from what I can tell she continued to be in charge until the boys were well into their twenties. As a marker we can note that the business continued to be "G Aldous" through 1910, and in 1911 was restyled "G & C Aldous" after the two brothers. About 1922 the named changed again to "Aldous & Co." A few years later, in 1925, the business was gone. Its tobacco blends lived on, however, as they were sold to a major competitor, R. W. Armit, also of Lambton Quay.
And that's a quick look at the story behind G. Aldous. To wind up the tobacconist side of the tale, your pipe, dated 1905, would have been sold at the time Priscilla and her sons were running the business. It's a remarkable survival of a fascinating time. Do you intend to smoke it?