An Engraver's Story
1. An amazing discovery!
Some time ago I was privileged to make contact with a family that had in their possession a rare collection of approximately 130 original watercolours by Alexander Francis Lydon. More than rare, unique. I corresponded with the owner's of the watercolours for several years. They were kind enough to send me some scans from which I was able to confirm that they were, without doubt, the original watercolours that were used to produce the engravings for the expanded version of County Seats.
Probably initiated in 1869 and published in 1876, the expanded version initially consisted of eighteen separate "Divisions" making up six volumes, three Divisions per volume. The first six Divisions replicated the initial two volume version. Divisions seven to eighteen featured 160 new "Seats". The eighteen Divisions were subsequently consolidated into a six volume version. See County Seats
McLean was of the opinion that "Lydon must sometimes have made a painting of a house on the spot, before engraving the key plate. None of these are known to have survived." The watercolours had been kept in a box for decades along with a copy of County Seats.
The watercolours had been the property of the current owner's late father. According to the father, the watercolours were given to his mother by her cousin, William Foster Brigham (1884-1968), who he understood to be acquainted with the artist. A F Lydon had, in fact, left Driffield for London before William Foster Brigham was born. He could have formed a friendship later in life with Lydon in London or, more likely, the relationship may actually have been between Lydon and William Foster Brigham's father.
William Foster Brigham was a well known photographer in Scarborough and Bridlington. His father was William Dobson Brigham (1841-1909), also a well known photographer in Scarborough and, significantly, a former apprentice engraver with Benjamin Fawcett. William Dobson Brigham's brother Frederick John Brigham, a solicitor and auctioneer in Driffield, was the current owner's great grandfather.
William Foster Brigham joined the Royal Naval Air Service on 6 Sept 1916, the forerunner of the R.A.F. He served as a Chief Petty Officer photographer at the Experimental Workshop in Battersea. After he was discharged in 1920 he opened an upmarket portrait studio in Bridlington. He was a fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and a fellow of the Institute of British Photographers. He was not only a world renowned portrait photographer but he also ran a well known seaside street photography business called "Snaps". "Snaps" operated from a prominent four story building on the harbour side in Bridlington with the name emblazoned on the roof.
• William Dobson Brigham was born on 18 September 1841 in Driffield.
• His father, John Brigham (1803-1878), was an auctioneer and registrar of births, marriages and deaths in Driffield.
• Aged about 15, in about 1856, William Dobson Brigham became an apprentice wood engraver and printer with Benjamin Fawcett.
• There, he joined Alexander Francis Lydon who had been with Fawcett since about 1850 and was coming to the end of his apprenticeship.
• Lydon proved to be a gifted artist and engraver and worked for Fawcett for over 30 years.
• On completion of his apprenticeship, William Dobson Brigham left Fawcett's printing works and moved to Scarborough where he became a photographer in the 1860s.
The first, two volume version of County Seats with 80 illustrations was published around 1866 followed by the two companion volumes Ancestral Homes in 1868 and Castles and Halls in 1871. These two volumes were virtually the same as the initial two but with elaborate, decorative bindings. A major expansion of County Seats took place in the 1870s resulting in a six volume version containing an additional 160 "Seats". Photography was a potential source for the illustrations in these new additions with the owner's of the "Seats" perhaps supplying their own material. With his connection to Benjamin Fawcett, William Dobson Brigham could have been engaged to carry out some of that photography.
Possession of the watercolours can definitely be traced back to the engraver's son. If the former engraver had carried out photographic work for Fawcett then they may have been gifted to him. They could have been gifted by Lydon himself. I think the most likely option is that they were acquired at the auction of the contents of East Lodge in September 1894.
With the owner's permission, I contacted the Victoria and Albert Museum and told them about the watercolours. The information was passed on to the relevant department but it was not something they were interested in at the time.
Here's a Comparison between a small section of a watercolour and the corresponding engraving.
2. Timeline.
John Brigham (1803-1878), Farmer, married Ann Acklam at Wharram Percy, August 1825.
They had two children:
• George born 1827, died aged six months, North Frodingham.
• Honor born 1830, baptised 19th September, died May 1833 aged three, North Frodingham.
Ann Brigham died on 27th December 1830 in North Frodingham, probably following complications in childbirth.
John Brigham married Elizabeth (Betsy) Dobson (1808-1879) on 1st June 1840.
John, a widower, was a butcher in Driffield and the son of Thomas Brigham a Farmer, Elizabeth was the daughter of William Dobson, a Maltster.
1841 Census, Middle Street, Driffield:
• John Brigham, 35, Butcher.
• Elizabeth, his wife, 30.
William Dobson Brigham was born in Driffield on 18th Sept 1841 to John and Elizabeth.
1851 Census, Middle Street, Driffield:
• John Brigham, 47, Auctioneer & Registrar of Births & Deaths, born Thixendale, Wharram Percy.
• Elizabeth, 43, Dress Maker, born Driffield.
• William D, 9, born Driffield.
• Frederick J, 4, born Driffield.
1861 Census, Middle Street, Driffield:
• John Brigham, 57, Auctioneer & Registrar of Births & Deaths.
• Elizabeth, 53.
• William Dobson Brigham, 19, Wood Engraver Apprentice, Driffield.
• Frederick 14.
• Charles 9.
There were four, maybe five, printers in Driffield around this time. Benjamin Fawcett employed over 50 people including a significant number of engravers. James Dale Maynard, who worked for Fawcett in the 1880s, stated, in a letter to his daughter, that two of Fawcett's early engravers left to become photographers, one in Bridlington and one in Scarborough. I think it's safe to assume that the latter was William Dobson Brigham.
William Dobson Brigham, 26, a photographer of Scarborough, married Mary Harris Clarke of Hanley, Stoke on 22nd October 1867. William's father, John, was an auctioneer; Mary's father, William, a Plumber.
1871 Census, Middle Street, Driffield:
• John Brigham, 67, Auctioneer & Registrar of Births, Deaths & Marriages,
• Betsy, 63.
• Frederick, 24, Solicitor's General Clerk.
• Fanny Dobson, Niece, 15.
1871 Census, 7 Albion Place, Scarborough:
• Mary Brigham, 32, wife to W D Brigham, born Hanley, Stoke.
I can't find any record of William Dobson Brigham in the 1871 Census, anywhere. There are some known, irrecoverable gaps in the 1871 Census in Yorkshire (Astoft and Haldenby), Liecester (St Margaret), Lancashire (Preston) and a number of areas in Wales.
William Dobson Brigham had a nephew also called William Dobson Brigham, born 1879, the son of his brother Charles Dickinson Brigham.
Charles Dickinson Brigham was a photographer in Staffordshire.
In 1880 he was bound over for threatening to shoot John Oulton, a railway guard, his wife's former sweetheart.
After a period of continual drunkenness, he died in 1891 after drinking photographic chemicals.
The inquest verdict was "suicide during temporary insanity caused by drink."
The nephew, William Dobson Brigham, married Sarah Anne Bailey in 1904. Sadly, William died less than a year later.
1881 Census, 20 Esplanade, Scarborough:
• William Dobson Brigham 39 photographer.
• Mary, his wife, 39.
• Jane Kirby, servant.
The 1881 Census shows that Alice Kellaway, 19, was a Photographic Apprentice living in Clarence Road, Cowes on the Isle of Wight.
William Foster Brigham was born on 10th September 1884.
On his birth certificate it states that his mother is Alice Kellaway with Single Woman written underneath and crossed out.
Arthur Peter Donald Brigham was born on 16th March 1888 at Aragon House. The birth was registered three years later on 23rd March 1891 "on the Authority of the Registrar General". The Informants were the father, William Dobson Brigham, photographic artist (master) and the mother, Alice Kelleway, housekeeper, of 20 Esplanade, Scarborough. The Births and Deaths Registration Act 1874 updated the legislation and defined the penalties for late registration. There were two periods following the birth after which penalties applied, 42 days and three months. Any registration more than 12 months after the birth required the specific approval of the Registrar General.
1891 Census, 20 Esplanade, Scarborough:
• William D Brigham, 49, Photographer.
• William F, 6, born Scarborough.
• Arthur 2.
Boarders:
• Alice Holloway (Kelleway), 29, Photo Assistant.
• Alberta Holloway, 13, Scholar, Alice's sister.
• Alice Pennington, 21, Photo Assistant.
Even though Alice was the mother of William's two children she was still classed as a "boarder".
The 1891 Census shows Mary Brigham, 56, living on her own in Dilhorne, Staffordshire.
Alice must have joined William Dobson Brigham in the early 1880s. They obviously started a relationship and Alice became pregnant causing Mary to return to Staffordshire. Mary may have returned to Staffordshire after which William started a relationship, much less likely I think.
1901 Census, 20 Esplanade, Scarborough:
• William Dobson Brigham, 59, photographer.
• Alice, 39, his wife (though they were not actually married at this time).
• William (Foster Brigham) 16 photographer.
• Arthur 13.
• Visitor James Kelleway, Cowes, Isle of Wight, Able Seaman, Alice's brother.
The 1901 Census shows Mary Brigham, 66, living on her own in Stone, Staffordshire with a domestic servant, Annie Lowe, 14.
Mary Harris Brigham died on 30th December 1902 after five days of uræmic convulsions and having suffered from Bright's Disease for two years resulting in kidney failure. She was living at 8 Granville Terrace, Stone, Staffordshire and was, on the death certificate, declared to be the Widow of William Dobson Brigham, Photographer. William did not actually die until 1909. Probate states that Mary was the wife of W D Brigham. Probate of £1524 13s was granted on 12th February 1904 to "Annie Marie Blair (wife of Tom Blair) and the said Tom Blair, earthenware-manufacturer."
William Dobson Brigham married Alice Kelleway of Yarmouth, Isle of Wight in Scarborough in 1903.
Alice, born 1862, was the daughter of Frank Kellaway, Master Mariner, born 1835, Freshwater, IoW and Caroline, born 1840, Ryde IoW.
William Dobson Brigham died on 21st April 1909.
William Foster Brigham married Dorothy Gill Pagett in 1910.
Dorothy, born 1883, was the daughter of Daniel Pagett, a Postmaster, and his wife Clara of Godalming, Surrey.
1911 Census, 2 Morgan Street, Scarborough:
• William Foster Brigham, 26, Photographer.
• Dorothy Gill, his wife, 27, born in Godalming, Surrey.
• George Foster Brigham aged 3 months.
Dorothy Gill Brigham died on 30th November 1914 at 123 Briston Road, with William in attendance.
The cause of death was 1. mitral stenosis, 2. childbirth one month, heart failure.
Sadly, the death of an infant was registered in Kings Norton in 1914 as simply Brigham (female).
William Foster Brigham married Dorothy Hayes, born 1892, in 1916.
William Foster Brigham started his "Snaps" business in 1919.
1921 Census, 15 The Promenade, Bridlington:
• William Foster Brigham, 36.
• Dorothy, his wife, 29, born in Birmingham, Warwickshire.
• George Foster Brigham aged 10.
1923 - William Foster Brigham won an injunction against a former employee, Richard Ayner, who had started up a similar business of his own.
In 1926, following the death of William Dobson Brigham 17 years earlier, probate for effects to the value of £2040 was granted to his widow, Alice Kellaway Brigham.
1939 Register, 54 Kingsgate, Bridlington.
• Brigham Wm F, born 10th September 1884, Master Photographer, Portrait and Commercial.
• Brigham Dorothy, born 12th October 1892, Photographic Saleswoman.
Alice Kelleway Brigham of 24 Ramshill Road, Scarborough died on 25th January 1952.
Probate of £2495 2s was granted to her sons, William Foster Brigham, photographer and Arthur Brigham, antique dealer.
William Foster Brigham of 54 Kingsgate Bridlington died on 7 March 1968. Probate of £51,937 was granted on 13 August.
The "Snaps" business continued for about five more years after the death of William Foster Brigham.
Dorothy Brigham, 7 Marton Road, Bridlington died on 4th November 1980. Probate was £53,715.
Some time ago I was privileged to make contact with a family that had in their possession a rare collection of approximately 130 original watercolours by Alexander Francis Lydon. More than rare, unique. I corresponded with the owner's of the watercolours for several years. They were kind enough to send me some scans from which I was able to confirm that they were, without doubt, the original watercolours that were used to produce the engravings for the expanded version of County Seats.
Probably initiated in 1869 and published in 1876, the expanded version initially consisted of eighteen separate "Divisions" making up six volumes, three Divisions per volume. The first six Divisions replicated the initial two volume version. Divisions seven to eighteen featured 160 new "Seats". The eighteen Divisions were subsequently consolidated into a six volume version. See County Seats
McLean was of the opinion that "Lydon must sometimes have made a painting of a house on the spot, before engraving the key plate. None of these are known to have survived." The watercolours had been kept in a box for decades along with a copy of County Seats.
The watercolours had been the property of the current owner's late father. According to the father, the watercolours were given to his mother by her cousin, William Foster Brigham (1884-1968), who he understood to be acquainted with the artist. A F Lydon had, in fact, left Driffield for London before William Foster Brigham was born. He could have formed a friendship later in life with Lydon in London or, more likely, the relationship may actually have been between Lydon and William Foster Brigham's father.
William Foster Brigham was a well known photographer in Scarborough and Bridlington. His father was William Dobson Brigham (1841-1909), also a well known photographer in Scarborough and, significantly, a former apprentice engraver with Benjamin Fawcett. William Dobson Brigham's brother Frederick John Brigham, a solicitor and auctioneer in Driffield, was the current owner's great grandfather.
William Foster Brigham joined the Royal Naval Air Service on 6 Sept 1916, the forerunner of the R.A.F. He served as a Chief Petty Officer photographer at the Experimental Workshop in Battersea. After he was discharged in 1920 he opened an upmarket portrait studio in Bridlington. He was a fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and a fellow of the Institute of British Photographers. He was not only a world renowned portrait photographer but he also ran a well known seaside street photography business called "Snaps". "Snaps" operated from a prominent four story building on the harbour side in Bridlington with the name emblazoned on the roof.
• William Dobson Brigham was born on 18 September 1841 in Driffield.
• His father, John Brigham (1803-1878), was an auctioneer and registrar of births, marriages and deaths in Driffield.
• Aged about 15, in about 1856, William Dobson Brigham became an apprentice wood engraver and printer with Benjamin Fawcett.
• There, he joined Alexander Francis Lydon who had been with Fawcett since about 1850 and was coming to the end of his apprenticeship.
• Lydon proved to be a gifted artist and engraver and worked for Fawcett for over 30 years.
• On completion of his apprenticeship, William Dobson Brigham left Fawcett's printing works and moved to Scarborough where he became a photographer in the 1860s.
The first, two volume version of County Seats with 80 illustrations was published around 1866 followed by the two companion volumes Ancestral Homes in 1868 and Castles and Halls in 1871. These two volumes were virtually the same as the initial two but with elaborate, decorative bindings. A major expansion of County Seats took place in the 1870s resulting in a six volume version containing an additional 160 "Seats". Photography was a potential source for the illustrations in these new additions with the owner's of the "Seats" perhaps supplying their own material. With his connection to Benjamin Fawcett, William Dobson Brigham could have been engaged to carry out some of that photography.
Possession of the watercolours can definitely be traced back to the engraver's son. If the former engraver had carried out photographic work for Fawcett then they may have been gifted to him. They could have been gifted by Lydon himself. I think the most likely option is that they were acquired at the auction of the contents of East Lodge in September 1894.
With the owner's permission, I contacted the Victoria and Albert Museum and told them about the watercolours. The information was passed on to the relevant department but it was not something they were interested in at the time.
Here's a Comparison between a small section of a watercolour and the corresponding engraving.
2. Timeline.
John Brigham (1803-1878), Farmer, married Ann Acklam at Wharram Percy, August 1825.
They had two children:
• George born 1827, died aged six months, North Frodingham.
• Honor born 1830, baptised 19th September, died May 1833 aged three, North Frodingham.
Ann Brigham died on 27th December 1830 in North Frodingham, probably following complications in childbirth.
John Brigham married Elizabeth (Betsy) Dobson (1808-1879) on 1st June 1840.
John, a widower, was a butcher in Driffield and the son of Thomas Brigham a Farmer, Elizabeth was the daughter of William Dobson, a Maltster.
1841 Census, Middle Street, Driffield:
• John Brigham, 35, Butcher.
• Elizabeth, his wife, 30.
William Dobson Brigham was born in Driffield on 18th Sept 1841 to John and Elizabeth.
1851 Census, Middle Street, Driffield:
• John Brigham, 47, Auctioneer & Registrar of Births & Deaths, born Thixendale, Wharram Percy.
• Elizabeth, 43, Dress Maker, born Driffield.
• William D, 9, born Driffield.
• Frederick J, 4, born Driffield.
1861 Census, Middle Street, Driffield:
• John Brigham, 57, Auctioneer & Registrar of Births & Deaths.
• Elizabeth, 53.
• William Dobson Brigham, 19, Wood Engraver Apprentice, Driffield.
• Frederick 14.
• Charles 9.
There were four, maybe five, printers in Driffield around this time. Benjamin Fawcett employed over 50 people including a significant number of engravers. James Dale Maynard, who worked for Fawcett in the 1880s, stated, in a letter to his daughter, that two of Fawcett's early engravers left to become photographers, one in Bridlington and one in Scarborough. I think it's safe to assume that the latter was William Dobson Brigham.
William Dobson Brigham, 26, a photographer of Scarborough, married Mary Harris Clarke of Hanley, Stoke on 22nd October 1867. William's father, John, was an auctioneer; Mary's father, William, a Plumber.
1871 Census, Middle Street, Driffield:
• John Brigham, 67, Auctioneer & Registrar of Births, Deaths & Marriages,
• Betsy, 63.
• Frederick, 24, Solicitor's General Clerk.
• Fanny Dobson, Niece, 15.
1871 Census, 7 Albion Place, Scarborough:
• Mary Brigham, 32, wife to W D Brigham, born Hanley, Stoke.
I can't find any record of William Dobson Brigham in the 1871 Census, anywhere. There are some known, irrecoverable gaps in the 1871 Census in Yorkshire (Astoft and Haldenby), Liecester (St Margaret), Lancashire (Preston) and a number of areas in Wales.
William Dobson Brigham had a nephew also called William Dobson Brigham, born 1879, the son of his brother Charles Dickinson Brigham.
Charles Dickinson Brigham was a photographer in Staffordshire.
In 1880 he was bound over for threatening to shoot John Oulton, a railway guard, his wife's former sweetheart.
After a period of continual drunkenness, he died in 1891 after drinking photographic chemicals.
The inquest verdict was "suicide during temporary insanity caused by drink."
The nephew, William Dobson Brigham, married Sarah Anne Bailey in 1904. Sadly, William died less than a year later.
1881 Census, 20 Esplanade, Scarborough:
• William Dobson Brigham 39 photographer.
• Mary, his wife, 39.
• Jane Kirby, servant.
The 1881 Census shows that Alice Kellaway, 19, was a Photographic Apprentice living in Clarence Road, Cowes on the Isle of Wight.
William Foster Brigham was born on 10th September 1884.
On his birth certificate it states that his mother is Alice Kellaway with Single Woman written underneath and crossed out.
Arthur Peter Donald Brigham was born on 16th March 1888 at Aragon House. The birth was registered three years later on 23rd March 1891 "on the Authority of the Registrar General". The Informants were the father, William Dobson Brigham, photographic artist (master) and the mother, Alice Kelleway, housekeeper, of 20 Esplanade, Scarborough. The Births and Deaths Registration Act 1874 updated the legislation and defined the penalties for late registration. There were two periods following the birth after which penalties applied, 42 days and three months. Any registration more than 12 months after the birth required the specific approval of the Registrar General.
1891 Census, 20 Esplanade, Scarborough:
• William D Brigham, 49, Photographer.
• William F, 6, born Scarborough.
• Arthur 2.
Boarders:
• Alice Holloway (Kelleway), 29, Photo Assistant.
• Alberta Holloway, 13, Scholar, Alice's sister.
• Alice Pennington, 21, Photo Assistant.
Even though Alice was the mother of William's two children she was still classed as a "boarder".
The 1891 Census shows Mary Brigham, 56, living on her own in Dilhorne, Staffordshire.
Alice must have joined William Dobson Brigham in the early 1880s. They obviously started a relationship and Alice became pregnant causing Mary to return to Staffordshire. Mary may have returned to Staffordshire after which William started a relationship, much less likely I think.
1901 Census, 20 Esplanade, Scarborough:
• William Dobson Brigham, 59, photographer.
• Alice, 39, his wife (though they were not actually married at this time).
• William (Foster Brigham) 16 photographer.
• Arthur 13.
• Visitor James Kelleway, Cowes, Isle of Wight, Able Seaman, Alice's brother.
The 1901 Census shows Mary Brigham, 66, living on her own in Stone, Staffordshire with a domestic servant, Annie Lowe, 14.
Mary Harris Brigham died on 30th December 1902 after five days of uræmic convulsions and having suffered from Bright's Disease for two years resulting in kidney failure. She was living at 8 Granville Terrace, Stone, Staffordshire and was, on the death certificate, declared to be the Widow of William Dobson Brigham, Photographer. William did not actually die until 1909. Probate states that Mary was the wife of W D Brigham. Probate of £1524 13s was granted on 12th February 1904 to "Annie Marie Blair (wife of Tom Blair) and the said Tom Blair, earthenware-manufacturer."
William Dobson Brigham married Alice Kelleway of Yarmouth, Isle of Wight in Scarborough in 1903.
Alice, born 1862, was the daughter of Frank Kellaway, Master Mariner, born 1835, Freshwater, IoW and Caroline, born 1840, Ryde IoW.
William Dobson Brigham died on 21st April 1909.
William Foster Brigham married Dorothy Gill Pagett in 1910.
Dorothy, born 1883, was the daughter of Daniel Pagett, a Postmaster, and his wife Clara of Godalming, Surrey.
1911 Census, 2 Morgan Street, Scarborough:
• William Foster Brigham, 26, Photographer.
• Dorothy Gill, his wife, 27, born in Godalming, Surrey.
• George Foster Brigham aged 3 months.
Dorothy Gill Brigham died on 30th November 1914 at 123 Briston Road, with William in attendance.
The cause of death was 1. mitral stenosis, 2. childbirth one month, heart failure.
Sadly, the death of an infant was registered in Kings Norton in 1914 as simply Brigham (female).
William Foster Brigham married Dorothy Hayes, born 1892, in 1916.
William Foster Brigham started his "Snaps" business in 1919.
1921 Census, 15 The Promenade, Bridlington:
• William Foster Brigham, 36.
• Dorothy, his wife, 29, born in Birmingham, Warwickshire.
• George Foster Brigham aged 10.
1923 - William Foster Brigham won an injunction against a former employee, Richard Ayner, who had started up a similar business of his own.
In 1926, following the death of William Dobson Brigham 17 years earlier, probate for effects to the value of £2040 was granted to his widow, Alice Kellaway Brigham.
1939 Register, 54 Kingsgate, Bridlington.
• Brigham Wm F, born 10th September 1884, Master Photographer, Portrait and Commercial.
• Brigham Dorothy, born 12th October 1892, Photographic Saleswoman.
Alice Kelleway Brigham of 24 Ramshill Road, Scarborough died on 25th January 1952.
Probate of £2495 2s was granted to her sons, William Foster Brigham, photographer and Arthur Brigham, antique dealer.
William Foster Brigham of 54 Kingsgate Bridlington died on 7 March 1968. Probate of £51,937 was granted on 13 August.
The "Snaps" business continued for about five more years after the death of William Foster Brigham.
Dorothy Brigham, 7 Marton Road, Bridlington died on 4th November 1980. Probate was £53,715.
