Joseph Lawley

It is probable that Joseph Lawley's father was a clock maker who moved his family to Bath from Germany in around 1800. Joseph was born in 1801 and had both an older John and younger brother, Feydo. Gye's 1819 Bath Directory lists 'Messrs Lawley and Co. musical and other clock makers' at 7, Union Passage.

Joseph set up in business as a trunk maker next door to the family business at No. 8. The 1846 Directory shows that the Lawley family had become firmly established in Bath with a few different businesses. Feydo was a clock manufacturer at 7 Union Passage with John doing the same a short walk away at 12 Cross Lane, Kingsmead Street and a Mrs Lawley, a milliner at 7 Old Bond Street just around the corner from Union Passage. This directory, and later ones, sometimes list Joseph as both a clock and trunk maker or either one or the other. Without knowing the family connections, the combination of the two trades would be considered odd. In all likelihood, the shops at 7 and 8, as they were next door to each other, were treated as a single shop by the brothers selling both clocks and trunks. Union Passage was certainly where you wanted to be in Bath if a trunk maker. Bryant was located there and later in 1846, six other trunk makers were also in the street.

Joseph' s reputation must have been good to survive such competition and his business was still going ... show more

It is probable that Joseph Lawley's father was a clock maker who moved his family to Bath from Germany in around 1800. Joseph was born in 1801 and had both an older John and younger brother, Feydo. Gye's 1819 Bath Directory lists 'Messrs Lawley and Co. musical and other clock makers' at 7, Union Passage.

Joseph set up in business as a trunk maker next door to the family business at No. 8. The 1846 Directory shows that the Lawley family had become firmly established in Bath with a few different businesses. Feydo was a clock manufacturer at 7 Union Passage with John doing the same a short walk away at 12 Cross Lane, Kingsmead Street and a Mrs Lawley, a milliner at 7 Old Bond Street just around the corner from Union Passage. This directory, and later ones, sometimes list Joseph as both a clock and trunk maker or either one or the other. Without knowing the family connections, the combination of the two trades would be considered odd. In all likelihood, the shops at 7 and 8, as they were next door to each other, were treated as a single shop by the brothers selling both clocks and trunks. Union Passage was certainly where you wanted to be in Bath if a trunk maker. Bryant was located there and later in 1846, six other trunk makers were also in the street.

Joseph' s reputation must have been good to survive such competition and his business was still going

in 1870 under the name of his youngest son Albert Lawley. Albert's older sister Mary, a milliner, shared the 7 Union Passage address with him.