Potter: unmarked.
Bristol, 29th Sept. 1808.
NOTICE is hereby given, that the Copartnership between us the undersigned,
JOHN THOMAS and RICHARD GREGORY THOMAS, in the trade and business of Wine
and Brandy Merchants, under the firm of "John Thomas and Son," is
dissolved, and finally ended and determined.
JOHN THOMAS
RICHARD GREGORY THOMAS.
The Bristol Mirror - Saturday 01 July 1809 p.4, reports that the West Royal Battalion of the local Militia has recruited Robert Clark Paul as a Captain.
From the Bristol Mirror - Saturday 19
January 1811 p.3:
NOTICE is hereby given, that the Co-partnership which subsisted between
us, the undersigned JOHN THOMAS and JOSEPH PROTHEROE, in the trade
or business of Wine-Merchants, and Dealers in Spirituous Liquors, carried
on in the city of Bristol, under the Firm of "Thomas and Protheroe,"
was finally dissolved and determined from the 31st day of December last.
Witness our hands this 17th day of January, 1811.
JOHN THOMAS
JOSEPH PROTHEROE
ST. JAMES'S BARTON, BRISTOL,
18th January, 1811.
JOHN THOMAS, WINE and BRANDY-MERCHANT, St. James's Barton, informs his
Friends & the Public that the Partnership in which has been lately
engaged, was concluded on the 31st of December last, and that he has
formed a new Partnership, under the Firm of "JOHN THOMAS and COMPANY," who
will carry on the Trade in the same Wine Vaults and Premises as before,
will be grateful for their orders, and will execute them with fidelity and
dispatch.
Robert Clark Paul, Richard Gregory Thomas, and Charles Thomas were in partnership in Small Street, Bristol, as Wine and Spirit Merchants from 1813 until 1822 as R. & C. Thomas & Co. Charles Thomas, wine merchant of Small Street, was married at St. Michael's on at. 9 July 1814, by the Rev. Henry Green, A. M. to Eliza, third daughter of James Drew Esq. of the city of Bristol. In 1820 Charles was living at Montague Parade, unfortunately he died on 31 July 1820 whilst on a passage to the West Indies. His youngest child Charles died on 6 Feb. 1825. Charles and Eliza had another son Richard Gregory named after his brother on 26 June 1817, bapt. 8 Sept. at St. Michael. Richard Gregory Thomas, the brother, born around 1778, married Temperance, only daughter of James Edwards Esq. of Bristol, on 8 Jan. 1803 at St. Augustine. Temperance died on Thurs. 8 July 1819. Richard Gregory Thomas died in 1841 and was buried at St. Augustine's on 25 Sept.
FIRE
Bristol Mirror - Saturday 07 March 1818 p.3:
"The most alarming conflagration (although
not the most destructive in its effects) which has occurred in this city
for many years, took place on Tuesday night last. About half past 10
o'clock the flames were discovered bursting forth from a house in
Small-street, occupied by Mr. Langley, tea-dealer and accountant, and
nearly opposite the counting-house of this Paper. The fire-men with their
engines repaired to the spot, with praiseworthy alacrity; but from the
narrowness of the street, some time elapsed before any efficient exertions
could be made in retarding the progress off the devouring element, which
communicated with amazing rapidity to the two adjoining houses. A short
time after the fire commenced, the city was visited by a tremendous storm
from the South-West, which diminished the effect of the engines,
necessarily placed to leeward; but the torrent of rain which fell,
with hail and snow, assisted materially in saving the buildings on the
other side of Small-street, from the inevitable destruction which seemed
to await them. The tops of the houses between Small-street and
Broad-street were covered with flakes of fire, and we are credibly
informed, that solid lumps of burning cinders were carried by the wind in
great quantities to the distance of three quarters of a mile. The
appearance of the fire when viewed from St. Michael's Hill, was awfully
and tremendously grand. It seemed as if the whole centre of the city was
wrapt in flames. Fortunately for us all, the ravages of the fire were
confined to the premises, already mentioned, which, however, were totally
destroyed. At seven o'clock on Wednesday morning the flames were
completely subdued. No lives were lost.
Serious apprehensions were entertained for St. Werburgh's Parsonage House,
occupied as offices by Messrs. B. & O. Smith. A strong party-wall
saved it.
The front walls of two houses fell into the street, at intervals, on
Wednesday morning, by which one man was severely bruised, and several of
the fire-men had a narrow escape.
The house where the fire originated, belonged to Messrs. John Freeman
& Co. (The Copper Company). The upper part was occupied by Mr.
Plumley, land surveyor, Mr. Langley, accountant, and Mr. S. D. Willmott,
broker.—Mr. Plumley, however is the chief sufferer. The valuable
instruments of his profession were all destroyed—a very serious loss to
him; but we are glad to learn that his Survey of Bristol, which was kept
in an iron repository, exposed to the action of the fire, has been
preserved.—Mr. Langley was fully insured; as an accountant, he had some
papers belonging to the Dock-Company in his possession, which were all
destroyed; but we are happy to find that they were not of much
consequence.
The houses adjoining also belonged to Messrs. John Freeman & Co. (The
Copper Company) and were vacant.—Part of a house behind them was also
destroyed. It was occupied by Messrs. R. and C. Thomas & Co.
wine-merchants, and their tenants. The fire extended its ravages in the
back part of these premises to a room containing some valuable pictures,
the property of Mr. John Weeks, which were all destroyed. The premises
adjoining this room were occupied by Messrs. Hare & Winwood, and as
there was a communication with the yard, they were enabled to remove all
their papers. The arched cellars belonging to Messrs.Thomas contain wines
to a considerable amount; but the extent of the injury here is not yet
ascertained. Messrs. Watson, Lax & Co.'s cellar under the same
premises contained upwards of 200 pipes of wine, under bond which, it is
believed, sustained no injury.
The premises were not insured.
"The fire (says a Contemporary Print) is understood to have originated in
the carelessness of a boy, in the service of Mr. Langley, by letting a
spark of a candle fall among some loose papers in a back room, whilst
setting a rat-trap, a few minutes before the premises were locked up for
the night."
One of the houses thus destroyed was occupied, about 20 years ago as a
Bank, by Deane, Whitehead, & Co. The carved wood-work in front of one
of them bore the (following) date:—11 / 83. If this ma be relied upon, the
house must have been six hundred and thirty-five years old!"
Henry Paul was born around Christmas 1805/1806 in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, baptised 29 Jan. at Tetbury St. Mary, son of Robert Clark Paul Esq. (1775-1856) and his wife Elizabeth Nash Browne (1776-1851). who married in Tetbury on 2 July 1794. There is a family vault in St. Mary's church, Tetbury, where the parents and several other family members are buried. Henry Paul of St. Michael married Sarah Kingston, niece of Mrs. Fuidge of Clare Street, at Bristol St. Stephen on 26 June 1837 by license. Edward Brown Paul, Henry's older brother, born 3 July 1796 in St. George the Martyr, Middlesex and baptised in Tetbury on 19 Aug. was also a wine merchant, but it seems retired and living back in Tetbury with parents by 1841, and definitely so by 1851.
Edward Burke is a mystery, there was one baptised 26 Dec. 1802 in St. Paul's, Bristol, son of Edward and Hannah, although I suspect this isn't our man. From the Bristol Mercury - Tuesday 6 October 1829, page 2, there is this: "Persuant to the Act for relief of Insolvent Debtors in England...EDWARD BURKE, heretofore of Stoke's Croft, and afterwards of Wilson Street, both in the City of' Bristol, Wine and Spirit Merchant, late in Partnership with ROBERT CLARKE PAUL, and EDWARD BROWNE PAUL, both then of Small-Street, in the said City of Bristol, Wine and Spirit Merchants, carrying on the trade or business of Wine and Spirit Merchants, at Small-Street, aforesaid. under the stile and firm of PAUL, SON, & BURKE; then of Wilson-Street aforesaid, in the said City of Bristol, in Partnership with the said ROBERT CLARKE PAUL, and Edw. BROWNE PAUL, and HENRY PAUL, then of Small-Street aforesaid in the said City of Bristol, Wine and Spirit Merchant, and carrying on the said trade of Wine and Spirit Merchant, at Small-Street, aforesaid, under the stile and firm of PAUL, SONS & BURKE; then of Wilson-Street, aforesaid in the said City of Bristol, out of business, and late of Arlington-Street, Picadilly, Middlesex, out of business, a Prisoner in the King's Bench Prison, in the County or Surrey. P. T. TORKING'TON, Attorney, 5, Symond's Inn, Chancery-Lane, London." (...there follows a notice for those who wish to oppose the debtors discharge.) So it appears that in 1829 Edward Burke was in Debtor's Prison in Surrey pending appear for his discharge.
The partnership of Paul, Sons & Burke was dissolved on 11 August 1828 with regards to E. Burke. It was set up by Henry's father Robert Clark Paul, with sons Edward Brown Paul and Henry Paul as "wine and spirituous liquor merchants" together with Edward Burke, in Small Street, Bristol and imports started arriving at the docks with their name on in 1824. In 1828 the company became Paul, Sons & Co. and moved to 9 Unity Street.
| 4 Gallon Saltglaze Brownware Flagon | |
| Impressed:
4 (on lip) / 81 / Paul Sons & Co. / 9 Unity St. / Bristol. Potter: unmarked. |