George Wyld was an accountant before becoming a rectifying distiller and wine & spirit merchant. He was from Derbyshire originally, baptised at Darley Abbey on 18 Nov 1761 He married Harriet Hopton at St. Mary Le Port on 10 April 1792, and they had at least 6 children, 2 of which (John & William Hopton Wyld) were apprenticed to their father on 5 Nov. 1812. (Bath & Avon Fam. Hist. Soc.). From 1792-1799 George is listed as an accountant living in Bedminster Parade/Causeway.
83 REDCLIFF STREET
Nathaniel Brown, Chemist, Druggist, oil and colour man, had moved to 83 Redcliff Street in February 1828 from no. 81 next door. He went bankrupt and his goods were sold on Sat. 21st March 1829 leaving his premises available. the Wylds took up residence here by 1830 when they are listed here in Pigot's directory. When George died on 1 Jan 1834 he left the business to his two sons with whom he had become partners. They were a wealthy family and George left a will that ran to 7 pages. William Hopton Wyld died whilst Alderman of Bristol at his home in the Mall, Clifton, in the early hours of Monday, 29th August 1853, and a stained glass window to his memory was installed in the north transept of St. Mary Redcliff church by the surviving members of his family in July 1860. John Hopton Wyld declared himself bankrupt, although still solvent, on 11th Sept. 1857. One large bill coming in from a French exporter had caused major difficulties. The bill was paid by John's son William, who expected to get his money back, but sadly failed. John went under but after the company was sold, he managed to pay creditors an unprecedented 20s in the £ and still has cash left over, thus retaining family honour.
2 BRIDGE PARADE
Charles Augustus Hook Robertson (b.1820), a wine merchant born in Malmesbury, Wilts. appeared on the scene later in 1857, seemingly in partnership with John Hopton Wyld, the company trading from 2 Bridge Parade (formerly Thomas Sanders & Co., corn, hop & seed merchants, taken over by Ward & Co.) as undertenants Wyld & Robertson. The premises bordered Tucker Street and the floating harbour. There was a terrible fire at the Bridge Parade premises in October 1858 that destroyed a great deal of stock which had fortunately been covered by Sun fire insurance. Whilst in Bristol, Charles resided at 2 Albion Place, Redcliff, but by June 1861 he had left the city to run the Portishead Hotel, Portishead. It seems lot had been spent on refurbishment, and the seasonal trade was not as high as anticipated. By August 1864 Charles was forced to sign a deed of assignation to avoid bankruptcy.After around 1877 the Wyld & Co. address was given as 2 Bristol Bridge.
John H. Wyld had retired by 1870 and he died on 12th August 1875. Robertson died in 1900.
The senior partner in the later version of Wyld & Co. was Henry Newcomen Cooper, of Bushey Heath, Herts. formerly of 187e Queen's Gate S.E.; Henry died on 9th Feb. 1927 which likely precipitated the following events.
Wyld & Co. continued
trading until being eventually absorbed by George's Bristol Brewery in
1932. The company, formerly Wyld and Co Ltd, then of Bath Street, Bristol,
were taken over by Charles Kinloch 1962 as non-trading subsidiary. The
records and accounts held by the brewery indicated that the company were
still trading in 1978, the name was finally changed to Arthur Cooper (Wine
Merchant) Ltd. to avoid loss of name (previously used from 1961 by Carlos
and Thrale Ltd). Info here is from the London
Metropolitan Archives.
(Sydney Grey) Bees & Fear moved to the old Redcliff
Street premises in September 1858 from 45 Redcliff Street. This resulted
from the bankruptcy of John Hopton Wyld, wine & spirit merchant,
rectifying distiller & compounder of spirits, in September 1857. He
was in court in January 1858 and by April that year William Lyne Fear was
a wine merchant at both 45 and 83 Redcliff Street and a warehouse he was
leasing out at Temple Back.
2 Gallon Saltglazed Flagon | |
Impressed: Dyer &
Wyld Potter: Unknown. Very pale glaze. Date 1810-1820. |
2 Gallon Saltglazed Flagon | ||
Impressed:
2 / Wylds / Bristol Potter: Unknown. Brown or Pale glaze. Date c.1825-1835. Left image courtesy: Paul De'Ath. |
Sample sized Saltglazed Flagon | |
Impressed: Wylds /
Bristol Potter: Unknown. Very pale glaze. Date 1825-1835. Image courtesy: John Ault. |
2 Gallon Saltglazed Flagon | |
Impressed: 2 /
WYLDS / 83 REDCLIFF STREET / BRISTOL Potter: Unknown. Brown Glaze. Date 1830-1840. |
2 Gallon Saltglazed Flagon | |
Impressed:
2 (on lip) / IMPERIAL / WYLDS / 83 Redcliff Street / BRISTOL Potter: Unknown. Brown Glaze. Date 1830-1840. |
4 Gallon Saltglazed Flagon | |
Impressed: 2 / WYLDS / 83 REDCLIFF STREET / BRISTOL Potter: Unknown. Brown Glaze. Date 1830-1840. Left image courtesy Paul De'Ath. |
2 Gallon Saltglazed Flagon | |
Impressed: 2 (on
lip)/ WYLDS / 83 Redcliff St. / BRISTOL Potter: Likely Powell, Bristol. Intermediate Glaze. Date 1840s. |
4 Gallon Saltglazed Flagon | |
Impressed: 4 (on
lip)/ WYLDS / 83 Redcliff St. / BRISTOL Potter: Likely Powell, Bristol. Intermediate Glaze. Date 1840s. Tap hole front at base (possible later addition). |
2 Gallon Flagon | |
Impressed: 2 (on
lip) / 2318 / Wylds / 83 Redcliff St. / Bristol. Powell / Potter / Bristol. Two tone Bristol glaze. |
2 Gallon Flagon | ||
Impressed:
2 (on lip) / Wylds / 83 Redcliff St / Bristol Potter: Powell / Potter / Bristol. |
3 Gallon Flagon | |
Impressed: 3 /
47 / Wyld & Robertson / 2 Bridge Parade / BRISTOL Potter: C & J. R. Price / Manufacturers / Bristol Two tone Bristol glaze. |
2 Gallon Flagon | |
Impressed: 3391
/ Wyld & Co./ Bridge / BRISTOL Potter: Powell/ Bristol, 2 under potter's stamp. Two tone Bristol glaze. |
2 Gallon Flagon | |
Printed: WYLD & Co
LTD. / BRISTOL Potter: unmarked. Straight sided two tone Bristol glaze. |
Small hip flask. | |
Embossed: WYLD &
CO / LTD / FOUNDED 1803 / BRISTOL Glassmaker: Kilner Brothers, machine made in clear glass. Height 150mm. |
Hip flask | |
Embossed: WYLD &
CO LTD / BRISTOL Glassmaker: likely Kilner Bros., machine made in brown glass. Height 190mm. |
By March 1876 William was agent for Francisco Cinzano & Co.'s Turin Vermouth.
William had been in a partnership with Charles Peel Warburton, as Wyld & Warburton, Wine & Spirit Merchants, Warminster and St. Stephen's Avenue, Bristol from at least early 1877, but this partnership was dissolved on 17 March 1880 in favour of William P. T. Wyld.
The company traded as W. P. T. Wyld at 4 Weymouth Street, Warminster until 1905, but by 1906 they had been succeeded by Wm. Applegate & Sons of Trowbridge, and Mr. Wyld had fully retired from the business. Around 1898 William and Matilda had relocated to living at 12 Newbridge Road, Weston, Bath where William died on Saturday 17 January 1914 aged 82. Matilda died in 1917.