Dyer, Wyld & Jeve; Dyer & Wyld; Wylds; George Wyld & Sons

Distillers & Wine & Spirit Merchants



   BROADMEAD and 98 REDCLIFF STREET

    Joseph Dyer was in partnership with Butler Symons in 1783 in Broadmead as Distillers, Rectifyers and Dealers in Foreign Spirits. The partnership with Symons in Broadmead was dissolved on 7 August 1787 by mutual consent. He carried on on his own account and is listed as a rectifying distiller at 98 Redcliff Street in The New Bristol Directory for 1792, Matthews's directory of 1793, 1795, 1797 & 1798, in the Bristol and Bath directory for 1787 he was following the same trade still in Broadmead. A partnership was formed in 1803, between Joseph Dyer, George Wyld, an accountant, then of Bedminster, and Richard Jeve, who in 1792 was a glass and earthenware dealer at 59 Broad Street. Jeve left the partnership around the beginning of July 1807 largely due to ill health, the partnership being officially dissolved by the effluxion of time on 30th July, and by 16th Dec. 1810 he was dead. George Wyld took on his sons, John & William Hopton Wyld, as apprentices, on 5th Nov. 1812 (info: Bath & Avon Family History Society). Joseph Dyer, late of Sidcot, Somerset, and the City of Bristol, distiller, died on Thursday 11th January 1821. This left George Wyld and his family.

    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.

Two beer mats advertising Wyld's Sherry.
Wyld16.jpg
Wyld17.jpg

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 Wyld1.jpg
Impressed:  Dyer & Wyld

Potter: Unknown.

Very pale glaze. Date 1810-1820.

2 Gallon Saltglazed Flagon Wyld4.jpg Wyld2.jpg
Impressed:  2 / Wylds / Bristol

Potter: Unknown.

Brown or Pale glaze. Date c.1825-1835.
Left image courtesy: Paul De'Ath.

Sample sized Saltglazed Flagon Wyld3.jpg
Impressed:  Wylds / Bristol

Potter: Unknown.

Very pale glaze. Date 1825-1835.
Image courtesy: John Ault.

2 Gallon Saltglazed Flagon Wyld5.jpg
Impressed:  2 / WYLDS / 83 REDCLIFF STREET / BRISTOL

Potter: Unknown.

Brown Glaze. Date 1830-1840.

 2 Gallon Saltglazed Flagon Wyld24.jpg Wyld25.jpg
Impressed:  2 (on lip) / IMPERIAL / WYLDS / 83 Redcliff Street / BRISTOL

Potter: Unknown.

Brown Glaze. Date 1830-1840.

4 Gallon Saltglazed Flagon Wyld6.jpgWyld9.jpg
Impressed:  2 / WYLDS / 83 REDCLIFF STREET / BRISTOL

Potter: Unknown.

Brown Glaze. Date 1830-1840.
Left image courtesy Paul De'Ath.

2 Gallon Saltglazed Flagon Wyld10.jpg
Impressed:  2 (on lip)/ WYLDS / 83 Redcliff St. / BRISTOL

Potter: Likely Powell, Bristol.

Intermediate Glaze. Date 1840s.

4 Gallon Saltglazed Flagon Wyld11.jpg
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 Wyld15.jpg
Impressed:  2 (on lip) / 2318 / Wylds / 83 Redcliff St. / Bristol.

Powell / Potter / Bristol.

Two tone Bristol glaze.

2 Gallon Flagon Wyld20.jpg Wyld21.jpg
Impressed:  2 (on lip) / Wylds / 83 Redcliff St / Bristol

Potter: Powell / Potter / Bristol.


3 Gallon Flagon Wyld14.jpg
Impressed:  3 / 47 / Wyld & Robertson / 2 Bridge Parade / BRISTOL

Potter: C & J. R. Price / Manufacturers / Bristol

Two tone Bristol glaze.

2 Gallon Flagon Wyld12.jpg
Impressed:  3391 / Wyld & Co./ Bridge / BRISTOL

Potter: Powell/ Bristol, 2 under potter's stamp.

Two tone Bristol glaze.

2 Gallon Flagon Wyld13.jpg
Printed: WYLD & Co LTD. / BRISTOL

Potter: unmarked.

Straight sided two tone Bristol glaze.


Small hip flask. Wyld7.jpg
Embossed:  WYLD & CO / LTD / FOUNDED 1803 / BRISTOL

Glassmaker: Kilner Brothers, machine made in clear glass.

Height 150mm.

Hip flask Wyld8.jpg
Embossed:  WYLD & CO LTD / BRISTOL

Glassmaker: likely Kilner Bros., machine made in brown glass.

Height 190mm.

Small hip flask Wyld22.jpgWyld23.jpg
Unembossed. Scotch Whisky paper label.

Glassmaker: D & M on base. (Likely Davey & Moore Ltd. Lockfield Ave., Brimsdown, Middx. Post-1900 mark)
Height 120mm. Brown glass.
Images courtesy Paul Gosling.


William Hopton Wyld, son of George Wyld, and wine & spirit merchant of St. Mary Redcliffe, married Mary Hassall at Westbury upon Trym Holy Trinity, by license on 14 July 1824. The couple had children George William Wyld, born 1829, died in infancy, buried St. Mary Redcliffe 9 July 1829; William Perkins Thomas Wyld, born 1832, baptised 5 July at St. Mary Redcliffe; Harriet Jane Wyld, born 2 April 1835, bapt. at St. Mary Redcliffe on 26 April 1836, and Charlotte Lees Wyld, born 25 Feb. 1839, baptised at St. Mary Redcliffe 9 June 1840.
William P. T. Wyld became a Wine Merchant's Clerk, living at Langport, Somerset. He married Matilda Garrard at Walcot St. Swithin, Bath, on 1 January 1861.
On 25 November 1864 William succeeded to the business of Wine & Spirit Merchant in Warminster, Wiltshire:
from the Salisbury and Winchester Journal - Saturday 10 December 1864 page 1: "NOTICE.— ln returning my sincere thanks for the favours so liberally conferred on me during the last six years, I beg to inform my numerous friends that I have now relinquished the Business, in Warminster, in favour of Mr. W. P. T. WYLD, (Son of the late W. H. Wyld, Senior Partner of the Firm of George Wyld and Sons, so well known as Wine Merchants and Rectifiers in Bristol and the West of England) for whom, as my Successor, I beg to solicit a continuance of the support hitherto received by me, feeling fully assured that his long experience, sound judgment, and integrity will thoroughly justify the confidence sought. T. C. REES, Wine Merchant, Weymouth-street, Warminster. —W. P. T. WYLD, Wine and Spirit Merchant, Weymouth-street, Warminster, in Succeeding to the above Business, as carried on by Mr. T. C. Rees, begs to assure the Public that their commands shall receive, at all times, his best and most prompt attention. 25th Nov., 1864."

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.

4 Gallon Stoneware Flagon Wyld18.jpgWyld19.jpg
Impressed: W. P. T. WYLD / Wine & Spirit Merchant / WARMINSTER

Potter: William Powell & Sons, Bristol.

Large pictorial black print potters mark for Temple Gate Pottery, surmounted by impressed "4".


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