Obituary of James Littler Barritt--1863
Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 5:29 am
The obituary of James Littler Barritt that appeared in 'The Bookseller' in 1863.
See: William Eley (II) http://www.925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic ... 5&start=35" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
JAMES L. BARRITT, ESQ.
August 18. At his residence, St. Margaret's, Rochester, aged 62, Mr. James Littler Barritt, formerly senior partner of the firm of Barritt & Co., wholesale Bible Warehouse, 173, Fleet Street.
The deceased was the second son of Mr. Thomas Barritt, who, for many years, held a responsible situation in the Hand in Hand Fire Office : at the age of fourteen he was apprenticed to the eminent goldsmiths, Rundle & Bridge, who then carried on business in the premises now occupied by Messrs. Strahan & Co., to learn the art of die-sinking; and soon after the expiration of his apprenticeship he commenced business on his own account, as a sinker and engraver of dies, but, by a series of accidents, after several years found himself largely engaged in bookselling. Of Mr. Barritt's personal history we have nothing to record, but in business he was so intimately connected with the rise and progress of the Bible Trade that our readers will not be displeased if we digress a little and give a few particulars respecting it.
In the year 1824, or thereabouts, the Bible trade was a very snug, quiet business, in the hands of Mr. Gardner, who had the Oxford agency, Messrs. Longmans, who sold the books printed by Eyre & Strachan, and a few others who, like Messrs. Suttaby, bought the sheets and bound them in small numbers. About this time a German customer wished Mr. Remnant, a rising bookbinder, to bind half a dozen books in some covers which he had brought over from France ; these embossed morocco covers were a novelty, nothing like them had been seen in England, and Mr. Edmonds, Mr. Remnant's foreman, who was ever keenly alive to promote the business of which he is now the head, thought that Bibles and Prayer-books bound in similar covers would have a large sale ; but where they were to be procured or how manufactured no one could tell.
Chance led him to inquire of an artist who cut dies for a helmet manufacturer in Westminster, and he undertook to resolve the problem by sinking a die ; this was step No. 1. The next thing was to produce covers from the die ; it so happened that in Lovell's Court, opposite Remnant's shop, there lived a working silversmith named Eley (of whom more presently), he had screw presses to stamp spoons and dish-covers, and Edmonds, by watching the process of stamping the silver, learned how to stamp leather. In his investigations he heard that a clever young man, named Barritt, was employed by Eley as a die-sinker; his services were accordingly engaged to cut a book die, and thus Mr. Remnant was able to bind books in a new style, which became immensely popular. Mr. Gardner gave him as much work as he could do ; others, also, rushed to his shop, and there is no doubt that he made very handsome profits out of his foreman's good taste and ingenuity, as we are told that for binding alone, he charged 7s. 6d. for the Ruby 24mo bible, 6s. for the Long Primer prayer, 8s. for the Minion bible, and 4s. for the 32mo prayer. Barritt was now fully employed upon dies for Remnant, but not content with this he invested his savings in a press, and embossed and sold covers to binders. As soon as Remnant discovered this, he ceased to employ him further, and Barritt then turned his attention to embossing generally. Mr. De la Rue had introduced embossed cards and paper, also embossed leather blotting-cases, cardcases, pocket-books, &c. Mr. Barritt found a patron for cards and paper in the late Mr. Creswick, of Chandos Street, while he employed some pocket-book makers to make up blotting books and card-cases for himself; he was now fairly launched in the stationery business.
About the year 1831, Mr. William Eley, the silversmith, gave up that business to work out a patent for a new cartridge invented by himself, but he was before his day, and met with but poor success ; he accordingly left that and joined Mr. Barritt, who was then established in St. James's Walk, Clerkenwell, and only wanted capital to develop his new business. Some Prayer-books, then a few small Bibles, next some Watts's hymns were procured and bound, these sold quickly. Larger books were procured and disposed of, then a move was made from Clerkenwell to the present house in Fleet Street.
In 1835, Mr. Eley left the business in order to follow out his scheme for making cartridges, but unfortunately while engaged in trying some experiments with a new percussion cap, the compound exploded and he was shattered to atoms. His sons succeeded to his business, and the world-wide reputation of the ammunition and cartridges of Eley Brothers testifies to the soundness and usefulness of their father's invention.
On Mr. Eley's retirement, Mr. Frederick Wilson succeeded him. Mr. Barritt occupied himself with travelling in the country, and thus extended the connections of the house in all directions. Up to about 1839 the agency for the Queen's Printers' Bibles had been in the hands of Messrs. Longman, but the agency was then divided with Messrs. Barritt, and soon after, when the great reduction of price took place in the sheets, Messrs. Barritt also introduced a cheaper kind of binding, so that an enormous impetus was given to the business. A Ruby Bible bound in morocco extra was in January sold to the trade at 10s. 6d., while in the following April, a book, just the same in appearance, was offered for 8s. 6d., and at this price the percentage of profit was greater than at the former.
The credit of introducing this cheap morocco and morocco extra binding is due to Mr. B. West, of Clerkenwell, a binder who had long been trying to get his cheap binding taken up, but without success, till the Bibles themselves were cheapened. Then commenced that extraordinary competition in the trade which has never once ceased–books which before sold in single copies henceforward sold by the hundred, and so largely has the business of Messrs. Barritt increased that they have, on more than one occasion, ordered an edition of a hundred thousand (Ruby, 48mo) Prayer-books, and one of fifty thousand (Pearl, 24mo) Bibles, to be printed for their own consumption.
Mr. Wilson retired at the end of seven years, and at the same time Mr. Barritt, having acquired a sufficient sum to live upon in comfort, left the business, which was disposed of to his brother-in-law, Mr. West, the binder mentioned above, who carried it on alone for some time, and then in conjunction with Mr. Hector Baxter; the business being still carried on under the name of Barritt and Co., and since Mr. West's retirement in 1860 it has been continued by Mr. Baxter, ably assisted by Mr. Robert Stevenson, a gentleman who has grown up with the business, and has been actively engaged in its development.
Trev.
.
See: William Eley (II) http://www.925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic ... 5&start=35" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
JAMES L. BARRITT, ESQ.
August 18. At his residence, St. Margaret's, Rochester, aged 62, Mr. James Littler Barritt, formerly senior partner of the firm of Barritt & Co., wholesale Bible Warehouse, 173, Fleet Street.
The deceased was the second son of Mr. Thomas Barritt, who, for many years, held a responsible situation in the Hand in Hand Fire Office : at the age of fourteen he was apprenticed to the eminent goldsmiths, Rundle & Bridge, who then carried on business in the premises now occupied by Messrs. Strahan & Co., to learn the art of die-sinking; and soon after the expiration of his apprenticeship he commenced business on his own account, as a sinker and engraver of dies, but, by a series of accidents, after several years found himself largely engaged in bookselling. Of Mr. Barritt's personal history we have nothing to record, but in business he was so intimately connected with the rise and progress of the Bible Trade that our readers will not be displeased if we digress a little and give a few particulars respecting it.
In the year 1824, or thereabouts, the Bible trade was a very snug, quiet business, in the hands of Mr. Gardner, who had the Oxford agency, Messrs. Longmans, who sold the books printed by Eyre & Strachan, and a few others who, like Messrs. Suttaby, bought the sheets and bound them in small numbers. About this time a German customer wished Mr. Remnant, a rising bookbinder, to bind half a dozen books in some covers which he had brought over from France ; these embossed morocco covers were a novelty, nothing like them had been seen in England, and Mr. Edmonds, Mr. Remnant's foreman, who was ever keenly alive to promote the business of which he is now the head, thought that Bibles and Prayer-books bound in similar covers would have a large sale ; but where they were to be procured or how manufactured no one could tell.
Chance led him to inquire of an artist who cut dies for a helmet manufacturer in Westminster, and he undertook to resolve the problem by sinking a die ; this was step No. 1. The next thing was to produce covers from the die ; it so happened that in Lovell's Court, opposite Remnant's shop, there lived a working silversmith named Eley (of whom more presently), he had screw presses to stamp spoons and dish-covers, and Edmonds, by watching the process of stamping the silver, learned how to stamp leather. In his investigations he heard that a clever young man, named Barritt, was employed by Eley as a die-sinker; his services were accordingly engaged to cut a book die, and thus Mr. Remnant was able to bind books in a new style, which became immensely popular. Mr. Gardner gave him as much work as he could do ; others, also, rushed to his shop, and there is no doubt that he made very handsome profits out of his foreman's good taste and ingenuity, as we are told that for binding alone, he charged 7s. 6d. for the Ruby 24mo bible, 6s. for the Long Primer prayer, 8s. for the Minion bible, and 4s. for the 32mo prayer. Barritt was now fully employed upon dies for Remnant, but not content with this he invested his savings in a press, and embossed and sold covers to binders. As soon as Remnant discovered this, he ceased to employ him further, and Barritt then turned his attention to embossing generally. Mr. De la Rue had introduced embossed cards and paper, also embossed leather blotting-cases, cardcases, pocket-books, &c. Mr. Barritt found a patron for cards and paper in the late Mr. Creswick, of Chandos Street, while he employed some pocket-book makers to make up blotting books and card-cases for himself; he was now fairly launched in the stationery business.
About the year 1831, Mr. William Eley, the silversmith, gave up that business to work out a patent for a new cartridge invented by himself, but he was before his day, and met with but poor success ; he accordingly left that and joined Mr. Barritt, who was then established in St. James's Walk, Clerkenwell, and only wanted capital to develop his new business. Some Prayer-books, then a few small Bibles, next some Watts's hymns were procured and bound, these sold quickly. Larger books were procured and disposed of, then a move was made from Clerkenwell to the present house in Fleet Street.
In 1835, Mr. Eley left the business in order to follow out his scheme for making cartridges, but unfortunately while engaged in trying some experiments with a new percussion cap, the compound exploded and he was shattered to atoms. His sons succeeded to his business, and the world-wide reputation of the ammunition and cartridges of Eley Brothers testifies to the soundness and usefulness of their father's invention.
On Mr. Eley's retirement, Mr. Frederick Wilson succeeded him. Mr. Barritt occupied himself with travelling in the country, and thus extended the connections of the house in all directions. Up to about 1839 the agency for the Queen's Printers' Bibles had been in the hands of Messrs. Longman, but the agency was then divided with Messrs. Barritt, and soon after, when the great reduction of price took place in the sheets, Messrs. Barritt also introduced a cheaper kind of binding, so that an enormous impetus was given to the business. A Ruby Bible bound in morocco extra was in January sold to the trade at 10s. 6d., while in the following April, a book, just the same in appearance, was offered for 8s. 6d., and at this price the percentage of profit was greater than at the former.
The credit of introducing this cheap morocco and morocco extra binding is due to Mr. B. West, of Clerkenwell, a binder who had long been trying to get his cheap binding taken up, but without success, till the Bibles themselves were cheapened. Then commenced that extraordinary competition in the trade which has never once ceased–books which before sold in single copies henceforward sold by the hundred, and so largely has the business of Messrs. Barritt increased that they have, on more than one occasion, ordered an edition of a hundred thousand (Ruby, 48mo) Prayer-books, and one of fifty thousand (Pearl, 24mo) Bibles, to be printed for their own consumption.
Mr. Wilson retired at the end of seven years, and at the same time Mr. Barritt, having acquired a sufficient sum to live upon in comfort, left the business, which was disposed of to his brother-in-law, Mr. West, the binder mentioned above, who carried it on alone for some time, and then in conjunction with Mr. Hector Baxter; the business being still carried on under the name of Barritt and Co., and since Mr. West's retirement in 1860 it has been continued by Mr. Baxter, ably assisted by Mr. Robert Stevenson, a gentleman who has grown up with the business, and has been actively engaged in its development.
Trev.
.