Postby dognose » Tue Jan 26, 2021 8:56 am
Charles Frederick Hancock was born in Birmingham in November 1807, the son of Charles and Sophia Hancock. He was baptised the same month at St. Phillip’s Church, Birmingham.
His father, Charles Hancock (Jackson p.366) was a silversmith who had entered his mark at the Birmingham Assay Office on the 15th June 1808. His address was given as New Street, Birmingham.
Charles Frederick Hancock married Maria Jane Edington c.1840. Maria was the daughter of John James and Jane Ann Edington. She was baptised at St. Pancras, Old Church, London on 3rd May 1822. John James Edington was a goldworker and jeweller (Grimwade p.365, 372), he had entered his first mark alone at Goldsmiths’ Hall on 16th June 1820. He was formerly apprenticed to Stephen Gaubert in 1811, and was also in partnership with his father, John Edington (Grimwade 1274-5, 1805), their address given as 10, Portland Street, Soho Square. The Edington’s business was quite substantial and it may be possible that Maria carried with her a large dowry. If so, this could well explain how he was able to acquire a partnership into one of, if not the, most important goldsmiths in London.
He was to go on to be one of London’s most celebrated silversmiths and jewellers.
Following the retirement of John Mortimer in December 1843 from the firm of Mortimer and Hunt, the successors to Storr and Mortimer, a new company was formed, to be known as Hunt and Roskell. The directors were John Samuel Hunt (Paul Storr’s nephew by marriage); his son, John Hunt; the Liverpool clock and watchmaker, Robert Roskell Junior and Charles Frederick Hancock. They opened new premises at 156, New Bond Street and continued to use Paul Storr’s old workshops as their manufactory at 26, Harrison Street, off Gray’s Inn Road.
The partnership, however, was fairly short lived. In January 1849 CFH left Hunt and Roskell and opened his own business at 39, Bruton Street on the corner of Bond Street, with a manufactory at Little Bruton Street. He entered his first mark at Goldsmiths’ Hall on 11th April 1850.
He made an immediate impact on the London jewellery trade and just eight months later on 13th August 1849 he was awarded the Royal Warrant of appointment from Queen Victoria and was extensively patronised by the nobility of Europe due to the superior quality of his merchandise.
1851 saw the Great Exhibition in London and Hancocks produced displays that rivalled all their competitors including Garrards, Hunt and Roskell, and Harry Emmanuel.
Hancocks were awarded the highest prize, a Council Medal. The Jury for Class 23 noted that “The whole of Mr Hancock’s exhibition shows an accurate knowledge of the silversmiths’ craft, and of the resources which art can apply to this branch of industry when it is properly brought to bear on it”.
But it was at the International Exhibition of 1862 that Hancocks displayed one of the finest sets of jewels ever seen. It was a parure of eighty-eight intaglios and cameos that became known as the Devonshire Gems. It consists of seven items in all, the most impressive being the huge stomacher. Hancocks had been commissioned to design and manufacture this amazing set by Sir Joseph Paxton and they were worn by the Countess of Granville at the coronation of Tsar Alexander II in 1855.
This was followed by further successes at the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1867 and at the Vienna Exhibition of 1873 where Hancocks was awarded, ‘solely’, the Emperor's gold medal for Science and Art in addition to the Prize Medal.
On the 1st February 1854 Charles Frederick Hancock obtained his Freedom of the Goldsmiths’ Company by Redemption and was raised to the Livery in June 1864.
He had by 1862 increased the size of his showrooms by the acquisition of 38, Bruton Street and also 152, New Bond Street.
For the design of his silverware, CFH engaged the services of some of the finest modellers and sculptors of the 19th century, including Louis Freret, Baron Charles Marochetti, H. McCarthy, Eugene Lamy, Marshall Wood, Raffaele Monti, Henry Hugh Armstead RA, E. T. Parris and Charles Bell Birch ARA.
They were also particularly noted for their fine race cups given as prizes at Goodwood, Epsom, Ascot and others.
His approach to business was always on a personal level. He made at least two trips to Russia to see the Tsar and was court jeweller to Napoleon III of France, a friend of William Gladstone and a close friend of Benjamin Disraeli, who it is thought, used CFH in his novel ‘Lothair’, published in 1870, as the model for the jeweller ‘Mr Ruby’. But the day to day affairs of running his business were still of concern to him. An example of this was the attention he paid to the dubious claims of one of his rivals. Edwin William Streeter, a former manager of Harry Emmanuel, was a colourful character, he had left his former employer in 1866 and taken up a position, as manager, with another jeweller, Hancock, Burbrook & Co. Ltd. A partnership of one Francis William Hancock and Richard Burbrook, within a year Streeter had taken over this company and was styling himself as ‘Edwin W. Streeter, successor to Hancock & Co. Ltd., London’ conveniently dropping the name ‘Burbrook’ from his advertisements. Ironically Richard Burbrook was later to become an employee of CFH. This was a constant source of annoyance to CFH and he would frequently cut out and file any press clippings that related to this misrepresentation. Consequently CFH had to disassociate himself from Streeter on numerous occasions.
It would appear that Maria Jane Hancock was just as capable of running the business as her husband. In the summer of 1860 CFH was taken seriously ill and had to spend three months convalescing in Brighton. He would not delegate any decision except to his wife; he was on record as saying “my wife understands the business as well as I do”.
Although the business of Hancocks was going from strength to strength, in 1866 CFH went into semi-retirement, but he still maintained a keen interest in the jewellery business. In c.1863 he purchased Hendon Hall, set in thirty-five acres and had several houses built there. In 1867 he bought most of the village of Willian in Hertfordshire, some 1200 acres, from the family of the late Baron Thomas Dimsdale. Soon after he set about a programme of rebuilding dilapidated cottages and updating the local drainage system, greatly improving the life of the villagers. Nearby he built the splendid mansion Roxley House, later known as Roxley Court and the residence of Mortimer Hancock.
Charles Frederick Hancock retired fully in 1870. He died on 10th February 1891 aged 83.
Following CFH’s semi-retirement in 1866, a new company was formed, now known as Hancock, Son & Co. its partners were listed as Mortimer Hancock, Horatio Stewart and Henry John Dore, and following CFH’s full retirement in 1870, his other son Charles Frederick Hancock Junior became a partner and the firm now traded as Hancocks & Co.
Mortimer Hancock was apprenticed to his father on 6th October 1858 and granted his Freedom of the Goldsmiths’ Company by service on 1st November 1865, he was elected to the Livery in January 1872. He retired on 31st December 1883 and died at the age of 57 on 15th July 1901.
Charles Frederick Hancock Junior was apprenticed to his father on 5th November 1862 and obtained his Freedom of the Goldsmiths’ Company by service on 6th March 1872. He left the firm on 12th April 1876 and died in 1909. His son Charles Granville Hancock, who was born in 1885, did not join Hancocks, but became a barrister. He did however claim his right to become a Freeman of the Goldsmiths’ Company by Patrimony on the 2nd May 1951, aged 66.
Horatio Stewart retired from the firm on 1st October 1885. This now left Henry John Dore to run the business, which he did until his death, by blood poisoning, at the age of 63 on 27th November 1895. Prior to his demise he took his wife, Louisa Mary Dore and his two sons, Henry Hancock Dore and Alfred George Dore into partnership on the 12th March or 1st May 1895 (depending on the source).
The London Gazette reported Louisa’s retirement on 31st December 1904.
Henry Hancock Dore was apprenticed to Mortimer Hancock on 7th April 1880 and obtained his Freedom from the Goldsmiths’ Company by service on 9th May 1887. He died in July 1926. Following his death, his brother, Alfred George Dore took his two nephews, John Addley Bourne and Gerald L. Hancock Dore into partnership.
1917 saw the business move to 25, Sackville Street, W1, on the corner of Virgo Street.
Alfred George Dore died in November 1935 and on the 8th October 1936 the business converted into a limited liability company under the style of Hancocks & Co. (Jewellers) Ltd., naming the directors as W.H.J. Wixley (Chairman) G.L.H. Dore and J.A. Bourne.
1970 saw the company move to the corner of Burlington Street and Old Burlington Street, and the premises were expanded and refurbished in 1978. In 1998 they moved to their present location at The Burlington Arcade.
Trev.
