Comments on: James Ince & Sons, Umbrella Makers

By: Donald Baker

Donald Baker — Wed, 30 Oct 2019 06:22:19 +0000

My Grt Grandfather Randolph Marshall and his Brother Andrew were umbrella workers in the mid to late 19th Century
I wonder ~~~~~~~~~? ??️?️

By: Kathy

Kathy — Tue, 02 Jul 2019 19:34:19 +0000

I am an Ince, and my grt grt grt grandfather was Samuel Ince who was an umbrella maker in Whitechapel from at least 1841 to 1871 and his son George was a bone cutter. Samuel’s son William also became an umbrella maker, his other son John became a doctor and his descendants moved to South Africa where I come from.
Next time I am in London I will buy an Ince umbrella!
Kathy

By: Haydn E Ebbs

Haydn E Ebbs — Sun, 01 Apr 2018 14:31:18 +0000

A distant relative of mine married into the INCE family.
I am not sure how WILLIAM INCE links in, but certainly
SAMUEL INCE was making umbrellas in Whitechapel in 1874.
Samuel was born in Clare, Suffolk, and his wife Sarah (nee Bradford) in Kiddlington, Suffolk.
They married in Clare on 24th October 1826.

I believe their son WILLIAM who was born in Whitechapel married Ruth Neville in 1859 in Mile End and carried on in the umbrella making business…

By: Hilary Smith

Hilary Smith — Sat, 31 Mar 2018 19:56:20 +0000

So interesting. I hope you prosper for many years to come…

By: Marcia Howard

Marcia Howard — Fri, 30 Mar 2018 19:44:10 +0000

What a wonderful insight into this long-serving business, and pleased to see young folk carrying on the tradition and trade.

By: Richard Smith

Richard Smith — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 13:13:46 +0000

What a hive activity the East end was and is. Thank you for telling us about these hard working and skilled folk.

By: Robert Kearney

Robert Kearney — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 10:43:28 +0000

I was told by my mother who lived from 1915 -2014 and her mother who lived with us and was born in 1886, that my great grandmother used to sit for hours at night, after all her chores were done, sewing hundreds of the ties used to furl the umbrellas which you mention. I was told she sat at home straining her eyes by candlelight, making these for a pittance to earn a few extra pennies in order to survive.
Reading your article and the fact that you mention they had to shed workers to survive , makes me wonder if my great grandmother was one of the outworkers they employed. I know she was paid on a piecework basis. That is a few pennies per 100.
Incidentally, all my family came from and lived in the Bethnal Green, Hoxton, Whitechapel, Spitalfields areas with Huguenot roots there going back to the 1700’s and I was born in the maternity hospital in Clapton, which formerly I understand was a Salvation Army hospital.
The grandmother who lived with us, claimed until the day she died that she saw as a very young child Jack the Ripper. She was in her mothers house in Whitechapel and looking out a back window, when she saw a man with a black cloak and a Gladstone bag rush out of the building opposite at night and the following morning they found one of his victims there. That’s what she told me.
Thank you so much for all your wonderful stories and articles you produce. I cannot tell you how much they mean to me as a reminder o my late mother, father (1913-2012) and Grandparents, of which I was fortunate enough to remember three.
Being very interested I’m their history, I remember and recorded many of their stories of many things in that area, on subjects like the workhouses, the priory and life. Your wonderful articles and things like the street names and places act as a memory trigger to me remembering my folks talking of them. So I cannot thank you enough for bringing back such fond memories.
I have some of my parents memoirs recorded on cassette tape, where they both speak about their life there and your recent articles about east end artists were of interest, as my father was an excellent amateur artist, entirely self taught, but I understand he went to evening art classes at a school when he was young there. I have quite a few of his paintings and drawings and wish I had sent you photos of them for your recent book.
You might be interested to know that I have a large A4 folder containing a hand written story of his life and memories of the East End. It is extensively illustrated by him rather like the book of Kells and with his own drawings of places there he remembers.
I hope this is of interest to you and once again thank you so much for all your wonderful articles, they mean so much to me.
Best regards
Bob Kearney, Somersham, near Ipswich

By: Gary Arber

Gary Arber — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 10:20:41 +0000

It is good to see an old established British company holding its own against cheap foreign imports.
Gary

By: Bailey Jones

Bailey Jones — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 09:53:42 +0000

I imagine these are sturdy brollies that don’t blow inside out or break if they do.