Thread: The Packwood mystery

And thank you, Voidmonster, for the information. Every bit helps. Yes, one can see the humor from Huggins and Packwood. Interesting stuff, all this.

A bit more info re: George Packwood.

It appears that he first entered business as a perfumer and hairdresser. He was called as a character witness at the Old Bailey in 1786 and after being sworn he attests "...I am George Packwood. I live in Gracechurch Street. I am a hair-dresser and a perfumer..." Wakefield's General Directory of London, 1790, gives his trade as perfume and perfumer, Holden's London Directory of the same date records him simply as a perfumer.



He had an uncle named John Packwood who is deceased by the time George Packwood wrote his will, and a brother called Thomas Packwood of Defford in Worcestershire. Thomas, his wife Anna and their two sons John and Jacob are all handsomely taken care of in George's will.

He had a daughter - Peninnah - with his wife Sally. Sally outlived him but it seems that the daughter, born in 1787, did not.

Sally Packwood is left a lot in the will including the shopwoman and her daughter employed by George, their wages to be taken care of by the profits of his trade. He leaves the running of the Razor Strap and Paste business to Sally and another George - George Wingrove, including the sales of cutlery and perfumes, etc. He insists that the straps must always be of the finest quality as has been accustomed to and no inferior products are to be supplied. He leaves his 'Trade Marks' and the profits they accrue to the business, and makes a gift to several strop-makers, so it appears that he did not even make the strops he sold himself.



It appears that George Wingrove was in partnership Messrs James Waugh (the Elder and the Younger), as the partnership was dissolved soon after George Packwood's death:



NB James Waugh the Younger was still in business though - he is shown as insured by Sun in 1815 at a new address - Bride Lane, Fleet Street.

George Packwood's will was drafted in 1807, but he continued amending and adding to it up till early December 1810, when he died (Sally is recorded as a widow on the 18th of December 1810). On the very last page is another addition made by the executors of the will and dated 1835. It seems to draw a line under everything, so I suppose that it involved the death of his wife and the end of the business.

Regards,
Neil

Amazing mind old Packwood had! Sort of the P.T. Barnum of razors and strops!
(possibly related to Neil Miller?)

Originally Posted by sharptonn

Amazing mind old Packwood had! Sort of the P.T. Barnum of razors and strops!
(possibly related to Neil Miller?)

Ha ha! If there are ever the initials 'P. T.' associated with my name, it will be as in Post Traumatic - like when that still blew-up. But I digress...

I can see an advantage for you to read up and memorize some Packwood ramblings, Neil!
You could alternate with the "King George" ramble! Ahhh, the crowds will gather 'round!

Neil,
And more delicious information about Mr. George Packwood and company. You deserve a big star in my book. Your great mind and hunger for research amazes me. Then there are the fabulous Neil Miller strops. Thanks for all that.
Stay well, my friend.

I must confess, Tom, that a similar episode took place not four full days since, at my local refreshment parlour in Upper Brynamman, Wales. The thing that provoked it was the Inglorious 30-3 drubbing of the England side against Wales in the Six Nations Rugby. As chance would have it I was wearing a red AND white shirt, so avoided serious injury. The rest of the day and the following sunday seem to have passed away in a curious kind of dream that I now have no recollections of, much like waking from a normal dream. Of course, the cold valley air had a deleterious effect on yrs truly, so I must have been sickening for something...

Originally Posted by Obie

Neil,
And more delicious information about Mr. George Packwood and company. You deserve a big star in my book. Your great mind and hunger for research amazes me. Then there are the fabulous Neil Miller strops. Thanks for all that.
Stay well, my friend.

Thank you, Obie!

One last snippet: George Wingrove, Strop Maker of Islington, Middlesex, passed away in September 1822. That gives us a good date for Packwood Strops, Pastes and Razors to have been sold up to. The last link would be finding what happened to Sally Packwood.

Regards,
Neil

You are very welcome, Neil, and thank you again.
Yes, this information has teased my appetite more for the Packwood straight razor. I have one on the way, a 6/8 wedge in Spanish point and horn scales, and I have been licking my chops for the past few days. The Packwood razor had intrigued me for quite some time and I had continued to look for one. By Jove, I finally found it. When it arrives, I'll publish a photo in this thread.
This is exciting stuff, my friend.
Stay well,
Obie

Agreed, Obie! It is truly rewarding to find history on these items. It makes owning and using them most pleasant.
We are truly fortunate to have some fine historians in our midst!
Tom