William Graham
A big reel, a salmon reel, from an important Edinburgh retailer. Mrs Isabella Hogg had taken over the business on the death of her husband in 1850, and this reel almost certainly dates from her tenure. It is of a form sold by a number of Edinburgh retailers, who seem to have been buying from the same workshop, the full identity of the maker remains unknown, but we do know who owned the reel.
Inscribed WILLIAM GRAHAM 70 MILLER ST. GLASGOW
Who Was William Graham?
Having an address on a reel is unusual. Having an address in the very centre of the "Merchant City", the business district of Glasgow is extraordinary, but it does rather help in identifying the owner.
William Graham was born in 1817, the eldest son of William Graham senior, who, in around 1800, had gone into business with his brother John, founding a spinning and clothe producing company. The company grew quicky and soon looked for export opportunities. Severely limited by the Napoleonic wars: in Europe the firm looked to Portugal and in the wider world, to India, then known as the "East Indies". The younger William was privately educated before attending the University Of Glasgow. After graduation he went into he family firm and became responsible for the companies affairs in India.
Initially the company traded in cloth and the raw materials for same, operating a mill at Lancefield in Glasgow, but an accident of fate was to change the company completely. In 1820 the Portuguese division of the company, then under the management of John Graham, acquired a settlement "27 pipes (barrels) of port wine" in respect of what had been a bad debt. The port was duly shipped to Glasgow where the decision was made to bottle and sell the port to recover the debt. Fortunately the port seems to have been rather good and the company began importing port to the extent that it soon had significant holdings in the vineyards of the Douro Valley. You can read the history of Graham's Port here. |
Much of William's life is well documented. His business affairs saw him eventually take charge of the family firm but it was his election to the House of Commons in 1865 that brought him into the public eye. Initially he was one of two Liberal Party MP's elected to the Glasgow constituency. In the House he spoke mainly on religious and Scottish matters but also became a supported of William Gladstone. He must have been considered satisfactory in his duties, because he was re-elected as one of three MP's for Glasgow in 1868 and served as such until 1874. Deeply religious, he was described by some of his peers as being "sanctimonious", indeed a contemporary caricature shows him dressed as a cleric.
In his personal life he married Jane Lowndes on New Year's Day in 1845, his family ultimately comprising six daughters and two sons, though both sons died young.
His other distinction came in the world of painting. William was an avid collector and patron of the Pre-Raphaelites. Edward Burne-Jones became a close friend of the family and William commissioned work from both Burne-Jones and Rosetti. He also owned works by Millais and had a considerable number of Old Masters. The sale of his collection after his death in 1885 attracted significant public interest and helped distribute the work of the pre-Raphaelites to a wider audience. Much of William's collection now resides in some of the more significant art galleries across the world.
In his personal life he married Jane Lowndes on New Year's Day in 1845, his family ultimately comprising six daughters and two sons, though both sons died young.
His other distinction came in the world of painting. William was an avid collector and patron of the Pre-Raphaelites. Edward Burne-Jones became a close friend of the family and William commissioned work from both Burne-Jones and Rosetti. He also owned works by Millais and had a considerable number of Old Masters. The sale of his collection after his death in 1885 attracted significant public interest and helped distribute the work of the pre-Raphaelites to a wider audience. Much of William's collection now resides in some of the more significant art galleries across the world.
A Word About Stobhall Castle
Stobhall Castle was part of the estate of the Drummond family of Drummond Castle. The earliest surviving building on site is the chapel built in 1367, the remainder of the site being 16th and 17th century. When Cromwell invaded Scotland and seized Drummond Castle the family were displaced to Stobhall. On the restoration of their lands, Stobhall became vacant but after a series of improvements by the family was rented out throughout the 19th century.
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William rented the castle in the 1860's and after, but during the 1850's the castle had been occupied by the pre-Raphaelite painter John Millais. Millais was a keen fieldsportsman and more than likely enjoyed the salmon fishing on the River Tay, - the Stobhall Beat is still highly regarded to this day.
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