Editor's note: At the time I wrote this article I was unaware of a piece by Andrew Herd and John Autin published in Waterlog magazine No. 94 in 2015 that also tells the story of James Ogden's Legacy and of the events after his death.
One of the things that has puzzled me for some time is exactly what happened after James Ogden’s death. Ogden died in December of 1880 but this had no apparent effect on the operation of his shop in Cheltenham, which seemed to continue trading almost as if nothing had happened. There is also the matter of Ogden & Scotford and to a lesser extent, the early origins of Ogden Smiths Ltd. Today we have unprecedented access to civil, trade and historical records and by searching through the available material I believe I have uncovered at least part of the story. Because this is "new" research, I've included broad references to the primary sources for the information in the text.
In his Will,[i] Ogden makes a number of specific bequests. He leaves his household possessions and substantial sums of money to his two “Apprentices”, his in-house Fly Dressers, Sarah Ann Page and Harriett Evangeline Burge. His business is left to his nephew, also called James Ogden (whom I plan to refer to as James Ogden Junior to distinguish him from his uncle). This bequest goes a long way to explain the continuity in trade, and the shop seems to have continued trading under James Ogden Junior’s ownership until his death in 1927.
Let us now turn our attention to something that has remained a bit of mystery in the vintage tackle world. There is next to nothing on record for the firm of Ogden & Scotford, aside from a couple of known trading addresses. Clearly there is a story here, and it begins in 1881 with the National Census[ii]. In that year Lambert William Scotford was recorded as lodging with his aunt at an address in the Pittville area of Cheltenham. He is described as a Fishing Tackle Maker and, since the only active fishing tackle concern in Cheltenham at that time was James Ogden’s shop, it is my belief that he was, or had been, employed by Ogden, probably trained in the manufacture of Ogden’s fishing rods, -Scotford was the son of a Gloucestershire carpenter[iii]. In 1883 in The Cheltenham Annuaire[iv], an early local guide, Scotford is shown trading in his own name from 7 Portland Terrace, but the following year the same address is listed for Ogden & Scotford.
At the famous International Fisheries Exhibition of 1883, Ogden & Scotford exhibited in three categories, alongside such worthies as Hardy’s, Peter Malloch and Milward’s of Redditch. They presented a General Exhibit, Trout Rods and Artificial Flies, gaining a Bronze Medal for the General Exhibit and Trout Rods and a Diploma for the Artificial Flies[v].
Five years after the Fisheries Exhibition, in 1888, we come across the first of a number of anomalies in the Ogden & Scotford story. This year saw the publication of James Tayler’s “Red Palmer: A Practical Treatise on Fly Fishing”. Though by modern standards, Tayler gets a lot wrong, he does make reference in the text to flies supplied by:
” Messrs. Ogden and Scotford, the well-known firm of Cheltenham, have lately sent me a few samples of their flies, tied by Mrs. Ogden, who has long enjoyed a very high reputation for her tying. They are beautifully made, and I have no doubt will prove good killers; but, as the season is now over, have had no opportunity of trying them.”[vi]
The issue is this: - In 1878 James Ogden Junior had married Elizabeth Ann Shenton, herself in business on her own account as a stationer and printer at 90 Winchcombe Street, a business she continued long after the marriage. This is not lady who would be tying trout flies. James Ogden Senior's wife, Mary Rowson had died some time around 1840, eliminating her from possibility. Furthermore, in the end matter of the book we find the following advertisement, repeating the assertion that Ogden & Scotford flies were being dressed by Mrs. James Ogden:
This isn’t the only query raised by the advert. At the time of publication, the address quoted was one of a terrace of newly-built three-storey brick terraced houses. The date is bracketed by two Census records, 1881 and 1891. In the first it is recorded as family home, the second, a boarding house operated by the widow of the former head of the family[vii], hardly a suitable location for a fishing tackle shop. That particular puzzle remains, but what of Ogden & Scotford?
My first thoughts were that Ogden & Scotford was a partnership between James Ogden Junior and Lambert Scotford, born out of Ogden's need for someone who had the skills to make his uncle's range of rods. However, the truth of the matter is far more remarkable than I could have imagined, and it is Tayler's repeated reference to "Mrs James Ogden" that is the key.
In 1877 at the Chapel of the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion in Cheltenham, one of the many break-away congregations to emerge in the eighteenth century, James Ogden Senior married for a second time. The marriage certificate records his age as 77, though other sources indicate he was born in 1805, making him 72. That is remarkable in itself, by modern standards, but it is his wife's maiden name that is even more so, - he married Harriett Scotford, - Lambert Scotford's elder sister. What is curious is there is no mention of a wife in Ogden's Will, his possessions being divided between his "Apprentices". Nevertheless, in 1880 Harriett Ogden became James Ogden's widow. It is she who is the mysterious Mrs James Ogden of Tayler's text, and it is she who entered into business with her brother Lambert, under the perfectly acceptable trading-style of "Ogden & Scotford". Clearly this arrangement did not sit well with James Ogden Junior as the following page from Ogden's Fly Fishers' Guide and Catalogue of about 1890 indicates:
My first thoughts were that Ogden & Scotford was a partnership between James Ogden Junior and Lambert Scotford, born out of Ogden's need for someone who had the skills to make his uncle's range of rods. However, the truth of the matter is far more remarkable than I could have imagined, and it is Tayler's repeated reference to "Mrs James Ogden" that is the key.
In 1877 at the Chapel of the Countess of Huntingdon's Connexion in Cheltenham, one of the many break-away congregations to emerge in the eighteenth century, James Ogden Senior married for a second time. The marriage certificate records his age as 77, though other sources indicate he was born in 1805, making him 72. That is remarkable in itself, by modern standards, but it is his wife's maiden name that is even more so, - he married Harriett Scotford, - Lambert Scotford's elder sister. What is curious is there is no mention of a wife in Ogden's Will, his possessions being divided between his "Apprentices". Nevertheless, in 1880 Harriett Ogden became James Ogden's widow. It is she who is the mysterious Mrs James Ogden of Tayler's text, and it is she who entered into business with her brother Lambert, under the perfectly acceptable trading-style of "Ogden & Scotford". Clearly this arrangement did not sit well with James Ogden Junior as the following page from Ogden's Fly Fishers' Guide and Catalogue of about 1890 indicates:
Note Ogden's use of the phrase "only one man by the name of OGDEN engaged in the Fishing Tackle Business in Cheltenham". Similar warnings were to appear in a succession of advertisements placed in the Fishing Gazette, the examples shown here are from 1897.[ix]
Despite James Ogden Junior’s protestations, Ogden & Scotford continued trading. At no point does Scotford make any public reply to Ogden’s protest nor does Ogden ever take any legal action against Ogden & Scotford, - in broad terms they were doing nothing illegal, simply trading under their own names, brother and sister.
Despite James Ogden Junior’s protestations, Ogden & Scotford continued trading. At no point does Scotford make any public reply to Ogden’s protest nor does Ogden ever take any legal action against Ogden & Scotford, - in broad terms they were doing nothing illegal, simply trading under their own names, brother and sister.
There seems to be no record of Harriet Ogden's later life, but family sources indicate that she continued to dress flies for the firm, it was probably her work that was shown t the 1883 Exhibition.
Around 1894, Scotford acquired additional premises at a prestigious location at 19 Leicester Square in London[x]. This address is known in the vintage tackle community, and there are reels made by Peter Malloch and Reuben Heaton that bear this address, though the excursion into London seems to have been relatively short-lived. According to Kelly’s Guide to Gloucestershire in 1902, Ogden & Scotford were now trading from 38a Winchcombe Street, a move which must have further irritated James Ogden Junior as the premises were in the same street as his original Ogden shop! To make matters worse, by 1906 Ogden & Scotford had relocated to larger premises at 42 Winchcombe Street.
Around 1894, Scotford acquired additional premises at a prestigious location at 19 Leicester Square in London[x]. This address is known in the vintage tackle community, and there are reels made by Peter Malloch and Reuben Heaton that bear this address, though the excursion into London seems to have been relatively short-lived. According to Kelly’s Guide to Gloucestershire in 1902, Ogden & Scotford were now trading from 38a Winchcombe Street, a move which must have further irritated James Ogden Junior as the premises were in the same street as his original Ogden shop! To make matters worse, by 1906 Ogden & Scotford had relocated to larger premises at 42 Winchcombe Street.
Some time before 1910, Scotford extended the partnership to include William Hamlin, the son of a local tailor. This partnership was dissolved in 1913, leaving Hamlin free to open his own “Anglers Depot” at – 38 Winchcombe Street![xi]
Ogden & Scotford shop at 42 Winchcombe Street, Cheltenham (Picture courtesy of Lambert Scotford's family)
Ogden and "The Invicta"
It should not be thought that James Ogden Junior was wholly without merit. During my research for this article I came across a snippet in Geoffrey Bucknall's excellent book about the Fishing Gazette, "The Bright Stream of Memory" referring to Mr James Ogden's new fly "Invicta". Almost all the references to the "Invicta" attribute it to James Ogden Senior, citing its appearance in his 1879 book "On Fly Tying" as evidence of its origin. Having carefully re-read Ogden's book, I can confirm there is no mention of the "Invicta". Clearly it is his nephew who devised the fly at the beginning of the twentieth century, and not his Uncle, which is the general belief. Here is the complete text:
Mr. James Ogden's New "Invicta" Fly
Not a May Fly. Mr. Ogden also sends me an entirely new fly, which he invented and tested last season, and I am not surprised to hear with the best results ; it is a large pattern though not a May Fly, and I should put it on with the greatest confidence when the trout are taking the natural stone fly, also oiled and fished dry when the May Fly is on, and also on blustery days and evenings when the sedges are fluttering about and creeping up one's waders. The " Invicta " would also do first rate for chub, sea trout, and lake trout. The samples Mr. Ogden sends me are on capital eyed hooks, the hooks measuring 3/4 and 7/8 of an inch respectively, the wings of the flies being a good bit longer. I have never seen this pattern before, although one is reminded of such standard favourites as the March Brown, Alder, and Stone Fly, and yet it is different from all of them. I like it immensely, and shall expect to hear of good sport being had with it. For a rough day on lake or stream it is the very thing. R B Marston, Fishing Gazette 24th May 1902 |
James Ogden Junior died in 1927, at which time the shop seems to have passed into the hands of George Harry Sealey who continued to trade as James Ogden until his death in 1959.[xii] Lambert Scotford died in 1936 and seems to have carried on his trade from 42 Winchcombe Street until this time.
That, at least in part, addresses the issue of Ogden & Scotford, but what of Ogden Smiths Ltd.? James Ogden Senior's only surviving daughter at his death was Mary. She had married Henry C Smith in 1854[xiii], though she had already given birth to their son James the previous year. Henry is recorded on the marriage certificate as a “compositor”, a skilled trade within the printing industry. By 1871[xiv] the family are living in Cheltenham, Henry is described as “working in general machinery” and their son James, now 16 is also a machinist. They have six other children and Mary is listed as a “Fishing Tackle Maker”, presumably at her father’s shop. They are still living in Cheltenham in 1874[xv] when their son Harold Percival is born, but in 1877 the firm of Ogden Smiths secures an award at the London Piscatorial Exhibition[xvi] held at the London Aquarium. At some time between these two dates a sea change has occurred, a much renowned and very successful fishing tackle firm has come into being, and a dynasty has been founded. The couple went on to have 11 children, most of whom seem at some point to have been involved in the business. Census records for 1881 show the family moving to Battersea and Henry Smith is described as “Master Fishing Tackle Maker, employing 4 men, 11 boys, 2 women”. The firm occupied a succession of addresses around London, retailing reels made by the leading makers, including a substantial range of exclusive designs from J W Youngs of Redditch. Naturally the company offering extended to all manner of fishing tackle with their “Mermaid” range of flies occupying its own catalogue. Ogden Smith’s own catalogue claims that the firm “Are all members of the family, and direct descendants of the founder, who made fishing tackle in the year 1763…”[xvii] a claim which is as hard to prove as it is to disprove. It would have been impressive enough to cite James Ogden as the family patriarch because as you can see, James Ogden, son of a Derbyshire carriage driver, came to cast a long shadow over the world of fishing tackle. He may even have been indirectly responsible for the popularity of the generic British two piece, 9’ fly rod, as a descendant of his “Multum in parvo” – perhaps there is another story to be told there…
That, at least in part, addresses the issue of Ogden & Scotford, but what of Ogden Smiths Ltd.? James Ogden Senior's only surviving daughter at his death was Mary. She had married Henry C Smith in 1854[xiii], though she had already given birth to their son James the previous year. Henry is recorded on the marriage certificate as a “compositor”, a skilled trade within the printing industry. By 1871[xiv] the family are living in Cheltenham, Henry is described as “working in general machinery” and their son James, now 16 is also a machinist. They have six other children and Mary is listed as a “Fishing Tackle Maker”, presumably at her father’s shop. They are still living in Cheltenham in 1874[xv] when their son Harold Percival is born, but in 1877 the firm of Ogden Smiths secures an award at the London Piscatorial Exhibition[xvi] held at the London Aquarium. At some time between these two dates a sea change has occurred, a much renowned and very successful fishing tackle firm has come into being, and a dynasty has been founded. The couple went on to have 11 children, most of whom seem at some point to have been involved in the business. Census records for 1881 show the family moving to Battersea and Henry Smith is described as “Master Fishing Tackle Maker, employing 4 men, 11 boys, 2 women”. The firm occupied a succession of addresses around London, retailing reels made by the leading makers, including a substantial range of exclusive designs from J W Youngs of Redditch. Naturally the company offering extended to all manner of fishing tackle with their “Mermaid” range of flies occupying its own catalogue. Ogden Smith’s own catalogue claims that the firm “Are all members of the family, and direct descendants of the founder, who made fishing tackle in the year 1763…”[xvii] a claim which is as hard to prove as it is to disprove. It would have been impressive enough to cite James Ogden as the family patriarch because as you can see, James Ogden, son of a Derbyshire carriage driver, came to cast a long shadow over the world of fishing tackle. He may even have been indirectly responsible for the popularity of the generic British two piece, 9’ fly rod, as a descendant of his “Multum in parvo” – perhaps there is another story to be told there…
An Ogden Smiths Ltd. catalogue from the early '30's
[i] Ref: James Ogden’s Last Will and Testament
[ii] Ref: England & Wales Census 1881 Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
[iii] Ref: England & Wales Census 1871 Chedworth, Gloucestershire
[iv] Ref: Pittville Works, Cheltenham Local History web site
[v] Ref: Awards of the International Jury, International Fisheries Exhibition, London 1883
[vi] Ref: “Red Palmer: A Practical Treatise on Fly Fishing” James Tayler 2nd Ed 1888
[vii] Ref: England & Wales Census 1881, 1891, Holloway
[viii] Ref: James Ogden Angler’s Guide and Catalogue 1890
[ix] Ref: Fishing Gazette Volume 24, Early 1897
[x] Ref: Fishing Gazette as above
[xi] Ref: Bristol, Cheltenham and Gloucester Trades Dir. 1923
[xii] Ref: Probate records of Sealey’s death in 1959
[xiii] Ref: Births, Marriages and Deaths Register
[xiv] Ref: England & Wales Census 1871, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
[xv] Ref: Births, Marriages and Deaths Register
[xvi] Ref: Ogden Smiths Ltd Catalogue post 1931
[xvii] Ref: Ogden Smiths Ltd Catalogue post 1931
[ii] Ref: England & Wales Census 1881 Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
[iii] Ref: England & Wales Census 1871 Chedworth, Gloucestershire
[iv] Ref: Pittville Works, Cheltenham Local History web site
[v] Ref: Awards of the International Jury, International Fisheries Exhibition, London 1883
[vi] Ref: “Red Palmer: A Practical Treatise on Fly Fishing” James Tayler 2nd Ed 1888
[vii] Ref: England & Wales Census 1881, 1891, Holloway
[viii] Ref: James Ogden Angler’s Guide and Catalogue 1890
[ix] Ref: Fishing Gazette Volume 24, Early 1897
[x] Ref: Fishing Gazette as above
[xi] Ref: Bristol, Cheltenham and Gloucester Trades Dir. 1923
[xii] Ref: Probate records of Sealey’s death in 1959
[xiii] Ref: Births, Marriages and Deaths Register
[xiv] Ref: England & Wales Census 1871, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
[xv] Ref: Births, Marriages and Deaths Register
[xvi] Ref: Ogden Smiths Ltd Catalogue post 1931
[xvii] Ref: Ogden Smiths Ltd Catalogue post 1931