Shakespear Sewing Machine
History & Patent
Joseph Harris.
Joseph was the son of Thomas Harris, a grocer of Cheapside, Birmingham.
Thomas had married Miss Martha Hill at Edgbaston on
16th September 1830,
and Joseph was born on 25th December the following year. |
The man himself - this portrait shows |
In 1855 he married Miss Harriet Matthews at Carrs Lane Chapel,
Birmingham.
The business was now centred at Oriel House at Bull Street,
Birmingham, together with premises in Great Charles Street, which were known as "The Birmingham
Central Steam Dyeing & Bleaching Works".
By 1867 the company also described themselves as dealers in sewing
machines, and quoted many of the leading marques of the time, for which
they were agents. |
Shown here is the original design registration
certificate for Harris' ornamental treadle, |
Joseph obviously aspired to go further with his sewing machine interests and in 1872, made an agreement with Messrs. Thomas Shakespear and George Illeston, who were trading as The Royal Sewing Machine Company. The arrangement was to supply Harris with a machine to be called "The Challenge", and 40 machines per week would be taken, with a provision for increased production after due notice. Harris was to pay £2.5s.0d for each machine. The agreement also records that The Challenge was to be designed specifically for Joseph Harris, and this to be registered by himself. In consideration of these facts Shakespear and Illeston were prohibited from manufacturing the "Challenge" for any other person, nor were they to undersell Harris with any machine of the same class or type. It should be noted that the sole exclusivity of design was almost certainly confined to the superstructure, i.e. physical appearance. The mechanics of the machine were, in essence those which were patented by Shakespear and Illeston in 1869, and were used in their own big selling "Shakespear" model. It seems possible that Shakespear and Illeston had similar agreements or collaborations with other customers, viz. Thomas Bradford - Anchor form machines, and J. Collier & Son - Octagonal form machines, to name just two. During the early 1870s the sewing machine side of the business was proving more profitable than the other departments, with machines being exported as far afield as Australia.
In about 1874 Harris decided the next step forward for his sewing
machine enterprise would be to have his own manufacturing facility. To
this end, he acquired the Franklin Sewing Machine Company. Franklin and
other local firm A. Maxfield already produced a similar class of machine
- The "Agenoria". At this same time, Harris, with the aid of John
Judson, redesigned and patented a new shuttle / feed mechanism for his
"Challenge" marque. Harris was now free of Shakespear and Illeston's
middleman roll in his operation, and his sewing machines were then sold
under the name of "The Imperial Sewing Machine Co."
As was the case for so many smaller UK sewing machine concerns, the
second half of the 1870s brought about fierce overseas competition and a
subsequent depression in trade. It would appear that the sewing machine
manufacturing side of Harris' empire was unable to weather the storm,
and these interests were sold, perhaps somewhat ironically, to The Royal
Sewing Machine Company in about 1877. Joseph Harris died at Richmond House, Holyhead Road, Handsworth on 22nd November 1913, aged 82. |
British Sewing Machine Makers
Royal Sewing Machine Company Ltd |
Herbert Road, Small Heath , Birmingham |
1860 - 1877 |
Shakespear, Royal, Milton, Eugenie, Windsor, Challenge, The Avon, Times, Monarch, Regent, South Kensington |
Shakespear & Illiston |
Birmingham |
|
became Royal Sewing Machine Co. |