These are some of the manufacturers of items advertising Dunville's Whisky, which have now become collectables, and some of the sales agents which distributed them. Most of the advertising items were probably made after 1900 and before Dunville & Co. Ltd. closed in 1936.
 Business Card for William W. Cleland, Ltd. |
The business card states that William W. Cleland, Ltd. was established in 1865 and that its Cullingtree Factory, a Printing Works, was located in Belfast on Grosvenor Street, Albert Street and Durham Street.
This is the transcript of the business card: 'Telephones Belfast Nos 90 & 91, Telegrams "Falcon Belfast", William W. Cleland, Ltd., Established 1865, Labels, Transparencies, Book-Binding, Illuminating, Engraving, Fancy Boxes, Ornaments, Bands, Tickets, Die-Sinking, Manufacturing Stationers, Paper Merchants, Chromo Lithographers, Fine Art & General Printers, Advertising Specialists, Fancy Paper & Machine Made Box Makers, Cullingtree Factory, Adjoining Grosvenor Street, Albert St. & Durham St., Belfast, Mr. Montgomery will wait upon you on Monday next.'
On the tall building in the picture are the words 'Cleland Wm. Cleland Ltd. Cullingtree Printing Works'. The name of the company and the year it was established are also written on the nearest corner of the building. In the lower right corner of the picture are the words 'Cullingtree Factory Belfast.' The picture has a similar perspective and a similar appearance to the picture of the Royal Irish Distilleries on the Dunville & Co. Ltd. poster, which is shown on the page of Dunville's Whisky Memorabilia. As in that picture, all the vehicles are horse-drawn.
William W. Cleland, Ltd. made some wonderful pub mirrors which advertised various Irish whiskies, including Dunville's Whisky, Old Bushmills Whiskey (with a picture of a whisky still and the words 'Grand Prize St. Louis 1904') and Kirker Greer & Co. These were though just a very small part of the production of William W. Cleland, Ltd.
William W. Cleland began his printing business at 58 Victoria Street in Belfast on the first of May 1865. Success and growth necessitated a move in 1867 to larger premises, at 61 High Street, and later the acquisition of land in Great Victoria Street where the Falcon Steam Printing Works were built in 1871.
Some of the departments, such as the sales shop and a warehouse, were kept at the High Street. These were linked to the Falcon works first by a private telegraph and then by the first telephone system installed in Northern Ireland for commercial use.
Another pioneering move was made when the business was incorporated into a limited company, with William W. Cleland and his son James A. Cleland as directors. This was the offer and sale of shares to some of the employees.
More space was obtained with the purchase of the Cullingtree Linen and Damask Factory. For it to be used as a printing works its machinery had to be disposed of and its structure had to be altered. The Cullingtree Printing Works covered almost two acres and extended from Grosvenor Road to Albert Street and from Durham Street to Stanley Street. A five-storey building was added to the Cullingtree Works in 1912.
Several books were printed by William W. Cleland, Ltd., including:
More recently the company was taken over by Boxmore International PLC and changed its name to Boxmore Cleland Ltd. In the year 2000 Boxmore International was taken over by the Chesapeake Corporation, an American company which had acquired the United Kingdom-based Field Group PLC the previous year. The name of Boxmore Cleland Ltd. was changed to Field Boxmore Belfast Ltd. The company moved from the Cullingtree Works location to the Hightown Industrial Estate in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland. This is one of twenty-two sites operated by Field Boxmore, which is Europe's leading manufacturer of printed paper packaging for pharmaceuticals and healthcare.
See also William W. Cleland, Ltd.: A Little History.
The name of J.A. Campbell, of 64 Royal Avenue, Belfast, appears on the base of ceramic water jugs, match strikers and enamelled trays. Also on the base of these items is another name, which is sometimes a known pottery manufacturer, such as Fielding, or a company monogram. Because the name J.A. Campbell appears on different items requiring different manufacturing techniques, and because it sometimes appears next to the name of a known manufacturer, it is assumed that J.A. Campbell was not a manufacturer, but probably a sales agent for Dunville's Whisky.
As well as items advertising Dunville's Whisky, there are small ceramic water jugs advertising 'Ross's Belfast Ginger Ale' on one side and 'Ross's Indian Tonic Water' on the other side, with 'J A Campbell, 64 Royal Avenue Belfast' on the base.
The name of J.A. Campbell & Son appears on a Corbett's Irish Whiskey water jug in the shape of a leprechaun and on an Old Bushmills circular ceramic change tray. The company may have added '& Son' to its name when J.A. Campbell was joined in the company by his son. Items with the name J.A. Campbell & Son may therefore have been made after items with the name J.A. Campbell.
Like J.A. Campbell, and for the same reasons, Richard Patterson & Co. of Belfast was probably a sales agent for Dunville's Whisky.
A partnership of James Frederick Wiltshaw and two brothers, William Herbert Robinson and James Alcock Robinson, formed the company Wiltshaw and Robinson in Copeland Street, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire in 1890. They named their factory the Carlton Works and used the trade name Carlton Ware. When Harold Taylor Robinson, son of James Alcock, replaced his uncle William Herbert as a director, the name of the company was changed to Wiltshaw, Robinson & Son. The directors split in April 1911 and left James Wiltshaw as the sole proprietor. The company was registered as a Limited Company by the name of Wiltshaw and Robinson Ltd. in November 1911
James Wiltshaw died in an accident at Stoke Railway Station in 1918. His son, Frederick Cuthbert, who was serving in the Royal Flying Corps, was allowed compassionate leave to put the company's affairs in order, and became head of the company. In the early 1920s Enoch Boulton became Carlton Ware's designer, responsible for one of their most creative periods. Soon after Boulton's appointment, a new backstamp known as the Script Mark was introduced. The words 'Carlton Ware' are shown as a signature, with 'MADE IN ENGLAND' and 'TRADE MARK' in capitals.
In 1958 Wiltshaw and Robinson Ltd. was renamed Carlton Ware Ltd., with Cuthbert Wiltshaw as the governing director. Arthur Wood and Sons took over the company in 1967 but went into receivership in 1989.
The Carlton Ware Script Mark appears on the base of some Dunville's Whisky ceramic water jugs.
Simon Fielding (d 1906) established S. Fielding & Co. and the Railway Pottery in Sutherland Street, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire in 1870. His son Abraham Fielding (1854/55-1932) took the company over in 1878, after it ran into financial difficulties, and made it a success. In 1912 the Railway Pottery was renamed the Devon Pottery, and from this pottery came the famous Crown Devon name. S. Fielding & Co. continued to trade until 1982.
The 'FIELDING' impressed mark appears on the base of some Dunville's Whisky match strikers.
The Foley China Works were built in Longton, Staffordshire in 1860 by Henry Wileman. J.B. Shelley joined the company as a travelling salesman in 1862 and became a partner in 1867. Henry Wileman retired three years later. In 1872 J.B. Shelley and J.F. Wileman went into partnership to form Wileman & Co. They were joined in 1881 by J.B. Shelley's son Percy, who became the proprietor in 1896. The trade name used by Wileman & Co. was Foley China, and in 1910 it was changed to Shelley. Between 1910 and 1916 the words 'Late Foley' were included in the backstamp.
In 1925 the company name was changed to Shelley and in 1929 the firm became a private limited company named Shelley Potteries Ltd. Percy Shelley and his three sons, Norman, Jack and Bob, who had joined the company in 1918, were the directors. In 1946 Bob's two sons Alan and Donald joined the company. In 1965 the name was changed again, to Shelley China Ltd. In 1966 it was taken over by Allied English Potteries and became a part of Royal Doulton Ltd.
Shelley is famous for fine bone china, but it also made earthenware, dinnerware and a variety of other items, including jelly moulds, table lamps, nursery ware and figurines. The 'Late Foley SHELLEY England' backstamp, with 'SHELLEY' enclosed in the outline of a shield, was used from 1911. It appears on the base of some Dunville's Whisky change trays and match strikers.