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John S. Mayle
was born
in Bedford c. 1840, son of James Langley Mayle (1808-1884) and his wife
Emma. As a young man he worked as a watchmaker. In 1863, John
Mayle married Mary Jane Parry
from
Liverpool. They lived in West Derby from 1864 until 1872, where John
worked as a "photographic artist," before moving to Derby in the
mid-
to late 1870s.
According to Craven (1993) and Adamson (1997), John Mayle worked as a photographer in Derby as early as 1878. He first appears in the Derby electoral registers compiled on 1 Oct 1877, resident in Parliament street (no number mentioned). Two years later, the entry for 31 Oct 1879 shows him living at 133 Parliament street. An 1881 trade directory shows him living at 133 Parliament St, Derby St Werburgh by late 1880, but he described himself as a artist (Kelly) and portrait painter (Census). By 1887, however, Kelly shows him with a photographic studio at 132 Parliament Street - probably a mistake, as the 31 Oct 1886 electoral register shows "133". In about 1887 he moved both his residence and the studio to 124 Parliament Street, and the next electoral register, dated 1 Jan 1888, shows him at that address. A few years later moved once again to 22 Leicester Street (Kelly & Bulmer, 1895). However, Kelly's 1899 trade directory shows him once again at 124 Parliament street, as does the 1901 Census, and electoral registers demonstrate that his residence remained at number 124 until at least 1900. John's two
sons Samuel
Bolton Mayle (born 1866,
Liverpool) and Frederick Percy Mayle
(born 1869,
Liverpool) were listed
as photographers in both the 1891 and 1901 censuses. The firm
was
going as J. Mayle & Sons until at least 1908. John's
brother Thomas
Langley Mayle (b. 1847) also
worked as a photographer, but possibly only as an employee, and
probably never in Derby. |
Portfolio |
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"Maud
& Willy", by J. Mayle & Sons, of 133 Parliament Street, Derby, Undated, but probably c. 1888 Format: Carte de Visite Image © & courtesy of Samantha Smith The reverse of this photo is inscribed "Maud 12" and "Willy 10". These are possibly Maude Eliza Godfrey (born at Derby in 1877) and William Dallison Godfrey (born at Bolton, Lancashire in 1878 - registered Mar Qtr). |
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Unidentified
man by J. Mayle & Sons, of 133 Parliament Street, Derby, Undated, but probably taken in the late 1880s Format: Carte de Visite Size: Mount 65 x 102 mm Image © & courtesy of Elizabeth Gelhard Notes: Inscribed on the reverse, "To Mrs. Gibbs from GW [or GM?]." |
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Reverse of
photo
by J. Mayle & Sons, of 124 Parliament Street, Derby, Undated, but between 1887-1894 Format: Carte de Visite Image © & courtesy of Christine Hibbert John Mayle only moved his studio to 124 Parliament Street after 1887 (Kelly), and was still at that address in April 1891 (Census). By the time that both the Kelly's and Bulmer's directories for 1895 were compiled, had shifted again, to 22 Leicester Street. The photo obviously dates from a time after he had brought both of his sons into the business. |
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Possibly
Lucy Saddington by J. Mayle & Sons, of 124 Parliament Street, Derby, Undated, but probably taken around 1900-1905 Format: Cabinet card Size: 108 x 165 mm Image © & courtesy of Kevin Rhodes Notes |
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Possibly a
young woman dressed in a soldier's uniform by J. Mayle & Sons, of 124 Parliament Street, Derby, Undated, but probably taken around 1900-1905 Format: Cabinet card Size: 108 x 160 mm Image © & courtesy of Kevin Rhodes Notes by
KR: Census records of the family only show three sisters in
the
family, and the two people in these pictures have hands and fingers
that are identical. This leads me to think they both are of
Lucy
Saddington, of whom I have later studio photos. Also of two
sisters Mary is older and Jane had straight hair. |
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References Images kindly provided by Elizabeth Gelhard, Kevin Rhodes, Samantha Smith & Christine Hibbert 1841-1901 UK Census - online from Ancestry.com FreeBMD Wright C.N. (1874) Directory of South Derbyshire, Third Edition, October 1874, Derby. Anon (1881) Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire, Kelly & Co., London. Anon (1887) Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire, Kelly & Co., London. Anon (1891) Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland & Nottinghamshire, Kelly & Co., London. University of Leicester's Digital Library of Historical Directories Anon (1895) Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire, Kelly & Co. Limited, London. Anon (1895) History, Topography, and Directory of Derbyshire, T. Bulmer & Co. - by kind courtesy of Sonia Addis-Smith Anon (1899) Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland & Nottinghamshire, Kelly & Co., London. University of Leicester's Digital Library of Historical Directories Craven, Maxwell (ed.) (1993) Keene's Derby, Breedon Books, Derby, pp. 200-202. - by kind courtesy of Sonia Addis-Smith |
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