![]() |
|
William
Edward Swift
was born c. 1852 in Coventry, Warwickshire, and was an older brother of
Charles
Samuel Swift. The
family moved to Derby between 1871 and
1881. He
married Elizabeth Jane Milton (born c. 1865
Plymouth, Devon) at Derby in 1888, and they had three children.
William
Swift
operated
briefly (early 1880s to c.1888) from a studio at 30 St Peter's Street
in
Derby. He opened a new
studio
in Lumley Road, Skegness by late 1884, in time to have a listing in the
1885 Kelly's trade directory. A carte de visite dated
tentatively from the late 1880s, and showing the addresses in both
Skegness and Derby on the reverse (see below), demonstrates that both
studios operated simultaneously, the Derby one probably being under the
stewardship of a
manager. By the time that the 1891 edition of Kelly's trade
directory
for Derbyshire was compiled, probably in
the latter
months of 1890,
the studio at 30 St. Peter's Street was occupied by Robert K. Peacock,
and it seems likely that
Swift disposed of the Derby studio between 1887 and 1890. At
the
same time, the business in Skegness appears to have been expanded to
include a grocer's shop. Between 1896
and 1905 William E. Swift was being listed -
still at 59
Lumley Road in Skegness - only as a greengrocer, fruiterer and florist,
so presumably he
had given up photography by late 1895. He subsequently moved
to
Drummond Road in Skegness, where the greengrocer's shop was listed
until at least 1909. |
Portfolio |
![]() |
Reverend
Henry Fitzherbert Wright (1833-1880) by Willm. Ewd. Swift of 30, St. Peter's Street (adjoining Mr. Wm. Newton) Undated, but probably taken c. 1878-1880 Format: Carte de Visite Size: 63 x 105 mm (mount) 57 x 94.5 mm (photo) Card stock printed by Trapp & Münch, Berlin Photo © Brett Payne & courtesy of David Simkin "Mr.
H. Wright" inscribed faintly in pencil on reverse (see below). |
![]() |
![]() |
Reverend
Henry Fitzherbert Wright (1833-1880) by Willm. Ewd. Swift of 30, St. Peter's Street (adjoining Mr. Wm. Newton) Undated, but probably taken c. 1878-1880 Format: Carte de Visite Card stock printed by Trapp & Münch, Berlin Photo
© & courtesy of Derby
Local Studies Library |
![]() |
![]() |
Unidentified
child
by William Edward Swift, of 30 St. Peter's Street, Derby, Undated, but probably c.1884-1888 Format: Carte de Visite Mount printed by Trapp & Münch, Berlin Image © & courtesy of Christine Hibbert Nothing further is known about this photo |
![]() |
![]() |
Unidentified
young woman
by Willm. Ewd. Swift of 30 St. Peter's Street (joining Mr. W, Newton), Derby, Undated, but probably taken c.1884-1888 Format: Carte de Visite Mount printed by Trapp & Münch, Berlin Image © & courtesy of Claire Casey Notes |
![]() |
![]() |
Unknown
young man,
by William Edward Swift, of 30 St. Peter's Street, Derby, Undated, but probably c.1884-1888 Format: Carte de Visite Mount printed by E.N.M.Co.L. Image © & courtesy of Samantha Smith Nothing further is known about this photo |
![]() |
![]() |
Unidentified
young man,
by William Edward Swift, of 30 St. Peter's Street, Derby, Undated, but probably c.1884-1888 Format: Carte de Visite Mount printed by E.N.M.Co.L. Image © & courtesy of Samantha Smith Nothing further is known about this photo |
![]() |
![]() |
James
Rann Boyce (born 1853 Aston, Birmingham)
by William Edward Swift of 30 St. Peter's Street, Derby, Undated, but probably taken c.1884-1886 Format: Cabinet card Size: Mount 110 x 167 mm Mount printed by E.N.M.Co.L. Image © & courtesy of Robin Boyce Notes by RB: My great-grandfather
JR Boyce was a grocer in Derby from 1878 until 1881, I am positive, but
by the 1891 Census was back in Birmingham. |
![]() |
![]() |
Unknown
older man,
by Wm. E. Swift of 30 St. Peter's Street, Derby, Undated, but probably c.1884-1888 Format: Carte de Visite Image © & courtesy of Claire Casey Notes |
![]() |
Unknown
subject,
by William Edward Swift, of 30 St. Peter's Street, Derby, Undated, but probably c.1884-1888 Format: Carte de Visite Mount printed by Trapp & Münch, Berlin Image © & courtesy of Samantha Smith Nothing further is known about this photo |
![]() |
![]() |
Unidentified
young man,
by William Edward Swift of 30 St. Peter's Street, Derby Undated, but probably taken in the early to mid-1880s Format: Carte de Visite Size: Mount 64 x 105.5 mm, Photo 57 x 95.5 mm Mount printed by Trapp & Münch, Berlin Image © & Collection of Brett Payne Nothing further is known about this photo |
![]() |
![]() |
Unidentified
young man,
by William Edward Swift of 30 St. Peter's Street, Derby Undated, but probably taken in the early to mid-1880s Format: Carte de Visite Size: Mount 63 x 105 mm, Photo 57.5 x 95 mm Mount printed by Trapp & Münch, Berlin Image © & Collection of Brett Payne Notes: |
![]() |
![]() |
Unidentified
young man,
by William Edward Swift of 30 St. Peter's Street, Derby Undated, but probably taken in the early to mid-1880s Format: Carte de Visite Mount printed by Trapp & Münch, Berlin Image © & Courtesy of Cynthia Maddock Nothing further is known about this photo |
![]() |
![]() |
Unidentified
gentleman, by William Edward Swift, of Lumley Road & Avenue, Skegness, & 30 St. Peter's Street, Derby, Undated, but probably taken c.1885-1889 Format: Carte de Visite Image © & courtesy of Lynne Ablard Nothing further is known about this photo |
![]() |
![]() |
Unidentified
man by William Edward Swift of Lumley Road & Avenue, Skegness, & 30 St. Peter's Street, Derby, Undated, but probably taken c.1885-1889 Format: Cabinet card Size: Mount 107 x 165.5 mm Photo 99.5 x 150.5 mm Image © & collection of Brett Payne Notes: The photograph
has
been stuck over another photo, although the image of the hidden photo
cannot be seen. |
![]() |
![]() |
Frederick
William Halfpenny by William Edward Swift of Lumley Road & Avenue, Skegness, & 30 St. Peter's Street, Derby, Undated, but probably taken in the early to mid-1880s Format: Cabinet card Size: Mount 107 x 163.5 mm Photo 99.5 x 152 mm Image © & collection of Brett Payne Notes: Inscribed on the reverse, "Frederick Wm. Halfpenny, 27th Nov 1883," and a quotation from Aylmer's Field by Tennyson. Frederick William Halfpenny was born at Derby in 1862, the eldest child of a Post Office employee, Frederick William Halfpenny (1836-1900) senior, and Dorcas Sarah Crespin (1838-1927). The family moved from Litchurch (Derby) to West Ham (Essex) between 1876 and 1880, when FWH junior was in his mid- to late teens. By April 1881 he was working as a railway clerk in West Ham. It appears he returned to Derby in the early to mid-1880s, perhaps to visit friends, when this portrait was taken. He married Mary Elizabeth S. Palmer at West Ham in 1890, was described as an accountant in April 1891, and as a railway clerk again in April 1901, by which time he and his wife had two daughters. |
![]() |
References
Image & information kindly provided by Derby Local Studies Library, Robin Boyce, Cynthia Maddock, Claire Casey, Brett Payne, Lynne Ablard, David Simkin, Samantha Smith and Christine Hibbert 1841-1901 UK Census - online from Ancestry.com FreeBMD Anon (1885) Kelly's Directory of Lincolnshire, Kelly & Co., London. Anon (1887) Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire, Kelly & Co., London. Anon (1889) Kelly's Directory of Lincolnshire, Kelly & Co., London. Anon (1891) Kelly's Directory of Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland, and Nottinghamshire. - from University of Leicester - Digital Library of Historical Directories. Anon (1896) Kelly's Directory of Lincolnshire, Kelly & Co., London. Anon (1901) Eastern Counties of England Directory. - from University of Leicester - Digital Library of Historical Directories. Anon (1905) Kelly's Directory of Lincolnshire, Kelly & Co., London. Anon (1909) Kelly's Directory of Lincolnshire, Kelly & Co., London. Craven, Maxwell (ed.) (1993) Keene's Derby, Breedon Books, Derby, pp. 200-202. - by kind courtesy of Sonia Addis-Smith |
|
|
|
|
|