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Simnett was born at
Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire in 1839,
seventh of eight children of shoemaker and temperance hotel keeper John
Simnett senior (born c. 1802) and Mary née
Bennett. As a
young man in 1861, he worked as a printer's compositor in Derby,
perhaps for the firm of Bemrose & Sons. In 1863, John
married
Sarah Spencer (1839-1910) in London - they lived at 154 Station Street,
Burton-on-Trent, and had six children. John Simnett claimed, on later card mounts, to have started working as a photographer in 1863. By 1868 he had a studio situated in George Street, Burton. In 1871, however, he was living at 154 Station Street, and presumably had moved the studio to these premises as well. By 1881, his eldest son John Spencer Simnett was working as an assistant in the studio. They remained at this address until his death in 1888, at the age of 49. Sarah and children then moved to 76 Guild Street (where the studio was listed with premises in 1896 and 1900 trade directories). His eldest son, in the mean time, married Henrietta Wright at Leeds in 1889, and they settled at 56 Scalpcliffe Road in nearby Stapenhill. The 1891 Census shows him as a photographer, and his younger brother Albert Josiah Simnett working as an assistant in the studio, but by 1901 both of them were described as photographers. The business was listed as J.S. Simnett at 2 Guild Street in trade directories from 1912 until at least 1940, and is still in existence today (J.S. Simnett Photographers). |
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Unidentified young woman by J. Simnett of 154 Station Street, Burton on Trent Undated, but probably taken c. 1873-1876 Format: Carte-de-visite Images © & courtesy of Claire Casey Notes |
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Unidentified
young couple (left), and elderly woman (right) by J. Simnett of 154 Station Street, Burton on Trent Undated, but probably taken c. 1874-1878 Format: Carte-de-visite Images © & courtesy of Claire Casey Notes: The young woman at left is
probably the same one who is the subject of portrait shown above. |
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Unidentified
young woman by J.S. Simnett of 76 Guild Street, Burton on Trent Undated, but probably taken in the early to mid-1890s Format: Carte-de-visite Size: Mount 63 x 104.5 mm Photo 58.5 x 89 mm Images © & collection of Brett Payne Notes |
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Thomas Edwin Mason (1873-1955) by J.S. Simnett of 76 Guild Street, Burton on Trent Undated, but probably taken in the late-1890s Format: Carte-de-visite Size: Mount 64 x 104 mm Negative No. 6739 Images © & courtesy of Dave Mason Notes by DM: My grandfather Thomas Edwin Mason was born at Burton-on-Trent on January 4, 1873, and died at Vancouver, British Columbia on April 22, 1955. I estimate the portrait was taken about 1895. |
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| Group
portrait of the Mason family of
Burton-on-Trent, by J.S. Simnett of 76 Guild Street, Burton on Trent Undated, but probably taken in the late 1890s Format: Cabinet card Size: Mount 108 x 167 mm Images © & courtesy of Dave Mason Notes by DM: (Back row L-R) Thomas Edwin Mason (b. Burton on Trent Jan 4, 1873 d. Vancouver, B.C. Apr 22, 1955), George Herbert Mason (b. Stapenhill 1877), Walter John Mason (b. Stapenhill, Sept. 1878 d. 1945), Frank Harold Mason b. Stapenhill 1880 d. Leeds 1964); (Front row) Eliza Ann Mason née Smith (b. Longton, Staffs. 1848, d. Stapenhill 1927), William Henry Mason (b. Burton on Trent 1869; a principal of the firm of Redfern & Mason, timber merchants of Burton), Alice Mary Rowland née Mason (b. Burton on Trent 1867; her husband was Joseph S. Rowland, principal of Rowland & Son, auctioneers of Burton, who also served as Mayor of Burton 1914-16). |
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Unidentified
young woman by J.S. Simnett of 76 Guild Street, Burton on Trent Undated, but probably taken c. 1899-1905 Format: Cabinet card, thick card with bevelled edges Size: Mount 107 x 166.5 mm Photo 98 x 142.5 mm Images © & collection of Brett Payne Notes |
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Unidentified
young woman by Simnett of 2 Guild Street, Burton on Trent Undated, but probably taken in the mid- to late 1900s Format: Postcard Size: 89 x 133 mm Images © & collection of Brett Payne Notes |
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Unidentified
woman by Simnett of 2 Guild Street, Burton on Trent Undated, but probably taken c. 1908-1915 Format: Postcard Size: Card 86.5 x 135.5 mm Photo 81.5 x 120 mm Negative No. 11789 Images © & courtesy of Hilary Linnington Notes |
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Unidentified children by Simnett of Burton on Trent Undated, but probably taken c. 1914-1922 Format: Print Size: Card 52.5 x 126.5 mm Photo 48 x 112.5 mm Negative No. 14527 Images © & collection of Brett Payne Notes |
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Unidentified
woman by Simnett of Burton on Trent Undated, but probably taken c. 1914-1922 Format: Print Size: Card 52 x 124 mm Photo 43 x 110 mm Negative No. 16854 Images © & courtesy of Hilary Linnington Notes |
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Possibly Sarah E. Blood (b.
c.1854 Hatton, Derbyshire) by Simnett of Burton on Trent Undated, but probably taken c. 1914-1922 Format: Print Size: Card 52.5 x 123 mm Photo 48.5 x 111.5 mm Negative No. 1723? Images © & courtesy of Liz Woloski Notes: Inscribed on the reverse, "Tom Blood's sister." |
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Probably either Nellie or
Elsie Blood by Simnett of Burton on Trent Undated, but probably taken c. 1914-1922 Format: Print Size: Card 52.5 x 123 mm Photo 48.5 x 111.5 mm Negative No. - Images © & courtesy of Liz Woloski Notes: |
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Unidentified young man by J.S. Simnett of Guild Street, Burton on Trent Undated, but probably taken in the 1920s Format: Mounted print Size: Card folder 145.5 x 118 mm (folded in half) Photo 44 x 80 mm Images © & collection of Brett Payne Notes |
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| References
Images provided by Dave Mason, Liz Woloski, Hilary Linnington, Brett Payne and Claire Casey 1841-1901 UK Census - online from Ancestry.com FreeBMD International Genealogical Index - online from the LDS church Bagshaw (1846) History, Gazetteer and Directory of Derbyshire. Collection of Brett Payne. Anon (1855) The Post Office Directory of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. University of Leicester's Digital Library of Historical Directories White, F. & Co. (1857) History, Gazetteer and Directory of the County of Derby. Transcribed by Neil Wilson. Harrison, Harrod & Co. (1860) Directory and Gazetteer of Derbyshire, London. Anon (1870) Harrod & Co.'s Postal & Commercial Directory of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland & Staffordshire. - from University of Leicester - Digital Library of Historical Directories. Wright C.N. (1874) Directory of South Derbyshire, Third Edition, October 1874, Derby. |
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