2. William White & Co.
The suspicion is
that either White and Parson saw a commercial opportunity and convinced Baines
to support them; or that Baines appreciated the vast amount of work involved in
directories, and decided to leave this area of business. The evidence of the
Kingston-upon-Hull and Durham and Northumberland directories implies these were
Baines´ first steps in relinquishing the directory business to concentrate on
the newspaper and politics, especially as the latter directory was Printed for
White & Co. by Edward Baines and Son, at the Leeds Mercury Office. However,
as we will see, Baines did not give up the directory business completely.
Pub. online by University of Leicester Special Collections
Whatever the actual business or financial arrangement,
White had firmly taken over the directory side of the business by the end of
the 1820s. Of the next four directories known, published 1829, 1830, 1832 and
1833 respectively, two were county volumes, covering Cumberland and Westmorland (1829), and Nottinghamshire (1832) and also city directories for
Leeds (1830), and Sheffield (1833). There was some logic in choosing these, as
the three counties bordered on Yorkshire; and Sheffield and Leeds represented
Yorkshire´s two largest cities. Jane Norton has pointed out that Sheffield was
one of the first two cities which was not a port to boast a directory (the
other was Birmingham).[i] The
first of these county directories was written by Wm Parson and Wm White and
printed for W White & Co. by Baines & Son and sold by the publishers at
their Leeds and Newcastle addresses; however, Nottinghamshire was now written by
William White and printed for the author in Sheffield by Robert Leader. It was
to be sold at the Wicker Library by William White. Robert Leader (and his sons) would
print all of White´s directories for a considerable period[ii].
Despite White taking over the directory side
of the business, there may have been some cooperation or agreement between
Edward Baines and William White where it concerned the Leeds directory. Edward
Baines had published the Directory, General and Commercial of … Leeds as early as 1817[iii].
In 1826 William Parson compiled the General and Commercial Directory of
… Leeds, printed and published at
the Mercury-Office in Leeds[iv].
When this title reappeared in 1834, it was now published in Leeds by Baines and
Newsome[v].
This partnership would also publish this as General and Commercial Directory
of … Leeds but now compiled by
Thomas Haigh in 1839[vi].
However, in 1830, the Directory of the Borough of Leeds, the City of York,
and the Clothing District of Yorkshire was published jointly by Wm
Parson and Wm White in Leeds and printed by Baines and Son. According to
the preface (signed jointly) there had been a lot of effort as many street
names had been changed and even re-numbering of doors, in addition to snow and
ice during the data collection process. This directory is important as it
further reflects the transition of the directory business away from Baines and
towards White. The next issue did not appear until 1842, by William White, but
this was still being sold by Baines, now Baines and Newsome, in Leeds,
reinforcing the idea of an amicable separation.
Also included in White´s 1830 Leeds was a
sketch plan of part of that city and an insert[vii]
explained the presence of this small section of Leeds: The annexed engraving
is intended to exhibit the scale of a new plan of Leeds. This plan, to
be drawn by Charles Fowler, Civil Engineer and land Surveyor, was to be 30
by 24 inches with various embellishments and to be available in various
formats: on the usual paper, on large paper, full coloured, on best India
paper, or with canvas and rollers with prices ranging from 5s to 2 guineas.
This is an indication of the importance of maps, both as an essential part of a
good directory and as a source of supplementary income.
The General directory of the town and
borough of Sheffield was published in Sheffield (1833) by White alone. His
printer was again Robert Leader at the Independent Office in Sheffield. The
book was to be sold by W W at the Wicker Library in Sheffield and by agents and
booksellers. In his Advertisement signed April 8th 1833, White
acknowledges his sources (including Baines´ West Riding) but pours scorn on an
earlier Local Register written by Mr Thomas (who had threatened legal action).
Thus, White´s finally arrived in Sheffield where it would remain, at some time
between 1830 and 1832. William Parson has disappeared, possibly he retired or
died, and the ties with Baines (as printer) severed.
Edward Baines Snr, meanwhile, was preparing
his four-volume History of the County Palatine and Duchy of Lancaster ...
The biographical department by W. R. Whatton, Esq. This included a History
of the cotton manufacture by Edward Baines Jun. The work was published
in London, originally in parts and as bound volumes by Fisher, Son & Co. in 1836. This work also included two maps: one of the County
at the time of the Doomsday Book; the other, of modern Lancashire engraved by J
& C Walker. William White would purchase maps from this company for some of
his directories.
Between 1834 and 1840, William White expanded
the directory business with two more counties (Staffs 1834, and Norfolk 1836)
and reissued some of the above directories: e.g. Yorkshire in 1837-8 and 1840. In 1841 he was registered in Strafforth and Tickhill (South
Division) with his wife, Mary White 35 (i.e. some 6-7 years younger), and four
children Thomas 12, William 8, Emma 10 and Mary Elizabeth aged just 8 months.
Another daughter, Amelia, would follow two years later. In the census of 1851,
William White (now 52) was living with wife Mary, William junior, Emma, Mary
Elizabeth and Amelia together with Elizabeth Newton (aged 16) in Ecclesall Bierlow in Sheffield. Thomas
was presumably studying at Cambridge University. In July 1855, Thomas married,
the Derbyshire Advertiser and Journal announcing the marriage
between the Rev. Thomas White, M.A., eldest son of William White, Esq., of
Collegiate Crescent, Sheffield, to Mary Anne, second daughter of Henry Toone,
Esq., Loughborough at Emmanuel Church in Loughborough (issue for Friday 06 July
1855).
Between 1851 and 1861, William
appears to have remarried. He is now (1861) registered together with spouse Ann
White (age 51, i.e. 11 years younger) at Collegiate Crescent with William White
(now 28), Mary Elizabeth (20), Amelia (18) and Hannah Richardson (age 23). For
some time after her father´s death, Amelia went to live with her older brother
and is registered in Kings Lynn in 1871.
Apart from the works noted already,
directories of Lincoln 1842 (2nd edition 1851), Suffolk 1844 (2nd
edition 1855), Leicestershire (with Rutland) 1846, Essex 1848 (2nd
edition 1863), Devon 1850[viii]
and Hampshire (with the Isle of Wight) 1859 were published. Looking at a map of
England, one notices that Devon and Hampshire are a bit of an oddity, rather
detached from the other areas covered by White. By the time William senior died
in 1868, the Whites produced a total of twelve county titles. Four years prior
to his death, in 1864, William retired in favour of his younger son who
published the second edition of Leicester in 1868. In addition, there were the
individual city titles. These were updated more frequently, especially those of
Leeds (15th edition 1894) and Sheffield (23rd edition 1901). In addition, the company
published other shorter works, also extracted from the county volumes, on Hull,
Bradford and Grimsby (and others may be located in the future).
William White´s Directories:
Click the entry below to access relevant page.
1. Early Years - William White and Edward Baines
2. William White & Co.
3. Rivalry and Family Feud
4. Francis White
5. Maps
6. William White Co. - Later Years
Appendix I. Description of the maps in the Directory of Yorkshire (Baines)
Appendix II. Description of the maps in the Directory of Lancashire (Baines)
Appendix III. Description of the maps in the Directory of Durham and Northumberland (White & Parson, White 1)
Appendix IV. Lists of White directories - locations, date of issue, reference to maps.
White 2 - Cumberland & Westmorland
White 3 - Nottinghamshire
White 4 - Staffordshire
White 5 - Norfolk
White 6 - Yorkshire (later edition)
White 7 - Lincoln
White 8 - Suffolk
White 9 - Leicestershire with Rutland
White 10 - Essex
White 11 - Devonshire
White 12 - Hampshire with Isle of Wight
White´s city directories
[ii] Robert Leader would print all directories until the late 1850s. The company continued as Leader & Sons for a time, but by 1866 the printer was no longer noted on the title page. By 1878 the printing had largely been taken over by Spottiswoode & Co.; although Lincoln (5th) was printed by Thos. K Babington, at the Reliance Printing Work in Ripon; and Norfolk (5th) was printed by The Hansard Publishing Union, London and Redhill.
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