Joseph Gillott | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of Joseph Gillott. | |
| Born | (1799-10-11)11 October 1799 Sheffield, England |
| Died | 5 January 1872(1872-01-05) (aged 72)[1] |
| Resting place | Key Hill Cemetery |
| Known for | Founder ofJoseph Gillott's |
| Children | Joseph junior |
Joseph Gillott (11 October 1799 – 5 January 1872) was anEnglishpen-manufacturer and patron of the arts. He is mostly notable for being the founder ofJoseph Gillott's, adip pen manufacturing company based inBirmingham.
After a brief period of schooling, Gillott began working in the cutlery trade in his home town ofSheffield. In 1821 he moved toBirmingham, where he found employment in the steeltoy trade, the technical name for the manufacture of steel buckles, chains and light ornamental steel-work generally.[2]
About 1830 he turned his attention to the manufacture of steeldip pens by machinery.[2]His company rapidly became successful and Gillott was soon a very wealthy man. It was rumoured locally that he buried some of his money in his cellar so that it did not become known that he had acquired so much. He certainly spread his cash across a number of bank accounts in Birmingham. In 1840 he opened his Victoria Works; the business employed mainly girls. Gillott also invested in the new railway companies and especially in property and land – not only in Birmingham, where he bought a large estate inEdgbaston, but also in London and Wales. The family home for many years was "The Grove" on Westbourne Road in Edgbaston.
Gillott was an often secretive man, both in business and in art collecting. He socialised with a small group of friends at the Hen and Chickens Hotel and theTheatre Royal (which he part-owned) inNew Street, Birmingham.[3]
Gillott was an art collector – at first he exchanged pens for paintings – and one of the first to recognise the merits ofJ. M. W. Turner. He also collected paintings byRichard Wilson,Richard Parkes Bonington,Thomas Gainsborough andJohn Constable.[4] He recognized the work ofJohn Linnell and was the first to give him a good price.[5]His collection of pictures, sold after his death, realised £170,000.
Gillott died in Birmingham and was buried inKey Hill Cemetery.[6]
A white marble bust of Gillott stands in the main foyer ofBirmingham Council House.
In later years, Gillott's son, Joseph Gillott junior, purchased a considerable estate in the village ofCatherine-de-Barnes,Solihull on which he builtNew Berry Hall, a large gothic mansion with North and South Lodges. He also built the school in the village.
A collection of Gillott's letters are held at the Cadbury Research Library, University of Birmingham.[7]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Gillott, Joseph".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 12 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 23.
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