All,
It's against my nature to do this, but given the Wiki-Tool site that Josh
runs appears to be hacked, and that's where I'd assembled the first run of
this information, I thought I'd post the revised version of my history of
Malloch here. If you've read before, I've added information throughout on
specific dates with information pulled from local newspapers, and I
incorporated the information from Malloch's death certificate into the
story. I have screen shots of the newspaper articles added to the piece.
There's also an odd piece about an assault at the planemaking shop!
My apologies for the tedium of duplication:
David Malloch
After reading Charlie Driggs's post on the Oldtools list I wondered if
there was indeed a Perth in Scotland (land of many of my forebears). And
(before I saw Adam's reply) I found this, at 50 South Street in Perth:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/50+South+St,+Perth+PH2+8PD,+UK/@56.39
51396,-3.4286161,3a,15y,157.61h,110.43t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1soV_vR1xzW2alPDwGNA2f
2w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!4m5!3m4!1s0x48863b1113bf5c73:0x6c0ff5178238a71e!8m2!3d56.3
950068!4d-3.4284782">https://www.google.com/maps/place/50+South+St,+Perth+PH2+8P
D,+UK/@56.3951396,-3.4286161,3a,15y,157.61h,110.43t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1soV_vR1xz
W2alPDwGNA2f2w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!4m5!3m4!1s0x48863b1113bf5c73:0x6c0ff5178238a71
e!8m2!3d56.3950068!4d-3.4284782
You can still see the building to which they moved in this shot, with the
lovely architectural ornamentation showing an axe, a saw, and other tools
on the building's façade. It was *this* that got me going down the rabbit
hole to find out more about David Malloch and his planemaking in Perth.
Apparently there was a wealth of information on Wiktor's site under the
Mathieson history...but no more. I gathered info from a number of found
posts, but did a lot of digging in primary sources: the Scottish Post
Office Directories.
https://digital.nls.uk/directories/browse/archive/91049054 These mostly
confirmed the information in other posts, but I did glean some new
information.
The basic outline is as according to this Worthpoint seller (
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/early-1800s-scottish-infill-
plane-513188107">https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/early-1800s-scottish-
infill-plane-513188107),
that John McGlashan was a Perth planemaker in the first half of the 1800s
whose business passed to David Malloch on John's death in 1849; David
Malloch ran it until 1913 under various guises.
In more detail, Malloch took over McGlashan's business and his home (with
McGlashan's wife, a milliner, moving next door, until she apparently passed
away, or left Perth, in 1857) on South Methven Street in 1849. In
November, 1849, Malloch ran an announcement in the Perthshire Advertiser
that says:
“IMPORTANT TO JOINERS, CABINETMAKERS, IRONMONGERS, AND OTHERS.
DAVID MALLOCH having Succeeded to the PLANE-MAKING BUSINESS of the late Mr.
John McGlashan, South Methven Street, Perth, begs leave to intimate that he
now carries on, on his own account, Planemaking in all its Departments, in
the same Premises; and has always on hand a select assortment of
EDGE-TOOLS, SAWS, CHISELS, GOUGES, BRACES, BITS, AUGURS, &c.
D.M. having had extensive experience as Foreman to Messrs. Stewart,
Planemakers in Edinburgh, trusts, by strict attention to business, the most
moderate charges, and work of the best description, to merit a share of
that patronage so long enjoyed by his late predecessor.
N.B. Orders from the country carefully attended to:
South Methven Street, Perth,
November, 1849”
Malloch made planes from the South Methven Street location as "David
Malloch" until early 1856, when he moved the business to the center of
town, opposite the main church ("Kirkside"), at 25 St. John's Street
("Above Working Men's Coffee-Room"). He announced this move in the
Perthshire Advertiser of February 14, 1856:
“EDGE TOOL WAREHOUSE.
DAVID MALLOCH, PLANEMAKER, begs to intimate, that he has now REMOVED to
more commodious Premises at 25, ST. JOHN STREET, opposite Central Bank.
Entrance by Kirkside. He invites inspection of hijs large assortment of
JOINERS’, CABINETMAKERS’, and SHIP CARPENTERS’ TOOLS, from the best Makers,
at the most moderate prices.
OBSERVE—Entrance by Kirkside, opposite Central Bank, Perth.”
Interestingly, all the advertisements listing 25 St. John Street have a
statement "(Successor to John M'Glashan)" that implies he still needed to
trade on McGlashan's name. By 1854 he was making "Joiners' and
Cabinetmakers' Tools of every description. Saws, Chisels, Braces, Bits, and
Augers, of all sizes." He ran the same basic ad through the 1866
directory. Additionally, after the move to St. John Street the firm
advertised in the Dundee People’s Journal, the Perthshire Advertiser, and
the Dundee Courier for apprentices, for example:
“Wanted, a Stout Active Boy, 15 Years of age, as an APPRENTICE. Apply to
DAVID MALLOCH, Plane Maker, St. John Street, Perth.”
He used the same manufactory until 1870, when he moved the business to 50
South Street, which is only about three blocks away from Kirkside. While
there are no directories provided between 1866 and 1872 to say when the
move was undertaken, according to a comment at the bottom of this post:
https://automobilrevue.net/v/Q2l5bXNMNWFQVUU "A notice in the Perthshire
Courier of Tuesday 26 April 1870, recorded that “David Malloch, Plane
Manufacturer and Edge Tool Merchant …. has removed from Kirkside to more
commodious premises at 50 South St. …” The author speculates "It is
apparent that the Malloch business had steadily grown and with the move to
South St, further expansion was possible. These were extensive premises for
a firm that seems to have undertaken little or no other work than
planemaking." Expand they did, and by 1881 the firm had 9 employees. I
think the author of that comment was actually incorrect, in that they were
making everything a joiner or cabinetmaker could need (not least as
evidenced by the architectural ornamentation on the 50 South Street
building, still extant), and so goes against the idea of "little or no
other work than planemaking."
And now here's where things get a little awry. Goodman's lists the Perth
Plane Works under David Malloch & Son from 1878-1913. The automobilrevue.net
link shows David Malloch & Son (1878-1913) separately from The Perth Plane
works, but the latter with no dates. Based on what I could glean from the
Scottish Post Office Directories, David Malloch & Son indeed was
*mentioned* in 1878, but in the years 1880-1891 was still David Malloch,
planemaker. There is no trace of William in the Perth directories until the
1891 directory, when he's shown living at Croft Park with his mother; David
appears to have passed away. William was born in 1849, according to
Britain's 1881 census; perhaps when he was 29 his father encouraged him to
join the planemaking enterprise, when David would have been 60. Perhaps to
no avail. The firm continued to be listed as David Malloch through 1891;
after that, through its purchase by Mathieson in 1913 it was listed as
David Malloch & Son. The additional sobriquet "The Perth Plane Works" was
only listed starting with the 1903 directory, though indeed could have been
added any time after 1899's directory was published.
At first I couldn’t quite figure: David Malloch's death date. Based on the
above, I'd imagined it sometime 1889-91, when David Malloch shows no
address for a house, and William Malloch has moved to Croft Park, and is
shown living with his mother (who looks to have died 1893-94). I hadn't
been able to access any histories that speak of David Malloch's death;
however, given my father’s deep dive into our family tree I found an entry
on Ancestry.com. I was able to find David Malloch’s death certificate
there:
https://mediasvc.ancestry.com/v2/image/namespaces/1093/media/e51f9b24-4
5d2-4dc7-aee0-4a9636dc206c.jpg?client=Trees&imageQuality=hq&maxWidth=2510&maxHei
ght=2082">https://mediasvc.ancestry.com/v2/image/namespaces/1093/media/e51f9b24-
45d2-4dc7-aee0-4a9636dc206c.jpg?client=Trees&imageQuality=hq&maxWidth=2510&maxHe
ight=2082
He was born in 1818, in Dundee, to James Malloch (a weaver, age 33) and
Jane (Watson) Malloch (age 31), both deceased by 1891. David passed on
January 4th at what looks like “1/2 one pm”, aged 73, of “carcinoma of
rectum and bronchial effusion” at his home in Croft Park, Craigie, Perth.
The death was witnessed by his son John, then aged 30. David left an
estate in the amount of £2152 13s 5d (worth approximately £176K today), a
considerable sum. David’s wife Sarah, who he married in 1845, passed on in
1893.
An interesting tidbit appeared in the “Courts” section of the Dundee
Courier in 1896, wherein an apprentice planemaker assaulted his master:
“ASSAULTING HIS MASTER.—Frederick Campbell, apprentice planemaker, was
charged—before Bailie Wright—at the Police Court yesterday, with having, on
Tuesday, in the workshop in South Street occupied by David Malloch,
planemaker, assaulated the said David Malloch by throwing several plane
handles at him, and striking him on the side. He pleaded not guilty, but
was convicted on evidence, and fined 30s, with the option of twenty days’
imprisonment.”
However, I am betting his master was actually William Malloch, David
Malloch having been dead 5 years by the time of the assault. And note, 30s
was about four days’ wages at the time.
I've created the following timeline from my research, and that of the
others mentioned:
MCGLASHAN, John PERTH
50 St. John St. <1837-ca.1845
66 South Methven St. ca.1845-1849
MALLOCH, David PERTH
57 South Methven St. 1850-ca.1854
25 St. John St. ca.1854-1870
50 South St. 1870-1890,
excepting 1878
MALLOCH David & Son (William) PERTH
50 South St. 1878,
1891-ca.1899
50 South St. (The Perth Plane Works) ca.1899-1913
11 East Campbell St., Glasgow 1914-1932 (Subsidiary of
Alex. Mathieson, Glasgow)
I do note that William is listed as retired in the 1911 Post Office
Directory, so I wonder even about the 1913 date for Mathieson's acquisition
(though that seems to be the date everyone knows).
Compare this with Goodman's (W.L. Goodman's _British Planemakers from
1700_, Third Edition, c. 1993) quoted from the old thread by Don McConnell:
MALLOCH, David & Son PERTH
50 South St. (The Perth Plane Works) 1878-1913
11 East Campbell St., Glasgow 1914-1932 (Subsidiary of
Alex. Mathieson, Glasgow)
Here's the full timeline I assembled (all sources not listed are from the
Scottish Post Office Directories):
1795, John McGlashan born (from an expired WK Tools article; I could just
read the preview).
1818, David Malloch born (1881 British Census)
1837, John McGlashan & Co., wright's tool makers; 50 St. John Street. No
advertisement.
1845, David Malloch marries Sarah MacLaren (Ancestry.com)
1845, John McGlashan, 66 South Methven Street (tool-maker); South Methven
Street (plane-maker); house at 2 York Place. No advertisement.
1848, John McGlashan, 66 South Methven Street (tool-maker); South Methven
Street (tool manufacturer); unknown house. No advertisement.
1849, John McGlashan dies. His wife lived as a milliner at 65 South Methven
Street until 1857. William Malloch born (Worthpoint/Automobilrevue.net/1881
British Census)
1849, David Malloch notice in Perthshire Advertiser in Novmeber, taking
over from John McGlashan on South Methven Street.
1850, David Malloch, 57 South Methven Street; house at 66 South Methven
Street. No advertisement. No entry for John McGlashan.
1852, David Malloch, 57 South Methven Street; house at 66 South Methven
Street. No advertisement. Helen Malloch born (1881 British Census)
1854, David Malloch, 57 South Methven Street; house at 66 South Methven
Street. Advertised at 25 St. John's Street as a "wright's tool
manufacturer" (https://digital.nls.uk/directories/browse/archive/85747120)
1856, David Malloch notice in Perthshire Advertiser on February 14 about
move to 25 St. John Street.
1856-1880s, David Malloch advertises in various newspapers for apprentices.
1856, David Malloch, Kirkside; assume house at 66 South Methven Street.
Advertised at 25 St. John Street as a "wright's tool manufacturer" (
https://digital.nls.uk/directories/browse/archive/85669664). Mary Malloch
born (1881 British Census)
1858, David Malloch, planemaker, Kirkside; assume house at 66 South Methven
Street. Advertised at 25 St. John Street as a "wright's tool manufaturer" (
https://digital.nls.uk/directories/browse/archive/86534577). Sarah Malloch
born (1881 British Census)
1861, John Malloch born. Family of David Malloch now numbers 6 (1881
British Census)
1862, David Malloch, planemaker, Kirkside; house at 41 South Street.
Advertised at 25 St. John Street as a "wright's tool manufacturer" (
https://digital.nls.uk/directories/browse/archive/85673485)
1863, James Malloch born (1881 British Census)
1865, David Malloch, planemaker, Kirkside; house at 71 Prince's Street. No
advertisement. George Malloch born (1881 British Census)
1866, David Malloch, planemaker, Kirkside; house at 28 St. John Street.
Advertised at 25 St. John Street as a "wright's tool manufacturer" (
https://digital.nls.uk/directories/browse/archive/85680359)
1870, David Malloch, Plane Manufacturer and Edge Tool Merchant, 50 South
Street; assume house at 28 St. John Street (Perthshire Courier)
1872, David Malloch, planemaker, 50 South Street; house at 28 St. John
Street. No advertisement.
1874, David Malloch, planemaker, 50 South Street; house at 28 St. John
Street. No advertisement.
1878, David Malloch & Son, planemakers, 50 South Street; house at 28 St.
John Street. No advertisement.
1880, David Malloch, planemaker, 50 South Street; house at Croft Park,
Craigie. No advertisement.
1881, David Malloch, planemaker employing 9 men; house at Croft Bank, in
the West Church Parish (1881 British Census)
1882, David Malloch, planemaker, 50 South Street; house at Croft Park,
Craigie. No advertisement.
1884, David Malloch, planemaker, 50 South Street; house at Croft Park,
Craigie. No advertisement.
1885, David Malloch, planemaker, 50 South Street; house at Croft Park,
Craigie. No advertisement.
1887, David Malloch, planemaker, 50 South Street; house at Croft Park,
Craigie. No advertisement.
1889, David Malloch, planemaker, 50 South Street; house at Croft Park,
Craigie. No advertisement.
1891, David Malloch dies from rectal cancer and a collapsed lung on January
4 at 1:30 pm. at Croft Park, Craigie, leaving an estate valued at £2152 13s
5d.
1891, David Malloch & Son, plane manufacturers, 50 South Street. No
advertisement. William Malloch at Croft Park, Craigie (along with Mrs.
David Malloch, no David)
1893, David Malloch & Son, plane manufacturers, 50 South Street. No
advertisement. William Malloch at Croft Park, Craigie (along with Mrs.
David Malloch)
1893, Sarah (MacLaren) Malloch dies.
1895, David Malloch & Son, plane manufacturers, 50 South Street. No
advertisement. William Malloch, plane maker (of David Malloch & Son), 48
1/2 South Street.
1896, Frederick Campbell, apprentice, found guilty of assaulting his master
William Malloch (though it lists David) by throwing plane handles at him;
Campbell was fined 30s for his assault.
1897, David Malloch & Son, plane manufacturers, 50 South Street. No
advertisement. William Malloch, plane maker (of David Malloch & Son), 48
1/2 South Street.
1899, David Malloch & Son, plane manufacturers, 50 South Street. No
advertisement. William Malloch, plane maker (of David Malloch & Son), 48
1/2 South Street.
1903, David Malloch & Son, Perth Plane Works, 50 South Street. No
advertisement. Wm. Malloch, plane maker (of D. Malloch & Son), Woodcote,
Pitcullen Crescent.
1905, David Malloch & Son, Perth Plane Works, 50 South Street. No
advertisement. Wm. Malloch, plane maker (of D. Malloch & Son), Woodcote, 17
Pitcullen Crescent.
1907, David Malloch & Son, Perth Plane Works, 50 South Street. No
advertisement. Wm. Malloch, plane maker (of D. Malloch & Son), Woodcote, 17
Pitcullen Crescent.
1911, David Malloch & Son, Perth Plane Works, 50 South Street. No
advertisement. Wm. Malloch, retired, Woodcote, 17 Pitcullen Crescent.
Now, in answer to Charlie's original question:
> On Aug 10, 2018, at 20:19 , Charles Driggs via OldTools <
oldtools@s...> wrote:
>
> #1 — I’m not aware of any place named Perth in the British Isles, so
I’m wondering if one of our fellow Galoots Down Under may have a reference
on 19th C Aussie toolmakers that might indicate the period of time when
Malloch & Sons were operating to define the range of time when the iron
probably was made. I’m expecting that to be in the period 1840 - 1900.
As Adam said, Perth Scotland. That the iron is marked "Malloch & Son" (you
sure there's an S at the end?) means it was made between 1891-1911. It
*could* have been made in 1878 during the first "& Son" incorporation. Were
there no markings on the plane body?
Here's another 90deg. bedded toothing plane by Malloch at Jim Bode's:
https://www.jimbodetools.com/products/2-1-2-x-6-7-8-inch-toothing-
plane-by-malloch-son-perth-
circa-1878-1932-73575">https://www.jimbodetools.com/products/2-1-2-x-6-7-8-inch-
toothing-plane-by-malloch-son-perth-circa-1878-1932-73575
and here at Ontario Antique Tools:
http://ontarioantiquetools.com/shop/planes/david-malloch-sons-perth-
toothing-plane/">http://ontarioantiquetools.com/shop/planes/david-malloch-sons-
perth-toothing-plane/
The latter shows it as an "& Son" plane without the body being marked
"Perth Plane Works" (as I would expect it would be were it made there), so
between 1891-1899/1903.
I don't know if anyone reports non-"& Son" Malloch planes from before 1878.
Sorry for the (increasingly) long post, but that's what going down the
rabbit hole gets ya. Isn't that panel on the front of 50 South Street in
Perth inspiring?
|