OLD PLYMOUTH . UK
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WHO WAS WHO IN OLD PLYMOUTH

JOHN DAWSON SPOONER (1844-1900)

John Dawson Spooner was born in Plymouth in 1844 to Mr Joseph James Spooner (1815-1859) and his wife, the former Miss Anne Elizabeth Snell, who had married at the Ancient Parish Church of Saint Peter, Tiverton, Devon, on January 1st 1844.  They set up home and opened a small drapery business at Tuscan House, 26 Whimple Street, Plymouth.  The business  was transferred to numbers 48 and 49 Bedford Street as from Thursday April 1st 1858.

Upon the death of her husband on Monday November 14th 1859 Mrs Anne Eliza Spooner inherited the business until their eldest son, Mr John Dawson Spooner, attained the age of 21 years in 1865, when he probably took over the management of the business from his mother.

Mr John Dawson Spooner married Miss Clara Elizabeth White at the Ancient Parish Church of Saint Mary Magdalene, South Molton, Devon, on Tuesday March 5th 1867.

It would appear that Mr John Dawson Spooner was just one of several partners in Messrs Spooner and Company and that time because on and as from may 25th 1868 he and Mr William Henry Snell left the firm in the hands of Mr Newby Abraham Spooner; Mrs Ann Eliza Spooner; and Mr Richard Rundle, who were all the executors of the Will of the Company's founder, Mr Joseph James Spooner.

When the census was taken on Sunday April 2nd 1871 Mrs Ann Elizabeth Spooner was living at number 23 Portland Square, Plymouth.  Her occupation was given as 'income derived from drapery business' so she was probably not actively engaged on a daily basis.  Living with her were two sons and two daughters: Joseph Snell Spooner, draper; Frederick Henry Spooner, medical student; Emily Sophia Spooner and Ann Eliza Spooner, scholars.

The same census shows Mr John Dawson Spooner, master draper employing 47 women and 16 men, living at Halwell House, Plymouth.  It is not know where Mrs Clara Elizabeth Spooner was but at home with their father were John Dawson Spooner junior, born 1868, and Clarence Newby Spooner, born 1869.  They were being taken care of by Child Maid, Miss Eliza J Pearse while Cook, Miss Mary J Tippett was taking care of them all.

By 1873 the business had moved to numbers 54, 55 and 56 Bedford Street and by 1878 had taken over number 4 Old Town Street as well.

At some point Mr Spooner was commissioned as a Lieutenant in the 2nd Devonshire Rifle Volunteer Corps.  He resigned that commission on February 21st 1874. 

At number 7 Old Town Street was the White Hart Hotel, with stables running over to Market Lane.  Next door up, at numbers 8 and 9, was Chubb's Commercial Hotel, which also had stables stretching to Market Lane.  In 1880 the White Hart was demolished and Spooner's extended their premises northwards to the wall of Chubb's Hotel and then eastwards to Old Town Street.  The new building was seven stories tall and the Old Town Street frontage was eighty feet in height, while that fronting Market Lane was only sixty feet high.  In the basement were the receiving-room, the marking-room and a workshop.  On the ground floor the shop floor would continue for a length of 220 feet from Bedford Street to Old Town Street.  Fitting-rooms and work-rooms on the first floor looked out onto Market Lane while show rooms faced onto Old Town Street.  The remaining floors were taken up with bedrooms and sitting rooms for the staff.

The new building was constructed of best brick, with brown Portland, red Mansfield and yellow Bath stone dressings, and it was decorated with many carvings.  The upper sashes of the windows consisted of small, Queen Anne style, panes.  The entrance at number 7 Old Town Street was to be set back some nine feet from the main line and adorned with iron columns with fluted shafts and foliated capitals.  On either side of the entrance were ebony-framed, curved windows.

By the end of the nineteenth century the Spooner's premises were quite extensive.  At number 7 Old Town Street, with a frontage of thirty feet, was a six-storey warehouse for mantles and costumes.  Number 4 Old Town Street, also with a frontage of thirty feet, housed the carpets and furnishings.  The four-storey, corner block running from Bedford Street to Market Avenue was devoted to tailoring, outfitting, drapery, millinery, and ladies' outfitting.  The total frontage was two hundred feet.  On the opposite side of Market Avenue was "The Piazza", with a frontage of a hundred feet.  This housed the house furnishings and had a large two-storey store house at the rear.  The buildings forming "The Piazza" were designed by Mr Dunn, architect, of London, to house the new house furnishings department and were erected in the 1870s.

In addition to the retail premises there was a cabinet factory and upholstery workshop in Hoegate Street.  The Company also provided lodging houses for its staff in Whimple Street and Charles Place.  Some 400 staff were employed by Spooner's at the end of the eighteenth century. 

The first floors of each of these buildings contained the show-rooms for each department while the upper floors contained the work-rooms and stores.  The largest and heaviest items were stored in the basements.  Lofty windows and sky-lights provided lighting in the daytime and at night a myriad of gas-jets and fine chandeliers provided illumination.  The prices and quality of the goods was considered to be equal to anything available in London.

Mrs Ann Eliza Spooner, the widow of Mr Joseph James Spooner (1815-1859), died at number 24 Portland Square, Plymouth, on Wednesday March 9th 1887.  She had been in perfectly good health and on the previous Saturday evening had retired quite late to have a bath.  As she did not reappear for a long time, the door was forced open and she was found lying on the floor in a helpless condition having suffered a a severe attack of apoplexy.  Medical assistance was called immediately but she remained unconscious until the time of her death.  The funeral service was held at the Ebenezer Wesleyan Methodist Chapel, Saltash Street, Plymouth, on Saturday March 12th 1887.

On February 17th 1897 Mr Edwin Charles Spooner left Messrs Spooner and Company, which was continued by Mr John Dawson Spooner on his own.

Mr John Dawson Spooner had been ill for many years and on Wednesday June 13th 1900 he passed away at his home, "Furzecroft", Yelverton, Devon.  The funeral was held at the Ancient Parish Church of Saint Andrew the Apostle, Buckland Monachorum, Devon, on Monday June 18th 1900.  Probate was granted to his widow, Mrs Clara Elizabeth Spooner, and two gentlemen, Mr James Edward Moon, a retired piano merchant, and Mr John Sharp.  His estate was valued at £55,904 15 shillings and 4 pence.

Responsibility for managing the business fell to his widow, Mrs Clara Elizabeth Spooner (1846-1925), and their eldest son, Mr John Dawson Spooner junior (1868-1935).