Edward Stanley Gibbons
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Edward Stanley Gibbons (1840-1913) was a keen philatelist and founder of Stanley Gibbons Ltd, publishers of the famous Stanley Gibbons stamp catalogue and other stamp-related books and magazines.
Edward Stanley Gibbons was born in Plymouth in 1840, the same year that the Penny Black was issued. He started trading stamps from his father’s chemist shop and eventually moved to London in the 1870s to pursue his stamp career. Edward did not trade from the shop in 391 Strand, the company moved there once he had sold his business in 1890 to Charles Phillips for £25,000. Once his business was sold he travelled the world and visited many of the places he’d learnt of through stamp collecting.
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[edit] Early life
Edward Stanley Gibbons was born at his father’s chemist shop at 15 Treville Street, Plymouth on 21st June 1840. His father, William Gibbons was born in Amesbury in Wiltshire around 1799 and his mother Elizabeth was born in Portsea in Hampshire around 1801.
William Gibbons had settled in Plymouth when his eldest son, also named William was born. In 1841 his household consisted of eight people, Himself and his wife, his daughter Elizabeth (aged 17), son Alfred (nine), daughter Catherine (four) and Edward (one). Also living with them was a chemist’s apprentice and a domestic servant. The eldest son William was presumably away at school at this time.
In 1851, William had returned to Treville Street to work with his father as a “Druggist Assistant”. At this time Alfred, who was 19 had joined the Navy, whilst Stanley, aged 9 was away at school. The eldest daughter, Elizabeth had left the family to marry James Langridge of Bristol.
Many of the properties in Treville Street at the time were occupied by tradesmen, such as: mercers, drapers, victuallers, tailors and upholsterers.
Edward’s interest in postal stamps began at school (Halloran’s Collegiate School). Gibbons owned a book containing stamps for exchange. Some of these stamps included the 1d. black Western Australia and a 1d. Sydney View. He left school at the age of 15 and worked for a short while in the Naval Bank, Plymouth, before joining his father’s business after the death of his eldest brother.
William, the eldest son died between 1851 and 1861, his death was registered in the 1861 census, it is thought that his death occurred in 1854. By this time William Senior was describing himself as a ‘Pharmaceutical Chemist’ and Edward as his ‘assistant’.
Catherine (Edward’s sister) was still at home, but no apprentices or domestic servants lived with them.
In 1867 Edward’s father died, he left an estate of under £1500 to his wife and Edward took over the business. However, by this time he was heavily involved in stamp dealing, which subsequently meant that the pharmaceutical business his father had left him suffered.
Between 1961 and 1871 Gibbons was clearly developing his own stamp business, however there is no evidence to suggest that he had advertised prices prior to 1864. In 1872 the entire Gibbons family moved to 8 Lockyer Street, Plymouth (England).
[edit] Move to London
On 29th January 1872 Edward (also know as Stanley) married Matilda Woon, aged 21. Two years later (1874) Stanley decided to move to London to develop his stamp business, he moved to 25 The Chase, Clapham Common (South London).
He employed women to tear up sheets of stamps in the evening from this address, neighbours became curious of the number of women entering the premises and so reported it to the local Watch Committee, however they concluded that nothing unusual was happening there, after investigating the building.
Stanley moved from this house to 8 Gower Street, London in 1875. His mother Elizabeth died there on 17th January 1876. She left her estate and belongings to her daughter Catherine.
From 1877 to 1884 The Post Office Directory lists the main occupier as Edward Stanley Gibbons from 1890 as ‘Stanley Gibbons & Co publishers’ or ‘Stanley Gibbons & Co postage stamp dealers’. By this time the business had been sold to Charles Phillips of Birmingham.
In 1891 Phillips opened a shop at 435 Strand as well as keeping the office at 8 Gower Street.
[edit] Death of first wife
Stanley’s wife, Matilda Woon died on 11th August 1877 at the Watermill Inn, Lamerton near Milton Abbot in Devon. Stanley was with her at the time of her death. The cause of the death was given as ‘Maramus 2 years’, a wasting away of her body, possible the condition now known as Anorexia nervosa.
In 1881 the Gibbons residence at Gower Street was occupied by Stanley and widower, Maggie A Casey, ages 23, who at the time was described as a ‘visitor, unmarried (and) assistant, a cook and a housemaid’. Six Years later Maggie Casey became Stanley’s second wife. A poem was found in the SG archives written by Stanley, titled ‘Acrostic to Maggie’:
- Maggie, dearest, if you but only knew,
- All the true love and affection I bear to you
- Great is my desire again to be home
- Greater is it in the Albert Bar to roam
- In there do I behold the woman I love – yea adore
- Eager am I my Sentiments to express more.
- Could I but fly from this deserted place.
- And never again behold thy dear angelic face,
- Say only that the love I bear you is ardently returned,
- Satisfied will I be then your love from you I’ve earned;
- Ever will my affection be for you so true;
- Yea, and nothing but death shall part us two.
Their marriage took place at the church of St Giles in the Field in London on 13 August 1887. Stanley was described as ‘Publisher’, Maggie (or Margaret on the certificate) as a spinster of Newry Lodge.
In 1892, two years after he had retired from business, Stanley brought the property “Cambridge Villa” in Cambridge Park, East Twickenham. It was an impressive residence in a fashionable area of suburban London, near the banks of Thames, alongside Marble Hill House (built by George II for one of his mistresses). Gibbons lived there until 1911. The house was demolished in 1960.
[edit] Overseas trips
During Stanley Gibbons retirement he made numerous trips overseas, mostly for pleasure, but also for business. He brought stamps for his old company. A scrapbook was discovered belonging to either him or someone close to him, it contained photographs and memorabilia. It related mostly to his travels. The scrapbook became divided, half of it is kept in the SG archive and the other half is in private hands.
In 1894 Gibbons witnessed the crash of the ‘Orient Express’ at Tirnove in Bulgaria he later drew a pencil drawing of the crash, which was found in his scrap book. A scrap piece of newspaper headed ‘Honolulu, January’ was also found in the scrapbook, however the date is missing. The newspaper cutting refers to the resolution to destroy stocks of obsolete Hawaiian Stamps. Stanley was present at the fire and described the experience as ‘sad’. During this time he was on his second world tour and was on route to Japan.
[edit] Death of second wife
The marriage to Margaret lasted twice as long as that to Matilda, approximately 12 years. Margaret died on at Cambridge Villa on 23rd November 1899. Her cause of death was given as cirrhosis of the liver. She was 39 years old when she died.
A few years after Margaret’s death, Gibbons was in Calcutta and Rangoon, the scrapbook contains a duplicate passport issued at Rangoon on December 1901 for a Mrs Gibbons. His third wife is believed to have been Georgina (no surname is known). The following year it is believed that the couple travelled on the Konig Albert (a ship) to France where they stayed at the ‘Splendide Hotel Royal Aix-les-Bains’ (health resort, Savoy, France).
In 1903, he was in Ceylon, the SG archive contains a newspaper article titled, ‘Reminiscences of a Stamp Collector- Mr Stanley Gibbons (sic) in Colombo’. The cutting is not dated, but is presumably from 1903 as it refers to the recent issue of stamps with King Edward’s portrait.
When asked around this time if he still collected Stamps, Gibbons replied that he had specialised collections in six countries, but rarely brought any stamps because they were too expensive.
Further visits seem to have been made to Ceylon judging by the existence in the scrapbook of souvenirs for Colombo Empire Day Celebrations and Edward VII’s Birthday Celebration Dinner in Colombo (November 1906).
[edit] Death of third wife
In May 1905 Stanley’s sister Catherine made her will leaving her ruby and pearl ring to Georgina Gibbons, Stanley’s wife. There are no records to suggest when Georgina died, but it is believed that she dies overseas in the later part of 1905, as records show that Stanley re-married in October 1905 to Bertha Barth. She was a 27 year old and a widow of Jubilee Place, Chelsea and the daughter of Edwin Boswith, a railway clerk at St Stephen’s Church in Twickenham.
In 1908 he visited Ceylon, found in the archives there is a newspaper cutting headed, ‘Death of Lady Visitor to Ceylon: Wife of famous collector’, this refers to Stanley’s wife, Bertha. She is thought to have died in the General Hospital where she was found to be suffering from cancer of the liver, she was 35 years old.
[edit] Death of fourth wife and remarriage
Stanley returned to England shortly after the death of his forth wife. However on 16th January 1909, he married Sophia Crofts aged 40. He married her in St Stephen’s Church in Twickenham (where he has previously married Bertha). However it is believed that he and Sophia separated before his death in 1913.
He made his will in July 1912 from his address, ‘Selsey’, 63 Stanhope Road, Streatham, SW. There is no mention of Sophia.
[edit] Death
Gibbons died on 17 February 1913 at 4L Portman Mansions, just off Baker Street. His death certificate issued three days after his passing gives his occupation as, ‘A retired Stamp Collector and the cause was stated as, ‘Coma, Haemorrhage of the Brain, secondary to Extensive Valvular Disease of the Heart with Atheroma of Endocardium and the Blood Vessels accelerated by enlarged prostate’.
As he died suddenly he a coroner’s inquest was held, giving the cause of death as ‘Natural’.
Stanley left in his will £1000 to his niece Mabel Frewer, £100 to another niece Blanche Frampton, £100 to his late gardener Herbert Buckland and £5000 and the residue of his estate to ‘my dear friend Mabel Ethel Hedgecoe’.
