Frederic Festus Kelly
Encyclopedia
Frederic Festus Kelly was a high official in the British Post Office. He was also the founder of Kelly & Co. (later Kelly's Directories Ltd.), which published the Kelly's Directory
, a sort of Victorian-era "Yellow Pages
" that listed all businesses, tradespeople, local gentry, landowners, charities, and other facilities located in a particular village, city or town.
In many sources, both contemporary and modern, his name is spelled Frederick. He should not be confused with his identically-named eldest son.
Kelly lost his government post in 1860 when the office of Inspector-General of Letter Carriers was abolished.
. This date was later the basis for the claim "Kelly's Directories Ltd., established 1799" sometimes printed on the front cover of a Kelly's Directory, although this preceded Mr. Kelly's involvement by several decades.
The first edition had been called "The New Annual Directory; for the Year 1800", but in 1801 the name had changed to "The Post-office annual directory". Another inspector, Benjamin Critchett, joined in 1803; Sparke and Ferguson dropped from the list of authors in 1806 and Critchett and took over publication (in co-authorship with William Woods between 1810 and about 1827); the name changed to "Post Office London Directory" in the mid-1810s.
Critchett died in September 1836, and when Kelly took over his post, he had to purchase the copyright of the directory from Critchett's widow. The directory was in effect a private enterprise, although produced with the patronage of the Post Office and using labour of government-employed letter carriers as gatherers of data and as a sales force, something that Critchett's private-sector competitors had petitioned against in vain.
In 1845–1847, Kelly was sharply criticized by some members of Parliament, particularly Thomas Duncombe
, and accused of using his office for his private benefit and for requiring letter-carriers to assist in gathering information for the directory. Duncombe also presented a petition from Jonathan Duncan
complaining of abuses by Kelly. In 1847, the Chancellor of the Exchequer
Charles Wood
declared that Kelly could not use government employees in connection with his directory. Kelly then relied on his own employees to collect information for the directory, which he had already begun hiring in 1844.
Even after leaving his position at the post office, Kelly retained the copyright of the directory and continued to use the name "Post Office Directory"; his company even tried to claim exclusive rights to use "Post Office" in the name of a directory but lost the court case it brought over this issue (Kelly v. Byles, in 1879–80).
Kelly was also the plaintiff in the 1866 case Kelly v. Morris, accusing a competitor of pirating his compilation of information.
Frederic Kelly is listed in Men of the Time, fifth (1862) through eighth (1872) editions, but not the ninth (1875) and subsequent editions.
He was the son of Festus Kelly, of Castle Kelly, country Roscommon
, formerly a captain in the 96th Regiment of Foot
(or perhaps 69th). His brother Edward Robert Kelly is recorded as being born in 1817 and the 4th son of Colonel Festus Kelly of Middlesex.
He resided at Chessington Lodge and at 32, Bedford Square, London; at his death his residence was given as Oakhurst, Castlebar Hill
, Ealing
. He married Harriet, daughter of John Richards of Maida Vale
. His elder son was the Rev. Frederic Festus Kelly, vicar of Camberwell
, Surrey
(1838–1918), whose children (his grandchildren) included the painter Sir Gerald Festus Kelly and Rose Edith Kelly
, who married Aleister Crowley
. His second son was the barrister and politician John Richards Kelly
, who inherited his share and interests in the copyright of the Post Office Directory.
His elder daughter Harriet married the Rev. Hector Norton, vicar of Great Bentley
, on 21 May 1867; his second daughter Fanny married Frederick William Headland on 10 August 1865. There was also a daughter named Rosa.
Kelly's Directory
Kelly's Directory was a trade directory in the United Kingdom that listed all businesses and tradespeople in a particular city or town, as well as a general directory of postal addresses of local gentry, landowners, charities, and other facilities. In effect, it was a Victorian version of today's...
, a sort of Victorian-era "Yellow Pages
Yellow Pages
Yellow Pages refers to a telephone directory of businesses, organized by category, rather than alphabetically by business name and in which advertising is sold. As the name suggests, such directories were originally printed on yellow paper, as opposed to white pages for non-commercial listings...
" that listed all businesses, tradespeople, local gentry, landowners, charities, and other facilities located in a particular village, city or town.
In many sources, both contemporary and modern, his name is spelled Frederick. He should not be confused with his identically-named eldest son.
Inspector of Letter Carriers
He began working for the Post Office in 1819. In 1835 or 1836 he became a chief inspector of letter carriers. His exact title varied over the years because in the early 19th century there were three separate services with separate corps of letter-carriers: twopenny-post (for mail within London; renamed the London District Post Office in 1844); inland (for domestic mail outside London); and foreign (for overseas mail). Although the foreign letter-carriers had been abolished by 1835, with their duties carried out by the other two services, the (by then renamed) General Post and London District letter-carriers remained separate until 1855, with separate chief inspectors. Before that date, Kelly was inspector of only the inland or general-post letter carriers.Kelly lost his government post in 1860 when the office of Inspector-General of Letter Carriers was abolished.
Post Office Directory
When he began his job as inspector of letter-carriers, Kelly took over the production of the Post Office London Directory. This directory had been started in 1799 by two inspectors of letter-carriers named Sparke and Ferguson, with the approval of the then joint Postmasters General, Lords Auckland and GowerGeorge Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland
George Granville Leveson-Gower, 1st Duke of Sutherland KG, PC , known as Viscount Trentham from 1758 to 1786, as Earl Gower from 1786 to 1803 and as The Marquess of Stafford from 1803 to 1833, was a British politician, diplomat, landowner and patron of the arts. He is estimated to have been the...
. This date was later the basis for the claim "Kelly's Directories Ltd., established 1799" sometimes printed on the front cover of a Kelly's Directory, although this preceded Mr. Kelly's involvement by several decades.
The first edition had been called "The New Annual Directory; for the Year 1800", but in 1801 the name had changed to "The Post-office annual directory". Another inspector, Benjamin Critchett, joined in 1803; Sparke and Ferguson dropped from the list of authors in 1806 and Critchett and took over publication (in co-authorship with William Woods between 1810 and about 1827); the name changed to "Post Office London Directory" in the mid-1810s.
Critchett died in September 1836, and when Kelly took over his post, he had to purchase the copyright of the directory from Critchett's widow. The directory was in effect a private enterprise, although produced with the patronage of the Post Office and using labour of government-employed letter carriers as gatherers of data and as a sales force, something that Critchett's private-sector competitors had petitioned against in vain.
In 1845–1847, Kelly was sharply criticized by some members of Parliament, particularly Thomas Duncombe
Thomas Slingsby Duncombe
Thomas Slingsby Duncombe was a Radical politician, who was a member of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Hertford from 1826 to 1832 and for Finsbury from 1834 until his death. Duncombe was a tireless champion of radical causes in the 27 years he served the North East London borough of...
, and accused of using his office for his private benefit and for requiring letter-carriers to assist in gathering information for the directory. Duncombe also presented a petition from Jonathan Duncan
Jonathan Duncan (currency reformer)
Jonathan Duncan was a British advocate of reforming the monetary system.He was born in Bombay while his father was governor there. He graduated with a B.A. from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1821....
complaining of abuses by Kelly. In 1847, the Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
Charles Wood
Charles Wood, 1st Viscount Halifax
Charles Wood, 1st Viscount Halifax GCB PC , known as Sir Charles Wood, 3rd Bt between 1846 and 1866, was a British Whig politician and Member of Parliament. He served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1846 to 1852....
declared that Kelly could not use government employees in connection with his directory. Kelly then relied on his own employees to collect information for the directory, which he had already begun hiring in 1844.
Expansion
Working with family members, including his brother Edward Robert Kelly, and William Kelly who ran the printing press, Frederic Kelly expanded his directories to include cities and towns other than London, beginning in 1845. Over the rest of nineteenth century, his company bought out or put out of business several rival publishers of directories. The company branched into other publications, such as the Handbook to the Titled, Landed and Official Classes (1875). Well after Frederic Kelly's death, the company name Kelly and Co. was replaced by the new company Kelly's Directories Limited in 1897.Even after leaving his position at the post office, Kelly retained the copyright of the directory and continued to use the name "Post Office Directory"; his company even tried to claim exclusive rights to use "Post Office" in the name of a directory but lost the court case it brought over this issue (Kelly v. Byles, in 1879–80).
Kelly was also the plaintiff in the 1866 case Kelly v. Morris, accusing a competitor of pirating his compilation of information.
Family
A dearth of biographical information was noted by a contemporary biographer of Men of the TimeFrederic Kelly is listed in Men of the Time, fifth (1862) through eighth (1872) editions, but not the ninth (1875) and subsequent editions.
He was the son of Festus Kelly, of Castle Kelly, country Roscommon
Roscommon
Roscommon is the county town of County Roscommon in Ireland. Its population at the 2006 census stood at 5,017 . The town is located near the junctions of the N60, N61 and N63 roads.-History:...
, formerly a captain in the 96th Regiment of Foot
96th Regiment of Foot
The 96th Regiment of Foot was a regiment of the British Army from 1798 to 1881, when it became the 2nd Battalion, Manchester Regiment. Its lineage is perpetuated by the 2nd Battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, previously the King's Regiment....
(or perhaps 69th). His brother Edward Robert Kelly is recorded as being born in 1817 and the 4th son of Colonel Festus Kelly of Middlesex.
He resided at Chessington Lodge and at 32, Bedford Square, London; at his death his residence was given as Oakhurst, Castlebar Hill
Castlebar Hill
Castlebar Hill is a hill in Ealing which is high. In the 18th century, it was the location of Castle Beare, a grand mansion or country seat, for the area at this time was but a hamlet, not yet having being built up as part of the London conurbation....
, Ealing
Ealing
Ealing is a suburban area of west London, England and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Ealing. It is located west of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. It is one of the major metropolitan centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically a rural village...
. He married Harriet, daughter of John Richards of Maida Vale
Maida Vale
Maida Vale is a residential district in West London between St John's Wood and Kilburn. It is part of the City of Westminster. The area is mostly residential, and mainly affluent, consisting of many large late Victorian and Edwardian blocks of mansion flats...
. His elder son was the Rev. Frederic Festus Kelly, vicar of Camberwell
Camberwell
Camberwell is a district of south London, England, and forms part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is a built-up inner city district located southeast of Charing Cross. To the west it has a boundary with the London Borough of Lambeth.-Toponymy:...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
(1838–1918), whose children (his grandchildren) included the painter Sir Gerald Festus Kelly and Rose Edith Kelly
Rose Edith Kelly
Rose Edith Kelly married noted author, magician and occultist Aleister Crowley in 1903. In 1904, she aided him in the Cairo Working that led to the reception of The Book of the Law, on which Crowley based much of his philosophy and religion, Thelema.After their divorce in 1909, she married Dr...
, who married Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley , born Edward Alexander Crowley, and also known as both Frater Perdurabo and The Great Beast, was an influential English occultist, astrologer, mystic and ceremonial magician, responsible for founding the religious philosophy of Thelema. He was also successful in various other...
. His second son was the barrister and politician John Richards Kelly
John Richards Kelly
John Richards Kelly was a British barrister and Conservative Party politician.He was the second son of Frederic Festus Kelly of Chessington, Surrey and his wife Harriet née Richards. At the time of his birth his father was the Inspector of Letter Carriers for the General Post Office...
, who inherited his share and interests in the copyright of the Post Office Directory.
His elder daughter Harriet married the Rev. Hector Norton, vicar of Great Bentley
Great Bentley
Great Bentley is a village and civil parish in the Tendring district of North East Essex, England, located midway between the towns of Colchester and Clacton-on-Sea. It is home to the largest village green in the country, at a size of and has won 'Village of the Year' several times...
, on 21 May 1867; his second daughter Fanny married Frederick William Headland on 10 August 1865. There was also a daughter named Rosa.