Monkhouse Davison
Encyclopedia
Monkhouse Davison was the senior partner in one of the leading grocers in 18th century London, Davison Newman and Co., that imported a wide range of produce including tea, coffee, sugar and spices. The company is probably best known today for the disposal of chests of its tea in the Boston Tea Party. Products branded with the company name are still being sold, over 360 years after its foundation.
Monkhouse was born to wealthy parents Isaac and Jane Davison of Cowdall Hall (later known as Coledale Hall) in Newtown
, on the outskirts of Carlisle, Cumbria. The name "Monkhouse" came from his mother's maiden name. Her family lived five miles away in Dalston, Cumbria
.
He had six siblings. John, who was born 13 years earlier in 1700 (who also became a grocer and served as the mayor of Carlisle in 1765), Jane in 1702, Isaac in 1703, Jacob in 1705, Thomas in 1716 and Mary in 1720. We know that Thomas also worked in the Davison Newman business until he died. The cost of his lavish funeral is recorded in detail.
which led to three sons pursuing this line. Monkhouse must have moved to London in his early 20's to embark on his career probably as a result of a family connection with the Rawlinson family living 47 miles away in Hawkshead
, close to Windermere
in Cumbria
.
Daniel Rawlinson of Grizedale, 1614–79, became a wine merchant in London. His son Sir Thomas Rawlinson was born in London in 1647 became Lord Mayor in 1706, and his great nephew, also called Thomas Rawlinson, ran a grocery business in Creechurch Lane in the City of London
.
We don’t know exactly when Monkhouse Davison joined the company "Thomas Rawlinson" but he was admitted to the Grocers' Company
"by redemption" in 1738, when he was 25. By 1753 (when Monkhouse was 40) the company was called "Rawlinson and Davison" and described as "dealers in coffee, tea, chocolate, snuff, etc". Rawlinson died in 1769 and the company name was changed to "Davison Newman and Company".
At the age of 28, in 1764, Abram Newman
, of Mount Bures
in Essex
, joined Monkhouse (who at this time was 51) and became a partner in the business. On 12 June 1759, he married Mary (1720–1783), the sister of Monkhouse Davison. Five years later, the senior partner, Sir Thomas Rawlinson died and the company became known, as it is today, as Davison Newman and Co.
's history of Davison Newman called "At the three sugar loaves and crown". He observed that, over a hundred year period, the five earliest owners of the business - that's Walter Ray, Thomas Rawlinson, Monkhouse Davison, Abram Newman and William Thwaytes - each earned a fortune from the business.
An obituary for Abram in 1799 read "He was one of the richest citizens of London, and a happy instance of the wonderful powers of accumulation by the steady pursuit of honourable industry. Without speculation or adventure he acquired £600,000 as a grocer."
The vast range of produce traded included almonds, chocolate, confectionery, coffee from Turkey and Jamaica, figs, ginger, mustard, nuts, pepper, prunes, rice, snuff, sugar, tea from China, tobacco and truffles.
The company accounts, in the mid 18th century, show that in just nine months £53,000 (about £80 million in today's money) of goods, mostly spices, were being imported from John Goddard in Rotterdam.
In 1774, chests of tea from the company were amongst those thrown into Boston Harbour
during the Boston Tea Party
which started the American Revolution
. The company sought compensation from George III for £480 for the loss of the tea.
Public records show that both Monkhouse and Abram were generous benefactors. Davison was a trustee of Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and financially supported at least one production. He also contributed to the Foundling Hospital. We know that he provided the first public riverside walk for Carlisle and gave an annual dole for the poor. Monkhouse's sister, Jane who lived in Carlisle, was described as "a lady of exemplary piety and unbounded charity." Abram generously bequeathed money to six hospitals in his will.
In 1781 an Old Bailey trial found a pickpocket, William Posser, guilty of stealing Monkhouse's cambric
handkerchief. The thief was sentenced to be whipped.
Monkhouse was a friend of Henry Laurens, an American merchant and rice planter from South Carolina, who became a political leader during the Revolutionary War. In a letter of August 1763 he writes to Monkhouse "I am glad you are so happy in your nieces. May your pleasures daily increase but I should be rather more pleas’d to hear that you had some sons and daughters of your own".
He was also a friend of James Oakes who lived in Bury St Edmunds. Oakes had inherited one of the largest yarn-making companies in the country. Later he was made Receiver General of the Land Tax for West Suffolk and was to become a banker. Oakes' diaries span 50 years of his business life and provide a vivid insight into Georgian England. He records many visits to see his friend Monkhouse. He frequently had breakfast or supper at his London home. In November 1783 he "... had to rush back to Fenchurch Street because Mr Newman's brother-in law and business partner, Monkhouse Davison, was ill." An entry in May 1793 records his friend's death.
from the former owner politician Sir George Dalston
, and owned the property for 32 years until his death. Sir George was High Sheriff of Cumberland
from 1618-1641. Dalston Hall featured in episode six of the sixth series of the Living TV series Most Haunted
. Presenter Yvette Fielding commented: "We’ve never been so scared in all the 80 episodes we’ve filmed".
, Jamaica
). The estate was the source of sugar and other produce for export to the UK and US. The old slave muster-book, dating from 1784 to 1819, shows that in 1784 the total slave labour force was: 82 men, 72 women, 39 boys, 27 girls, a total of 220. By 1819 the total was 256.
in May 1793. His will included a list of the following properties: his main London home in Fenchurch Street
, in Essex
: Porter's at Rippleside, Essex and Gale Street in Barking
, in Cumbria: Coledale Hall, Carlisle, Dalston Hall, Dalston
, Hill Top and the Gill near Kendal
.
The only reference found to a possible marriage is a letter with "Happy marriage greetings" in February 1776 when Monkhouse was 63. In his will there were to be no direct heirs to his estates and no mention of a wife.
Abram and Monkhouse were buried together in All Hallows Staining
but after the collapse of crypt their monument was to be seen in the church of St Olave Hart Street
, London until it suffered bomb damage in May 1941 in the Second World War.
Monkhouse was born to wealthy parents Isaac and Jane Davison of Cowdall Hall (later known as Coledale Hall) in Newtown
Newtown
-Australia:*Newtown, New South Wales*Newtown, Queensland *Newtown, Queensland *Newtown, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong*Newtown, Victoria , a locality near Ballarat-Ireland:* Newtown, County Cork* Newtown, County Laois...
, on the outskirts of Carlisle, Cumbria. The name "Monkhouse" came from his mother's maiden name. Her family lived five miles away in Dalston, Cumbria
Dalston, Cumbria
Dalston is a large village and civil parish within the City of Carlisle district of Cumbria, England. It is situated on the B5299 road about four miles south-south-west of Carlisle city centre, and approximately five miles from Junction 42 of the M6 motorway.The village has a population of around...
.
He had six siblings. John, who was born 13 years earlier in 1700 (who also became a grocer and served as the mayor of Carlisle in 1765), Jane in 1702, Isaac in 1703, Jacob in 1705, Thomas in 1716 and Mary in 1720. We know that Thomas also worked in the Davison Newman business until he died. The cost of his lavish funeral is recorded in detail.
Early years
It's probable that father Isaac accumulated his wealth from a grocery business in CarlisleCity of Carlisle
The City of Carlisle is a local government district of Cumbria, England, with the status of a city and non-metropolitan district. It is named after its largest settlement, Carlisle, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Brampton and Longtown, as well as outlying villages...
which led to three sons pursuing this line. Monkhouse must have moved to London in his early 20's to embark on his career probably as a result of a family connection with the Rawlinson family living 47 miles away in Hawkshead
Hawkshead
Hawkshead is a village and civil parish in the Cumbria, England. It is one of the main tourist honeypots in the South Lakeland area, and is dependent on the local tourist trade...
, close to Windermere
Windermere
Windermere is the largest natural lake of England. It is also a name used in a number of places, including:-Australia:* Lake Windermere , a reservoir, Australian Capital Territory * Lake Windermere...
in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
.
Daniel Rawlinson of Grizedale, 1614–79, became a wine merchant in London. His son Sir Thomas Rawlinson was born in London in 1647 became Lord Mayor in 1706, and his great nephew, also called Thomas Rawlinson, ran a grocery business in Creechurch Lane in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
.
We don’t know exactly when Monkhouse Davison joined the company "Thomas Rawlinson" but he was admitted to the Grocers' Company
Worshipful Company of Grocers
The Worshipful Company of Grocers is one of the 108 Livery Companies of the City of London. It is ranked second in the order of precedence of the Companies and, having been established in 1345, is one of the original Great Twelve City Livery Companies....
"by redemption" in 1738, when he was 25. By 1753 (when Monkhouse was 40) the company was called "Rawlinson and Davison" and described as "dealers in coffee, tea, chocolate, snuff, etc". Rawlinson died in 1769 and the company name was changed to "Davison Newman and Company".
At the age of 28, in 1764, Abram Newman
Abram Newman
Abram Newman was a partner in one of the leading grocers in 18th century London that imported a wide range of produce including tea, coffee, sugar and spices....
, of Mount Bures
Mount Bures
Mount Bures is a small village on the Essex and Suffolk borders. It takes its name from the mount or motte believed to have been built shortly after the invasion by William the Conqueror in 1066....
in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, joined Monkhouse (who at this time was 51) and became a partner in the business. On 12 June 1759, he married Mary (1720–1783), the sister of Monkhouse Davison. Five years later, the senior partner, Sir Thomas Rawlinson died and the company became known, as it is today, as Davison Newman and Co.
Huge business expansion
The growth of the company is well documented in Owen RutterOwen Rutter
Edward Owen Rutter was an English historian, novelist and travel writer.After serving with the North Borneo Civil Service from 1910 to 1915, Rutter returned to Britain during World War I and was commissioned. Rutter served with the 7th Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment in France and on the...
's history of Davison Newman called "At the three sugar loaves and crown". He observed that, over a hundred year period, the five earliest owners of the business - that's Walter Ray, Thomas Rawlinson, Monkhouse Davison, Abram Newman and William Thwaytes - each earned a fortune from the business.
An obituary for Abram in 1799 read "He was one of the richest citizens of London, and a happy instance of the wonderful powers of accumulation by the steady pursuit of honourable industry. Without speculation or adventure he acquired £600,000 as a grocer."
The vast range of produce traded included almonds, chocolate, confectionery, coffee from Turkey and Jamaica, figs, ginger, mustard, nuts, pepper, prunes, rice, snuff, sugar, tea from China, tobacco and truffles.
The company accounts, in the mid 18th century, show that in just nine months £53,000 (about £80 million in today's money) of goods, mostly spices, were being imported from John Goddard in Rotterdam.
Davison's tea leads to American Independence
The Davison and Newman customers were not only located across the British Isles but the company regularly shipped to North America. Over five months a Dublin merchant bought £6000 of tea (£9 million), spices and pepper, etc., a Bristol merchant in four months spent £4500, a Hull merchant spent £3842 in six months, and so on. The company must have been one of, if not the, largest grocery wholesaler in England. But they also had at least one retail outlet located in the City of London.In 1774, chests of tea from the company were amongst those thrown into Boston Harbour
Boston Harbor
Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, and is located adjacent to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the northeast.-History:...
during the Boston Tea Party
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a direct action by colonists in Boston, a town in the British colony of Massachusetts, against the British government and the monopolistic East India Company that controlled all the tea imported into the colonies...
which started the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. The company sought compensation from George III for £480 for the loss of the tea.
Personal life
The surviving eighteenth century company records ensure an unusually good insight into the daily transactions of the business. But much less is known about the day-to-day lives of its directors.Public records show that both Monkhouse and Abram were generous benefactors. Davison was a trustee of Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and financially supported at least one production. He also contributed to the Foundling Hospital. We know that he provided the first public riverside walk for Carlisle and gave an annual dole for the poor. Monkhouse's sister, Jane who lived in Carlisle, was described as "a lady of exemplary piety and unbounded charity." Abram generously bequeathed money to six hospitals in his will.
In 1781 an Old Bailey trial found a pickpocket, William Posser, guilty of stealing Monkhouse's cambric
Cambric
Cambric, pronounced , "one of the finest and most dense species of the cloth manufacture", is a lightweight plain weave cloth, originally from Cambrai, woven in greige, then bleached and piece-dyed, often glazed or calendered. Initially made from flax, then cotton in the 19th century, it is also...
handkerchief. The thief was sentenced to be whipped.
Monkhouse was a friend of Henry Laurens, an American merchant and rice planter from South Carolina, who became a political leader during the Revolutionary War. In a letter of August 1763 he writes to Monkhouse "I am glad you are so happy in your nieces. May your pleasures daily increase but I should be rather more pleas’d to hear that you had some sons and daughters of your own".
He was also a friend of James Oakes who lived in Bury St Edmunds. Oakes had inherited one of the largest yarn-making companies in the country. Later he was made Receiver General of the Land Tax for West Suffolk and was to become a banker. Oakes' diaries span 50 years of his business life and provide a vivid insight into Georgian England. He records many visits to see his friend Monkhouse. He frequently had breakfast or supper at his London home. In November 1783 he "... had to rush back to Fenchurch Street because Mr Newman's brother-in law and business partner, Monkhouse Davison, was ill." An entry in May 1793 records his friend's death.
Dalston Hall
Monkhouse Davison, in 1761 bought Dalston Hall, in Dalston, CumbriaDalston, Cumbria
Dalston is a large village and civil parish within the City of Carlisle district of Cumbria, England. It is situated on the B5299 road about four miles south-south-west of Carlisle city centre, and approximately five miles from Junction 42 of the M6 motorway.The village has a population of around...
from the former owner politician Sir George Dalston
George Dalston
Sir George Dalston was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England between 1621 and 1643. He supported the Royalist cause in the English Civil War....
, and owned the property for 32 years until his death. Sir George was High Sheriff of Cumberland
High Sheriff of Cumberland
The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere or are now defunct, so that its functions...
from 1618-1641. Dalston Hall featured in episode six of the sixth series of the Living TV series Most Haunted
Most Haunted
Most Haunted is a British paranormal documentary reality television series. The series was first shown on 25 May 2002 and ended on 21 July 2010. It was broadcast on Living and presented by Yvette Fielding. The programme was based on investigating purported paranormal activity...
. Presenter Yvette Fielding commented: "We’ve never been so scared in all the 80 episodes we’ve filmed".
Rose Hall, St Thomas in the Vale, Jamaica
When Monkhouse was 76, in 1789, Davison Newman and Co. bought a 4/18 share in a property of 1,200 acres (approximately 2 sq miles) known as Rose Hall in the parish of St Thomas in the Vale located 20 miles north west of Kingston at what is now called Linstead. This Rose Hall is not to be confused with the better known Rose Hall, Montego BayRose Hall, Montego Bay
Rose Hall is a Georgian mansion in Montego Bay, Jamaica. The most famous occupant of the house was Annie Palmer, the White Witch.-Description:...
, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
). The estate was the source of sugar and other produce for export to the UK and US. The old slave muster-book, dating from 1784 to 1819, shows that in 1784 the total slave labour force was: 82 men, 72 women, 39 boys, 27 girls, a total of 220. By 1819 the total was 256.
Will and final resting place
Monkhouse died at his home in Fenchurch StreetFenchurch Street
Fenchurch Street is a street in the City of London home to a number of shops, pubs and offices. It links Aldgate at its eastern end with Lombard Street and Gracechurch Street to the west. To the south of Fenchurch Street and towards its eastern end is Fenchurch Street railway station...
in May 1793. His will included a list of the following properties: his main London home in Fenchurch Street
Fenchurch Street
Fenchurch Street is a street in the City of London home to a number of shops, pubs and offices. It links Aldgate at its eastern end with Lombard Street and Gracechurch Street to the west. To the south of Fenchurch Street and towards its eastern end is Fenchurch Street railway station...
, in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
: Porter's at Rippleside, Essex and Gale Street in Barking
Barking
Barking is a suburban town in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, in East London, England. A retail and commercial centre situated in the west of the borough, it lies east of Charing Cross. Barking was in the historic county of Essex until it was absorbed by Greater London. The area is...
, in Cumbria: Coledale Hall, Carlisle, Dalston Hall, Dalston
Dalston, Cumbria
Dalston is a large village and civil parish within the City of Carlisle district of Cumbria, England. It is situated on the B5299 road about four miles south-south-west of Carlisle city centre, and approximately five miles from Junction 42 of the M6 motorway.The village has a population of around...
, Hill Top and the Gill near Kendal
Kendal
Kendal, anciently known as Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish within the South Lakeland District of Cumbria, England...
.
The only reference found to a possible marriage is a letter with "Happy marriage greetings" in February 1776 when Monkhouse was 63. In his will there were to be no direct heirs to his estates and no mention of a wife.
Abram and Monkhouse were buried together in All Hallows Staining
All Hallows Staining
All Hallows Staining was a Church of England church located at the junction of Fenchurch Avenue and Billiter Street in the north-eastern corner of Langbourn ward in the City of London, close to Fenchurch Street railway station. All that remains of the church is the tower, built around 1320 AD as...
but after the collapse of crypt their monument was to be seen in the church of St Olave Hart Street
St Olave Hart Street
St Olave Hart Street is a Church of England church in the City of London, located on the corner of Hart Street and Seething Lane near Fenchurch Street railway station....
, London until it suffered bomb damage in May 1941 in the Second World War.