Charles Edwin George Bayntun, more commonly known as George Bayntun (4 August 1873 – 4 September 1940) was an English

bookseller Bookselling is the commercial trading of books which is the retail and distribution end of the publishing process. People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers, bookdealers, bookpeople, bookmen, or bookwomen. The founding of librari ...

bookbinder Bookbinding is the process of physically assembling a book of codex format from an ordered stack of ''signatures'', sheets of paper folded together into sections that are bound, along one edge, with a thick needle and strong thread. Cheaper, b ...

, and collector.

Early life

George Bayntun was born Charles Edwin George Bayntun on 4 August 1873

Bath, Somerset Bath () is a city in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary area in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2021 Census, the population was 101,557. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

to Constantia Amelia Bayntun (1836–1921) and an unknown father. He was a grandson of Wilmot Robert Bayntun Power or Bayntun (1801–1889), who was in turn an illegitimate son of Sir Andrew Bayntun-Rolt, 2nd Baronet (cir 1740–1816). Bayntun served a book-binding apprenticeship before starting his own book-binding business in Northumberland Place in 1894.

Career

He took on a number of London binders in order to raise the standard of craftsmanship in his own bindery and soon afterwards moved the business into larger premises on Walcot Street in Bath. In 1920, he purchased the bindery business of George Gregory, and in 1939, the Bayntun and Rivière binderies were incorporated into a new set of premises on Manvers Street in Bath, from where the business still operates today. Bayntun adhered to traditional book binding techniques, and built a strong relationship with many American dealers, Arthur Brentano of

Brentano's Brentano's was an American bookstore chain with numerous locations in the United States. As of the 1970s, there were three Brentano's in New York: the Fifth Avenue flagship store at Rockefeller Center, one in Greenwich Village, and one in Whit ...

, Maurice Inman, and Nat Ladden. On one occasion,

A. S. W. Rosenbach Abraham Simon Wolf Rosenbach (July 22, 1876 – July 1, 1952) was an American collector, scholar, and seller of rare books and manuscripts. In London, where he frequently attended the auctions at Sotheby's, he was known as "The Terror of the Aucti ...

hosted a lunch in his honour on a visit to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1936. Bayntun's last years were crowned by the patronage of Queen Mary, who spent the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

years near Bath. She granted the firm the royal appointment of Bookseller to Her Majesty in 1950.

Family

On 3 June 1901 at

Widcombe Widcombe is a district of Bath, England, immediately south-east of the city centre, across the River Avon. The electoral ward was merged with Lyncombe at the boundary changes effected at the elections held on 2 May 2019; the two places have hi ...

, Bayntun married Fanny Louise (Louie) Shearn (ABT 1873–1952), with issue: * Constance Louise Muriel Bayntun (1902–1989) George Bayntun died on 4 September 1940 in Bath, at the age of 67.

Legacy

After George Bayntun's death in 1940, the firm continued under a series of managers and George's only child, Constance, oversaw its continuation. In 1953, she was joined by her son, Hylton Henry Bayntun-Coward (1932–2000), who took over the management in 1954. Hylton served twice as President of the

Antiquarian Booksellers Association The Antiquarian Booksellers' Association (ABA) is the senior trade body in the British Isles for dealers in antiquarian and rare books, manuscripts and allied materials. The ABA organises a number of book fairs every year including its flagship f ...

, and as High Sheriff of Avon. Hylton's widow, Charlotte, owned the bindery business of George Gregory until her death in September 2016. George Bayntun's company is now owned by Hylton's son, Edward Bayntun-Coward (1966–) who is George Bayntun's great-grandson. Educated at

Marlborough College Marlborough College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent boarding school) for pupils aged 13 to 18 in Marlborough, Wiltshire, England. Founded in 1843 for the sons of Church ...

and

University College, Oxford University College (in full The College of the Great Hall of the University of Oxford, colloquially referred to as "Univ") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It has a claim to being the oldest college of the univer ...

, Edward worked for five years at

Maggs Bros Ltd Maggs Bros. Ltd. is one of the longest-established antiquarian booksellers in the world, established in 1853 by Uriah Maggs, born c. 1828 in Midsomer Norton, Somerset. All four of Uriah's sons eventually joined the business, taking over on his ret ...

Berkeley Square Berkeley Square is a garden square in the West End of London. It is one of the best known of the many squares in London, located in Mayfair in the City of Westminster. It was laid out in the mid 18th century by the architect William Kent ...

, London.George Bayntun – Fine bindings and rare books
/ref> He has served as Chairman of the

Bath Preservation Trust The Bath Preservation Trust is a charity that is based in Bath, Somerset, England, which exists to safeguard for the public benefit the historic character and amenities of the city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its environs. The trust is i ...

and in March 2016 he was appointed as

High Sheriff of Somerset The office of High Sheriff of Somerset is an ancient shrievalty which has been in existence since the 11th century. Originally known as the "Sheriff of Somerset", the role was retitled on 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the Local Government A ...

Ancestors

References

External links

Official website of George BayntunThe Antiquarian Booksellers AssociationBath Preservation Trust
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bayntun, George 1873 births 1940 deaths Bookbinders English booksellers Antiquarian booksellers People from Bath, Somerset British royal warrant holders