Joseph Gillott (11 October 1799 – 5 January 1872) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

pen-manufacturer and patron of the arts based in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

Pen manufacturing

After a brief period of schooling, Gillott began working in the cutlery trade in his home town of

Sheffield Sheffield is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is Historic counties o ...

. In 1821 he moved to

, where he found employment in the steel toy trade, the technical name for the manufacture of steel buckles, chains and light ornamental steel-work generally. About 1830 he turned his attention to the manufacture of steel pens by machinery. His company rapidly became successful and Gillott was soon a very wealthy man. It was rumoured locally that he buried some of his money in his cellar so that it did not become known that he had acquired so much. He certainly spread his cash across a number of bank accounts in Birmingham. In 1840 he opened his Victoria Works; the business employed mainly girls. Gillott also invested in the new railway companies and especially in property and land – not only in Birmingham, where he bought a large estate in

Edgbaston Edgbaston () is an affluent suburban area of central Birmingham, England, historically in Warwickshire, and curved around the southwest of the city centre. In the 19th century, the area was under the control of the Gough-Calthorpe family an ...

, but also in London and Wales. The family home for many years was "The Grove" on Westbourne Road in Edgbaston. Gillott was an often secretive man, both in business and in art collecting. He socialised with a small group of friends at the Hen and Chickens Hotel and the Theatre Royal (which he part-owned) in New Street, Birmingham.

Art interests

Gillott was an art collector – at first he exchanged pens for paintings – and one of the first to recognise the merits of

J. M. W. Turner Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbulen ...

. His collection of pictures, sold after his death, realised £170,000.

Death and legacy

Gillott died in Birmingham and was buried in Key Hill Cemetery. A white marble bust of Gillott stands in the main foyer of

Birmingham Council House Birmingham City Council House in Birmingham, England, is the home of Birmingham City Council, and thus the seat of local government for the city. It provides office accommodation for both employed council officers, including the Chief Executive ...

. In later years, Gillott's son, Joseph Gillott junior, purchased a considerable estate in the village of Catherine-de-Barnes,

Solihull Solihull (, or ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in West Midlands County, England. The town had a population of 126,577 at the 2021 Census. Solihull is situated on the River Blythe i ...

on which he built New Berry Hall, a large gothic mansion with North and South Lodges. He also built the school in the village. A collection of Gillott's letters are held at the Cadbury Research Library, University of Birmingham.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gillott, Joseph 1799 births 1872 deaths Businesspeople from Birmingham, West Midlands People from Sheffield English art collectors Burials at Key Hill Cemetery 19th-century English businesspeople