Dang nice work Bill!

Thanks for going down the rabbit hole for the rest of us.  I hope several
people save this to their hard drives somehow.

KE

On Mon, Aug 13, 2018 at 3:27 PM, Dragon List  wrote:

> After reading Charlie's post I wondered if there was indeed a Perth in
> Scotland (land of many of my forebears).  And (before I saw Adam's reply) I
> found this, at 50 South Street in Perth:  https://www.google.com/maps/pl
> ace/50+South+St,+Perth+PH2+8PD,+UK/@56.3951396,-3.4286161,
> 3a,15y,157.61h,110.43t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1soV_vR1xzW2alPDwG
> NA2f2w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!4m5!3m4!1s0x48863b1113bf5c73:0x6c0
> ff5178238a71e!8m2!3d56.3950068!4d-3.4284782  You can still see the
> building
> to which they moved in this shot, with the lovely architectural
> ornamentation showing an axe, a saw, and other tools on the building's
> façade.   It was *this* that got me going down the rabbit hole to find out
> more about David Malloch and his planemaking in Perth.
>
> Apparently there was a wealth of information on Wiktor's site under the
> Mathieson history...but no more.  I gathered info from a number of found
> posts, but did a lot of digging in primary sources:  the Scottish Post
> Office Directories.  https://digital.nls.uk/directo
> ries/browse/archive/91049054  These mostly confirmed the information in
> other posts, but I did glean some new information.
>
> The basic outline is as according to this Worthpoint seller (
> https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/early-1800s-scottish
> -infill-plane-513188107), that John McGlashan was a Perth planemaker in the
> first half of the 1800s whose business passed to David Malloch on John's
> death in 1849, and ran it until 1913 under various guises.
>
> In more detail, Malloch looks to have taken over McGlashan's business and
> his home (with McGlashan's wife, a milliner, moving next door, until she
> apparently passed away, or left Perth, in 1857) on South Methven Street in
> 1850.  Malloch made planes from a location down the street from his house
> as "David Malloch" until about 1854, when he moved the business to the
> center of town, opposite the main church ("Kirkside"), at 25 St. John's
> Street ("Above Working Men's Coffee-Room").  Interestingly, all the
> advertisements listing 25 St. John's Street have a statement "(Successor to
> John M'Glashan)" that implies he still needed to trade on McGlashan's name.
> By 1854 he was making "Joiners' and Cabinetmakers' Tools of every
> description.  Saws, Chisels, Braces, Bits, and Augers, of all sizes."  He
> ran the same basic ad through the 1866 directory.
>
> He used the same manufactory until 1870, when he moved the business to 50
> South Street, which is only about three blocks away from Kirkside.  While
> there are no directories provided between 1866 and 1872 to say when the
> move was undertaken, according to a comment at the bottom of this post:
> https://automobilrevue.net/v/Q2l5bXNMNWFQVUU "A notice in the Perthshire
> Courier of Tuesday 26 April 1870, recorded that “David Malloch, Plane
> Manufacturer and Edge Tool Merchant …. has removed from Kirkside to more
> commodious premises at 50 South St. …”  The author speculates "It is
> apparent that the Malloch business had steadily grown and with the move to
> South St, further expansion was possible.  These were extensive premises
> for a firm that seems to have undertaken little or no other work than
> planemaking."  Expand they did, and by 1881 the firm had 9 employees.  I
> think the author of that comment was actually incorrect, in that they were
> making everything a joiner or cabinetmaker could need, and so goes against
> the idea of "little or no other work than planemaking."
>
> And now here's where things get a little awry.  Goodman's lists the Perth
> Plane Works under David Malloch & Son from 1878-1913.  The
> automobilrevue.net link shows David Malloch & Son (1878-1913) separately
> from The Perth Plane works, but the latter with no dates.  Based on what I
> could glean from the Scottish Post Office Directories, David Malloch & Son
> indeed was *mentioned* in 1878, but in the years 1880-1891 was still David
> Malloch, planemaker.  There is no trace of William in the Perth directories
> until the 1891 directory, when he's shown living at Croft Park with his
> mother; David appears to have passed away.  William was born in 1849,
> according to Britain's 1881 census; perhaps when he was 29 his father
> encouraged him to join the planemaking enterprise, when David would have
> been 60.  Perhaps to no avail.  The firm continued to be listed as David
> Malloch through 1891; after that, through its purchase by Mathieson in 1913
> it was listed as David Malloch & Son.  The additional sobriquet "The Perth
> Plane Works" was only listed starting with the 1903 directory, though
> indeed could have been added any time after 1899's directory was published.
>
> I've created the following timeline from my research, and that of the
> others mentioned:
>
> MCGLASHAN, John                                  PERTH
> 50 St. John St.                                           <1837-ca.1845
> 66 South Methven St.                                ca.1845-1849
>
> MALLOCH, David                                      PERTH
> 57 South Methven St.                                1850-ca.1854
> 25 St. John St.                                           ca.1854-1870
> 50 South St.                                               1870-1890,
> excepting 1878
>
> MALLOCH David & Son (William)             PERTH
> 50 South St.                                               1878,
> 1891-ca.1899
> 50 South St. (The Perth Plane Works)       ca.1899-1913
> (11 East Campbell St., Glasgow                1914-1932
>   subsidiary of Alex. Mathieson, Glasgow)
>
> I do note that William is listed as retired in the 1911 Post Office
> Directory, so I wonder even about the 1913 date for Mathieson's acquisition
> (though that seems to be the date everyone knows).
>
> Compare this with Goodman's (W.L. Goodman's _British Planemakers from
> 1700_, Third Edition, c. 1993) quoted from the old thread by Don McConnell:
> MALLOCH, David & Son                       PERTH
> 50 South St. (The Perth Plane Works)  1878-1913
> 11 East Campbell St., Glasgow             1914-1932
> (Subsidiary of Alex. Mathieson, Glasgow)
>
> Here's the full timeline I assembled (all sources not listed are from the
> Scottish Post Office Directories):
>
> 1895, John McGlashan born (from an expired WK Tools article; I could just
> read the preview).
> 1818, David Malloch born (1881 British Census)
> 1837, John McGlashan & Co., wright's tool makers; 50 St. John Street.  No
> advertisement.
> 1845, John McGlashan, 66 South Methven Street (tool-maker); South Methven
> Street (plane-maker); house at 2 York Place.  No advertisement.
> 1848, John McGlashan, 66 South Methven Street (tool-maker); South Methven
> Street (tool manufacturer); unknown house.  No advertisement.
> 1849, John McGlashan dies.  His wife lived as a milliner at 65 South
> Methven Street until 1857.  William Malloch born
> (Worthpoint/Automobilrevue.net/1881 British Census)
> 1850, David Malloch, 57 South Methven Street; house at 66 South Methven
> Street.  No advertisement.  No entry for John McGlashan.
> 1852, David Malloch, 57 South Methven Street; house at 66 South Methven
> Street.  No advertisement.  Helen Malloch born (1881 British Census)
> 1854, David Malloch, 57 South Methven Street; house at 66 South Methven
> Street.  Advertised at 25 St. John's Street as a "wright's tool
> manufacturer" (https://digital.nls.uk/directories/browse/archive/85747120)
> 1856, David Malloch, Kirkside; assume house at 66 South Methven Street.
> Advertised at 25 St. John Street as a "wright's tool manufacturer" (
> https://digital.nls.uk/directories/browse/archive/85669664).  Mary Malloch
> born (1881 British Census)
> 1858, David Malloch, planemaker, Kirkside; assume house at 66 South Methven
> Street.  Advertised at 25 St. John Street as a "wright's tool manufaturer"
> (
> https://digital.nls.uk/directories/browse/archive/86534577). Sarah Malloch
> born (1881 British Census)
> 1861, John Malloch born.  Family of David Malloch now numbers 6 (1881
> British Census)
> 1862, David Malloch, planemaker, Kirkside; house at 41 South Street.
> Advertised at 25 St. John Street as a"wright's tool manufacturer" (
> https://digital.nls.uk/directories/browse/archive/85673485)
> 1863, James Malloch born (1881 British Census)
> 1865, David Malloch, planemaker, Kirkside; house at 71 Prince's Street.  No
> advertisement.  George Malloch born (1881 British Census)
> 1866, David Malloch, planemaker, Kirkside; house at 28 St. John Street.
> Advertised at 25 St. John Street as a "wright's tool manufacturer" (
> https://digital.nls.uk/directories/browse/archive/85680359)
> 1870, David Malloch, Plane Manufacturer and Edge Tool Merchant, 50 South
> Street; assume house at 28 St. John Street (Perthshire Courier)
> 1872, David Malloch, planemaker, 50 South Street; house at 28 St. John
> Street.  No advertisement.
> 1874, David Malloch, planemaker, 50 South Street; house at 28 St. John
> Street.  No advertisement.
> 1878, David Malloch & Son, planemakers, 50 South Street; house at 28 St.
> John Street.  No advertisement.
> 1880, David Malloch, planemaker, 50 South Street; house at Croft Park,
> Craigie.  No advertisement.
> 1881, David Malloch, planemaker employing 9 men; house at Croft Bank, in
> the West Church Parish (1881 British Census)
> 1882, David Malloch, planemaker, 50 South Street; house at Croft Park,
> Craigie.  No advertisement.  Employed 9 men.
> 1884, David Malloch, planemaker, 50 South Street; house at Croft Park,
> Craigie.  No advertisement.
> 1885, David Malloch, planemaker, 50 South Street; house at Croft Park,
> Craigie.  No advertisement.
> 1887, David Malloch, planemaker, 50 South Street; house at Croft Park,
> Craigie.  No advertisement.
> 1889, David Malloch, planemaker, 50 South Street; house at Croft Park,
> Craigie.  No advertisement.
> 1891, David Malloch & Son, plane manufacturers, 50 South Street.  No
> advertisement.  William Malloch at Croft Park, Craigie (along with Mrs.
> David Malloch, no David)
> 1893, David Malloch & Son, plane manufacturers, 50 South Street.  No
> advertisement.  William Malloch at Croft Park, Craigie (along with Mrs.
> David Malloch)
> 1895, David Malloch & Son, plane manufacturers, 50 South Street.  No
> advertisement.  William Malloch, plane maker (of David Malloch & Son), 48
> 1/2 South Street.
> 1897, David Malloch & Son, plane manufacturers, 50 South Street.  No
> advertisement.  William Malloch, plane maker (of David Malloch & Son), 48
> 1/2 South Street.
> 1899, David Malloch & Son, plane manufacturers, 50 South Street.  No
> advertisement.  William Malloch, plane maker (of David Malloch & Son), 48
> 1/2 South Street.
> 1903, David Malloch & Son, Perth Plane Works, 50 South Street.  No
> advertisement.  Wm. Malloch, plane maker (of D. Malloch & Son), Woodcote,
> Pitcullen Crescent.
> 1905, David Malloch & Son, Perth Plane Works, 50 South Street.  No
> advertisement.  Wm. Malloch, plane maker (of D. Malloch & Son), Woodcote,
> 17 Pitcullen Crescent.
> 1907, David Malloch & Son, Perth Plane Works, 50 South Street.  No
> advertisement.  Wm. Malloch, plane maker (of D. Malloch & Son), Woodcote,
> 17 Pitcullen Crescent.
> 1911, David Malloch & Son, Perth Plane Works, 50 South Street.  No
> advertisement.  Wm. Malloch, retired, Woodcote, 17 Pitcullen Crescent.
>
> One thing I can't quite figure:  David Malloch's death date.  Based on the
> above, I'd imagine it sometime 1889-91, when David Malloch shows no address
> for a house, and William Malloch has moved to Croft Park, and is shown
> living with his mother (who looks to have died 1893-94).  I haven't been
> able to access any histories that speak of David Malloch's death.
>
> Now, in answer to Charlie's original question:
>
> > > On Aug 10, 2018, at 20:19 , Charles Driggs via OldTools <
> > oldtools@s...> wrote:
> > >
> > > #1 — I’m not aware of any place named Perth in the British Isles, so
> I’m
> > wondering if one of our fellow Galoots Down Under may have a reference on
> > 19th C Aussie toolmakers that might indicate the period of time when
> > Malloch & Sons were operating to define the range of time when the iron
> > probably was made.  I’m expecting that to be in the period 1840 - 1900.
> >
>
> As Adam said, Perth Scotland.  That the iron is marked "Malloch & Son" (you
> sure there's an S at the end?) means it was made between 1891-1911.  It
> *could* have been made in 1878 during the first "& Son" incorporation.
> Were there no markings on the plane body?
>
> Here's another 90deg. bedded toothing plane by Malloch at Jim Bode's:
> https://www.jimbodetools.com/products/2-1-2-x-6-7-8-inch-
> toothing-plane-by-malloch-son-perth-circa-1878-1932-73575
> and here at Ontario Antique Tools:
> http://ontarioantiquetools.com/shop/planes/david-malloch-
> sons-perth-toothing-plane/
> The latter shows it as an "& Son" plane without the body being marked
> "Perth Plane Works" (as I would expect it would be were it made there), so
> between 1878-1903.
>
> I don't know if anyone reports non-"& Son" Malloch planes from before 1878.
>
> Sorry for the long post, but that's what going down the rabbit hole gets
> ya.  Isn't that panel on the front of 50 South Street in Perth inspiring?
>
> Best,
> Bill
> Felton, CA
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