Sterling Silver Calling Card Case with Sterling Pencil, Deakin & Francis Ltd., 1892

Description

The case is of exceptional quality and condition and even contains three of the owner’s calling cards: Mrs. Baird Hardy, 9 Hollyshaw Terrace, Whitkirk nr. Leeds. Initials “SBH” or “SCH” on one side. This piece is clearly hallmarked in Birmingham, England, 1892 by Deakin & Francis Ltd.

Who was she? When we posed the question on our Facebook page, one of our insightful followers discovered her remarkable story. Mrs. John Baird Hardy, also known as Sophia (née Crabtree), walked the streets of her community during a transformative era in British history.

Sophia was born on September 6, 1884, in the quaint village of Clayton Le Moors, in Lancashire—a region steeped in the textile industry’s booming history. Her parents, Matthew and Elizabeth Crabtree, were part of a community adapting to the challenges and opportunities of the Industrial Revolution, which had dramatically reshaped their world. Factories sprang up, transforming quaint rural villages into bustling centers of commerce and innovation.

In 1884, at just 18 years old, Sophia married John Baird Hardy, a man with Irish roots born around 1860. John’s career reflected the shifting landscape of the time; he began as a Furniture Salesman and Cabinet Maker, a trade marked by craftsmanship and creativity. However, by the 1901 census, he transitioned into linen manufacturing, a sector representing economic growth and the ongoing demand for affordable textiles in a rapidly urbanizing society.

Sophia’s path was equally significant. Before her marriage, she worked as a Teacher and Governess, which allowed her to navigate the educational landscape emerging from the Victorian era. Despite her professional background, after marrying John, societal expectations meant her occupation was largely overlooked in official records—a testament to the restrictive norms women faced in the early 20th century, where domesticity often overshadowed personal ambition.

Sophia and John had four daughters during their marriage: Christine, Kathleen, Elinore, and Elizabeth.

John passed away on October 5, 1907. This period, post-Victorian and at the dawn of World War I, was marked by significant social upheaval. Women began to assert their rights and voices more fervently, culminating in the suffrage movement, which sought to secure voting rights for women across the nation.

Their daughter, Elizabeth, married Frank Yewdall on September 8, 1920, at the age of 30, at a time when the country slowly emerged from the shadow of the war. Yet, the fates of her sisters—Christine, Kathleen, and Elinore—remain tantalizingly elusive, leaving us curious about the paths they chose and whether they carried forward the family’s legacy amidst the shifting tides of history.

Sophia’s story, set against the vibrant history of Lancashire, the industrial rise, and the eventual call for social reform, reminds us that every individual contributes to the rich tapestry of our collective past. The mystery of her daughters adds another layer of intrigue, inviting us to ponder the hidden stories waiting to be unveiled in the corridors of history.

About Deakin & Francis: According to the National Archives of the U.K., the firm of Deakin & Francis Ltd. traces its origins back to 1786, although the first clear evidence for its existence in the ownership of the Woolfield family is from the 1790s when Benjamin Woolfield traded as a perfumer and toymaker. On C.F. Woolfield’s death in 1848, Woolfield & Sons was sold to Charles Washington Shirley Deakin. He acquired the firm with the financial backing of G.A. Moore, but it appears from the local directories to have traded under C.W.S. Deakin’s name alone during the 1850s as a wholesale jeweler and factor. Between 1864 and 1879, C.W.S. Deakin was in partnership with Charles William Beatson Moore, and the firm traded as Deakin & Moore, wholesale jewelers. On Moore’s retirement, C.W.S. Deakin traded with his nephew, Stephen Henry Deakin. By 1882, S.H. Deakin was in partnership with John Horace Francis (his brother-in-law), and in 1902, a limited company, Deakin & Francis Ltd., was formed. It was reincorporated in 1919. J.H. Francis died in 1932, and since that time, the business has been carried on by the Deakin family alone as manufacturing jewelers. The present chairman is the great-great nephew of the founder, C.W.S. Deakin.

Since C.W.S. Deakin’s time, the business has been based in Regent Place, first at number 30 and later at 15-17, in premises earlier occupied by James Watt. It continues to manufacture a wide range of jewelry and silverware, including cuff links, rings, and dressing table sets.

As England’s oldest family jeweler, founded in 1786, Deakin & Francis has never veered from the high standards of craftsmanship and quality that are its tradition.