Transcript

of

Edward John Tattersill [Obituary]

Trans. Devon Assoc., 1880, Vol XXXVII, (1905), pp. 39-40.

by

J. Brooking-Rowe (Ed.)

Prepared by Michael Steer

The obituary was read at the Association’s July 1905 Princetown meeting. An image of Mr Tattersill’s grave site at Bideford’s East-the-Water Cemetery can be accessed via the Billion Graves website. Notice of the dissolution of partnership between Mt Tattersill and Mr Snow appeared in the London Gazette for October 9, 1896, p. 5554. The obituary, from a copy of a rare and much sought-after journal can be downloaded from the Internet Archive. Google has sponsored the digitisation of books from several libraries. These books, on which copyright has expired, are available for free educational and research use, both as individual books and as full collections to aid researchers.

Edward John Tattersill. Edward John Tattersill was born in Plymouth 3 August, 1856. He was apprenticed to the firm of Brown, Wills, and Nicholson, wholesale grocers of the town. He left their employ at the age of 20 for Bristol, where, with the experience gained in a larger warehouse, his business education was completed. He returned to Devonshire and became a partner in an old-established business at Newton Abbot. Here he remained until 1884, when he joined his brother-in-law at Torrington, acquiring the business which had been carried on for many years by J. S. Farleigh. Afterwards Messrs. Tattersill & Snow extended their business to Bideford, but soon the partnership was dissolved, Mr. Snow remaining at Torrington and Mr. Tattersill taking up his abode at Bideford, where his abilities as a business man had full and successful play. Both at Torrington and Bideford he entered into the public life of the towns. While at the former place he was a member of the Town Council, of the School Board, and of the Board of Conservators. In 1894 he was elected a member of the Bideford Town Council. He was a justice of the peace for the county and borough, a member of the Long Bridge Trust, a governor of the Grammar School, a guardian of the poor, a member of the Borough Education Committee, and a patron of Bideford Hospital, besides being on the committees of other charitable and philanthropic institutions of the town and neighbourhood. In the Free Library and all matters connected with education he took much interest. He was Mayor for three successive years, in 1891-2, 1892-3, and 1893-4, and he discharged the duties of the office in a most satisfactory way. He had the honour of being invited to the Coronation of the King, and received the Coronation medals. He welcomed the Devonshire Association at its meeting in 1902 in a way which will be always remembered with pleasure by those members who were present. In the autumn of 1904 Mr. Tattersill became seriously ill, and, although there was some occasional improvement, there was never any restoration to health; and, to the great regret of his townsmen and of all who knew him, he died on 10 May, 1905. He was interred in East- the- Water Cemetery on the Saturday following.