Mahala Jago and her family: 1758 - 1971

Mahala Jago, 1784-1842

 My interest in the woman silversmith Mahala Jago started after buying a label on ebay.  The vendor, David Buck (SteppesHill Farm) listed a label he was candid enough not to offer a maker’s name, “Victorian Silver Wine Label RUM; Unknown maker 'MJ' c1840”

Having outbid four others I acquired the label the princely sum of £67.00 As you can see from the photographs below the ‘Rum’ label is not a remarkable, – but I am often intrigued by labels that may need a little research.

After some modest research I am now quite confident that the mark MJ is for Mahala Jago.  Not a particularly well-known silversmith, (other than being identified as ‘Woman’ silversmith), references to her are minimal; I primarily checked Grimwade who does offer a brief entry, Philippa Glanville in her book on ‘Women Silversmiths’ simply lists her with no detail. The ‘Book of the Wine Label’ identifies her as a ‘Maker’ but Culme does have usefully more to say about the Jago family.

I had hoped that I might find more information searching past journals of the Wine Label Circle, these have now been digitalized back to 1952 and are available in the members area of the WLC website. There is a reference to Mahala Jago in two issues, 1987 and 2004, but again  only identifying her as a women silversmith.

I searched the internet to find examples of her work where firstly at AC Silver, a fine silver gilded pen  then a sealing wax holder at Gorringes, which clearly had the same makers mark as my label and Bonham’s sold a tongue-scraper in 2004. 

Researching the history of the family I primarily used three sources, the genealogical websites ‘Ancestry’, ‘Find my Past, and the National Newspaper Archive.

I found that Mahala Bunn was born in 1784 at Finsbury marrying James Jago in 1808. Her father-in-law was John Jago, born in 1758 he was a smallworker who specialised in making silver writing instruments, entering his first mark in 1783. He is identified as living at 6 Tabernacle Row, Finsbury, and listed in 1821 as a gold and silver pen and pencil case maker. You can see four examples of his work at David Bucks website, Steppes Hill Farm. John Jago must have been reasonably successful in his business, when he died in 1828 amongst various bequests in his will he left £200.00 to one of his daughters. All of his stock-in-trade at Tabernacle Row was bequeathed to his son James. John Jago was 70 at the time of his death, living in Hackney Road he was buried in Bunhill Fields, a non-conformist cemetery. 

James and Mahala’s family consisted of 5 boys and 5 girls, one son emigrated to Australia and one other, William, followed his father’s occupation and became a silversmith. James, Mahalas husband, only outlived his father by two years dying in 1830 aged 46. James was buried on the 6^th February, also in Bunhill Fields cemetery. Following the death of her husband, Mahala Jago registered her mark and continued the family business, presumably with her son William.

Mahala Jago died in 1842 and she was also buried at Bunhill Fields cemetery, 27^th February.  William entered his mark on the 28^th October 1842 and the earliest note I find of him working as a silversmith is in the 1852 Kelly’s Directory where he is listed as a gold, silver pen and pencil case maker. There is no reference to any of the daughters entering the family business but in the same 1852 Kelly’s Directory, two daughters, (one also named after her mother, Mahala) and her sister Jane are listed as Linen Drapers.

If you noted earlier that I had found a tongue-scraper made by Mahala at a Bonham’s auction I presume that these instruments were part of the family ‘repertoire’. At the Middlesex Sessions, according to the Morning Chronicle, May 4^th 1858, “John Weatch, 18, pleaded guilty of stealing nine silver tongue-scrapers and other articles, the property of William Jago, from his dwelling house, 40 Shaftesbury Street, Hoxton. Sentenced to 12 months hard labour’.

Willian Jago, (according to Culme), entered a second mark as a pencil case maker in May 1872, his address being Southgate Street, Islington. Sometime during the next two or three years William moved to St Albans, Hertfordshire where he established a jewellery business. I have been able to confirm that the business in St Albans had been established by William after I found probate records for his sister Mahala. She had died in May 1876 and William was granted letters of administration.  He is referred to as her brother, next of kin and described as a silversmith, living at Woburn Cottage, Prospect Road, St Albans.

William, (and his wife Mary), both died in 1877. His son, William John continued running the business until his death at the comparatively young age of 43. His two sons, Charles and Cyril together with his widow looked after the business, Mrs Jago dying in 1933. Probate on her estate of £18,480 was left to the two sons, who and with subsequent members of the family continued to be involved in the business until 1971. The name of Jago is still used as the trading name of the shop in St Albans, it having been acquired by the Gillow family in 2015. David Gillow kindly loaned the photograph below, this I imagine must have been taken 1890’s? The following notice was in the Herts Advertiser

‘W. J. Jago, Manufacturing Gold and Silversmith, have removed to magnificent premises at 4, Holywell-hill, which have been fitted in the best style for the convenience of conducting rapidly increasing business. W. J. Jago has the largest and choicest stock of goods in the City. Special novelties suitable for Christmas presents.’

If at this moment I speculate about the reasons why William gave up his work as a specialist silversmith there might be several reasons. Perhaps making such items of silver was a precarious living? Certainly, I have found that very little work of the Jago family has survived, silver tongue scrapers, silver quill pens, silver pencil holders, objects of curiosity now, but with the passing of time have been discarded. Perhaps moving away from London and establishing a jeweller’s business in the prosperous and growing cathedral city of St Albans was a significant attraction. It certainly put down the roots of family business that lasted nearly a century.

I have enjoyed researching this information about the Jago family, but my original motive was to try and find other wine labels made by the Jago family! I have searched silver dealers’ archives and not a whisper! Is my ‘Rum’ label without any brothers or sisters? If so, my final thought is to ask if you have you seen a label made by a Jago family member?

John Humphris; If you have read an earlier blog that I wrote about John Humphris you might be interested to see that I have acquired another label by this maker. Once again it was incorrectly catalogued, ‘The crowned mark looks to be that of John Hopkins C 1725 -30’

and this example has the two earlier marks for John Humphris, see images below.

Phipps and Phipps; I also have written an earlier blog about the work of the Phipps and Phipps partnership, commenting about the style and workmanship of their labels after the death of Edward Robinson. Recently I came across a set of three labels dated 1817, illustrated below,

Am I alone in thinking that the style of these labels is from an earlier period? Perhaps a style some 30 – 40 years previous? Were they made to replace missing labels from an earlier commission? Whatever you might think I was pleased to add them to my collection of Phipps labels.

AUCTIONS.

Woolley and Wallace held an auction on 30^th October when more than 70 lots were on offer. The sale was considered successful and virtually all lots were sold. I was pleased to win a lot, (albeit higher than the estimate), but pleased with 5 interesting labels to add to my collection. The next silver sale at Woolley and Wallace is on the 23^rd January when I understand there is another substantial selection of labels of offer, and if that is not enough I believe there are more labels for the April sale! If you would like to see the prices realised at the October sale, click here.

Stop Press; List of Wine Labels at next Woolley and Wallace Silver Sale, 23^rd January. Click here

 

Ebay wine label auctions continue to see a wide range of prices, some being surprising low; George III Silver  Label 'MADEIRA' - Pierced Border, Susannah Barker, £69.00.

Rawlings and Summers Vine label, 31 grams, Victorian, 1858, only £34.50, see below,

Another large vine leaf label from Birmingham, 1826,  Ledsam, Vale & Wheeler, Dimensions: 8.2cm x 5.5cm, Weight: 20g. Price realised £45.30, see below,

4 William IV matching Silver Wine Labels, 'PORT', 'SHERRY', 'CLARET' and 'MADEIRA', of oval form with gadrooned borders. They are all identically hallmarked for London 1830 by Charles Reily & George Storer. The set of 4 labels raised only £82.00, they look slightly worn but at only £21.00 each, surely an entry level price that must be an encouragement to take up collecting!

At the higher end of Ebay prices bidding for Sandilands Drinkwater I have found the highest bids, the one below offered by Andy Taylor raised £312.00.

At one point I counted just over just over 30 escutcheon labels on offer, but condition and provenance did vary.

One very fair price, (for the buyer), was a good pair of George III Irish silver Wine Labels, cut-cornered rectangular form with vacant shield shaped surmounts supported by scrolls, incised for Hock and Vin de Grave by John Teare, Dublin c1800. These were offered by David Buck and the pair sold for £321.99.

Hester Bateman labels always attract buyers and a number have been offered recently. The best price was for the Hester Bateman port label below, offered by Gary Bottomley, was £247.00 with 22 bids.

Another label offered by Gary Bottomley, (who trades on Ebay as sunbeau) was a pierced Barsac, 1812 by John Reilly. It did look in very good condition and after 23 bids raised £240.00

To view prices of wine labels for completed sales click here. I will post prices for sauce labels in the next issue.

Before closing I will suggest to any readers who are looking at this blog and have an interest in wine labels, you should seriously consider joining the Wine Label Circle, it is only a thirty-pound annual subscription. There is a useful website, here you can access all the digitized journals of the Wine Label Circle, (these date back to 1952), and perhaps best of all, there are two meetings where you can meet others with similar interests.

Of course, in addition to the above there are regular emailed newsletter and an annual printed copy of the Wine Label Circle Journal.

All the best for Christmas and may the New Year bring you many labels!

Happy collecting!

Please click on ‘comments’ below to see other contributions. I would be pleased if you would like to reply and contribute to this post.

If you wish to leave a comment you will need to identify your status – anonymous is easy and you can leave your name to sign off. If you then press the publish button you may be required to complete a verification, (captcha) and after I have checked the comment as moderator it will be published.