Francis Edwards

Francis Edwards
Born	1861
Residence	Davenham, Northwood, Middlesex; Proprietor, Francis Edwards, Antiquarian Bookseller, Marylebone Lane, W 83a High Street, Marylebone, W1 [1919]
Occupation	book seller
Society Membership membership ordinary fellow elected_AI 1911.01.17 societies Northwood Literary Society

Notes

House Notes

1910.12.13 nominated

Notes From Elsewhere

Francis Edwards Antiquarian Bookseller, was established in 1855 in the West End of London.
Daunt Books was founded in 1990 by James Daunt in the beautiful Edwardian premises at 83 Marylebone High Street in London – originally built for antiquarian booksellers Francis Edwards in 1910.

I have worked as archivist at Hillingdon Local Studies for ten years. For all that time deposited on our search room shelves have been six finely bound scrapbooks which were the property of Northwood antiquarian bookseller Francis EDWARDS. The 1901 census shows that Francis lived in Hollowdene, Green Lane with his wife Mabel Grace, a baby daughter Margaret and two servants. He was 40 years old, born in Marylebone and his occupation was given as bookseller. The 1901 census shows that the family had moved to Davenham Avenue, Northwood and had been augmented by the addition of a son, Francis born c1902, another daughter, Mary born c1906, two servants and a nurse.
The scrapbooks mainly concern the period 1900 to 1920 and offer a fascinating insight into local suburban life, as well as Francis's own interests and concerns. He was a member of the Northwood Literary Society, with lectures ranging from ‘Ancient Mesopotamia’ to ‘The Life of a Cabbage’. He was invited by a local couple, Mr. and Mrs. Carlton LEVICK, to meet their relative G. Murray LEVICK, who was surgeon on Captain Scott’s Antarctic expedition. He also attended concerts, flower shows, school sports days and a curious lecture on ‘The Personality of Animals’ given by an American character, Ernest Thompson Seton. There are several announcements of births, marriages and obituaries - fruitful ground for the family historian - as well as letters and memos that open up possibilities of mapping names to houses across Northwood. [Paul Davidson. Hillingdon family history society]