Colin Vallance (CVall78027 @t aol.com) of Birmingham writes:  I am tracing my family history and have discovered links with St. Albans and the Vallance family who were involved in papermaking and also ran wholesale stationery shops in London in the 18th and 19th century.

My great great grandfather was Thomas Vallance, listed in Kelly's 1846 directory as an Ironmonger in St. Alban's High Street. His father was William Vallance, Stationer. I have no record of William's father but I think it may be another Thomas Vallance who produced and sold paper - this would be 1770 onwards.

[I am very interested in your reference to the 1846 Kelly's Directory. The earliest edition I know of is 1850/1 and I will be tracking down this earlier one.]

Do you know anything of the Vallance family in Hertfordshire in the late 18th or 19th century. Are there any records of a paper mill in Hertfordshire associated with the name Vallance? I would also be interested in any census records of 1851 and before which list any of the family.

Volume IV  of the Wheathampstead and Harpenden History records that Pickford Mill, Harpenden, "was brought in 1796 by Thomas Vallance who had been making paper at Hatfield since 1788, His daughter, Catherine, married an outstanding papermaker, William Balston, in 1805. By 1833 Vallance and his elder son, Edmund, had limited their business to paper made at Pickford. In 1816 the mill [No 404 in the Uxbridge Collection on the Excise List] was owned by Edmund, whose brother William succeeded him from 1824. Edward Jones, a wholesale stationer of Budge Row, London, brought the mill in 1833. The last papermaker there was Shadrack Clark who, after two years, became bankrupt in 1849."

The "Uxbridge" reference is presumably to taxation returns in the Public Records Office. I would guess the other information comes from "local" records such as parish registers, etc., now in HALS.

Later information on Pickford Mill is given in my answer SAYER, St Albans area, mid 19th century.

I have located two references to Vallance in the published 1851 census transcript. William Vallance (66, born London, stationer & ironmonger) was living in Harpenden village with his wife Elizabeth (68, born Dunton, Beds) and daughter Martha (34, unmarried, born Wheathampstead). Thomas Vallance (33, born St Albans, ironmonger) was living in the High Street, St Albans with his wife Ann (26, born Westminster) and daughter Elizabeth (3, born St Albans).

I have found one reference in my research on Bernards Heath, St Albans. The Herts Advertiser of 21st April 1866 reports a school cricket match, the previous Wednesday on the Heath. It was between Mr Brown's seven [presumably older boys] and Brunswick House [prep school] fourteen.

Mr Brown's team: A Woolfield; H Evans; P B Brown; C B Brown; A Donaldson; C Dimsdale; J Donaldson.

Brunswich House team: F Dunham; W Cherry; W Vallance; F Hilliard; R Martin; J Francis; S Stow; Vass; J Lovett: W Chappin; H Younger; Wilson; H Slade; H Webdale.

----------------------

Colin Vallance (CVall78027 @t aol.com) responded: Thank you so much for your reply concerning the Vallance family in Hertfordshire. There really is a wealth of information, which I am now in the process of assimilating! I now need to get copies of birth and marriage records pre 1836 to avoid taking any wrong turns. Birth of Thomas Vallance 1818 Wheathampstead Herts and William Vallance 1785 or thereabouts. I think this William married Elizabeth Peppercorn 27 June 1811 at St. Mary's, Hitchin.

Copies of the census records would also be helpful to place individuals in exactly the right family. As you mention on your site, it can get quite confusing with so many family members taking on the first name of their father of grandfather. I would like to obtain photocopies of these records to show to my father (now 88). I don't think the Family History Centre hold copies of the 1851 Census records for Hertfordshire.

Different LDS Family History Centres have different "permanent" holdings - but I understand that all should be able to borrow copies of the census returns, and the relevant parish registers, to order.

Regarding the 1846 Kelly's Directory entry - I obtained this information from Direct Resources and asked for details of the entry, David seems to be doing some valuable work.

Thank you for drawing my attention to a valuable site. I hope to get a copy of the Hertfordshire file.

I have Thomas Vallance 1745 -1823. This Thomas is the father of Edmund Vallance, his younger brother, William, and also Catherine Vallance who married William Balston , 9 August 1806 in Kent. It would be good to see this family on an earlier census record. When his father died, Edmund continued to run the shop in London on his own from 1825-1827. At this point the shop records seem to end, perhaps tying in with what you mention about the situation in 1833.

Have a look at the page on census returns - the earliest normal census is 1841.

I have found a lot of useful information concerning the Vallance Book and Paper
Business at Exeter Working Papers in British Book Trade History, which includes a checklist for London, 1775-1800.

It is often surprising what information turns up on web sites.

Concerning the cricket match in 1866 - that was a real surprise and I must admit I'm not quite sure who the W. Vallance is in the school team. I think it must be a son of Thomas Vallance the ironmonger who married Ann Judith Turney in 1845. One of their sons was Thomas William Vallance (my great grandfather) born 1852 St. Pancras, Herts. [? The 1881 census says he was born in St Albans - do you mean St Peters?] I don't know their other children. This Thomas married Rhoda Brown in 1875, daughter of Edward Brown, Bootmaker, of Fishpool Street, St. Michael's in St. Albans. Her mother was also Rhoda, formerly Johnson.

Edward Brown is listed in the 1851 census, in Fishpool Street, St Michaels:

This is a long shot but it's just possible that the Browns in the other cricket team could be Rhoda's brothers - not sure how we check that except from their initials and perhaps the census records nearest to 1866. I hope some of this is of interest to you - I am certainly very impressed with all the information you provided.

----------------------

Barbara Chapman (see Leverstock Green Chronicle) adds: There is possibly no connection, but the name was so similar I thought I'd mention it in case.  I have the following reference in the Leverstock Green Chronicle:

6th January 1803 - Philip Vaillant was legally admitted as Copyholder of Great and Little Cox Pond Farms after the death of his father Paul Vaillant, who had in turn had inherited the farms from his Grandfather, another Paul Vaillant. [HALS AH177]

----------------------

Colin Vallance (CVall78027 @t aol.com) corrected a error (text above amended appropriately) and said: By 1881 Thomas William Vallance, and his wife Rhoda were living in London and had a son, Thomas age 4 who was born in St.Pancras, Middlesex.

February 2003

Colin Vallance (CVall78027 @t aol.com) provided some significant further information about the Hatfield and Pickford paper mills from the book Paper Mills and Paper Makers in England 1495-1800 [qv]. He quotes parts of the book which mentions Thomas Vallance as the proprietor at Hatfield Paper Mill in 1781 and later on at Pickford Mill. Do you have any more information about Hatfield Mill?   

Hatfield Paper Mill from Seller's map, 1676

There may be something in one of the booklets in the series Hatfield and its People - but I don't have a relevant copy. [later acquired - see later page Paper Makers, Hatfield]

I also have a book about William Balston - Paper Maker  who married Thomas Vallance's daughter, Catherine. Quite a lot of information about the papermaking Vallances in this as well.

----------------------

August 2005

Ian Hancock (dot11y @t bigpond.net.au) writes:  Mr Vallance was the manager (owner?) of a papermill in 1798 as my ancestor was apprenticed to him.

March 2006

Mary and Gerald Moore (kimber @t marymoore.go-plus.net) of Wellington, Somerset, write: My husband's family had the Paper Mill in Hatfield in the 1700's before the Vallances.  We are looking for information on the Paper Mill back to when it was first built and its history.

I have added extracts from Hatfield & Its People to the page dealing with Paper Makers, Hatfield

There are web pages for St Albans & Hatfield

If you can add to the information given above tell me.