Description

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The Pease family became established in Hull in the late sixteenth century. It was probably Anne (baptized 1584) daughter of John (made free 1580) who married Reverend Andrew Marvel and became mother of the poet and MP for Hull. While Robert (born 1605) son of George (made free in 1592) became a burgess in 1631, served the office of Chamberlain in 1639 and was later fined for declining the post of Sheriff. He subsequently removed to Amsterdam because, it is said, he disapproved of the Restoration settlement. Be that as it may, his son, another Robert born in Amsterdam in 1665 sent two of his sons back to the British Isles to promote the family business interests there. George (1683-1743) went to Limerick where the family had a mill and linseed exporting interests and Joseph (1688-1778) came to England, in 1709.

This event marks the starting point of the family to which these records relate and is marked by what is almost the earliest document in the archive. This is the letter which Robert gave to Joseph before he set sail for England, setting out what he was expected to do. In view of what followed it is of interest to consider the tasks in turn. The first was to become naturalised in order to obtain the full control over family property which was only available to a naturalised Englishman. The second was to "have God always before your eyes". A whole paragraph follows on these lines suggesting that the puritan tradition of 1660 was still very much alive. The third task was to introduce himself to his father's business contacts, among them "Richard Hoare, Esq.," presumably Sir Richard, the banker (see DNB). Fourthly he was to "look out for a convenient place for clarifying oil by the River Thames", the intention being to establish a process for clarifying rapeseed oil. This seems to have been the underlying purpose of the visit. In August 1708 Robert had been granted a patent for a process for the manufacture of green oil. It is reasonable to suppose that this is a reference to the exploitation of that patent and that such exploitation was the reason for coming to England and seeking naturalisation. The correspondence does not indicate the existence of any other assets in England. Finally he was to work not just for himself but for the prosperity of the whole family. The records in this accumulation are the main source of information for the assessment of Joseph's success in achieving these objectives by the time of his death in 1778. The largest group are letters received from his father and brother William in Amsterdam and other family and business contacts. Inevitably these provide more information about the long distance trading aspects of his business than about the more localised manufacturing side. They do, however, explain the most obvious and immediate discrepancy between the plan and execution: his settlement in Hull rather than London. This seems to have been a matter of necessity rather than choice. It was only after encountering problems with the neighbours of the site selected for manufacturing in London who objected to the smell and his failure to find a suitable site in Gainsborough that Joseph obtained satisfactory premises in Hull.

The records are less informative about how these small beginnings developed into an estate valued at his death at just under eighty thousand pounds. Among the assets were three mills and a kiln and quantities of rape, linseed and green oil and other stock in trade. Something of his range of interests can be gleaned from a broken run of sales records from 1737-1754 which show that besides the oils mentioned above Joseph was dealing in the cakes which were their by-products and in lead and lead paint and Paris whiting. Although these are recorded as sales it seems probable that he was also involved in at least some stage of their manufacture. These inter-related manufacturing and trading activities provided the financial basis for his most innovative venture, the formation of what is thought to be Yorkshire's first bank in 1754. The main evidence for this in this archive is an almost unbroken run of Joseph's own pass books from 1754 to his death.

Although the correspondence is of restricted value for the development of the business it provides a detailed, if one sided, account of the developing family relationships. Further records were brought into the collection because by outliving his parents, sister and brothers Joseph became involved in dealing with their estates. His own family is similarly well documented. The preliminaries to his marriage to Mary Turner appear in his father's letters and correspondence with his three children often has added interest in that both parties retained their letters for ultimate inclusion in the family archive. For Esther (1720-1797) we have letters home from school and correspondence with her husband Lawrence Jopson who was in business first in York and later in Stockton. Their letters to other members of the family also survive. Mary (1727-1757) married Robert Robinson who had a cotton business with his brother Samuel in Manchester and died in 1756. There survives not only their correspondence with other members of the family but papers concerning the subsequent upbringing of their orphaned son, Joseph. This material throws light on the Robinsons' business activities and the connection brought Joseph a property in Manchester. Correspondence with the Lancashire Robinsons continued into the 1820's although the family relationship (if any) is not clear. For Robert (1717-1770) we again have letters from school and business trips to Ireland (1738) and Amsterdam (1747). His own papers include details of his company of gentlemen volunteers raised under threat from rebels in 1745 and a few references to his relationship with Miss Margaret Copeland and the upbringing of their son Robert Copeland Pease.

Having outlived his own son Joseph had to choose between his grandson Joseph Robinson and the natural born Robert Copeland Pease as heir to his valuable estate. The choice fell to the former who had already added Pease to his name in 1773 although Robert received two properties one of which had been purchased by his father and been inherited by Joseph on his death! Joseph Robinson's papers resemble his grandfather's in that the main element is correspondence covering a similar range of business and family affairs. Of particular interest are letters relating to his education at Warrington Academy and his visit to the low countries in 1769. The banking business also features prominently with particular reference to financial problems of the 1790's and relations with the associated Whitby and Malton Bank. Other business records include financial details and a partnership deed. Joseph had followed the traditional practice of Hull merchants by living in High Street, on a plot which provided a river frontage for his ships and warehouses for his goods as well as a house. For him land ownership seems to have been adjacent to his business activities. Indeed the initial attraction of the Hesslewood estate, which eventually became the family seat, seems to have been the chalk quarry which provided an ingredient for his paint and whiting business. With his grandson the emphasis changed. He executed substantial extensions at Hesslewood House and built a large town house in the fashionable Charlotte Street. He also bought several parcels of land in and around Hessle in order to create a landed estate. Receipts for domestic expenditure on such things as furniture, wine, a coach and a piano reflect the same trend.

On his early death in 1807, Joseph Robinson Pease was succeeded by his son, of the same name, then a minor. His papers, more than half of them letters, constitute the largest section of the whole collection. The trends apparent in his father's papers can be seen to be developing further here. Apart from a few papers from 1826-1832 the manufacturing side of the business makes very little impression. The bank and its Beverley associate Machell Pease and Liddle continue to feature, especially when Joseph Robinson Pease was away from home and obliged to conduct his business by letter. Involvement with commerce purely as an investor becomes far more prominent at this period. Joseph and his grandson had both held investments in canal companies but Joseph Robinson Pease took a very active interest in railway shares especially in the years 1845-1856.

The increasing importance of the landed estate is reflected in papers relating both to further acquisitions in and around Hessle and at Thearne and to matters such as enclosure. Family concerns continue to figure prominently if not more prominently than earlier. Joseph Robinson Pease II had to deal with the estates of both his parents, the settlements of his sisters and daughters and the problems associated with establishing his sons in suitable careers, as well as serving as a trustee for the settlement of his cousin A. E. Osborne on her marriage to John Broadley.

Perhaps the most significant change in the records at this stage is the emergence of purely personal records. Joseph Robinson Pease kept a journal of his activities from 1822-1865 as well as making separate records of his travels which were undertaken for pleasure or health reasons rather than as with earlier generations business or education. He also conducted prolonged correspondence with friends, among them Sir A. W. Crighton, the physician whom he had known since their schooldays and who spent most of his life in the service of the Russian royal family and J. B. Philips of Heath Hall near Cheadle to whom he was related through the Robinson family.

The papers from later generations may be described briefly. They are chiefly of family interest and include c.150 letters, many of them crossed, written by Barbara Palmer to J. W. Pease during their engagement in 1842, and correspondence revealing the strained relations between H.J.R. Pease and his wife Dora. Of wider interest are J. W. Pease's letterbook as commanding officer of the 1st Corps. East Yorkshire Rifle Volunteers; his candidature in the Hull election of 1873. The changing attitude to the estate is reflected in a series of game registers, 1860-1893.

The collection also contains printed matter accumulated by the family. The most significant item is a collection of c.80 political pamphlets from 1680/1. There is also a series of press cuttings, chiefly concerning local events, 1798-1890.

The Peases of County Durham

It is often asked what if any was the connection between the Hull Peases and the County Durham family which were prominent in the early development of railways and also had banking interests. There is no family connection during the period covered by this archive and no evidence of one during the earlier phase of residence in Hull. It has, however, been suggested that the two families derived from a common ancestor in the West Riding.

The Peases and the Hull Record Office

It is of interest to note that the building occupied by the City Record Office was owned by the Pease family from 1717 to 1908. The property originally formed part of the Manor Estate of the De la Poles and deeds tracing its history from the break up of that estate by the Hildyards in the 1670's are in C DDX/1/1-15. At this time the main structure on the land was a malthouse and later references in the present archive to a kiln in Lowgate seem to refer to the same property. The only document relating specifically to it is a lease of 1890.

Description:

Correspondence and other papers of the Pease family of Hull including Robert Pease (1643-1720); Joseph Pease (1688-1778); Robert Pease (1717-1770); Robert Robinson (died 1756); Joseph Robinson Pease I (1752-1807); Anne Pease née Twigg (1759-1816); Joseph Robinson Pease II (1789-1866); Joseph Walker Pease (1820-1882); and H J R Pease (1843-1892)