Gowland family of pianomakers

[dolphinelle]

Hi there

I am researching my grandmothers family and have discovered on the census that they were pianoforte makers. Their family name was gowland I wonder if anyone has heard of them

[Bill Kibby]

Can you give me a bit more detail, such as the country, town, dates etc.?

[dolphinelle]

Hi there
Thanks for replying to my post,the Gowland family I am looking for originally came from Yorkshire but moved to London.

The names that I have so far are:

Edward Barker Gowland b 1866 and Wm James Gowland b 1847 both living in London in 1901 Census and also James Gowland (son of Wm James) b 1872 in London

[Bill Kibby]

A lot of my information comes from directory lists, but these only help if he was in business under his own name, and I can't see the name so far. The piano trade in victorian and edwardian London was a huge employer, and I have no way of tracing every employee, but I have more chance than anyone else of something turning up at random.

[dolphinelle]

Hi there

thanks for responding to my post, I know that during the period that they were working there were lots of piano's being made by lots of people!!! so I may very well be looking for the proverbial needle!! but you never know something may turn up

thanks for your interest

[Gill the Piano]

Ernest Gowland worked at JJ Hopkinsons piano makers, then was factory manager for George Rogers and Sons. He wrote an articles for The Pianomaker journal in 1921. He was then factory manager for Chappell's, and was promoted to Director in 1929. EJ Gowland's Music Shop was advertised in 1935, address 37 London Road, Grantham, Lincolnshire, and he was referrred to as the 'eldest brother of the Gowland Family'. If you look at my MA elsewhere on this site (History of the Piano Tuner) (Yawn...) I quote in full from a painted advertising board I have in my collection, where he touts for orders for tunings to be left at a shop. E.Gowland is listed there as being 'from Messrs Hopkinson'. I have no idea how old it is - initially I thought it was late nineteenth century, but now I think it's probably early 20th!
I'm sorry I have no idea how all these Gowlands are related, or even if they're the same bloke , but E. Gowland was always writing to the Pianomaker and was very concerned that standards in pianomaking should be maintained and heightened. An ancestor to be proud of!!

[Jessjess]

Not sure about Ernest Gowland but the other 2 it are definitely related.

William Gowland born 1847 in York moved to London and married Philippa Dorcas Pascoe.

Her father and brother both Samuel Pascoe also piano makers. They easily come up on various census and I can send you what i have found out todate.

William(my great great grandfather) had several children. One son went to Australia as you say.His brother,William (born 1880) was my great grandfather. He married Clara Wright in 1905. His daughter,Grace Lilian Gowland was my grandmother.( one of at least 7 children.)

To confuse there was another Gowland family also in St Pancras, perhaps cousins?

Rachel your husband's grandfather was therefore the brother of my great grandfather!

If you have found anything else out let me know!

[dolphinelle]

[quote="Jessjess"]Not sure about Ernest Gowland but the other 2 it are definitely related.

William Gowland born 1847 in York moved to London and married Philippa Dorcas Pascoe.

Her father and brother both Samuel Pascoe also piano makers. They easily come up on various census and I can send you what i have found out todate.

William(my great great grandfather) had several children. One son went to Australia as you say.His brother,William (born 1880) was my great grandfather. He married Clara Wright in 1905. His daughter,Grace Lilian Gowland was my grandmother.( one of at least 7 children.)

To confuse there was another Gowland family also in St Pancras, perhaps cousins?

Rachel your husband's grandfather was therefore the brother of my great grandfather!

If you have found anything else out let me know![/quote


Hi there,

Dolphinelle here, my Maternal Grandmother was called Elizabeth Ann Gowland, her Parents were Wm James Gowland and Phillipa Dorcas Pascoe Gowland. I have been trying to establish whether Edward Barker Gowland was related to "our" Gowlands. however, I really don't think that the Ernest Gowland mentioned by Gill was/is related, apparently he was a piono tuner resident in Norfolk.

maybe we can pool our information?

[dolphinelle]

Hi
Iam replying to the "Gowland piano makers" message.
All I know is that my husbands great grandfather was from a family of Piano makers in Islington.
I understand that Thomas and Harry Gowland were from this family; Thomas Gowland, born in Islington on 25 June 1887. The other is Harry Gowland, born in Islington on 2 August 1874. This one married Jane Alice Maud Eyles on 28 Sept 1895. They had 9 children, of whom 5 survived. These were : Jane Phillipa Pacoe Gowland born 30 May 1896; Phillipa Dorcas Gowland born 2 March 1901; Henry Thomas Gowland born 17 April 1906; Winifred Henrietta Gowland born 16 June 1908 and Bessie Cecilia Gowland born 24 March 1911. They were last known to live in Islington in 1911, but no marriages or deaths have been traced in England since.

rHenry Thomas Gowland came out to Australia, married Jean knights. They had one son, Rodney John Gowland. Rodney had 2 children, Jeremy and Jennifer. Iam married to Jeremy.....Since the birth of our daughter last year we have struck up an interest in our heritage.
Love to hear from anyone who can build onto what I have written above.
Regards
Rachel- Australia

Hi there

Dolpinelle here, my Maternal Grandmother was Elizabeth Ann Gowland her Parents were Wm James Gowland and Phillipa Dorcas Pascoe Gowland. I have been trying to establish whether Edward Barker Gowland was related to "our" Gowlands, however, I don't think that the Ernest Gowland mentioned by Gill is/ was related he was a piano tuner resident in Lincoln or Norfolk.

regards Dolpinelle

[Aerosteve]

My wife's mother is June Baxter (nee Gowland), born in 1925. She is the daughter, and only child of Edward James Gowland, piano tuner, who had the shop in Grantham referred to. His father was also Edward Gowland, and his father Edward Barker Gowland, a pewterer. June has a document confirming her grandfather's Freemanship of London dated 25th June 1868.

[Bill Kibby]

Please contact me urgently as there is a great deal of information about to be published soon, and the author would like to include your input in this.

[Lyn Grant]

Hi I live in Australia and am descendant from William James Gowland and his wife Phillipa Dorcas Pascoe. Harry Gowland and his wife Jane Alice Maud (nee Eyles) were my great grandparents. I have been researching the family for 30+ years and would love to make contact with the families in England.

[Bill Kibby]

If you email me on bill@pianogen.org I may be able to help a little. Do you know Rachel, another descendant?

[Lyn Grant]

My grandmother is the Jane Phillipa Pascoe Gowland (she married Herbert Edward Gerlach) that Rachel mentions in her post. Harry Gowland came to Australia in 1912, and his family followed shortly after. His cousin Henry James (also known as Harry or Cousin Henry as he was always referred to by our family) also ended up in Australia. He came from the same area in London as Harry and spent many years as an Inspector/Commissioner of Police in Malaya. Cousin Henry's parents were Henry James Gowland (a pianoforte maker turned blind maker) and Emma Martha Gwyther. Some of Cousin Henry's children lived for many years with Harry & Jane Alice Maud Gowland and went to school in Australia

[Boogie Woogie]

Hi,

I have a J Gowland upright piano No1489 that has been in our family for almost 40yrs now and it's still playing out the tunes everyday. We bought it in Piano Plus Dublin, and only last December '22 i have it shipped over to my UK home. It has just been serviced / tuned by Steve V King (ex Drifters).