Randall C. Merris and Wes Williams
Introduction
Concertinas bearing the name of Lachenal, either from the Swiss-born founder Louis Lachenal (1821-1861) or later Lachenal & Co., were produced from 1858 to 1933. Since Stephen Chambers has carefully documented Lachenal’s own final years,1 this article will concentrate on the period after his death, with special emphasis on the people and families involved in the business. The article is divided into three sections; “The Firm Of Lachenal”, “The Families Involved”, and “Other Known Personnel”.
I. The Firm of Lachenal
Louis Lachenal came to London from his native Switzerland in 1839 and established himself as a tool maker by the late 1840s, when he started to build English-system concertinas for Wheatstone & Co. In 1858, Lachenal founded his own firm and established his manufactory at 8 Little James Street, Bedford Row. And though he continued to make complete concertinas for Wheatstone & Co., he also began the manufacture of instruments either with his own label, “Louis Lachenal, Patent Concertina Manufacturer”2 or with that of one of several musical instrument dealers to whom he sold concertinas. Finally, 1858 appears to have been the year in which Lachenal began stamping his own series of serial numbers on his named instruments.
We can divide the activities of the Lachenal firm into two broad periods: (1) 1858-1873, when Lachenal concertinas were labeled “Louis Lachenal, Patent Concertina Manufacturer”; and (2) 1874-1933, when Lachenal concertinas were labeled “Lachenal & Co.” with the company now in the hands of new owners. Further, the first of these periods can be subdivided into 1858-1861, when Louis Lachenal himself was operating the business, and 1862-1873, when his widow Elizabeth was the proprietress.
Louis Lachenal’s death on 18 December 1861 gave rise to daunting challenges for his widow.3 Elizabeth Lachenal had been a homemaker, attending to the needs of their six daughters and three sons, the youngest of whom, Alexander, was born on 17 September 1861, just three months before Louis’s death. Suddenly, Elizabeth Lachenal was faced with wrapping up her late husband’s affairs while continuing to look after her nine children and tend to the management of a large manufacturing firm. She would soon need to cope (quite literally) with trial by fire; as The Times reported on the 30 August 1862 (p. 12):
DESTRUCTIVE FIRE—Yesterday . . . A very alarming fire broke out between 7 and 8 in the morning in the premises of M. Louis Lachenal, manufacturer of the patent concertina, whose extensive factory is situated in Little James-street, Bedford-row. The fire commenced in the ground floor while a great number of young women were working in the premises. They all managed to get out without difficulty, except two of them, who were nearly suffocated with the heated smoke. Conductor Ross, of the Royal Society, having obtained a ladder, rescued the two women from the back windows. The engines of the London Brigade from several stations, including the steam land engines, under the command of Acting-Superintendents Foge and J. Jerrard, and Engineers Perryer and Flynn, were early in arriving; but the flames were not extinguished until great damage was done by fire and water. Many valuable musical instruments were spoilt by the steam generated from the water used in getting the fire subdued. It is at present unknown in what office the premises were insured.4
This report was corrected by Elizabeth Lachenal in a letter to The Times on 3 September 1862:
TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES
Sir,—I beg you will kindly correct a statement in your paper of Saturday respecting the fire at my premises as below. 150ℓ will fully cover the damage done; and only two young females entered to their work on the morning in question; the others were prevented from doing so. I am led to make this request in consequence of many having come, thinking to find the premises entirely burnt down.
Yours very respectfully,
E. LACHENAL,
Widow and sole Executrix of the late Louis Lachenal, 8, Little James-street, Bedford-row, W.C.,
Sept. 1.
In carrying out her duties as the sole executrix of Louis Lachenal’s estate,5 Elizabeth also completed the application for Patent No. 2390, which was unrelated to concertinas:6
Elizabeth Lachenal, of Little James-street, Bedford- row, in the county of Middlesex, Widow and Executrix of Louis Lachenal, of Little James-street aforesaid, deceased, has given the like notice in respect of the invention of “improvements in gas meters” – A communication to her by the inventor, her said late husband, Louis Lachenal.
As set forth in her petition, recorded in the said office on the 28th day of August, 1862.
1862 was both hectic and exciting for Elizabeth and her family. By now, three of the Lachenal daughters—Marie, Jane Elizabeth, and Josephine—had formed a concertina trio, and would make their London debut at the International Exhibition on 11 October 1862.7 Elizabeth would exhibit concertinas there from 1 May to 1 November, and though only English-system concertinas were shown in the Lachenal price list that appeared in the Exhibition’s official catalogue,8 the Lachenal factory already was preparing to produce Anglo-German instruments, as the market was growing for an English-made, high-quality counterpart of the instruments that had previously been imported from Germany, including some with more than twenty keys.9
The 1862 International Exhibition price list may give some insights into Lachenal’s changing relationship with the Messrs. Wheatstones. In a two-page Wheatstone advertisement in 1859, the main subject is various models of harmoniums, with concertinas relegated to the final one-third of the second page,10 thus indicating a preference by Wheatstones towards the harmonium as its headline product. Early in 1862 (with copy perhaps prepared in late 1861), Lachenal had also published a two-page advertisement showing models not significantly different from those he had made for Wheatstone, but with a new addition named “The People’s Concertina”, which was the cheapest in their range and was described as “48 Keys, 3 Octaves and 3 Riveted Notes, full compass to play in all the keys, Rosewood or Walnut in neatly covered Deal Box – £2-2s-0d”.11 Might the riveted notes suggest a projected link between Lachenal and Wheatstones? However, the 1862 International Exhibition price list drops all models with fewer than forty-eight buttons (except to special order), and adds models described as “Newly Improved”. The “The People’s Concertina” remains at the same price, but is now under a heading for all the cheaper models that declares “. . . Iron Screwed Brass Notes . . .”. Since the copy for the International Exhibition price list would have been prepared after the death of Louis Lachenal, it would seem to show some of the initial changes that the firm of Lachenal was making under Elizabeth’s guiding hand.
A few years later, in 1868, Elizabeth Lachenal was the victim of a burglary, and a plaque on Lachenal concertina No. 12378 (48-key Excelsior model with glass buttons) reads: “presented to Rt. Carter of E. Division by E. Lachenal for bringing to justice two men for breaking and entering her warehouse Nov. 9, 1868”.
II. The Families Involved
Though Elizabeth Lachenal’s transition to managing the mass production of concertinas was truly impressive in its own right, it was possible only through the support of a loyal and highly experienced group of senior workers at the Lachenal firm. Six of these workers were rewarded with the opportunity to acquire the firm, which they seized upon in 1873. They were identified ten years later in an announcement that appeared in The Times on the 5 February 1883 (p. 1) upon the dissolution of the firm owing to the departure of one of them.12
NOTICE is hereby given, that the Partnership heretofore subsisting between us the undersigned, Richard Ballinger, Louis Charriere, Thomas William Saunders, John Saunders, William Bywater Fisher, and Charles Crabb, as concertina makers, carrying on business at No. 4, Little James-street, Gray’s-inn-road, in the county of Middlesex, under the style or firm of Lachenal and Company, has this day been dissolved, by mutual consent, as to the said Charles Crabb, who retires from the said partnership business, and which business will hereafter be carried on by us, the said Richard Ballinger, Louis Charriere, Thomas William Saunders, John Saunders, and William Bywater Fisher alone, at the same place, under the same style or firm as heretofore Lachenal and Company, who will receive all debts due to and pay all debts owing by the said firm Lachenal and Company.—As witness our hands this 12th day of January, 1883,
Richard Ballinger Charles Crabb
L. Charriere J. Saunders
T. W. Saunders William Bywater Fisher
Eventually, all but one of the owners named above would give up their ownership, and by the time of his death in 1907, Thomas William Saunders had become the sole owner of Lachenal & Co. The firm was then bequeathed to his wife, Belinda Saunders, and his two surviving sons: Frederick Robert Saunders and Charles Saunders.13 Soon thereafter, George Richard Ballinger, son of a previous owner, Richard Ballinger, also acquired a share of Lachenal & Co.14 The decline in managerial capacity and the dwindling supply of experienced workers would have been factors contributing to the eventual demise of Lachenal & Co. As Tommy Williams (reed maker and tuner for Lachenal & Co. during the post-WWI period) put it with respect to the aging of their workforce:15
“They was all pretty old, perhaps been with the firm since it started . . .”
By the end, all six original partners were long gone, and the second-generation owners and workers had also died or were in their declining years. Frederick Robert and Charles Saunders’ uncle, Edwin Saunders—a Lachenal worker for five decades died in 1931—while the passing of Frederick Robert Saunders on 1 October 193316 and George Richard Ballinger on 4 January 1934 more or less coincided with the closure of the firm.
According to Tommy Williams, “Ballinger” was involved in the asset sell-off:17
“When the firm finally closed, Ballinger turned over all the Salvation Army orders to Harry Crabb, whose father was dead then, rather than let Wheatstone have it. Well, the machinery and all that was put up for sale, along came Wheatstones and bought the bloomin’ lot up . . .”
Ballinger, however, was already hospitalised,18 and it was Saunders who oversaw the liquidation of the firm.
Tommy Williams again:17
When I came, it had dwindled down to two, Ballinger and Saunders. The others had sold their interest, perhaps they’d passed out. But Saunders had the biggest share—he owned the property and bought the others out.
Having overseen the wrapping-up of Lachenal’s affairs, Charles Saunders died in July 1938.
Operating under the name Lachenal & Co. as of 1874, the firm was a family business with more than twenty of the owners and their family members employed by it at one time or another. What follows profiles the owner’s families and their roles in Lachenal & Co.
All the entries in this section are given in a tabular format of succeeding generations. The names of family members with a connection to the firm of Lachenal are shown in bold font. A reference number after a name permits us to track the individual through subsequent citations.
The Lachenal Family
Lachenal First Generation
Louis Lachenal (~1821-1861) (1)
| Occupation: | “Watchmaker” (Arrival in England 1839), “Machinist” (1848 Directory) “Master Engineer” (1848 and subsequent children’s birth certificates), “Machinist, Iron Planer, Small Screw and Piano Rivet Manufacturer” (1850-1853 Directories) “Master Engineer” (1851 Census) |
| Married: | Jeanne Marie Elizabeth Irion (1826-1904) in 1847 She appears on all her children’s birth certificates with her first name given as Franҫoise, though she used Elizabeth as her first name in business. |
| Children: | Marie (b. 1848) – concertina player Jane Elizabeth (b. 1849) – concertina player Josephine (b. 1851) – concertina player Louis Jules (b. 1853) Constance (b. 1855) Francois Edouard (b. 1856) Marie Louise (b. 1857) Alice (b. 1859) Alexander (b. 1861) |
The Ballinger Family
The Ballinger family were involved in both “Louis Lachenal” and “Lachenal & Co” concertinas for four generations.
Ballinger First Generation
George Ballinger (1811-1870) (1)
| Occupation: | “Boot Maker” |
| Married: | Emmeline Breewood (1809-1858) |
| Children: | Emily (b. 1834) Georgina Elizabeth (b. 1837) Richard Ballinger (2) (b. 1839) Alfred (b. 1843) Rose (b. 1847) Charles (b. 1849) Walter Elias William Ballinger (3) (b. 1853) |
Ballinger Second Generation
Richard Ballinger (2) (1839-1900); son of George (1)
| Occupation: | “Engineer machinist” (1871 Census) “Machinist at Concertina Works” (1881 Census) “English Concertina Maker” (1891 Census) |
| Married: | Susannah Sealy (1840-1919). Shortly after Richard Ballinger’s death in 1900, his interest in Lachenal & Co. was sold by his widow Susannah to the remaining owners of the firm. |
| Children: | Charles Ballinger (4) (b. 1861) George Richard Ballinger (5) (b. 1864) Elizabeth Emma (b. 1865) Flora (1868-1915) Concertina Action Fitter (1891 Census). Later census entries have no occupation. Maude (b. 1870) Georgina Edith (b. 1873) Constance Lillian (b. 1877) |
| Summary: | Richard Ballinger was named as the informant in attendance at death on the death certificate of Louis Lachenal. He seems to have been the most publicly prominent manager among the Lachenal & Co. owners. It was his name that was attached to the application for the company’s trademark (No. 15222, 31 August 1878, showing “Trade Mark” and “English Make” with reed shoe image) and to the bowing valve patent (“Improvements in Concertinas,” No. 8290, 8 July 1885, along with James Alsepti). |
Walter Elias William Ballinger (3) (1853-1897); son of George (1)
| Occupation: | “Machinist” (1871 Census) “Engineer Artisan” (1881 Census) “Machinist” (1891 Census) |
| Married: | Anne Maria Crowne (1857-1934) Anne Ballinger was employed by the company both before her marriage in 1886 and after Walter’s death in 1897. She is listed as “Concertina Maker” (1881 Census, living with her parents John and Sarah Crowne) and again as “Concertina Maker” (1901 Census, residing with her parents). By the 1911 census, she had married Charles Green, a house painter, and was not employed outside the household. |
| Children: | Walter William Ballinger (1887-1892) Alfred B. Ballinger (b. 1891), later a “Boot Repairer” Richard B. Ballinger (b. 1897) Edith Anne Ballinger (b. 1889) |
| Summary: | Walter Ballinger’s work at Lachenal & Co. was closely aligned with that of his older brother Richard, but he did not become a partner in Lachenal & Co. |
Ballinger Third Generation
Charles Ballinger (4) (1861-1915?); son of Richard (3)
| Occupation: | “Tuner of Free Reeds” (1881 Census), “Mus. Inst. [Musical Instrument] Tuner” (1891 census) |
| Summary: | After his period with Lachenal & Co., Charles Ballinger became a merchant and emigrated to Australia in the late 1890s. Although named in his father’s will, Charles’ inheritance was limited to £100 to be paid after the remarriage or death of his mother. All his siblings were bequeathed equal shares of proceeds under the same conditions.19 |
George Richard Ballinger (5) (1864-1934); son of Richard (3)
| Occupation: | “Chromatic Concertina Tuner ” (1891 census) “Concertina Tuner” (1901 census) “Concertina Manufacturer” (1911 Census) “Musical Instrument Maker” (1921 Census) |
| Married: | Julia Susannah Stroud (b.1866) |
| Children: | George Arthur Ballinger (6) (b.1894) Richard Ballinger (7) (b.1905) |
| Summary: | George Richard Ballinger was a workman at Lachenal & Co. but had acquired a share in the company by 1911, as the London Electoral Registers for that year record him for the 4 & 6 Little James Street premises as an “office (joint)”, whereas the 1910 Registers only record his home address. He possibly acquired his ownership share from Belinda Saunders (widow of Thomas William Saunders), see “The Saunders Family” for further details. |
Ballinger Forth Generation
George Arthur Ballinger (6) (1894-1966); son of George Richard Ballinger (5)
| Occupation: | “Employed In Concertina Factory” (1911 census) “Factory Manager” (1921 Census) |
| Married: | Florence Boodson (b.1895) married 21 Jun 1919 |
| Summary: | George Arthur Ballinger had started work at Lachenal & Co by the time of the 1911 Census. By the 1921 Census he had risen to the position of Factory Manager, although still an employee of the company. |
Richard Ballinger (7) (1905-1988); son of George Richard Ballinger (5)
| Occupation: | “Learning to make musical Instruments” (1921 census) |
| Summary: | Richard Ballinger had started work at Lachenal & Co by the time of the 1921 Census. The description of his occupation was provided by his father, with whom he was living. He was an employee of the company. |
It is the last group of Ballingers that Tommy Williams would have remembered in 1972:
“Not many of the workers were players, only Ballinger (one of the bosses), his two sons . . .”,
The Charriere Family
Louis Nestor A. Charriere (1) (1807-1893)
| Occupation: | “Musician and Tuner” (1861 census) “Musical Instrument Tuner” (1871 census) “Partner in the Firm Lachenal & Co.” (1881 census) “Musical Instrument Tuner” (1891 census) |
| Married: | Marie Lachenal (1823-1872) Paris, 18 March 1852 Born in Geneva, Marie was Louis Lachenal’s sister. She emigrated from Switzerland and moved into Louis Lachenal’s household in July 1848. Marie Lachenal may have spent some time in the Lachenal factory prior to her marriage in 1852, but no occupation is shown for her in the 1851 census. According to the National Probate Calendar of 1872 she was a musician, but it is not known if she played the concertina. |
| Married[2]: | Euphemia Williamson (2) (1844-1903) London, 1889 |
| Summary: | Born in Grenoble, Louis Charriere was the oldest of the six partners who established Lachenal & Co. Immigrating in the 1850s or earlier he was a musician before going into the concertina trade. He married Louis Lachenal’s sister Marie, and they are recorded as returning to England together on 13 April 1853. After Marie’s death in 1872, Charriere was a widower until 1889 when, at age 82, he married Euphemia Williamson, then aged 45. Louis Charriere died on 28 May 1893 with an estate valued at approximately £8000 (about £5,000,000 in terms of 2020 equivalence). |
2. Euphemia Charriere (1844-1903) second wife of Louis Charriere (1)
| Occupation: | “Concertina Maker” (1861 census) “Concertina Tuner” (1871 census), “Servant” (1881 census) |
| Summary: | Euphemia Williamson and her sister Mary are both believed to have been Lachenal employees at one time. In the 1861 census, Euphemia (aged 15) is listed as “Concertina Maker”; in the 1871 census Euphemia (aged 24) and Mary (aged 23) are each listed as “Concertina Tuner”. Mary died in 1874, shortly after giving birth to a son George in St Pancras Workhouse. Euphemia appears in the 1881 census as a servant (but perhaps housekeeper would be more accurate) to Louis Charriere, so presumably no longer employed as a concertina tuner. |
The Crabb Family
The Crabb family have a long association with concertinas from the time they supplied woodwork to Wheatstone to the closure of H. Crabb & Sons in 1989. Geoffrey Crabb still participates in concertina forums, having privately made a few concertinas until his recent retirement.20
Crabb First Generation
John Crabb (1) (1795-1874)
| Occupation: | “Cabinet Maker” (1841 Census) “Journeyman Cabinet Maker” (1851 Census) “Fancy Cabinet Maker” (1861 and 1871 Census) |
| Married: | Harriet Benge (?-1846) |
| Children: | John Crabb (2) (1826-1903) Annie Crabb (1830–1888) Charles Crabb (3) (1833-1885) Louisa Crabb (1840–1916) |
| Summary: | John Crabb worked for Wheatstone and Lachenal as a woodworker. |
Crabb Second Generation
John Crabb (2) (1826-1903); son of John Crabb (1)
| Occupation: | “Apr. [Apprentice] Cabinet Maker” (1841 Census) “Journeyman Cabinet Maker” (1851 Census) “Fancy Cabinet Maker” (1861 Census) “Concertina Maker” (1871 Census) “Woodworker” (1881 Census) “Concertina Maker” (1883 Marriage 2) “Concertina Maker” (1891 and 1901 Census) |
| Married: | 1. Emma Sarah Blunt (1827–1859) 2. Lucy Maria Hunt (1843-1899) |
| Summary: | John Crabb (also known as “John Crabb, jnr”) became a partner in the firm of Nickold, Crabb, & Co. before establishing himself as an independent concertina maker. He had started in the concertina trade in the 1830s as a Wheatstone and later Lachenal worker. “Crabb Est. 1860, 17 years foreman to L. Lachenal and Wheatstone” is stamped inside J. Crabb concertinas. |
Charles Crabb (3) (1833-1885); son of John Crabb (1)
| Occupation: | “Learning Cabinet Work” (1851 Census), “Concertina Maker” (1861, 1871 and 1881 Census) |
| Married: | Elizabeth Matilda Nichols (1833–1907), m. 1855 |
| Children: | Elizabeth Mary Crabb (4) (b.1860) Louisa Matilda Crabb (5) (b.1863) |
| Summary: | Charles Crabb worked for Lachenal and became one of the original partners in Lachenal & Co. He left the partnership in 1883, and carried on with a small concertina company with members of his family. The company failed soon after his death in 1885, and by 1891 some family members were working for Lachenal. |
Crabb Third Generation
Elizabeth Mary Crabb (4) (1860-1924); daughter of Charles Crabb (3)
| Occupation: | None Stated (1881 Census) |
| Married: | William Frederick North (b. 1856) |
| Children: | Emily Gladys North (b. 1898) |
| Summary: | Elizabeth Mary Crabb is thought to have worked in the Lachenal factory before and possibly after her marriage to William Frederick North in 1879. William North is listed as a “Concertina Maker”; his brother Robert (b. 1865) is listed as his “Assistant”. The North family were living in Charles Crabb’s household in 1881. In the 1891 census William North is listed as a “Bus Conductor”, while Robert North is listed as a “Concertina Maker”. Her daughter Emily was working for Lachenal in 1921. |
Louisa Matilda Crabb (5) (1863-1946); daughter of Charles Crabb (3)
| Occupation: | “Assistant to Concertina Maker” (1881 Census) “Concertina Maker” (1891 Census) “Concertina Maker Action Hand” (1921 Census) |
| Summary: | In 1881 Louisa Matilda Crabb was listed as her father’s “Assistant”. She was working for Lachenal by 1891 and still working for them in 1921. |
The Fisher Family
William Bywater Fisher (1) (1833-1905)
| Occupation: | “Book keeper, Musical Instrument Maker” (1861 Census), “Music and Musical Instrument Seller” (1865 Post Office Trade Directory), “Musical Instrument Maker” (1869 Post Office Trade Directory, Concertina Section) “Merchants Clerk (Wine)” (1871 Census) “Concertina Manufacturer” (1881 and 1891 Census) “Retired Musical Instrument Manf. [Manufacturer]” (1901 census) |
| Married: | Louisa Mary Jones (b.1836) |
| Children: | Frederick Herbert Fisher (b. 1863) Florence Ann Fisher (b. 1868) William Jones Fisher (b. 1873) Leslie George Fisher (b. 1876). |
| Summary: | Born in Leeds, Yorkshire, William Fisher may have started working for Lachenal sometime before 1861, when he is listed as both a Book Keeper and a Musical Instrument Maker at 6 Ampton Street, Grays Inn Road, not far from Lachenal. However, in 1865 and 1869 he is listed as running a music shop at this address, and two Lachenal instruments have been reported bearing his label, an English No. 8484 (circa 1862) and an Anglo No. 1363 (circa 1864). By 1871 he is listed as a Merchants Clerk (Wine), thus rejoined Lachenal at the time of, or shortly before, the formation of Lachenal & Co. partnership. He is listed in the Electoral Register for 1893 as a part owner of the Lachenal manufactory, and must have retired from the company shortly afterwards. His wife and four children were not employed in the concertina trade. |
The Saunders Family
Saunders First Generation
Thomas William Saunders (1) (1803-1873)
| Occupation: | “Watch Maker” (childrens birth records), “Mus Inst M” [Musical Instrument Maker] (1841 Census) “Musical Instrument Maker” (1851 Census) “Musical Instrument Tuner” (1871 Census) |
| Married: | Margaret Ashmore (1805–1863) |
| Children: | Margaret Saunders (b.1827) Ann Saunders (b.1830) Thomas William Saunders (2) (1832-1907) John Henry Saunders (3) (1835-1904) Eliza Saunders (b.1840) Sarah Amy Saunders (b.1841) Edwin Saunders (4) (b.1846) |
| Summary: | Thomas William Saunders (senior) was an early entrant into concertina work as a tuner for Messrs. Wheatstone & Co.21 |
Saunders Second Generation
Thomas William Saunders (2) (1832-1907); son of Thomas William Saunders (1)
| Occupation: | “Musical Instrument Maker” (1861 Census) “Reed Maker” (1881 Census) “Musical Instrument Manufacturer” (1891 Census) “Musical Instrument Maker” (1901 Census) |
| Children: | Elizabeth Saunders (b. 1858) Thomas Saunders (5) (b.1861) Francis Alice Saunders (b. 1870) Frederick Robert Saunders (6) (b. 1871) Charles Saunders (7) (b.1874) |
| Summary: | Thomas William Saunders worked for Elizabeth Lachenal and later was a partner in Lachenal & Co. The last will and testament and codicil of Thomas William Saunders is available at www.concertina.com/lachenal/Saunders-Will-1899-1907.pdf. |
John Henry Saunders (3) (1835-1904); son of Thomas William Saunders (1)
| Occupation: | “Musical Instrument Maker” (1871 Census) “Tuner” (1881 Census) “Concertina Tuner” (1891 Census) “Concertina Tuner – Own Account” (1901 Census) |
| Married: | Esther Hart (m.1864) |
| Children: | Deborah (b.1864) John (b.1866) |
| Summary: | John Henry Saunders was also in the Lachenal & Co. partnership. The record for his marriage in 1864 shows his occupation as “Concertina Maker”. In the 1891 and 1901 census, he is living with his daughter Deborah and her husband, Charles Speller, “Pensioner, Metropolitan Police”. Charles Speller had various vocations after retiring from the police force, including as a self-employed machinist for a time. Whether Speller did any work for Lachenal & Co. is unknown. Prior to the 1901 census, John Henry Saunders appears to have sold his share of Lachenal & Co. to his brother Thomas William, but still worked for Lachenal & Co. on a contractual basis as indicated by the 1901 census entry. |
Edwin Saunders (4) (1846-1931); son of Thomas William Saunders (1)
| Occupation: | “Musical Instrument Tuner” (1871 Census) “Musical Instrument Maker” (1881 Census) “Musical Instrument Tuner of Concertina” (1891 Census) “Concertina Tuner” (1901 census) “Concertina Tuner – Working at Home” (1911, 1921 Census) |
| Summary: | Edwin Saunders was a longtime Lachenal worker. The record for his marriage in 1871 shows his occupation as “Tuner”. In the 1911 census, at age 67, and the 1921 census, he is still working from home. |
Saunders Third Generation
Thomas Saunders (5) (1861-1899); son of Thomas William Saunders (2)
| Occupation: | “Reed Maker” (1881 census) “Musical Instrument Tuner” (1891 census) |
| Summary: | Thomas Saunders worked at Lachenal & Co., but his early death in 1899, prior to that of his father in 1907, prevented him from moving into an owner/manager position. |
Frederick Robert Saunders (6) (1871-1933); son of Thomas William Saunders (2)
| Occupation: | “Musical Instrument Tuner” (1891 census) “Musical Instrument Maker” (1901 and 1911 census) |
| Married: | Emma Julia Benson (b. 1874) |
| Children: | Frederick Thomas Saunders (b. 1898) Stanley Redvers Sadler Saunders (b. 1900) Charles Douglas Saunders (b. 1905) Belinda Ellen Saunders (b. 1911) |
| Summary: | Frederick Robert Saunders worked at Lachenal & Co. and moved into an owner/manager position after his father’s death in 1907. One or more of his children may have worked at Lachenal & Co. in the postwar period. |
Charles Saunders (7) (1874-1938); son of Thomas William Saunders (2)
| Occupation: | “Musical Instrument Tuner” (1891 census) “Musical Instrument Maker” (1901 census) “Concertina Manufacturer” (1911 and 1921 census) |
| Married: | Eleanor Frances Saunders |
| Children: | Maisie Saunders (b. 1900) |
| Summary: | Charles Saunders worked at Lachenal & Co. and moved into an owner/manager position after his father’s death in 1907. Maisie Saunders and her husband, Fredrick W. Harvey, did not work at Lachenal & Co. After the closure of Lachenal & Co., Charles Saunders worked for Crabb Concertinas until his death. |
The Lachenal & Co. owners earned relatively good livings from the operations of the firm, as evidenced by the amounts of their “Effects,” or estates, at probate.22 Thomas William Saunders benefited the most, as sole owner of the firm. At probate in 1907, Thomas William Saunders estate was valued at £24,146, equivalent to over £12.2 million when valued in 2020 wages and prices. Though second-generation owners in the family did not fare as well, they managed to maintain middle-class livelihoods. The estate of Frederick Robert Saunders was valued at £1844 in 1933 (over £500,000 in 2020 terms), and that of Charles Saunders was valued at £2391 in 1938 (over £537,000 in 2020 terms).
III. Other Known Personnel
Of course, many of the Lachenal workers were from outside the owners’ families. The identities of most of these workers remain a mystery.23 In his interview, Tommy Williams mentioned only himself, a tuner named Green, George Leroy, and an unnamed “mate that was putting the shutters up” (when they first met):
“[. . .] when Lachenals closed, one of our finest tuners, name of Green, he went to Wheatstones, they wanted him bad”.24
Me and the bloke that was putting up the shutters became lifelong friends, so did the other man, George Leroy, who taught me a bit on the duet.25
Regarding his “mate” Williams indicated:
He worked at Lachenals for 45 years, stamping out frames and cutting up steel for the notes, and his father before him.26
The 1921 Census has made it possible to produce a list of many of the Lachenal employees at that time.27 They are given below in alphabetical surname order, with their age. The descriptions of their jobs within the company are what they, or the person in the same household responsible for completing the census form, provided. Some of the employees needed to work at their own homes, away from the noise of the factory machinery, which has also been noted. Those employees related to owner’s families are shown in bold.
George Arthur Ballinger, 26, Factory Manager
Richard Ballinger, 16, Learning To Make Musical Instruments
Joseph Leonard Blake, 15, Concertina Labourer
Louisa Matilda Crabb, 58, Concertina Maker Action Hand
Albert Eaton, 48, Brass Worker and Concertina Part maker
Ernest Arthur Green, 44, Concertina Reed Maker and Tuner (at home)
Harold Philip Green, 25, Concertina Reed Worker and Tuner (at home)
Emma Clara Holmes, 49, Assistant Concertina Works
Flor Johnson, 24, (no description given)
Jenny Kent, 15, Improver Concertina
Cecelia E Kerley, 14, Machinist Concertina Factory (part time)
Daniel William King, 57, Concertina Maker
Emily Gladys North, 22, Concertina Maker
William Pearce, 62, Labourer Concertina Makers
Alfred George Pendrill, 49, Concertina Tuner (at home)
Caroline Pullen, 52, Action Hand in Concertina Works
Thomas Ronald Scott, 15, Apprentice Musical Instruments
William Scrivens, 62, Musical Instrument Maker Concertina Finisher Brass and Steel (at home)
Edward Scullard, 53, Concertina Maker
Thomas Stafford, 61, Concertina Tuner (at home)
Alfred Anthony Tromant, 60, Clerk and Accountant to English Concertina Manufactory
William Whitehead, 46, Woodworker on Concertina Making
James Wyatt, 49, Concertina Maker
In conclusion, both manifestations of the Lachenal company seem to have valued their employees, with many staying for long terms of employment, and over generations; as far as we can tell, the workers also enjoyed a good relationship with the owners and fellow workers. Their eighty-five years of business were not brought to an end by labour disputes or strife but by a crash in the financial markets. Ninety years after their closure we still value their quality products—some produced over 160 years ago—and cherish them as musical instruments.
- On Louis Lachenal’s early work, see two important articles by Stephen Chambers: “Louis Lachenal: Engineer and Concertina Manufacturer”, Part I, The Free-Reed Journal, 1 (1999), 7-18; and “Some Notes on Lachenal Concertina Production and Serial Numbers” Papers of the International Concertina Association, 1 (2004), 3-23. Both articles are available at www.concertina.com/chambers/. Chambers noted that Lachenal’s work for Wheatstone, though on a contract basis, was based on a very close relationship. The concertinas were badged and labeled “Wheatstone”. In “Some Notes on Lachenal,” Chambers noted that the premises of his shop and residence in 1853-1858 at Alpha and Omega Cottages, British School Lane, Chiswick, were owned by Messrs. Wheatstone & Co. (pp.1, 16-17, endnote 9). According to Chambers, the machinery and tools in his shop probably were owned by Lachenal (p.4).
- The term “Patent” on his labels pertained to Charles Wheatstone, “Improvements on the Concertina and Other Musical Instruments, in which the Sounds are Produced by the Action of Wind on Vibrating Springs” (Patent No. 10,041, 8 August 1844); available at www.concertina.com/wheatstone/Wheatstone-Concertina-Patent-No-10041-of-1844.pdf. The Lachenal firm continued to use “Patent Concertina” on their labels for more than a decade after the 1844 patent had expired in 1858.
- Elizabeth Lachenal probably became involved in Lachenal’s business affairs prior to Louis’s death. His death certificate indicates that he had suffered from chronic bronchitis for four years and had succumbed to consumption (pulmonary tuberculosis) of six months duration. It lists occupation as “Engineer”. Richard Ballinger is named as the informant in attendance at Lachenal’s death.
- Coincidentally, the concertina firm of George Jones was struck by fire in the same period, in 1861 or 1862, and his premises on Commercial Road were burnt to the ground. See Frank E. Butler, “Concertinas in the Commercial Road: The Story of George Jones”, East London Record, No. 3 (1980); reprinted in Concertina & Squeezebox, Nos 18-19 (1989), 11-15; and available at www.concertina.com/butler/.
- His estate was valued at under £800; see England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (index of Wills and Administrations, 1858-1966, at www.ancestry.com, equating to about £670,000 in 2020 wages and prices. This figure, and all other 2020 values cited in this article were obtained by taking an average of the “labour value” and “income value” figures from the online calculator at www.measuringworth.com/ukcompare/.
- The London Gazette, 16 December 1862. For want of time or other reasons, the patent was voided in 1865, owing to non-payment of an additional stamp duty of £50 before the expiration of the third year from the date of the patent (The London Gazette, 8 September, 1865).
- The Times, 10 October 1862, 1. At the time, Elizabeth Lachenal’s six other children were all under ten: Louis Jules (b. 1853), Constance (b. 1855), Francois Edouard (b. 1856), Marie Louise (b. 1857), Alice (b. 1859), and Alexander (b. 1861). Though not formally employed, the older Lachenal children later may have spent some time in the Lachenal factory, which was just a mile from the family residence at Holford Square. Decades later, 30 Holford Square would be the address of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin during his 1902-1903 exile in England. The Holford Square area was later devastated by the bombing of the Blitz. On the Lachenal sisters and the other family members, see Randall C. Merris, “Marie Lachenal: Concertinist,” Papers of the International Concertina Association, 2 (2005), 1-17 (available at www.concertina.com/merris/marie-lachenal/); and “Notes on the Lachenal Sisters, Richard Blagrove, Ellen Attwater, Linda Scates, and ‘Dickens’,” Papers of the International Concertina Association, 7 (2010), 20-28 (available at concertina.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/PICA07-2010.pdf#page=24).
- International Exhibition of 1862, Official Illustrated Catalogue, Seventh Part, (1862), 112. The Lachenal advertisement is available at www.concertina.com/pricelists/lachenal/Lachenal-Intl-Exhibition-1862.pdf.
- The Anglo-German concertina presented by Rock Chidley at the International Exhibition of 1862 received favorable attention; Chidley declared bankruptcy before the end of 1862. Developments in the English concertina trade in 1862 included the final version of William Dolman Wheatstone’s patent, “Concertinas” (Patent No. 2289, 14 September 1861; sealed on 7 March 1862), followed by his death on 30 August 1862. The patent is available in its entirety at www.concertina.com/wheatstone/Wheatstone-Concertina-Patent-No-2289-of-1861.pdf.
- The 1859 Wheatstone advertisement appeared in the “Musical Directory, Register and Almanac”, available at www.concertina.com/pricelists/wheatstone-english/Wheatstone-MDRA-1859.pdf.
- The early 1862 Lachenal advertisement appeared in the “Musical Directory, Register and Almanac”, available at www.concertina.com/pricelists/lachenal/Lachenal-MDRA-1862.pdf.
- The same notice appeared in The London Gazette, 2 February 1883 p 608; see Wes Williams, “Lachenal and Company Partnership in 1883”, PICA, 6 (2009), 50-51, available at concertina.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Pica_6_a.pdf#page=56
- The last will and testament and codicil of Thomas William Saunders (junior) is available at www.concertina.com/lachenal/Saunders-Will-1899-1907.pdf.
- He possibly acquired the ownership share that Thomas William Saunders had left to his widow.
- Neil Wayne, “The Tommy Williams Interview-Part 2”, Free Reed : The Concertina Newsletter 5 (May 1972), 7; all parts of this interview are available at www.concertina.com/wayne/Wayne-Tommy-Williams-Interview-parts-1-2-3.pdf.
- Debilitated by emphysema, Frederick Robert Saunders succumbed to bronchopneumonia on 1 October 1933.
- Wayne, “The Tommy Williams Interview-Part 2”, Free Reed : The Concertina Newsletter 5 (May 1972), 7.
- Having succumbed to chronic interstitial nephritis (kidney disease) on 4 January 1934, he was listed as “Retired Concertina Maker”on his death certificate.
- Richard Ballinger’s will is available at www.concertina.com/lachenal/Ballinger-Will-1901-1902.pdf.
- Four generations of the Crabb family have been concertina makers, including John and Charles Crabb, Henry Thomas Crabb (1856-1930), Henry (Harry) Joseph Crabb (1911-1981), and brothers Henry Neville Crabb (1938-1989) and Geoffrey Crabb. Geoffrey Crabb still participates in concertina discussions, and after retirement has built Crabb concertinas in limited supply until recently.
- He had been a concertina tuner for Messrs. Wheatstone & Co. from the early 1840s on; Chambers, “Louis Lachenal,” 11-12.
- In a will or at probate, “Effects” refers to the whole personal estate of the deceased unless qualified in a narrower context (see Black’s Law Dictionary, 2nd ed., online at www.thelawdictionary.org [Search: effects]). Values for the Lachenal owner’s Effects are in England & Wales, National Probates Calendar (index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966, online at www.ancestry.com.
- Other concertina workers are identifiable from the occupations given in the British census records; unfortunately, until the recent release of the 1921 census where the names and addresses of employers had to be declared, the information was insufficient for separating Lachenal workers from the concertina tuners and makers at the firms of Wheatstone, Crabb, Jones, Jeffries, etc.
- Wayne, “The Tommy Williams Interview—Part 3,” Free Reed: The Concertina Newsletter, 7 (August 1972), 11, available at www.concertina.com/wayne/Wayne-Tommy-Williams-Interview-parts-1-2-3.pdf. The tuner “Green” is Harold P. Green, of St. Moritz, Chelmsford Road, Chelmsford, Essex (born 14 June 1896), who is listed as a “Concertina Reed Fitter” in the 1939 England and Wales Register, and appears in the 1921 list of Lachenal employees.
- Wayne, “The Tommy Williams Interview – Part 3,” Free Reed: The Concertina Newsletter, 7 (August 1972), 11, available at www.concertina.com/wayne/Wayne-Tommy-Williams-Interview-parts-1-2-3.pdf.
- Wayne, “The Tommy Williams Interview – Part 3,”, Free Reed : The Concertina Newsletter 7 (August 1972), 11, available at www.concertina.com/wayne/Wayne-Tommy-Williams-Interview-parts-1-2-3.pdf.
- Wayne, “The Tommy Williams Interview-Part 2,”, Free Reed : The Concertina Newsletter 5 (May 1972), 7. Williams estimated the number of workers at the factory as “about 50”.