William Glasby: A Life

Early Life

William Glasby was born on 28 December 1863, in the Lying-in Hospital, Endell Street, St Giles, Camden. His father was William Henry, a carpet warehouse porter, and his mother was Rebecca. They lived in Waterloo Road, London.

Richard Platell, who lives in Australia has carried out extensive research on the Glasby family. he writes to us in an email:

"William Glasby was a nephew of my 2nd-great grandmother, Elizabeth Sophia Glasby. I have built up an extensive family tree of the Glasby family over the years, researching the descendants of Thomas Glasby & Ann Salter (William’s great grandparents - my 4th-great grandparents). Thomas & Ann were from the Isle of Wight. I have amassed a lot of documents over the years.".

Richard Platell tells us that William Glasby "... was the third child of William Henry Glasby & Rebecca Harris. William Henry was one of nine children (though two died in infancy) of Thomas Salter Glasby & Mary Ann Buss. He was a warehouse porter. He married Rebecca Harris in Combe, Oxfordshire in 1858. By 1871 they were living in Battersea. Rebecca died there in 1891 and William Henry in 1896."

Little is known about the early life of William Glasby. In an interview with Phyllis Buchanan Cooper for Homes and Gardens, in May 1946, Glasby’s daughter, Barbara, reveals that as a schoolboy “… decorations would creep over the pages of his lesson books” [page 18]. It would seem that Glasby had a perpetual love of design throughout his life. [1]

Glasby married Emily Constance Brett on 27 July 1885 at St Saviour’s Church, Battersea, Surrey. [2] He was 21 years old and she was 23. [Constance was born on 10 December 1861 in Islington.]

Richard Platell has informed us that in the censuses from 1891 onwards, Constance gave her place of birth as Margate, Kent. He wonders if the fact that that the Beaumonts were from northern Kent, she regarded this as her ancestral home?

On the marriage certificate William is described as a “glass painter” and no profession is recorded for Constance. Barbara Glasby reveals that Constance was a promising journalist, but put aside her career to work with Glasby. The Henfield Museum Blog states that Constance was a successful author, writing under the name of “William Beaumont”.Blog - Henfield Museum

Richard Platell told us that this was her grandfather’s name on her mother’s side.

In the John Collins archive there are some plays written by Constance and correspondence. We suspect that there may be more documents in the Henfield Museum archive.

Richard Platell informs us that Emily Constance had three siblings – (Augustus) Clyde, Beatrice & Marguerita. In 1871 the family were still living in Islington, however by 1881 her mother was a widow and they had moved to Battersea.

Constance Glasby survived her husband by several years, dying at the age of 91 in 1953.

Constance’s father, John Brett, lived at 41 Kelton Street and is described as an artist. We made enquiries, but were disappointed that this was not the famous Victorian artist. , Richard Platell told us that at her baptism in 1863 he was described as a stationer and in the 1871 census he was a photographer. Constance appears to have artists on both sides of her family. Richard Platell informs us that in 1871 William and Constance "...were sharing a house with a William & Sarah Beaumont – he was possibly Emily Beaumont’s brother. He is also described as an artist, as was her father William Beaumont, "

William and Constance had two daughters, Daisy Constance (known as Barbara) and Phyllis Daisy Barbara was born 15-Mar-1886 in Peckham, Surrey. By 1891 the Glasbys had moved to Hampstead, where their second daughter, Phyllis Dulcima, was born on 23-Jul-1893.

Notes

[1] There is a copy of the Magazine in the John Collins' archive.

(c) Erika Szyszczak 22 June 2021