William Thomas Dale and the Alnwick castle state coach - maybe?

[Shiny1]

Hi all,

Every time I'm in Alnwick castle with my parents and we see the state coach, my dad tells me that one of his relatives is supposed to have painted it.

Whilst looking at his grandfather today (Wwilliam Thomas Dale born 1889 in Newcastle) I've just realised that the 1911 census has him as a painter at a cartwrights and that his dad and brother were blacksmiths at a cartwrights.

I've googled the coach and it appears that it was repainted around 1902:

http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/local-news/dukes-daughter-ride-wedding-carriage-4440088

Can anyone suggest a way I can find out which company the Dale's worked for so I can try and put these together and see if it was actually them who did the work or not?

Thanks a lot,

Michael

[Radcliff]

Perhaps ask next time you visit Alnwick if they have any details on who restored the carriage

[fiddlerslass]

Hi Michael,


Ward's Newcastle Directory 1910

Dale & Co, Cartwrights Park Place , Prudhoe St
Robert (Dale & Co) Cartwright r 162 Hotspur St (residence?)

Was Robert William's father? Were they at Hotspur Street in 1911? The census should tell you if William's dad was an employee or an employer i.e.had his own business.

http://specialcollections.le.ac.uk/utils/getfile/collection/p16445coll4/id/112440/filename/159748.pdfpage/page/454

You could also search the above directory for coach builders - more likely to have tended to the Duke's carriage than a cartwright.

http://specialcollections.le.ac.uk/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16445coll4

[Shiny1]

Ward's Newcastle Directory 1910

Dale & Co, Cartwrights Park Place , Prudhoe St
Robert (Dale & Co) Cartwright r 162 Hotspur St (residence?)

Was Robert William's father? Were they at Hotspur Street in 1911? The census should tell you if William's dad was an employee or an employer i.e.had his own business.

Hi Fiddlerslass,

That is brilliant, thank you very much. Yes that is them, 162 Hotspur Street.

Robert is down as an employee but his son William is an employer so it may be the business had been signed over to him by then?

I've now been in contact with Alnwick Castle who say there is a plate on the back of the coach saying it was repainted for the coronation by a company in London, but I suppose the story never claimed that he painted it for the coronation, just that he had painted it.

Any other information they may hold is buried deep in their archives so it may stay a mystery for now but the bit you found about their company certainly adds a little weight to the chances of it happening.

Thanks again,

Michael