Details

Name

John Kirsop & Son

Brief Biography

circa 1816 - 1956, British / Scottish

Occupation

Hatters

Description

John Kirsop and Son was a hat shop originally established as John Nixon and Sons by John Nixon and his sons, Joseph, James, John and Richard, at 446 Gallowgate, Glasgow, in 1816, later moving to 40 Gallowgate. In 1821 Joseph established his own business at 137 Trongate and in 1828 Richard established his at 98 Argyll Street, where he was listed as 'hatter to the King'. In 1839 Richard Nixon went into partnership to form Nixon & Morrison, but this was short-lived. Subsequently Richard Nixon went into partnership with his nephew, John Kirsop, the son of his sister, Elizabeth Nixon, and her husband, Thomas Kirsop, also a hatter with premises at 93 High Street, Glasgow, to form Nixon & Kirsop, hat and cap makers at 98 Argyll Street in 1841. Richard Nixon retired by 1848 and John Kirsop took the business forward under his own name, by which time his grandfather, John Nixon and his other uncles appear to have retired as no Nixon hatters are listed in the Post Office Directory for that year. The firm prospered and established a factory at 28 St. Enoch Wynd in 1850.

John Kirsop's son, Thomas, later joined the business with the firm becoming John Kirsop & Son in 1885, although their hats were often labelled just Kirsop & Son. A selection of their hats was exhibited in case 1,027 in the Glasgow International Exhibition 1888 and with their premises on Argyle described as 'very extensive. The sale shop and showroom is fitted up in a manner and style well suited to the high-class, character of the business, and contains a superb stock, representing the very best products of the modern hatter’s craft. On the floor above (which was formerly a picture gallery — the first in Glasgow), Messrs. Kirsop have laid out a fine spacious saloon of handsome appointment, wherein they make a magnificent display of ladies’ superior millinery, a department developed by them with very great success.' John Kirsop retired in the early 1890s and died in 1898, aged 76. His son, Thomas, took over full management of the company. In 1894 a new branch for gentleman's hats was opened at 106 St Vincent Street, Glasgow. The following year the premises at 98 Argyle Street were closed and a new ladies' and children's branch was opened at 254 Sauchiehall Street, expanding into 256 in 1898. In 1903 the ladies' and children's branch moved to 558 Sauchiehall Street. Thomas Kirsop died, aged 66, in 1917.

Later the business was based at 133 West George Street, Glasgow, and became a limited company in 1924. It continued trading for a further 30 years until it was taken over by House of Fraser Ltd. in November 1956, who closed the business.