Papers of George William Dumbell containing miscellaneous business papers as well as personal accounts and family letters

Date(s): 1870 -1883

Creator(s): various

Scope & Content: The papers here catalogued, mostly from the period of 1878 to 1883, are addressed to or concerning George William Dumbell, the founder of Dumbell’s Banking Company Limited. Family and business letters are well represented in this deposit and there are also some political letters, legal papers, documents related to his shareholdings and household bills and receipts. As such they comprise mixed business and semi-personal records of the Dumbell family, Dumbell's Banking Co. and the Great Laxey Mining Company.

Administration / Biographical History: George William Dumbell was one of the four children of Jonathan and Anne Dumbell, born in 1804, in North Wales. His father and uncle had founded the Stockport Bank but went bankrupt. Later Jonathan Dumbell and his wife took their children Hugh, Catherine, Letitia and George William to live on the Isle of Man sometime after 1815.

The young Dumbell began his career as a lawyer, being admitted to the Manx Bar in 1826. In 1831 he married Mary Gibson from Liverpool, with whom he would have 12 children, all born and raised in Douglas at Belmont, the family home.

George William Dumbell became a member of the self-elected House of Keys in 1840 (representing Castletown) and the following year he began his stint as one of the longest-serving secretaries for the House until his resignation from the position in 1858. He would be re-elected to the House once again as the Member for Douglas (1867-1881).

Dumbell’s initial foray into banking was unsuccessful; he was a partner in the Isle of Man Joint Stock Bank which was to fail in 1843. In the meantime, he acquired land and property all over the island and became the chairman in the Great Laxey Mining Company in 1850, which at one point exported more zinc than all the mines in the United Kingdom. ‘Dumbell’s Row’ the name of terraced houses in Laxey, that Dumbell had built for his miners, still stands today.

George William saw another opportunity to enter into banking when Holmes Bank closed its doors in 1853. Dumbell went into partnership with his brother-in-law Lewis Geneste Howard under the name of Dumbell, Son and Howard, though his brother-in-law was very much a silent partner in the firm and only William Dumbell would join his father in banking later on in the bank’s history. The bank was a success opening branches in other Manx towns but it faced stiff competition from the Bank of Mona.
Dumbell was also involved with the establishment of the Manx Telegraph Company as well as having shares in many other ventures and businesses on the island. The bank’s name was changed to Dumbell’s Banking Company after it became a limited liability company and handled some of the money of the Manx Government as well as the Harbour and Highways Boards, many of the island’s hotels and later the Isle of Man Railway Company.

The documents in this collection stop in 1883, which was about the time George William Dumbell retired from an active role in his business. He died in 1887, thirteen years before the dramatic demise of his bank due to improper accounting and bad management, causing financial ruin to many Manx people and businesses.

For further information on the Dumbell collapse, see The Dumbell Affair by Connery Chappell (T. Stephenson and Sons; Merseyside, 1981).

Key figures noted in these papers:
Bassano, Major General Alfred: Son-in-law of George William Dumbell, he married Mary, Dumbell’s eldest daughter who died in childbirth, aged just 23. Alfred himself died in 1882 aged 56.
Bassano, Lieutenant Alfred Ernest: The only child of Major General Alfred Bassano and Mary Dumbell, young Alfred was the favourite grandchild of George William Dumbell. He died in 1887 (a week before his grandfather) after falling down some stairs on an army base in Malta.
Bell, Henry: Son-in-law of George William Dumbell, he married Ann in 1865. In the Bengal Civil Service.
Dumbell, Alured: Dumbell’s second child born in 1835, he did not follow his father into a career in banking instead choosing law. He was admitted to the Manx Bar, aged 23. Aside from being a successful lawyer, he was also made High Bailiff of Ramsey in 1873 and then Second Deemster seven years later. He became Clerk of the Rolls in 1883 and Deputy Lieutenant-Governor of the Isle of Man before his last great achievement; being granted a knighthood in 1899. He died in 1900.
Dumbell, Emily Letitia: One of Dumbell’s eight daughters, she spent much of her life living with her father, although she did at one point live in Europe. She died unmarried in 1878 aged 34.
Dumbell, Henry Charles: The third son of George William Dumbell, Henry married Winifred C. Woodd in 1877. They had two sons, the eldest being Charles Henry, and two daughters. He spent his adult life in London, where he died a young man.
Dumbell, Lewis Keppel: See Dumbell, William.
Dumbell, ‘Nannie’: Her married name is unknown as is her real Christian name, although this was possibly Fanny. She lived in London with her husband Harry and her children Artie, Charlie and Annie.
Dumbell, William: George William Dumbell’s fourth son and the only one to enter into banking. He became a junior partner in Dumbell’s Banking Co. He married a Miss Keppel and had a son named Lewis Keppel Dumbell. He died in May 1878 aged 34.
Dumbell, Winifred (nee Gibson): See Dumbell, Henry Charles.
Elliott, Alfred Charles: Son-in-law of George William Dumbell, he married the third daughter Louisa in 1866. He was also in the Indian Civil Service. His sister Efie Elliott also writes to George William Dumbell as she appears to be raising the children while he is working away.
Gell, James: Attorney General of the Isle of Man. Earlier in his career, he successfully represented George William Dumbell when he was charged with felony.
Goldie-Taubman, Sir John Senhouse: Speaker of the House of Keys and member for Douglas, he was also the chairman of the Isle of Man Railway Company.
Harris, Samuel: High Bailiff and Vicar-General.
Hume, ‘Pussy’: A daughter of George William Dumbell, nicknamed ‘Pussy,’ she lived in Poona in India, her husband, Captain Walter Hume, serving in the British Army. She had at least two children, Violet and Donald. Her real name was probably either Georgina or Amy.
Loch, Sir Henry Brougham: Born in Scotland, he served in the army and working in the Home Office before becoming Lieutenant-Governor of the Isle of Man in 1863. He introduced a democratically-elected assembly in the House of Keys in 1866 as well as major social and legal reforms on the island. He also supported the building of the Manx railways and pushed for the re-development of Douglas. He resigned from his position in 1882 after 19 years in office.
Sherwood, Richard: A lawyer and a politician, he was a member of the House of Keys for Glenfaba and also appointed deemster. He committed suicide in 1883 following a period of depression.
Simcock, ‘Jessie’: One of George and Mary Dumbell’s daughters, she lived in Liverpool with her husband and her son John. Her real name was probably Essy.

Language: English

Extent: 1 box

Item name: Correspondence, accounts, legal papers etc

Collection: Manuscript Archive

Level: FONDS

ID number: MS 06299

Retrieval number: MD 229

Access conditions: No regulations or restrictions are implemented on this material. Advance notification of a research visit is advisable by emailing library@mnh.gov.im

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