HAMILTON & INCHES: a remarkable history
Founded in the 1860s by an enterprising jeweller who, in the early years, also acted as his own night watchman, jewellers Hamilton & Inches has for over 150 years created fine jewellery and silverware, flourishing against a background of changing times in
In 1852, an Edinburgh stabler, Robert Inches, died at the age of 45, leaving his family with no father and then, in 1856, their mother, Sarah (nee Hamilton), died of tuberculosis. By 1861 the four Inches children were living with their aunt and uncle, Elizabeth and James Hamilton, at 7 East Adam Street. James Hamilton worked as a goldsmith’s assistant (or salesman) for the long-standing jewellers of Mackay Cunningham & co, situated at 54 Princes Street. It was around this time that the oldest of the children, Robert Kirk Inches, moved to London, training as a clock and watchmaker, before returning to Edinburgh in about 1866. In May 1866, Robert Kirk Inches and his uncle, James, opened the business of Hamilton & Inches at 90a Princes Street. On 1 June 1866, the new company registered their hallmark with the Edinburgh Assay Office. It cannot have been easy in the early days of the business because, as Robert Kirk Inches’ obituary noted, ‘it is indicative of the more modest and personal methods in the conduct of Princes Street businesses half a century ago that he [Robert] acted for two years as his own night watchman, sleeping under a counter in the shop’.
In late 1878 the City of Glasgow bank collapsed and James Hamilton lost over £2,300 (about £260,000 today).The collapse was one of the biggest financial scandals of the Victorian age. James Hamilton was a witness at the trial of the bank’s directors and it was reported that he continued to deal with the bank ‘to the last, believing it was in a flourishing condition’. A few years later, in 1883, James retired from the business, aged about 71 and he died later that same year, possibly as a consequence of this financial disaster.These events did not appear to have had much impact on the business of Hamilton & Inches, however. In 1887, the business moved to larger premises at 87-88 Princes Street and in 1893 the business of Robert Bryson & Sons was transferred to Hamilton & Inches.That same year, Robert Kirk Inches was awarded the Royal Warrant, an ancient appointment from Queen Victoria, (dating back to reign of James VI/I) of ‘His Majesty’s Clockmaker, and Keeper and Dresser of His Majesty’s clocks, watches and pendulums in His Majesty’s ancient kingdom of Scotland’, a post he held for the rest of his lifetime. Hamilton & Inches continue to hold a Royal Warrant as clock specialists to the
Under the leadership of Robert Kirk Inches, Hamilton & Inches was set to become a byword for luxury and elegance in the city, creating fine jewellery and silverware for the most prestigious of clients
queen to this day.
Robert Kirk Inches: business man and public figure
Under the leadership of Robert Kirk Inches, Hamilton & Inches was set to become a byword for luxury and elegance in the city, creating fine jewellery and silverware for the most prestigious of clients and important historical events. Robert was actively involved in the business community of late 19th- and early 20th-century Edinburgh and rose to prominence as a public figure in Edinburgh. In 1900 he was elected representative for Morningside ward on the town council and was elected bailie
in 1906 and as lord provost of Edinburgh in 1912, a post that he was to hold until 1916.
He led the establishment of two First World War volunteer battalions, which served alongside the Royal Scots as 15th (1st City of Edinburgh, Service) and 16th (2nd City of Edinburgh, Service) and visited the troops at the front lines in France. In 1916, Robert became Sir Robert Inches, knighted by GeorgeV in the NewYear’s Honours List but he did not live to see the end of the war, dying of heart failure aged 78 on 19 July 1918. His oldest child, Isabella, continued her father’s civic service and became the first female councillor in Scotland in 1919.
Hamilton & Inches: the legacy of Robert Kirk Inches
Hamilton & Inches certainly benefited from the expansion of the trading networks of the British empire, being able to buy imported raw materials, most significantly silver from Latin America, and making access to important markets easy and cost effective. An examination of the company’s early account books suggests Robert Inches’ business acumen was keen, as he was an early investor in what were to become some of the most famous (and profitable) diamond and gold mining companies, including De Beers. Other luxury goods and commodities such as coffee and whisky also feature in the accounts, as well as financial organisations, hotels (and tea rooms) and companies in the United States, all of which give the impression of a business which was thoroughly embedded in the commercial networks and the culture of ‘gentlemanly’ capitalism of the British empire.
In Britain, the company bought shares in the Caledonian Railway Company, which ran a line to the Leadhills and Wanlockhead mines in South Lanarkshire – one of the richest mineral deposits in Scotland. Between 1700 and 1958, the mines produced 400,000 tonnes of lead, 10,000 tonnes of zinc and 25 tonnes of silver, the latest of which provided a valuable source for the Edinburgh jewellers. Hamilton & Inches were also able to source other precious materials from Scotland. In the 19th and early 20th century, the company used Scottish pearls in some of their finest jewellery, including an ‘extremely fine Scotch pearl surrounded with diamonds and mounted as a bracelet’, which was given to Princess Louise of Wales (eldest daughter of Edward VII and Queen Alexandra) as a wedding gift.
The new owner made some further alterations, undertaken by the architects Heggie & Aitchison
The legacy of Robert Kirk Inches and that of his craftsmen surely lies in the beautifully-designed and exquisitely-fashioned pieces of gold and silver clocks and watches that now grace some of the finest homes, buildings and collections in Scotland and across the world.
The move to George Street
Robert Kirk Inches’ youngest son, Edward, seems to have taken charge of the business when his father became lord provost and, after serving in the Royal Field Artillery and winning the Distinguished Service Order in the First World War, he saw the business through the political disruption of the 1920s and the great depression. On his death in 1934, his son, Campbell Inches, became sole proprietor and steered the company through the silver shortages of the Second World War. He sold his interest in the company to his brother, Ian, after the war. In 1951, Ian Inches purchased the showroom at 87 George Street which had been home to two of Edinburgh’s long-established jewellers, J & G Hunter Marshall and Brook & Son. Hamilton & Inches proudly announced its transfer to its new premises in The Times in January