HARRIS

William Harris (1781-1841)

Sorting out the early years of this company are complicated by the apparent existence of two opticians called William Harris of roughly the same age in London at the same time. The William referred to here was the son of an optician, Richard Harris. After an apprenticeship with a clockmaker called Joseph Robinson, William opened his business at 47 High Holborn in London in 1805. In 1798, he had married Isabella Hastings and they had a number of children, several of whom predeceased them.

In 1813, the business became known as “William Harris & Company” when the eldest son, also William (1799-1839), joined the company, and in 1815, it moved to 50 High Holborn. The company business card advertised that they were Manufacturers of Optical, Mathematical and Philosophical instruments “by His Majesty’s Royal Letters Patent”.

The company seems to have a short-term partnership with W. Campbell to sell optical, mathematical and philosophical instruments in Hamburg in 1820, and some instruments bearing both the Holborn and Hamburg addresses have survived. Campbell was an optician in his own right and by 1831, the company at the Hamburg address was simply W. Campbell & Co.

In 1823, William Harris & Company was advertised as manufacturers of optical instruments. In 1841, it became known as William Harris & Son. At this time, William and Isabella’s youngest son, Adolphus Oliver Harris (1818-1892), was living with them at 50 High Holborn. The company then started advertising itself as makers of mathematical instruments. They exhibited at the 1851 Great Exhibition in London when their stand, according to the catalogue, featured barometers, thermometers and telescopes for use on land, at sea or for astronomy. The company seems to have ceased trading by 1855 as on 26 January 1855 another company of opticians, Keyzor & Co, was then at 50 High Holborn.