Peyton & Harlow; Peyton & Peyton; Peyton & Sons; Peyton & Tedcastle; Peyton & Alsop

Birmingham, Warwickshire; London; Glasgow, Scotland; Dublin, Ireland; Paris, France & New York, USA ; brass and iron furniture makers (fl.1850-1900)

Richard Peyton and Jonathan Harlow established a partnership in 1850 as bedstead manufacturers at Bordesley Works, Aston, Birmingham and by 1851 Edward Peyton had joined the partnership. 

Peyton & Harlow exhibited an iron bedstead at the 1851 Great Exhibition (illus. Meyer (2006), p. 56). Peyton & Peyton, sometimes called Peyton & Sons, were successors to Peyton & Harlow and became a leading firm in the manufacture of brass and iron beds, other metal furniture and tricycles. 

Peyton & Peyton was listed in the 1871 London Post Office Directory as brass and iron bedstead makers at Long Acre and 15 Monkwell Street, London, and in Birmingham. They also had offices and showrooms in London (1882-1885) on Wigmore Street and at 32 & 33 Brooke Street, Holborn. The Furniture Gazette: Classified List of the Furniture, Upholstery, and Allied Trades (1886) listed them at Bordesley Works, Birmingham and Wigmore Street, London. 

Peyton & Peyton also had showrooms in Paris & New York.

Edward Peyton (of Peyton & Peyton) was also a partner of two firms in Dublin: Peyton & Tedcastle (later as H. & F. Peyton) in Upper Sackville Street and Peyton & Alsop (with Frederick Alsop) at 96 Union Street. In 1881 he established a branch of Peyton & Alsop in Glasgow at 89 Renfield Street.

Henry Eagles was a partner of Peyton & Peyton and Peyton & Alsop until he retired in 1881.  

Peyton & Peyton participated in the 1862 International Exhibition, London. At the 1876 Philadelphia Exhibition they showed a decorative iron bedstead of the type of the bedroom furniture it was producing for the growing middle-classes (illus. Meyer (2006), p. 229) and was awarded a medal. 

• Peyton & Peyton participated in other international and smaller exhibitions [The Furniture Gazette]:
• Paris Exhibition, 1878, silver and  bronze medal winners [25 September 1878]
• Sydney Exhibition, 1879, prize winner [31 May 1879 & 19 June 1880]
• Melbourne Exhibition, 1880, first order of merit [11 December 1880, 16 & 30 April 1881]
• Calcutta Exhibition, 1884, silver medal [10 May 1884], Paris Exhibition, 1889 [1 August 1889]
• Kimberley Exhibition, 1892 [15 August 1892] 

Peyton made great use of Angelo Sedley's 1860 patent for folding metal chairs, which used a metal rack and mechanism to adjust the rake of the chair-back from an upright to a fully reclining position. In 1882, Edward Peyton patented a construction using a series of metal bars, some of which made joints, to enable wardrobes, bookcases and other furniture to be assembled or un-assembled with ease [The Furniture Gazette, 23 September 1882]. 

On 13 December 1883 Edward Peyton (trading as Peyton & Peyton) filed for liquidation. His personal affairs were also liquidated by arrangement (not bankruptcy) on 13 June 1884, and a discharge of the debtor was granted on payment of the approved composition [The Furniture Gazette, 29 December 1883 and 2 February, 8 March & 21 June 1884].  Sequestration of Peyton & Alsop and F. Alsop was listed on 28 December 1883 [The Furniture Gazette, 22 December 1883 and 12 January, 2 & 9 February & 5 July 1884]. Henry Eagles, formerly trading with Edward Peyton was also declared bankrupt in 1884.

Edward Peyton & Henry Eagles partnered Thomas Skelding Tongue as lamp manufacturers and hardware merchants at Great Charles Street, Birmingham. Peyton was declared bankrupt again on 14 January 1885 [The Furniture Gazette, 24 January 1885].

The company of Peyton & Peyton continued to trade; a tender for forty beds for Short’s Gardens, St Giles’ Board of Guardians with a contract price of 9s 3d per bedstead was accepted [The Furniture Gazette, 1 October 1885] and The Furniture Gazette, 1 November 1885, recorded the firm with the telegraphic address of ‘Peytons, Birmingham’. It continued trading until at least 1900.

Sources: Edwards, Victorian Furniture. Technology & Design (1993); Meyer, Great Exhibitions. London, New York, Paris, Philadelphia. 1851-1900 (2006); Grace's Guide.