Pryce Pryce-Jones
Pryce-Jones was born on the 16th of October 1834 in Llanllwchaiarn. This village sits just outside Newtown in Montgomeryshire. He left school at age 12 to begin an apprenticeship with a local draper named John Davies. The young man took over Davies's business in 1856 after completing his training. That same year he married Eleanor Rowley Morris from Newtown. Pryce-Jones started his own little shop selling drapery just off Broad Street. He named it the Royal Welsh Warehouse in 1859. The railway arrived in Newtown that very year.
Post Office reforms introduced the Uniform Penny Post in 1840. This change allowed people to send letters for one penny anywhere in the United Kingdom. The arrival of railways in Newtown helped turn a small rural concern into a global company. Pryce-Jones became the first person to sell by mail order on a large scale. He dispatched goods by parcel post and train. He built a warehouse with its own post office next to the railway line. The 1861 Pryce Jones catalogue is credited as the world's first mail-order catalogue. It consisted of woollen goods. Customers could now order by post and receive delivery by rail.
Further expansion of the railways in the years following 1861 allowed Pryce Jones to take orders from further afield. His business grew rapidly during this period. He built up an impressive list of customers including Florence Nightingale and Queen Victoria. Royal households across Europe also placed orders. He began selling Welsh flannel from Newtown to America and Australia. The enterprise amassed over 200,000 customers worldwide. Several times he was forced to relocate to bigger premises. These moves were geared to getting goods out as fast as possible. By 1880 he had more than 100,000 UK customers alone.
Pryce-Jones is credited with the invention of the sleeping bag he patented in 1876. He named it the Euklisia Rug for military use. He exported the product around the world. At one point he landed a contract with the Russian Army for 60,000 rugs. This innovation demonstrated his ability to adapt textile manufacturing for new markets. The company continued to expand its operations throughout the late 19th century. He took part in exhibitions all over the world during the 1870s. He won several awards at these international events. He became world famous through these efforts.
His success was acknowledged by Queen Victoria in 1887 when she knighted him. He became Sir Pryce Pryce-Jones that year. He was also elected as a Conservative Member of Parliament for Montgomery from 1885 to 1886. He served another term from 1892 to 1895. In 1891 Pryce-Jones became the High Sheriff of Montgomeryshire. Two of his sons William and Albert were international footballers for Wales. The BBC summed up his legacy as The mail order pioneer who started a billion-pound industry. His business flourished enough to support such public service roles.
Pryce-Jones died on the 11th of January 1920 at the age of 85. The company he had built up over decades was hit badly by the depression of the 1920s and 1930s. It was taken over by Lewis's of Liverpool in 1938. The Royal Welsh Warehouse building still stands today in Newtown. It remained home to a mail-order company until 2011 though not the original Pryce-Jones company. The structure was a tall red brick building constructed in 1879. It sat in the centre of Newtown next to the railway line.
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Common questions
When was Pryce Pryce-Jones born and where did he grow up?
Pryce Pryce-Jones was born on the 16th of October 1834 in Llanllwchaiarn. This village sits just outside Newtown in Montgomeryshire.
What year did Pryce Pryce-Jones open his first mail order business named Royal Welsh Warehouse?
Pryce Pryce-Jones opened his shop named the Royal Welsh Warehouse in 1859. The railway arrived in Newtown that same year to support the new enterprise.
Who was the first person to sell by mail order on a large scale according to historical records about Pryce Pryce-Jones?
Pryce Pryce-Jones became the first person to sell by mail order on a large scale. He dispatched goods by parcel post and train using the 1861 Pryce Jones catalogue as the world's first mail-order catalogue.
Did Pryce Pryce-Jones invent any military equipment during his lifetime?
Pryce Pryce-Jones is credited with the invention of the sleeping bag which he patented in 1876. He named it the Euklisia Rug for military use and secured a contract with the Russian Army for 60,000 rugs.
When did Queen Victoria knight Pryce Pryce-Jones and what political roles did he hold?
Queen Victoria knighted Pryce Pryce-Jones in 1887 when she acknowledged his success. He served as a Conservative Member of Parliament for Montgomery from 1885 to 1886 and again from 1892 to 1895 before becoming High Sheriff of Montgomeryshire in 1891.
What happened to the Royal Welsh Warehouse building after Pryce Pryce-Jones died in 1920?
The company was taken over by Lewis's of Liverpool in 1938 after Pryce Pryce-Jones died on the 11th of January 1920 at the age of 85. The tall red brick building constructed in 1879 still stands today in Newtown next to the railway line.