The Broadwood Archives: The Business Records Of John Broadwood & Sons, Piano Makers 1794 – 1901, With The Lucy Broadwood Folk Song Archive

The firm of John Broadwood & Sons is the only manufacturing company to span the complete history of British piano making from the eighteenth century to the present day. This microfilm, which brings together the company’s vast accumulation of previously unpublished business and family papers, is therefore an invaluable source of research materiel for the social historian.

John Broadwood was a Scottish cabinet-maker, born in 1732, who came to London to seek his fortune and, in the classic tradition married his master’s daughter and inherited the business. His master was Burkat Shudi, a Swiss who set up business in Soho in 1728 and became one of the great harpsichord makers. John Broadwood inherited a fine workshop, serving among others Gainsborough, Sir Joshua Reynolds and J.S. Bach.

John Broadwood, however, was intent upon improving the piano. He developed a new ‘English action’, and his pianos made his fortune. The company supplied pianos to Clementi, Haydn, Beethoven, Chopin, Mendelssohn and Elgar. Exports were dispatched around the world, to India, Australia, Russia, China, Africa and the Americas. The Broadwood Ledgers, extensive records of clients, business associates and contacts fully reflect the international nature of the company’s trade links.

However, the increase in production at the end of the eighteenth century was a response not only to worldwide demand but to a booming market amongst a more culturally aware British middle-class. So successful did John Broadwood become that he set up as a private banker and the Archive includes the names of those to whom he offered loans or mortgages. The musical instruments themselves were selling throughout the country and the Ledgers contain lists of many music teachers who acted as agents for Broadwoods.

After the development of the upright piano end advancements in technology, Broadwoods constant stream of clients meant that they had achieved world domination in the piano manufacturing business. The purchase of new premises in 1812 increased production capacity, and in 1823 a factory was leased in Horseferry Road, taking the production rate by the mid 1830s to over three thousand pianos a year. With the growth of the Empire, markets became wider and by 1842, John Broadwood & Sons were one of the twelve largest employers in London, as is evidenced by the lists of employees’ wages.

In 1862, Henry Broadwood published a list of famous virtuosi who had used Broadwood pianos. The impressive list included the names of Joseph Haydn, C.M. von Weber, Franz Liszt and Robert and Clara Schumann. Also published that year was a catalogue stating that between 1780 and 1861 124,028 pianos had been produced.

This archive also contains Lucy Broadwood’s folk song archive. Lucy Ethelred Broadwood was the youngest child of Henry Fowler and Juliana Maria Broadwood. She possessed extensive cultural interests but her main concern was for music. Ralph Vaughan Williams described her as having a great talent for music, and as being an excellent pianist and most artistic singer.

Lucy Broadwood was actively involved in London music life, being considered an expert on folksong, and her main claim to fame was her work in developing the study of folk music. In 1893 she published, in collaboration with J.A. Fuller Maitland, English County Songs, and in 1898 was instrumental in the formation of the Folk Song Society, of which she became secretary in 1904.

The Archive consists mainly of correspondence relating to Lucy’s work. The correspondents include many of the leading figures in London musical life and in the folk song movement. Among the most notable were Vaughn Williams, Percy Grainger and Richard Strauss.

This microfilm presents a unique and convenient method, not only of studying the development of the piano, but also over one hundred years of family and social life in Britain.

95 reels
Reference: BRO

Contents

Reel	Contents	Volumes
1	Ledgers	1 – 2
2	Ledgers	3 – 4
3	Ledgers	4 – 5
4	Ledgers	5 – 6
5	Ledgers	7
6	Ledgers	8
7	Ledgers	9 – 10
8	Ledgers	11
9	Ledgers	12
10	Ledgers	13
11	Ledgers	14
12	Ledgers	15
13	Ledgers	16
14	Ledgers	17
15	Ledgers	18
16	Ledgers	19
17	Ledgers	20
18	Ledgers	21
19	Ledgers	22
20	Ledgers	23
21	Ledgers	24
22	Ledgers	25
23	Ledgers	26
24	Ledgers	27
25	Ledgers	27
26	Ledgers	28
27	Ledgers	29
28	Ledgers	30
29	Ledgers	31
30	Ledgers	32
31	Ledgers	33
32	Ledgers	34
33	Ledgers	35
34	Ledgers	36
35	Ledgers	37
36	Ledgers	38
37	Ledgers	39 – 40
38	Ledgers	41 – 42
39	Ledgers	43
40	Ledgers	44
41	Ledgers	45
42	Ledgers	46
43	Ledgers	47
44	Ledgers	48
45	Ledgers	49
46	Ledgers	50
47	Ledgers	51 – 52
48	Ledgers	53
49	Ledgers	54
50	Ledgers	55
51	Ledgers	56 – 57
52	Ledgers	58
53	Ledgers	59
54	Ledgers	60
55	Ledgers	61
56	Ledgers	62
57	Ledgers	63
58	Ledgers	64
59	Ledgers	65
60	Ledgers	66
61	Ledgers	67
62	Ledgers	68
63	Ledgers	69
64	Ledgers	70
65	Ledgers	71
66	Ledgers	72
67	Ledgers	73
68	Ledgers	74
69	Ledgers	75
70	Ledgers	76
71	Ledgers	77
72	Ledgers	78
73	Ledgers	79
74	Ledgers	80
75	Ledgers	81
76	Ledgers	82
77	Ledgers	83
78	Ledgers	84
79	Ledgers	85
80	Ledgers	86
81	Ledgers	87
82	Ledgers	88
83	Ledgers	89
84	Ledgers	90
85	Ledgers	91
86	Ledgers	92
87	Ledgers	93 – 94
88	Ledgers	95 – 96
89	Account books	1 – 5
90	Foreign ledger
91	Lucy Broadwood letters	1 – 193
92	Lucy Broadwood letters	194 – 415
93	Lucy Broadwood letters	416 – 578
94	Lucy Broadwood letters	579 – 655
95	Lucy Broadwood notes, sketches etc.
	Lucy Broadwood family history
	Index