McManus 168

Subscriber 145 – Messrs John Moir & Son – William Methven was John Moir’s son-in-law, having married his daughter, Eliza Spence Moir

Methven & Norrie was a relatively recent partnership, formed about 1860 by William Methven (1828-1865) and William Caithness Norrie (1831-1921).^[8]

William Methven was born in Dundee in 1828, the son of John Methven and Margaret Spence.^[9] His father was an auctioneer and appraiser, Joint Stock Buildings, Dundee,^[10] although later was described as a commission agent in the 1841 census, with the family home at George’s Place.^[11] William Methven was said to have succeeded to his late father’s auctioneering business when a very young man.^[12] He first appeared in the local directory in 1846 as an auctioneer, appraiser and agent, in partnership with David Davidson at 3 St. Clement’s Lane, Dundee.^[13] The Davidson & Methven partnership was relatively short-lived but in addition to being auctioneers and appraisers, the pair were also house factors for a time.^[14] Independently, William was an agent for the Globe Insurance Co.^[15] and the Economic Life Assurance Society,^[16] plus acting as treasurer to the Joint-Stock Building Co.^[17] His house in 1850 was at 7 Joint-Stock Buildings.^[14]

After his partnership with Davidson ended, William Methven purchased the Caledonian Hall, Castle Street for use as his auction house^[12] and also diversified to become a music seller as well as an auctioneer, at 31 Castle Street, Dundee.^[18] He was living with his mother and two sisters by the time of the 1851 census, although the address was now George’s Place, 31 Joint Stock Buildings.^[19] The directory described George’s Place as being in the Wellgate.^[18] Shortly thereafter a new partnership is formed with D.B. Brown: Methven & Brown, auctioneers and appraisers, 31 Castle Street.^[20] William married Eliza Spence Moir in 1855,^[21] moved house to 6 William Street, Forebank, Dundee^[22] and was keeping a separate business as a music and musical instrument seller and owner of a circulating music library, all at 104 Nethergate, Dundee.^[20] In addition, William was a director of the Reading Room and Literary Institute situated at the west end of High Street, Dundee.^[20] The partnership with Brown did not last long and William Methven was soon in the directory on his own, described as an auctioneer, 31 Castle Street and music seller to the Queen and musical instrument seller, 104 Nethergate.^[23]

William Caithness Norrie was born in Broughty Ferry^[24] in 1831 to James Norrie and Russel Thomson.^[25] His father had been a “shipman” who had died by the time William was working as a rail clerk and living with his widowed mother and two dressmaker sisters in 1851.^[26] His mother, Russel, was also a dressmaker.^[27] William married Mary Bruce Stevenson in 1855.^[28] By this time Norrie had become a station master with the Dundee & Arbroath Railway Co., being stationed at Ladyloan, Arbroath and Broughty Ferry.^[29] The couple had a son, James Adam Norrie, born in Arbroath in 1857.^[30] Mary died shortly after giving birth^[31] and William married again in 1863 to Margaret Lawrie McNee.^[32]

About 1860, William Methven joined up with William C. Norrie to expand his business even further, with the new firm being described as auctioneers and house furnishers, 31 Castle Street.^[33] Norrie was described variously as an upholsterer^[2] and as a cabinetmaker.^[29] He lived at 103 Nethergate in 1861. Meanwhile, Methven was running his music selling and circulating music library businesses under the separate firm of William Methven & Co, 104 Nethergate. It is also at this period that Alexander Simpson, 97 Overgate, was first recorded as belonging to William Methven & Co.^[33]

By 1864 Methven & Norrie are described as auctioneers, appraisers, upholsterers and house furnishers, 31 Castle Street and 126 Nethergate. These additional businesses were said to have “expanded to such an extraordinary extent” and the music selling “also prospered greatly.”^[12] William Methven & Co., 102 Nethergate specialised in selling pianos, which were delivered by horse drawn van^[34] and added pianoforte tuning to its other musical services.^[4]  Methven had moved house to 13 Dudhope Terrace and Norrie to Lansdowne Place, Constitution Road.^[35] The Castle Street  building was vacated to move to the “large and handsome premises recently erected in the Nethergate…”^[12] It was reported that “when about to erect new premises, Mr Methven, with that business foresight which distinguished him, determined to erect them of such magnitude and in such a position that they would give accommodation for both departments. He spared no pains or expense to make them suitable for first class businesses…”^[12]

William Methven died in 1865, aged 37.^[36] His widow continued to reside at 13 Dudhope Terrace^[37] with their children: Maggie, b.1856;^[38][37] John, b.1857;^[38][37] William, b.c.1859;^[37] George Moir, b.1860;^[38][37] Annie, b.c.1862;^[37] Mary b.c.1864^[37] and Harry b.c.1865.^[37] His obituarist observed that “it must strike all who knew the interest he took in the promotion of these businesses as peculiarly painful that he should have died just when his labours seemed to have come to fruition.”^[12] It was also noted that “his success in life shows how the public appreciated his exertions” and that although “a keen man of business, he was strictly honourable and upright in his dealings, and his word was his bond.”^[12]

William C. Norrie continued to operate under the name of Methven & Norrie until 1880, when he moved to 80-84 Commercial Street, Dundee and changed the firm to William C. Norrie & Co.^[39] He had added other elements to the business, including furniture dealing^[6] and funeral undertaking.^[7][40] By 1885, his son, James Adam Norrie, had joined and the firm became William C. Norrie & Son.^[41] William C. Norrie moved to Prospect Place, Dundee in the late 1860s^[42] before moving to Brooklea, Broughty Ferry in the mid-1870s. Brooklea would remain his home for the rest of his life.^[43]

William Methven’s music businesses became Methven, Simpson & Co., music sellers to the Queen, operating from 112 Nethergate^[44] and subsequently 122 Nethergate, with works at Yeaman Shore, Dundee.^[45] Alexander Simpson was the head of the firm and had been a part of this business from about 1861.^[33] The Edinburgh firm, Robert Purdie, was acquired in 1887.^[46] The Dundee shop was moved to 22 Reform Street in about 1900.^[34] Alexander Simpson, music seller, Gowan Bank, Lochee Road, Dundee, died in 1918^[47] but the firm carried on into the 1960s, surviving a fire which gutted the interior of the Reform Street shop in 1954.^[34]

William C. Norrie’s career included a number of public offices. He was a director of the YMCA,^[48] vice-president of the Dundee Independent Liberal Association,^[49] a Broughty Ferry police commissioner,^[49] a bailie on Dundee Town Council,^[50] assessor to the Guildry Incorporation,^[51] harbour trustee,^[50] vice-president of Dundee Liberal Association,^[50] member of Dundee Combination Parochial Board,^[50] chairman of Broughty Ferry Parochial Board^[52] and a gas commissioner.^[53] In business, William C. Norrie & Son also acquired the business of Matthew Deas, cabinetmaker, Broughty Ferry^[29] and added premises at 74 Fort Street, Broughty Ferry^[54] to its Commercial Street main branch. Norrie also became an agent for the Scottish Temperance (Life and Accident) Assurance Co. Ltd.^[55] He also found time to be president of the Dundee Angling Club.^[56]

The Dundee branch of William C. Norrie & Son moved to 13 Whitehall Street by 1888^[57] and the Broughty Ferry branch moved to 65 Brook Street by 1891^[58] and to 63 Brook Street by 1898,^[59] where the business also acted as a dyer’s agent. In 1902 the firm moved its premises to 9-11 Shore Terrace, Dundee and 185 Brook Street, Broughty Ferry.^[60] The full extent of the firm’s activities now comprised antique furniture dealing, upholstering, cabinetmaking, undertaking, auctioneering and valuing, as well as the dyer’s agency in Broughty Ferry.^[61] During the First World War the Dundee branch moved to 31 Yeaman Shore.^[62]

Norrie was pre-deceased by his son, James Adam Norrie, in 1920.^[63] William died on 25 February 1921, having entered his ninetieth year.^[64] He was described as a “strict vegetarian” and “as an antiquarian he was well known throughout the district, and possessed a remarkable collection of articles of vertu.”

The firm continued under the direction of David Stevenson Norrie.^[65]