Manuscript Collection MS COLL 00237 2B Annex - Dalley Family Papers

By 1773 (or earlier) the Dalley family owned property at Rudge in Wiltshire, England. In the nineteenth century (and possibly before) they appear to have been operating a pottery works. In 1813/14 one member of the family at Rudge, William Dalley, held the rank of Captain in the local militia, and was called up for service at Salisbury and Gosport. In the 1830's members of the family (Frederick, later Edwin, and possibly others) emigrated to Canada. By 1846 Edwin Dalley
(c.1813-1884) had established a retail druggist's business in Hamilton, leasing premises on James St. North in a block developed by Sir Alan MacNab. In 1851 he gave up the retail drug business to become involved in wholesaling and in the manufacture of blacking, chemical manure, and other substances, setting up a factory on the outskirts of town. He became a leading business man of Hamilton and in 1857 was elected Councillor for St. Mary's Ward. His two sons, Edwin Adolphus and Frederick Fenner, were active in the business. In 1875 Frederick Fenner took over the business which he continued as F.F. Dalley & Co. In 1881 Edwin Adolphus returned from New York where he had lived in the 1870's and joined the business. In 1893 the business was incorporated as the F.F. Dalley Co. Ltd. and continued under that name until at least 1907. The company manufactured blacking, inks, shoe polish, flavouring extracts, patent medicines, dye stuffs, baking powder, and spices as well as being a wholesaler for oils, drug sundries etc.