John Nicholls Dosson (1833-1927) draper and tailor of Bridgwater; Sarah Dosson nee Sully (1840-1927) wife of John; Derwent Leonard Dosson (1892-1894) their son.
John and Sarah both came from families that had been in business in Bridgwater for over a hundred years. John was a draper and tailor for most of his career, though after WWI he tried farming for a few years. His two surviving sons and then a grandson continued the family businesses in the 20th century: Nicholls & Co drapers, Fore Street Clothing Company tailors & outfitters and Dosson Bros tailors & outfitters.
Please see the biography of Henry Dosson and his family on this website.
John Nicholls Dosson (1833-1927) draper of Bridgwater and his wife Sarah Sully
John was the eldest son of Henry Dosson and if things had gone to plan, he would have become a currier like his father. But Henry left Bridgwater when John was about nine years old and his future was guided by his mother Harriet and the Nicholls family. John and his mother lived above the Nicholls’ draper’s shop with other family members and their employees in Fore Street and later Cornhill, and so from childhood John was learning the business.
John married Sarah Sully in August 1865 at the Bridgwater Baptist Church. She was one of the coal merchant and shipowner Sully family of Bridgwater. Her father was James Wood Sully (1806-1886) who had a long career in business in Bridgwater before retiring to Burnham-on-Sea. The Sully name alone would have opened doors for John. Sarah’s cousin, George Bryant Sully (1831-1907) was Mayor of Bridgwater in 1869 and 1870. John’s uncle Henry F. Nicholls followed him as Mayor in 1871 and 1872. In an age when family connections were very important, John was undoubtedly part of the business community.
John and Sarah began married life in Cornhill where John was a draper. By 1881 John had his own draper’s shop in Friary Street, close to Horse Pond, probably part of Friarn Street. A draper’s shop primarily stocked household linen, baby linen and rolls of fabric as most clothing was homemade. Everything was behind the counter or in large chests of drawers or in glass fronted cupboards. The draper or his or her assistant would serve each customer, fetching whatever items requested. They would fold and wrap the fabric in brown paper and tie up the parcel with string. There was no self-serve. A woman who wanted a dress could buy the required length of fabric and other sewing needs and make the dress herself at home, or take the fabric to a dressmaker. There was more than one draper in Bridgwater and they would be competing to have the most fashionable fabrics and sewing patterns. John needed to travel to London by train on buying trips probably twice a year if his customers were demanding the very latest. Some gentlemen’s clothing would be more traditional, but even so newer and better fabrics would become available from time to time. Men’s suits were normally made by tailors unless a home dressmaker was very skilled. John Dosson and his family realized the business advantage of including tailoring in their draper’s shops.
By 1897, John and Sarah had retired to become farmers at Longthorns, Charlynch, near Bridgwater, leaving their sons Leonard and Harold to take over the family business. Sometime after 1911 they moved to Wind-down, Durleigh Road, closer to Bridgwater.
In August 1925, John and Sarah proudly announced in the local papers that they had celebrated their Diamond Wedding with their three children, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. John died aged 93 at Wind-down in February 1927. Sarah died in November of the same year. They are buried together in the Wembdon Road Cemetery. Their children were:
- Leonard John Dosson (1866-1942) draper, Bridgwater. His eldest son Derwent died aged two and is buried with John and Sarah Dosson. Leonard was a member of the Town Council for some years. At the time of his death he was chairman of the Higher Education committee
- Harold Sully Dosson (1870-1963) draper, Bridgwater.
- Eleanor Dosson (1874-1938) married Robert F. Edbrooke.
Leonard and Harold were in business together in Bridgwater for most of their careers. In 1921, Leonard and his younger son Ralph were drapers at 8 & 9 Cornhill, Bridgwater, but the family were living at Stallenge Farm, Bishops Lydeard. Was it just coincidence that the Dosson family probably originally came from Bishops Lydeard? Leonard’s elder son John was the farmer. Harold was also working at 8 & 9 Cornhill, but he and his family lived at Northfields. Leonard and Harold retired in September 1938. There were three Dosson family businesses: [1]
- Nicholls & Co drapers was sold soon after World War I.
- Fore Street Clothing Company tailors and outfitters was taken over by the manager, Mr George Williams.
- Dosson Brothers tailors and outfitters was taken over by Leonard’s son Ralph.
by Jillian Trethewey and Clare Spicer 11/8/2024
Sources:
Bridgwater Heritage Group website.
British Newspaper Archive.
Census records and Parish Registers
[1] Taunton Courier 29 Aug 1942