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Archiver > ANGUS > 2004-08 > 1092418990


From: "Anne Burgess" <>
Subject: Re: [ANGUS] Alexander Pirie & Sons, Ltd.
Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2004 18:44:52 +0100
References: <158760-220048513172656159@M2W084.mail2web.com>


> I'm currently reading a book by Patricia Cornwell about her theory that
> Jack the Ripper was an artist named Walter Sickert. It's a very good
book.
> One thing that she talks about in detail is that many of the letters
> written by Jack the Ripper had a watermark from a company named A Pirie &
> Sons. This would have been in the 1880's. Further on in the book she
> talks about the original company that had this watermark, named Alexander
&
> Sons, Ltd. from Aberdeen. On page 184 of this book ("Portrait of a Killer
> - Jack the Ripper, Case Closed") she talks about the firm of Alexander
> Pirie & Sons, Ltd. started in 1770 in Aberdeen - it developed a "respected
> reputation" and did business in several cities in the world. This company
> went out of business in the 1950's. I guess the company went from
> Alexander & Sons, Ltd to A. Pirie & Sons.
>
> I was just wondering if anyone had heard of this company; my grandmother's
> maiden name was Pirie and there were a couple of Alexanders down the line,
> although I've never heard of any being connected to a stationery business.

Yes, it rings a bell with me. It wasn't exactly stationery, it was
papermaking.

In 1969 I took up employment with Wiggins Teape Ltd and was sent to
Stoneywood Paper Mill at Bucksburn for a spell during my training.

Alexander Pirie and Sons Ltd - or at least Stoneywood Mill - became part of
Wiggins Teape, which was for a time part of British American Tobacco and is
now Arjo Wiggins IIRC.

There seem to be some archives of Pirie's and Stoneywood in the archives at
Aberdeen University, deposited by Wiggins Teape.

HTH

Anne

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