The Bramley History Community Archive

As you can see from the above dates this Bramley business existed for many years, and whilst the name may no longer be used, the Bramley ‘Advertiser’ is still very much with us when large swathes of Bramley and district receive their weekly ‘freebee’ advertising newspaper. Ownership may have changed, but the general business and format of this newspaper soldiers on.

William Witts was the only son of Jacob Witts, and was born in 1828, the same year as the publication of ‘Pickwick’, and at the very beginning of Queen Victoria’s reign.

His forebears for some centuries back had been skilled cloth weavers, and from them he inherited an aptitude for mechanical precision. Armed with the best education his father could provide for his only son (believed to have been at a Leeds Church Grammar School), plus his keen interest in things mechanical, he was well set for an illustrious future.

He became apprenticed to the printing trade when he went to work for Moxon & Walker who were printers residing in Queens Court, Briggate, Leeds. On completion of his ‘time’ he stayed on with them as a journeyman compositor. In 1870, aged 32, we see William in the position of foreman with Moxons. Although this was an excellent position for such a relatively young man, William determined to start up his own businesses.

The exact date of when he set himself up in business is not known, but we do know that in a very small way things began to happen, as we have it on record that work was being carried out from his home in Scotland Place in Hunslet. Evidence of this happening, was when a ticket for the Leeds Licensed Victuallers Association’s dinner, held on 8th February 1871 at the Great Northern Station Hotel, was printed. The cost of the ticket appears to have been 5s.0d. (25p now) which was quite expensive for the time, and it should be assumed that participants would have been treated to a ‘good spread’. Said tickets were printed in two colours as well as in gold, so they would have been somewhat special.

William Witts Printers came to Bramley in either later 1872 or early 1873. The very first premises were at 66-68 Lower Town Street, which hitherto had been ‘The Fisherman’s Hut’, which was a public house situated by Stowes Buildings and Newcastle place; the latter being alongside the old stone cottage still in existence today. In fact, the old brew house was used as his workshop.

As business increased he found more convenient premises at 108-110 Lower Town Street, once known as Malley’s Humbug Shop. Here the top floor was one big room with plenty of space for his two hand presses. One of these, an ornately decorated Columbia Press, dated back to 1845 and was later donated to the Leeds Industrial Museum.

Later, he branched out further when he took a shop at 140 Lower Town Street, when at which time in ‘Kelly’s Directory’ of 1893, he is recorded as being a ‘Bookseller, Bookbinder, Stationer and Fancy Goods Dealer’.

Whilst at 110 Lower Town Street, he was listed as being a ‘Steam Printer’, at which time the relatively new use of steam power with which to galvanise the cylinder printing machines had come into being. Also, and whilst at this address, William’s company printed the Bramley Church Magazine from September 1873 until the end of 1971.

In 1891 the Bramley Weekly Advertiser commenced publication and, as we all know, is still published up to the current time.

A wide variety of printing work has been undertaken down the years, a sample of which would have seen the very first timetable for the opening of the Leeds, Bradford, Halifax and Wakefield Railway. This was printed in two colours; and some of the timetables were printed on large cards. Various books, part of The Bible, and Hymn Books, were produced. Spelling Books too were printed in the native African Ikongo language. This must have been something of a nightmare for the typesetter of the day!

It appears that because of the nature of this extremely precise work, William’s firm were highly complimented by the British & Foreign Bible Society. The nature of their work was very varied indeed and whilst most of it was to have been derived from local companies and individuals alike, they also produced work for many countries throughout the world.

William eventually died on the 8th March 1914 and his second son, Louis Edward, then carried out the business. Louis had assisted his father from the time when he left school. He himself died in 1929, as the result of a motor accident, following which the business then passed to his two daughters, Ida Beatrice, and Doris. It remained in their hands until the death of Miss Ida in 1959; Miss Doris having retired in the same year.

William Henry Murgatroyd, cousin of the two sisters and grandson of William, had worked in the family business as Manager since 1916. In 1967 he purchased the business when at which time it was made into a ‘Limited Company’.

In 1966, and after having been apprenticed to a large Leeds print house, Roger William Murgatroyd, son of William Henry, joined the business and he eventually ran it following his father’s retirement.

So we come to 1990, when Richard Stephen Murgatroyd, great great grandson of the founder, after having completed a print management course, worked alongside his father in carrying out the family business.

The inception and progress of this company is one of just a few, which we have on our archive.

2008.