I am fortunate to have possession of the typed up working notes of a member of staff who was deputed to research the origins of the company at the time of it's centenary in 1978.

She used the company records which are now deposited in Tyne & Wear Archives at Blandford House, part of the Discovery Museum.

Mawson, Swan & Morgan Ltd grew out of a partnership between Joseph Swan, Elizabeth Mawson (his widowed sister - her husband John Mawson having been killed in an explosion on the Town Moor in 17.12.1867) and Joseph Marston.

Exactly how this partnership came about I've been unable to establish precisely. As far as I can make out Swan and John Mawson had been in partnership with several businesses bearing their surnames. I have some less detailed notes about them, too. Swan had a finger in several pies.

After John Mawson's death Joseph Marston was brought into partnership about 1868-9. Elizabeth Mawson's partnership dated from 1868. Marston was primarily a bookseller with a circulating library, but was also a chemist.

The earliest account books that can still be traced indicate Thomas Morgan arrived from Belfast before October 1873, probably earlier that year. His father died in Belfast in 1874, so what brought him to Newcastle is uncertain.

Elizabeth Mawson was a sleeping partner, the business serving the purpose of providing her with an income. Swan also was soon a sleeping partner, the business quickly being taken over and run by the dynamic Thomas Morgan. This allowed Swan to concentrate on his scientific work.

Thomas Morgan was present at the lecture in the Lit & Phil on 20th October 1880 with Sir William Armstrong in the chair. 70 gas jets were dimmed, and 20 electric light bulbs were turned on. This was the first time in Europe that a public building had been lighted by an incandescent lamp. Morgan had been sent to London immediately prior to this lecture to bring Col. Crompton that night to see the event.

The shop business grew, with a printing works, a publishing side, an art gallery, leather goods (Morgan's father was a leather merchant) books and the circulating library - and a theatrical agency. At one time there were shops in Bristol and Hull, with exhibitions of paintings arranged throughout the country.

The artists materials shop, and art gallery were in adjacent shop units in Grainger Street, and the main shop in Grey Street - not originally where some of us may remember but lower down - the units were rented and there were several removals. Within the family the business was known as "Mawsons". The telegraphic address was "Morgan Newcastle-on-Tyne". Swan bowed out and left things to young Thomas.

Examination of the local press shows some dynamic advertising, well ahead of it's time - special offers and promotions. I believe Thomas Morgan had an uncle Charles Morgan who had operated in a similar way with shops in Belfast and Dublin before giving it all up to become the first Baptist minister in Jarrow.

Why did Thomas Morgan come to Newcastle? I wish I knew. However, Swan kept so much within the family. Mawson, Swan & Morgan - himself, his sister and another relative? Swan remarried after his first wife died, to his first wife's sister - in Switzerland because it was illegal at that time in England. A third sister lived with them. His wife's maiden surname was White. Thomas Morgan's mother was also a White - and he married another girl named White. I believe there may well have been a family connection - but that remains speculation, shrouded in Irish mystery...........

I think it was my 'great great' grandad that was Thomas Morgan, my dad is also Tom Morgan and my dad says Thomas came over from Ireland because he was a big business man, and hurd about the opening of a "partner position" if you like. Thomas wasnt related to the other partners, Mawson at the time was the cheif cherrif, or whatever they called themselves in those days and he had to deal with everything, there was a chemical found in a building that needed to be moved because any oxygen that made contact with this chemical would make it blow up, the last barrel that was to be moved - a guy dropped and Mawson was at the bottom of the ditch they were burrying the stuff in. He died alongside another man. At one point in my dads younger life he too worked in this business and he was the one that decided that it would be too costly to keep the business open, well my dad and the board, its a shame because it would of been lovely to work in my family business. Another bit is there is a bar/night club called 'riverside' that building was build especially for the business, i think that was the print house, but i cant remember. My family have also been trying to do a family tree and it stops at Thomas because all files were burnt in a fire, so we unfortunitly have no way of tracking any futher, but you did mention his mother, do you know any more details? this would be much appreciated.

To the best of my knowledge I believed I'd traced all the descendants of Thomas Morgan, and also his father Thomas Morgan. There weren't/aren't that many, and we all know each other and have shared memories and documentary information to suggest it's correct! I have access to quite a lot of data.

You appear to have a number of details about the firm and your information is intriguing. Every family probably has a skeleton lurking in a cupboard somewhere! If you'd like to supply a contact address I'll happily discuss this in more detail, however I don't think it's really appropriate for it to be on the Joseph Swan pages.

Lynz, my apologies. I think we are indeed related, although the story wasn't exactly as you relate. Your grandfather has my address, and so do his siblings. If you would like to get in touch I may have more information I can let you have, and you may have information that would verify what I have.

Your g.g.grandfather seems to have been my grandfather's uncle.