Author: Bisset, James
Biography:
BISSET, James (c. 1762-1832: ODNB)
No records for his early life have been found and what is known comes from the manuscript of a memoir which Bisset wrote for his grandchildren; it is preserved in the Leamington Spa library and an edition was issued by T. B. Dudley in 1904. He was born in Perth and his father was a merchant; the probable year of his birth is given as 1762 in ODNB but his death record from 1832 gives his age as 72. He was sent to Birmingham when he was about thirteen to work with his brother, a merchant, and he became an apprentice at a japan manufacturer’s. Bisset early recognised the need to be innovative and he invented a method of painting on the inside of convex glass which allowed him to set up his own business on completion of his apprenticeship. In 1785 he was recorded in the Birmingham directory as a miniature painter; by 1797 he had purchased large premises in New Street which he developed into a warehouse and museum. In 1787 he married Dorothy (Dolly)—her birth surname is not known—and they had ten children of whom just four survived. A baptismal record of 11 Apr. 1789 in a Unitarian chapel has been located for one of their daughters, Christiana Dorothy. His innovations extended to his poetical works and one of his most successful publications was Poetic Survey Round Birmingham (1800) which included an extensive directory. He manufactured medallions and was permitted to call himself medallist to his majesty. In 1813 he moved to Leamington where he also opened a museum and published A Picturesque Guide to Leamington (1814). He died at Leamington on 17 Aug. 1832, predeceased by Dorothy on 14 Dec. 1825. His friends erected a memorial to him. (ODNB 8 June 2023; findmypast.co.uk 8 June 2023; N&Q 15 Jan. 1870, 67-8)
Other Names:
- J. Bisset