What a shame that Dublin’s oldest shop, sitting on Parliament Street, was ever allowed fall into the condition it sits in today. Thomas Read’s was listed in the 1862 Dublin Street Directory over here, and Éamon Mac Thomáis noted in his priceless Me Jewel and darlin’ Dublin that “Thomas Read of 4 Parliament Street was established in 1670, and are one of the oldest cutlers in the world.”
It really is one of the most historic shopfronts in the capital, and has sat as it is now for many years, sometimes falling victim to graffiti and vandalism. Just think what could be done!
In 1997, The Irish Times noted that:
Through peaceful and turbulent times over the past two centuries it was the place to buy a good pair of scissors or a set of kitchen knives. All of its current stock, housed in glass cabinets, is still in place behind the shuttered windows. Mr Michael Smith, of An Taisce, said Read’s was another victim of the property boom, along with many other Dublin icons which had become casualties of the Celtic Tiger economy that was turning the city into a “faceless, nameless place”.
Is there any hope for Thomas Read’s? I’d not given it much thought until I walked past recently, and noticed graffiti scrawled across its wooden shopfront. Lets hope the shopfront is there for many years to come.
Click on the book for more.
Click on the book for more.
Donal
Ciarán
Sam
Come Here To Me! 
The display cabinets in Reids are by Chippendale. Not a lot of people know that..
Does anyone know what became of the Read family ?
One of them turned up years after the shop closed on a blog called Come Here To Me..that’s a true story 🙂
I hope he gets in touch.
Many thanks.
I’m curious now FXR! and Michael, likewise.
It turns out he was a resident of an old folks home. After the shop closed there was nowhere else for him. They gave him a decent room that he filled with old cutlery, swords, surgical knives and items from the shops window display. All these years he’d been dreaming of his little shop in Parliament Street wondering what became of it. Then one day a volunteer arrived at the old folks home. She was wearing a red riding hood because she knew how these things usually go. She was there to give the old folks lessons in how to use the internet. And that’s how, children, Mr. Read ended up on the famous Dublin blog Come Here To Me.
Now it’s time to go to bed. Don’t let the bed bugs bite but if they do always remember it could be worse. The bites from visionless gombeen men is far more dangerous.
many thanks. I wonder if he is still alive?
The reason for my interest in the Read (cutler) family of Dublin was to confirm whether or not they are descended from the family of the mother of Arthur Guinness.Elizabeth Read. Hopefully someone will know. I believe they are.
Many thanks,
Michael Moutray-Read
Elizabeh Read was A Guinness’ mother.
All her children were Guinness babies..
Does anyone know when cutler Thomas Read was born and when he died? He was brother to John Read 2 and his Father was John Read 1 (1717-1776). John Read 2 died in 1803.
You may find what you are looking for if you ask or research the Guild of Dublin Cutlers. I have been trying to find male descendents of the Read (Cutler) family who are alive today. This family I believe are direct descendents of the family of Arthur Guinness,s mother Elizabeth Read. Please let me know if you are aware of any.
Regards,
Michael Moutray-Read
Many thanks Michael,
I am writing a book about the history of cutlery but with particular reference to the Read business in Parliament Street. I can try to access the Guild of St Luke via the Internet but am situated in England so cannot easily acces the Dublin archive.
Do you know if they were Protestants? They may be in the grave records.
Thanks FXR, I suspect that they were protestants. How might I access the grave records?
Hi There.I bought Reads from Jack Cowle Read around 1986 and we ran it for a number of years before selling to Hugh O Regan .Our family lived over the shop.I gave Jacks daughter all the old ledgers and very old title documents that refer to a holding in Kildare, from memory I think there was a Guinness name mentioned in that very old parchment document. Jacks daughter lives in Howth and her husband worked in Guinnesses .I have her name and address somewhere and I must see if I can find it for you .Vincent O farrell 0872484683
Thomas Reid’s about an hour ago. It’s getting worse. http://photos3.pix.ie/98/E8/98E8441ABAE2474489732038EF68A8D7-0000342737-0002944032-00500L-E131409436DD4513B8040D25585170C6.jpg
Well, hold onto your hats as the old shop is undergoing renovation and is hoped to re-open later this year as a working cutlers and part museum. Not sure when the graffiti will be removed though. Fingers crossed for a favourable outcome.
Are you in Dublin Simon? Glasnevin Grave records are accessible on-line. http://www.glasnevintrust.ie/genealogy/ However it can be an expensive business if you don’t have a specific details of the record you’re looking for. If you’re not in Dublin let me know. Give me any details you have and I can go to Glasnevin cemetery and search the database. Mount Jerome can also be expensive if you don’t have exact details.http://www.mountjerome.ie/?content=genealogy Where did you find out the shop is being renovated?
Many thanks FXR. Alas I am in England, so access is not so easy. The 2 Thomas Reed/Read records were unknown to me and most useful. I also need to find the birth or baptismal date of John Read (his older brother) same parents of course. Ann was nee Ann Hall.
One other is James Read who would have been born c. 1695/1700-ish. He was apprenticed to James Fox in 1712 (but don’t know where Fox’s premises were) and apparently set up in Blind Quay in 1719. After Thomas 2 and John 2 I have no further records of the pedigree!
The Read premises have been purchased and are being refurbished following the old building plans as closely as possible. The old shop to be preserved with its contents.
The upper window are open as they were the last time I passed a few days ago. http://pix.ie/frpost/2944031/size/800
The Guild of St Luke http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/25509675?uid=3738232&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&uid=4&sid=21101117729067
Read’s in church records. There are lots of Thomas Reads but you need more info, such as wife’s name, to narrow it down to a particular individual. http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/search.jsp?namefm=&namel=Read&location=Dublin&dd=&mm=&yy=&submit=Search
DUBLIN (COI) , Parish/Church/Congregation – ST. WERBURGH
Baptism of THOMAS REED of CRANE LANE on 27 May 1750
Name THOMAS REED
Date of Birth N/R N/R N/R
Address CRANE LANE
Father JOHN REED
Mother ANN
http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/details/b714000218097
———————————————————————————————–
DUBLIN (COI) , Parish/Church/Congregation – ST. WERBURGH
Baptism of THOMAS READ of CRANE LANE on 7 July 1754
Name THOMAS READ
Date of Birth N/R N/R N/R
Address CRANE LANE
Father JOHN READ
Mother ANN
http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/details/e80ba40218611
The first child most likely died hence the name being used again.
I found a few more yesterday Simon. I’m surmising (I love surmising I’m from Finglas) that the change from Crane Lane to Parliament street has to do with the Wide Streets Commission. I read somewhere that when they widened Parliament street it gave Read frontage on that street from what was the rear of the shop in Crane Lane. Crane Lane is the other side of the same block.
DUBLIN (COI) , Parish/Church/Congregation – ST. WERBURGH
Baptism of MARTHA REEDE of CRANE LEANE on 19 October 1715
http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/details/acb7350216000
DUBLIN (COI) , Parish/Church/Congregation – ST. WERBURGH
Baptism of WILLIAM REED of CRANE LANE on 3 August 1744
http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/details/a1689c0217655
DUBLIN (COI) , Parish/Church/Congregation – ST. WERBURGH
Baptism of MARY REED of CRANE LANE on 28 May 1747
http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/details/f0e0e70217810
DUBLIN (COI) , Parish/Church/Congregation – ST. WERBURGH
Baptism of CATHERINE REED of CRANE LANE on N/R November 1748
http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/details/e8ee530217913
DUBLIN (COI) , Parish/Church/Congregation – ST. WERBURGH
Baptism of JOSEPH REID of CRANE LANE on 8 December 1751
http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/details/155d6f0218289
DUBLIN (COI) , Parish/Church/Congregation – ST. WERBURGH
Baptism of JOHN REED of CRANE LANE on 10 December 1752
http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/details/95cee10218406
DUBLIN (COI) , Parish/Church/Congregation – ST. WERBURGH
Baptism of REED of CRANE LANE on 25 January 1754
http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/details/3d07b70218542
DUBLIN (COI) , Parish/Church/Congregation – ST. WERBURGH
Baptism of LOUISA GIBBONS READ of PARLIAMT ST on 27 May 1794
Name LOUISA GIBBONS READ
Date of Birth N/R N/R N/R
Address PARLIAMT ST
Father THS READ
Mother SOPHIA
Louisa get a second mention with a different address. They may have had a house there. I have no idea where Graham street was.
DUBLIN (COI) , Parish/Church/Congregation – ST. WERBURGH
Baptism of LOUISA GIBBONS READ of GRAHAM ST on 27 May 1794
Name LOUISA GIBBONS READ
Date of Birth N/R N/R N/R
Address GRAHAM ST
Father THS READ
Mother SOPHIA
DUBLIN (COI) , Parish/Church/Congregation – ST. WERBURGH
Baptism of THOS READ of PARLIAMENT STREET on 28 December 1796
Name THOS READ
Date of Birth N/R N/R N/R
Address PARLIAMENT STREET
Father THOS READ
Mother SOPHIA
Wow, brilliant FXR, many thanks. I will sort through these tomorrow – a great help indeed.
You’re right about your surmise about Crane Lane and Parliament Street. The latter premises was opened by John Read 1 in 1767 after he acquired it from the WSC in 1764. He appears to have acquired Crane Lane premises c. 1760.
Apologies I forgot to add that James Read was born to William Read 2 and Catherine (maiden name not recorded) and he took premises in Blind Quay (now Lower Exchange Street.
There are two other families of Read’s attending St Werburgh’s. One lived in Skinners Row and the other in Cook St.
Simon do you know who is renovating Reads? I might try get in touch and see if I can get a few snaps of the premises.
Thanks. According to my records, it was Edward Read who lived in Skinner’s Row (no. 11) c. 1760 and he married Esther Sumner and they produced a son William Read (4) (1754-1766) but who was not (apparently) a cutler prob. as he died when only 11 or 12.
I have not heard of the ‘Cook Street branch’? Perhaps they were not in the cutlery trade? I am also trying to trace any Read cutlers from the 19th and 20th centuries!
The reason I am asking all the questions is that I am writing a book about cutlery products, the history of and the Read connection. The person who is masterminding the renovation is Clem Kenny. If you want to get in touch fine but I’m unsure if I can put his email on this site…?
go to you tube and type in , oldest cutlers in dublin
i think you will enjoy it.
Most interesting thanks! Is the 576 bladed penknife still there I wonder? I also wonder who made it?
Eamon MacThomas, Read’s of Parliament St.
Simon there is a William Read son of Edward and Ester but baptised in Werburghs in 1760 of Skinner’s Row. I have a file with a list of the Skinner Row Reads so if you give me an email address I’ll pass it on.
There are also two Edwards with fathers name Edward.
One buried in 1755
DUBLIN (COI) , Parish/Church/Congregation – ST. WERBURGH
Burial of EDWARD READ of SKINNER ROW on 1 August 1755 [Son of Edward Read as recorded in the grave book]
http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/details/81656c0511257
Grave book: http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/reels/d-326-4-1-059.pdf
Name EDWARD READ
Address SKINNER ROW
And another baptised in 1767
DUBLIN (COI) , Parish/Church/Congregation – ST. WERBURGH
Baptism of EDWARD READ of SKINNER ROW on 6 July 1767
http://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/details/de121c0219978
Phew! Thanks FXR, my fam. tree is being altered and added to on a daily basis thanks to your finding these records. My e is couteaufin@aol.com . I am working through yesterday’s list and it seems that some of them were baptised late in life, prior to marriage perhaps? This is a problem as it can throw the assumed birth dates out but I am working on it.
I’ve sent the file with the message subject line “Read’s of Parliament street”. I’d have thought it was unlikely children would be baptised that late or before the parents were married. Edward and his missus had children dying like flies unfortunately. Most of them died of Fits (Fitts). A good few of them died before the age of 2. The Read’s of Parliament street don’t show up as much. That may be because they lived somewhere else and changed parish. If you can find an address for them that would help find more records.
From Simon Moore’s research we know James Read was apprenticed to James Fox and first set up shop in Blind Key (Quay) in 1719. Today I ended in a room at the back of Werburgh’s church which has a set of old, very dusty documents. They list church warders, and their professions going back a few hundred years. They need saving badly. I found this one among them. http://pix.ie/frpost/2951385
A sword made by Thomas Read.
http://thegentlemansoldier.com/Thomas-Read-of-Dublin.html