Sir Peter Tait

Peter Tait is a name that is not often found in history books.  He is like Thomas Edison, Hugo Boss, Henry Ford, Houdini, Bruce Williams, and Jeff Bezos rolled up into one.
The list of his contributions as an inventor, entrepreneur, businessman, merchant supplier to the confederate army,  3-time mayor of a large city and is credited as the originator of the production line used in manufacturing, is impressive but rarely referenced.

Born in Lerwick, Scotland in 1828, he and his family moved to Limerick, Ireland when he was young. He was known to be a bit smarter than those of his age.  He was also known to be self-sufficient and disliked relying on charity or handouts.  These traits were the basis of his long life and his propensity of attaining many positions, occupations and reaching many goals that he set for himself.
His family was not well connected in society, so they were very poor as a result.  Among his first jobs was as an apprentice at the drapery manufacturer, Cumine and Mitchell in 1844.  Being of Scottish decent, he was selected for employment by the owners of the firm as they too, were of the same ancestry.  Wintertime was known as the off season in the drapery business so his being let go turned out to be bittersweet. He pleaded for his boss to keep him on with no pay for a place to sleep and some meals, but his desire was rejected.  This is where his ability to prevail begins.  With about 3 Half Crowns in his pocket, he purchased a basket and filled it up with various haberdashery items and started his career path as a peddler.  
Scouring the wharfs in some of the harbors where sailors were disembarking their ships, he sold some of his wares to them and came to the realization that these sailors needed shirts more than anything.  He began buying and specializing in upper grade shirts and to increase his profits, invested in a new at the time, Singer sewing machine to produce his own shirts.
Next, he realized that he could not produce and sell at the same time, so he hired a woman to help produce his line of shirts.  He then rented some rooms on Bedford Row and began hiring even more women shirt seamstresses. The quality of his shirts became known about the city and after 3 years, his business was considered a huge success.  Orders from the War Office in London was next, and they needed his shirts for the military who commenced fighting during the Crimean War.  500 more workers were needed to meet the demand of these shirts.   Orders for some 120,000 uniforms to outfit soldiers in the British Army between 1856 and 1858, was next.
Tait was on the road to achieving a life of prosperity at this point, and his production numbers were good but not good enough to reach his goals.  He realized that his large staff was getting his product out the door but was hindered by the fact that each worker was spending too much time performing all the numerous operations to create 1 garment at a time.
He proposed that each worker just concentrate on 1 specific function and let the next person perform the next step.  This process did speed up production tremendously and the "production line" was formed.  Henry Ford is often credited for this innovation, but Tait beat him to it by many years!
As demand was high and contracts for many more items were being placed, Tait again, moved his business to Edward Street in 1858 with his 1300 workers.
Around this time, he opened an office in London to facilitate these large orders.

As the Civil War was progressing, military equipment was getting harder for the Confederate Government to procure or acquire, so 50,000 caps, greatcoats, jackets, trousers, shirts, blankets, boots, stockings and haversacks were ordered sometime in 1863.
Another contract by the State of Alabama in 1864,  was unlike any of his previous orders.  He was required to run the Federal Blockades set up at various southern ports to deliver the ordered goods.  He purchased 3 ships around this time to insure proper delivery of his wares.  His fleet consisted of the Elvie, the Kelpie and the Evelyn.  The ship "Evelyn" was successful in navigating through the blockade a total of 5 times. His other ships were not as successful, and some ran aground or sunk at sea.
After the war, many of his orders were reduced, so Tait ran on the ballot for the Mayor of Limerick and won 3 different times during the years 1866-1868. 
He was knighted in February, 1868 for his contribution 'inventive genius and industrial acumen'.
He ran for a position in the parliament but was defeated.  Politics consumed his life in this time period and it did not agree with him. Fending off scandals and false accusations demanded more and more of his time and he spent less time running his empire.  After a few years, competition ate away his toehold in the industry by utilizing the concepts he developed and this led to a few of his factories having to be closed down.  Attempts to revive them proved fruitless and eventually he was left with only 50 pounds, just over the three half-crowns he brought to Limerick nearly 70 years before!
He died in Russia of unknown causes on December 11, 1890 at the Hotel de France, Batum, in South Russia, while attempting to create a new Turkish cigarette company. His obituary was printed in the London Times on December 18, 1890.

How does this illustrious life of Sir Peter Tait fit in with handcuffs?  I recently acquired the below pair with his name on them.
The Hiatt key works perfectly in it, but the numbers are mismatched.  I believe that he private labeled these cuffs from Hiatt as all the research I could find, has only garment producing capabilities and no metalworking and forging operations were ever mentioned.  The "M &P" logo on the end cap indicates that it is for "Military and Police" use.
I know that the "M&P" was discussed on the forum previously and I will make this post a work in progress and will add more to is as I discover more about this man.

I see that Joe Lauher has a pair of these cuffs as well and I am happy to me a member of the Club with him.

Mark
He was quite a character.  The odd ball makes and/or marks are often the most interesting ones.
Nice cuff.
Joe

Welcome to the Club, think we have just 3 members! My set has an original key and is stamped 29. It has the same markings as your set MP, a crown and two ‘bird’ type markings.

The "bird's foot" markings are very similar to those used by Froggatt.
The picture below shows my Peter Tait cuff on the left and a Froggatt on the right.

I believe that Froggatt likely made both cuffs.  I have not seen such a marking on Hiatt cuffs.

Joe

I will go with Froggatt with you.  Unfortunately, mine came with a Hiatt key which does work exactly right, so I made that assumption.

Above is the Tait Clock in Limerick.  This carved limestone tower was erected in 1867 and features 4 clock faces and alternating green and pink marble columns.  On its west side, the plaque to quatrefoil panel reads: 'Erected by Public Subscription in Appreciation of the Enterprise and Usefulness of Alderman Peter Tait.'

Designed by William Edward Corbett with an acknowledgement to the design of Big Ben in London. It pays tribute to Alderman Peter Tait the Scottish entrepreneur who owned the nearby Tait factory, which supplied the British Empire with uniforms. Tait was also Mayor of Limerick between 1866-68. The 'ante-mortem' was paid for by public subscription. It stands 65 feet tall and the builder was John Connolly and cost £750.

Given that the Crown and MP are crudely hand carved as opposed to the stamped Sir Peter Tait, it may be that these were recycled. If made for a War Contract they should also be dated. Why are they stamped London if Tait was based in Ireland and the cuffs presumably made in Birmingham?
If Tait died in 1890, the most recent War was the Boer War 1880-1882. That war would have used contract-made cuffs with proper dates and stamps. My next question would be- when were Military Police first used? I would have thought much later. Too many questions.
I didn't know there was an Odd Ball Club, but congrats anyway.   

"Why are they stamped London if Tait was based in Ireland and the cuffs presumably made in Birmingham?
If Tait died in 1890, the most recent War was the Boer War 1880-1882"

Paul, good questions;

From what I have been able to learn so far, I believe the "London" stamped into the cuffs, pertain to Tait's office located there.  The cuffs may have been made in Birmingham or elsewhere but ordered through and sold in this amazing city through his office.
In 1865 he purchased a new residence in London, but still maintained his South Hill home at Limerick.  He opened his London office soon after to facilitate his now almost worldwide clientele. Another location in Leeds was added soon after.

As far as '1890' is concerned, his rags to riches-to rags story may have been on the decline just before the Boar War and his competition may have been awarded the contracts at this time.  Since it seems that he was private labeling his cuffs anyway, could it be possible that the War Department simply bid directly with Hiatt, Craddock or Froggatt?  Skip the middleman to save a pound.
In or about 1871, he was heavily consumed with his political ambitions and his interest in the business began its downward spiral.  By 1875, the clothing factory was shuttered.  New management reopened it two years later and has a successful go at it until they ultimately ceased all operations in the 1970's.

The cuffs have the name of his clothing company. The article which shows him as an MP (Member of Parliament) is a typo I believe, but he was a High Sheriff which may require having his own cuffs. I also saw an article about his Limerick military uniform factory being unsuccessfully fire bombed. He died of inflammation of the lungs while trying to set up a cigarette company. Oh the irony!

Paul, nicely done!

I knew there was a reason I avoided cigarettes' all my life. Yuck!
I found this book that contains nice pictures of every Confederate uniform which is known to exist at the time it was published.
These sell in the mid $100 range so I doubt that I would buy one to see if handcuffs are mentioned.



There are reports of him being a member of parliament, but everything I have found, states that there were scandals and controversy surrounding his bid for election, and lost at every try.

 Imported Confederate Uniforms of Peter Tait & Co., Limerick, Ireland by Frederick R. Adolphus.

 Imported Confederate Uniforms of Peter Tait & Co., Limerick, Ireland is a 72-page, full color, illustrated reference book covering the most famous imported Confederate uniform of the Civil War. It is, to date, the only reference that includes documentation and photos of every surviving Peter Tait uniform known to exist. A total of 126 color images document these blue-gray uniforms, along with several additional black and white photos from the war era. The color photos offer different perspectives and close-ups showing construction details, lining, stitching, and size stamps used in Peter Tait jackets and trousers. They also include the faces, back marks, and Tice numbers of every button used on Peter Tait jackets. Furthermore, readers will not need to squint at the pictures. The book is an ample 8 ½” x 11” (21.5 cm x 28 cm) format, allowing for large images and crisp details of every Tait jacket.

 In addition to the detailed photos, the well-documented text specifies the number of uniforms delivered to the Confederacy and the places the soldiers wore them. The provenance of each Tait jacket is included along with the soldier’s service record. The usage of the Peter Tait uniform in the Army of Northern Virginia, the Carolina Campaign, the Mobile Garrison, and the Department of the Trans-Mississippi proves that this imported Confederate jacket was the Confederacy’s one truly universal uniform.

 Adolphus’ research is supported by 67 end notes, almost exclusively taken from primary sources and original Confederate documents. Far from an exercise in conjecture, this study fills a void with factual information about the acquisition, delivery, and use of the Tait uniform. The author also proves that Peter Tait was not the only manufacturer of the “Tait” uniform. Alexander Collie and Hebbert & Co., London provided their share, as well.

 This book thoroughly documents the contribution of Ireland and Great Britain to the Southern armies, and is a “must have” for anyone interested in imported Confederate uniforms.

Just found an old advert from 1864 which shows a company R. T. Tait & Co. London.
Tait is not a very common name in the UK so I am sure there is a connection between Sir P Tait and R T Tait.
The same 1864 adverts also show Thewlis & Griffith and also Parker Field &
Sons.

My search on "R. T." produced nothing.
I agree that the line of clothing specifically for police and military must have been connected to Sir Paul. It seems that the company was a gold mine and perhaps Paul was his father or uncle.  We know that Paul's political ambitions became more important, so it would have been good business to have the firm operate with a relative at the helm.