Up: Hayward
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an afterthought. Had the solicitor advising him on the preparation of
this document paused to consider, he might well have written "Inventor,"
a title to which, for some reason, Edward Hayward never seems to have
laid any claim. Yet, it is for his inventions that he is remembered today.
With his final exit from the Southwark scene and with an empty seat in
the Gracechurch Street office, the sense of loss must have been severely
felt throughout the business.
For a short space, William Hayward controlled
the destinies of Hayward Brothers alone. This was no mean task. For
thirty years since the day when the two brothers first entered into
partnership one with another in equal shares, their relationship had
been governed by a perfect understanding formed in early childhood, and
supported by mutual respect and reliability. When one such partner is
removed it is difficult to replace him. For a time William Hayward made
no attempt to do so.
The patent of 1871, became vested in Edward's
widow and passed by a deed of agreement to William. No sooner had the
parchment been signed than William found himself obliged to protect the
patent in the courts of law, a situation which the widow in the retirement
of her West Malling home, where she had withdrawn from Tulse Hill, could
scarcely have faced.
A man named Hamilton, lately employed by Hayward
Brothers and acquainted with all the facets of manufacture and method at
Union Street works, chose this time to establish a business in pavement
lights in Kingsland Road, Shoreditch, a project in which his father joined.
Independence is a find thing and no one could quarrel with it. The
Haywards had always realised that their own prosperity had its roots in
independence. William Haywards chief objection, however, was to the nature
of the Hamiltons' business which far from being independent was based upon
the patent of 1871.
This was the position when in 1876 a new figure
appeared who was destined to make an important contribution to the success
of the firm. This was William Eckstein who like the Haywards
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