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| Copper kettle made in Birmingham, c. 1850. |
Edward Villers Wilkes (1781-1835) was renowned in Birmingham's metal trade, with a large variety of metal goods bearing his mark 'EVW'. He died in 1835 but kitchenware produced after this date were still marked 'EVW'. His son, Alfred Salt Wilkes, took over the trade after the father passed away so it seems the company continued using Edward's name to mark their goods.
Edward was the son of cheesemongers on Birmingham's High Street, Edward and Hannah, and was apprenticed in 1797 to Messrs Dunderdale & Co., who were merchants but also gunmakers. In 1810 he married his third cousin Elizabeth Fowler Villers. Elizabeth's uncle was William Villers, a pewterer and brazier (tin and brass merchants and makers) on Birmingham's Moor Street, and by 1816 Edward and William were in partnership together.* On William Villers' death in 1825, Edward continued business on his own account. In Pigot's National Commercial Directory of 1828, Edward was described as a brass founder, pewterer, metal dealer, brazier and warming pan maker at Lower Priory. After his death, local directories included the business still at 12 Lower Priory and under the name of E. V. Wilkes. The name was seemingly a good one, and that many of these pots were marked supports this.
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| EVW mark on kettle, above. |
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| A Victorian copper stock pot marked EVW, made in Birmingham. Sold at Bonhams. |
* Family information detailed and fully sourced on WikiTree. https://oldcopper.org/makers/e_v_wilkes.php and other sites contain incorrect information about Wilkes's family. Edward's brother John was not in the metal trades but was a wine merchant, as shown in family wills.