Researching William Simonds

He was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, and his father died when he was young.

After attending school at Salem and spending some time in learning the jewelry business at Lynn, Massachusetts, he was apprenticed to a Boston printer in 1837. While thus engaged he wrote his first book, "The Pleasant Way" (1841), which was published by the Massachusetts Sabbath-school society. This was followed in 1845 by "The Sinner's Friend," which was also well received.

In December, 1845, he left the printing-office where he had spent nearly nine years, and early in 1846 began the publication of "The Boston Saturday Rambler," of which, after the first six months, he became the sole editor. In November, 1850, "The Rambler" was merged in the "New England Farmer," of which Simonds was general editor until his death. In 1848 he began the publication of a monthly entitled "The Pictorial National Library," but was unable to issue it longer than eighteen months. Mr. Simonds was convinced that he had a mission to perform in writing for the young, and he employed every means in his power to render his tales natural and attractive, and to make them accurate reflections of life. He died in Winchester, Massachusetts.

His chief work is "The Aimwell Stories," written under the pen-name of Walter Aimwell. These stories deal chiefly with New England farm-life. Their titles are:#Oscar; or, The Boy Who Had His Own Way (1854)#Clinton; or, Boy Life in the Country (1853)#Ella; or, Turning over a New Leaf (1855)#Whistler; or, The Manly Boy (1856)#Marcus; or, The Boy Tamer (1857)#Jessie; or, Trying To Be Somebody (1858)#Jerry; or, The Sailor Boy Ashore (1863)

The second book of the series, "Clinton", was published first. Simonds intended to extend the series to twelve volumes, but lived to complete only six. The last one, "Jerry," was left unfinished, and to it is added a memoir of the author.

Besides these books he published "Thoughts for the Thoughtless" (Boston, 1851); "The Boy's Own Guide" (1852); and "The Boy's Book of Morals and Manners" (1855).

Simonds came from a family with estates at Arborfield to the south-east of Reading, but his father, William Simonds senior, had moved to Reading to set up a malting business that later grew to include brewing. William senior married Mary Blackall, and William Blackall Simonds was their only son. He was probably born in Reading, with records showing that he was baptised at the Broad Street Independent Chapel in Reading on 13 August 1761.

When William senior died in 1782, William Blackall Simonds inherited his business. He married Elizabeth May, who was the heiress of Daniel May, the miller of Pangbourne, and the ward of Thomas May, the miller of Brimpton and founder of a brewery in Basingstoke. In 1789 Simonds acquired a site on the banks of the River Kennet, and commissioned the architect Sir John Soane to build a brewery and house on the site. The riverside site permitted transport of raw materials and finished product by barge, and was to continue to serve as a brewery until 1980.

In 1791, Simonds was co-founder of a bank in Reading's Market Place, in partnership with local businessmen Robert Micklem, John Stephens, and Robert Harris. His motivation in doing this was to help the brewery grow and to offer its output to a wider customer base. However this proved difficult, largely because local magistrates refused to issue licences for new public houses to sell his beer. As a consequence, Simonds decided to concentrate on his banking activities, and in 1814 he dissolved the original partnership and established a new family-run bank in partnership with his younger son Henry Simonds, and his cousins John Simonds and Charles Simonds. This bank was located in Reading's King Street and later became known as John Simonds, Charles Simonds & Co., Reading Bank.

Simonds served as mayor of Reading in 1816. He retired to London and then to Pangbourne, where he died on 13 January 1834 and was buried in the family plot in Hurst churchyard.

Simonds' descendants were involved in running both the brewery and bank for many years after his death. By the late 1860s the bank had branches in neighbouring towns from Basingstoke to High Wycombe. It was finally sold in 1913 to Barclays Bank, who continued to operate from its original King Street premises until 2008.

William Blackall Simonds' grandson George Blackall Simonds was a well known 19th century sculptor, who became chairman of the brewery in 1910. The brewery merged with the London breweries of Courage and Barclay Perkins in 1960. The merged company, known as Courage, Simonds and Barclay, continued to operate from Simonds' original location until 1980, when it moved to a new brewery on the southern outskirts of the town, close to the M4 motorway.

Simonds was the son of William Simonds of St. Cross and Abbott's Barton, Hampshire and his wife Helen Barrow, daughter of John Barrow merchant of Bristol. He was educated at Merchant Taylors' School. He was a J.P. for Winchester and Hampshire, captain commanding the 1st Hampshire Volunteers, and auditor of King's College, Cambridge.

At the 1865 general election Simonds was elected Member of Parliament for Winchester. He held the seat until 1880.

Simonds died at the age of 91.

Simonds married Ellen Lampard Bowker, daughter of Frederick Bowker of Winchester in 1858.