Pryce Jones and Britain’s First Mail Order Company

(M/D/PJ)

Pryce Jones was born in 1834 in Newtown. He became an apprentice to a local draper, took over the business and in 1859 started trading under his own name.

In 1861 he took advantage of the national postage service and began the first ever mail order business. During the 1870s Pryce Jones took part in exhibitions all over the world, winning several medals and becoming world famous.

In 1879 he opened the Royal Welsh Warehouse and expanded his sales of flannel and clothes way beyond Newtown. In the 1880s his patrons included the royal houses of Austria, Britain, Denmark, Germany, Hanover, Italy, Naples and Russia. His customers included Queen Victoria and Florence Nightingale.

One of his products was the patented Euklisia R- an all-in-one rug, shawl, blanket and pillow. This was used extensively by German troops during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1 and later became known as the sleeping bag.

At the Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887 he was knighted as Sir Pryce Pryce-Jones. He died in 1920 and was buried at the All Saints Church at Llanllwchaiarn, a church he had paid to build in 1890.

 The Pryce Jones Company was taken over by other businesses during the 20th century but the two main buildings still stand proud in Newtown.

Our collection of records document the rise of the Pryce Jones’ mail order company, and contains a series of catalogues dating from the nineteenth century, along with orders from royal families across Europe.