Edward Lee

Edward and Annie had nine children: Edward Shackleton, known as
Ted, George Johnston (born 1880), Robert Ernest, known as Ernest (born
1883), Hastings (born 1884), William (born 1885) Joseph Bagnall (born
1888), Annie (born 1891), Alfred Tennyson, known as Tennyson (born
1892) and quite a bit later, Geoffrey Patrick (born 1906). Sadly, in a time
of high infant mortality, five of the infants died soon after birth, including
their only daughter Annie. Tennyson was the youngest of the surviving
children and was doted on by his mother. A typical Victorian middle class
woman, Annie loved poetry. Her favourite poet was the Poet Laureate,
Alfred Lord Tennyson. He died on the 6th October 1892. This was also
the day that the new Lee child was born. In honour of the famed poet,
Edward and Annie named their new son Alfred Tennyson Lee. All the
children were baptised in Bray Methodist Church, on Florence Road. The
church was only a few yards from the family home and the family were
regular attenders there, Edward Lee even presiding at religious meetings
from time to time.
The boys were pupils at St. Andrew’s, a Presbyterian school in Bray.
To his four sons, Edward was known as the ‘governor’. But this was only
out of respect for his status as their father. Indeed, what shines through
in his later letters to Tennyson is the love and affection he had for his
family. This paternal attitude was extended to his dealings with his
employees. In 1893, Edward Lee was admitted into the Grand Lodge of
Ireland Freemasons. A southern Unionist, Edward was also a fiercely
proud Irishman. The business grew rapidly and in the next few years
shops were opened in Rathmines and Mary Street in Dublin. A wholesale
warehouse and offices operated from Abbey Street and, not forgetting
his roots, Edward Lee also opened a small shop in Tyrrellspass. As the
Bray store became more successful and required more space, the family
moved to No.2 Wyndham Park Road in 1901. This was a solid middle
class, Edwardian, red bricked, terraced house and quite a step up from
living over the shop in Goldsmith Terrace. In 1904, the business became a
private limited company. The Board of Directors was appointed from the
managers of the various shops.
20 Edward Lee