Percy Frank Wadham was born on19th August 1874 at Newport Isle of Wight. Educated at the Portland House Academy in Newport he was apprenticed as a cabinet maker but did not complete his apprenticeship. He changed his career to that of a taxidermist, completing his training with the firm of William Chalkley based at the Square in Winchester, Hampshire

William Chalkley was a self-taught taxidermist who eventually became honorary curator of the Winchester Museum. He also sold fishing tackle and I wonder if this had any influence on the future direction that Percy Wadham’s life would take. He eventually returned to the Island and when Thomas Switzer, listed as a Heraldic Artist died Percy Wadham took over and set up his own business in March 1897 at 30 Holyrood Street Newport. William Chalkley supplied Itchen bred trout throughout the country and Wadham represented him on the Island.

Francis Smith was the foremost naturalist on the Island, also working in Newport and Percy Wadham succeeded him when Smith retired. Smith is listed as working in the High Street as a taxidermist until 1890 when he moved to Castle Road and is then described and listed as a Naturalist. Eventually Percy Wadham became the Plumassier and Naturalist to Queen Victoria and her son Edward VII.

When I saw his occupation listed as Plumassier I did try and look it up in various dictionaries before eventually finding a French company who were Plumassier, dealers in feathers and plumes. Just what the typical Victorian lady needed to decorate her hats and dresses.

In August 1901, we see the first indication of the inventiveness of Percy Wadham when The Field carried a story of a new net invented by him for use by Lepidopterist. What he had done was take the principles of the folding landing net used by fishermen and apply it to the butterfly collector’s net. The Field pointed out that it folded down small enough to fit in the pocket or a bag.

He was a very well-known character on the Island being the Deputy Captain of the Newport Volunteer Fire Brigade. On Christmas day 1901 he married Lila Fanny Watt in a wedding that was widely reported. It even listed all the various presents given. Lila bought him an entomologist cabinet and Percy bought her a sewing machine.

Later the Mayor of Newport presented him with a silver spirit lamp and tea kettle to celebrate the wedding on behalf of the officers and men of the Fire Brigade. They then retired at the invitation of the Mayor to the Warburton’s Hotel where the health of the bride and groom were drunk “with great heartiness”

Percy Wadham was at this time listed in the trade directory for the Island as being at Holyrood Street from 1899 to 1903 when he moved to Waltondale on Carisbrooke road. However, an article in the Isle of Wight County Press for July 1901 states that he has given up his business in Newport and moved to York Villa on Castle Road, which he renamed Waltondale. I found the house on Carisbrooke road and the house name was still there, when Percy Wadham move in it backed onto the Lukely brook. He would later in life take over the family home The Lindens at 100 Carisbrooke road.

This change of address was part of his duties as the Pisciculturist for the Lukely Fishing Association. Trout fishing available on the Island was somewhat limited due to the fact that no one seemed interested in managing any of the streams with most of them being neglected. Waltondale was close to the Lukely brook, a small put perfect chalk stream with potential for some fine fishing.

Despite being an island the sea fishing was poor according to some sources, mainly due to the navy using the Solent as a firing range, and the coarse fishing was not much better.

There were obviously some people interested in securing some decent fly fishing and this association was set up when Percy Wadham approached Francis T. Mew J.P. the Mayor of Newport and some other prominent islanders to help him finance the project. They took over the lease for approximately one mile of the river Lukely and five interconnected mill ponds and during 1900 steps were taken to introduce the Rainbow Trout.

This fish had been introduced to England during the latter part of the 1890s with Blagdon Reservoir in Somerset successfully turning itself into a rainbow trout fishery. The river Lukely was a very pure river suitable for rearing trout and had until about 1870 been well known as a trout fishery. The activities of The Carisbrooke Water Company in extracting water had completely destroyed it as a trout fishery.   Percy Wadham during January 1901 secured and successfully hatched a quantity of rainbow trout ova. He had 2,800 young fish to introduce into a section of the river that had been earmarked as a hatchery and nursery.

The plans were to widen the stream, remove the weed and debris from both the river and ponds and to expand the Association to twenty rods with their own waters ready to fish in March 1902. They also appointed an under bailiff to work with Percy Wadham and set about attracting members with a subscription of ten guineas (£10:10s) per year “payable in advance”.

By July 1902 the association had changed its name to the Carisbrooke Association and Percy Wadham was actively promoting it by writing about it and offering leading anglers and angling writers a chance to fish its water. R. B. Marston, editor of the Fishing Gazette, presented the Carisbrooke Association with 500 yearling rainbow trout which were put into the fishery on 18^th November 1902. These fish had been reared at the famous Itchen Trout Breeding Establishment owned by E. Valentine Corrie who decided to take a rod at the fishery. Marston wanted a yearly report each March for the Fishing Gazette on the state of the fish. At this time, we must remember that the rainbow trout rearing was in its infancy with many people wondering what they could offer to trout fishing in England. 

Percy Wadham was a great friend of Marston with the pairs of them going on fishing trips, in 1902 they fished in Windermere. On another trip, he fished the river Spey on the Carron Bridge beat along with friends and family.

He also visited The Shetland Isles where he not only fished but managed to observe the activities at a whaling station where they processed the carcasses. Looking at the photographs in the family archive it appears to be the Collfirth Station originally opened in 1904 but closed by the government in 1914 due to WW1.

He continued to be involved in his other activities and we learn from various cuttings in the local press about some of the many specimens that he set up including in 1902 a White Stork and an albino Rook.

One problem with many fisheries, both then and now, was weed. The Carisbrooke fishery consisted of a series of mill ponds connected by streams and as their Pisciculturist and Naturalist he was charged with the task of overcoming this problem.

In July 1903, the Fishing Gazette carries an article on the Fennel-leaved pond weed saying that the only way to control it was by cutting. They say that Mr. Percy Wadham has invented a weed cutter and they are looking forward to reviewing it.

It is at this point that the Naturalist starts to engage in mechanical matters with the invention of the Simplex Aquatic Weed Cutter. Patent 9431/04 is granted to the new invention and someone must have manufactured it because in May 1904 the Fishing Gazette carries a review and a picture of the machine in operation.  The Lukely Company manufactured this item for him and I suspect that the childhood school acquaintances between the two men were rekindled around this period.

The weed cutter consisted of a fish tail blade approximately five-foot-long that fitted to the bow of a boat or to a punt. One man pushed the punt forward whilst the other man worked the tiller type handle attached to the cutter to remove the weed, the height was adjustable. It is at this stage where I believe the business relationship between Wadham and Scott commenced. He would need someone capable of putting his ideas into practice.

John Bickerdyke, after whom the Bickerdyke line guard was named, reviewed the weed cutter in the 7^th August 1907 edition of The Field. He was in fact Charles Henry Cook, John Bickerdyke being the nom-de-plume he used for his writings. The editor of the Field asked him to cycle over to Newport and look at the weed cutter. Now he knew that Percy Wadham managed the Carisbrooke fishery and the chance of some trout fishing was too good to miss. We also learn from his visit about some of the various ideas that were being experimented with.

They looked at some carp in a pond in his garden before going into his house. Here he was astonished at the various specimens that had been set up, including a dog, some game and best of all a rainbow trout described as “absolutely life like with its iridescent colourings” Percy Wadham explained that the fish was in fact made from papier-mâché with real fins.

They then looked at various tackle items, a very light but strong landing net, cases of flies, a fly book with glazed windows, a selection of artificial flies and a casting reel suitable for light weights on which they were looking to secure a patent. This is a very important piece as it is the first mention of the unnamed Meteor reel. Bickerdyke is very impressed with the flies and describes them “they imitated nature”, again we see the first mention of another aspect of his tackle making that would play such an important part in the development of the company.

They then look at the weed cutter which is in “the factory” again a clue that a business relationship between Wadham and Scott was in force. Bickerdyke is impressed with the machine and they then decide to go to one of the ponds that has a good growth of weed so that he can try out the machine. Again, he is very impressed having worked as the cutter piloting the punt.

They then turn their attention to the new reel and spend half an hour casting with it in company “with its maker and part designer, Mr. Scott” Obviously there is a question of confidentiality as no patents have been applied for or granted at this stage. “Of this I may only here say that it promises well” was the only comment passed on the performance of the reel.

There is then a break in the proceedings as young girl comes running up to them crying “Fire! Mr. Wadham”.  Percy Wadham goes to answer the telephone and John Cook watches as he cycles off down the hill to join the rest of the crew at the fire station.

With time on his hands he goes into Newport for tea before returning to the pools for the evening rise. He struggles to catch fish and tries out another of Percy Wadham’s inventions, a corrugated and galvanised steel punt. Eventually he catches one and the deputy captain of the fire brigade returns. At the end of the session he has managed to catch five trout and set off to cycle back to his house overlooking the Solent.

What he did mention in his article was the fact that rods were available on the Carisbrooke fishery. This is something that all the people who tried out the fishery and wrote about it pointed out and I suspect that even with the low target of twenty members it was never filled.

Letter heads and trade cards dating from between 1905 and 1907 lists some of his ever-expanding interests. After 1907 he is no longer listed in the trade directories as a taxidermist. Another trade card drops the birds of the earlier one to include another invention “the Scalloped Weed Cutting Wire Rope”.

Around this period Percy Wadham was a regular and frequent contributor to many periodicals including the Fishing Gazette. One very interesting piece and something that I had never heard of before, concerns the memorial rings bequeathed by Izaak Walton to friends and family in his will, dated August 9^th, 1683.

R. B. Marston, editor of the Fishing Gazette, was put in touch by Percy Wadham with a Miss Rowland, a resident of Sandown, and a descendent of Walton. The outcome was that in June 1903 the Fishing Gazette published a photograph of the ring. 

In March of 1905 it is announced that Percy Wadham has sold his idea for a folding landing net called the Paragon to Messrs. Allcock the net consists of three strips of “U” shaped steel, similar to that used for making umbrellas, that clipped together and was available in three sizes. Allcock continued to manufacture this net for many years.

Percy Wadham continued to promote his inventions and we see him corresponding with the Fishing Gazette on many occasions. One article he wrote in 1906, published in the Isle of Wight County Press and the Fishing Gazette, was on how he had hand reared a group of Kingfishers for eight months before releasing them back into the wild.

In October 1907 Wadham was granted a patent for a collapsible line drier and I believe that he sold this patent to Allcocks who listed it in their catalogues.

However, he soon realised that only by taking part in competitions would the reels be tested against their rivals and in 1908 a competition was held that he and Scott both entered.

During the next few years there would be an explosion of new ideas from him and in 1911 the first catalogue was ready and states that he is the inventor of “forty-three novelties, mostly pertaining to the Fishing Tackle Trade”

He did manage to invent a grenade launcher and a collapsible armchair for use on submarines and other ships that would also double as a life preserver. 

During the war, various articles were written by Wadham on how to catch eels, endorsed by the government due to the food shortages.

Between the wars Wadham worked with his son Walton and set up Wight Manufacturing Company which was not only become the holding company for Percy Wadham Specialities but also encompassed a cast concrete operation and was granted patent 581676 on January 11^th, 1945.

He died on 14^th November 1945 it looks like he had a heart attack. He had been fishing at Folly on the river Medina with friends. He walked up to the bus stop at Whippingham Post Office when he collapsed and died about 5.35 pm.