[b. June 1860 d. June 1926]

from notes by L. W. Vincent - grandson (of younger son, Leslie)

W.D.F. Vincent served his apprenticeship with Frederick Cooper, Woollen Draper and Clothier at 16 High Street in Yeovil and then, after marriage to Florence Summerhayes in 1879, he set up business briefly in Oxford and then Maidenhead as a clothier and tailor but without financial success.

Whlst in Maidenhead he entered and won an essay competition on tailoring as a result of which he entered employment at The Tailor and Cutter magazine. In the early days he wrote many of the magazine articles on tailoring methods and systems but under the terms of his employment they were never attributed to him.

By the 1890s he had moved to seniority and became a national authority on all aspects of tailoring - such books as 'Vincents on Trousers' were standard.

The Vincents lived in Shephards Bush, West London, moving to West Acton in about 1905. They had 5 children - 3 sons (one of whom died young) and 2 daughters.

Both sons (Will d. 1931 and Leslie d. 1943) becames Doctors and GPs in West London after service in the first World War.

By 1917 WDFV was describing himself as a journalist.

In 1921 WDFV and his wife retired Eynsham near Oxford joining HAT Patford, a friend from early Oxford days, who I understand by then was in the business with him.

Sadly WDFV died in June 1926 (I was 3 months old so don't remember him)

John Williamson & Co Ltd ran the Tailor & Cutter Magazine and Academy.

Even in the 1950s/60s many Tailors still had as a centre piece for their window display their Tailor & Cutter Academy Diploma signed by WDFV as Chairman of Examiners - click here for an example. There is still an example to be seen on the wall of the Tailors Shop in the Museum of Welsh Life at St Fagans in South Wales.

Further notes by J Vincent (great grandson):

William Deskett Foot Vincent (spelling taken from his Indenture)

Indentured to Frederick Cooper of Yeovil in August 1873 "with the consent of his said father and of his own free will" as an apprentice Woollen Draper and Clothier for four years

Advert for Fred Coopers shop from the Whitby's Almanack of 1884

From 1901 census (birth years +/- one) at Percy Road, Shepherds Bush
WDFV profession or ocupation listed as Editor ("Tailor & Cutter") Author
Florence (b 1860)
Daughters: Elizabeth (b 1881) and Mary (b 1897)
Sons: William (b 1887) and Leslie (b 1893)

This is a work in progress and will be added to as I gather more information.

Links and further reading:

The Cutter's Practical Guide 1893-1898 Part of the Costumers Manifesto at www.costumes.org

Tailoring of the Belle Epoque Vincent's Systems of Cutting all kinds of Tailor-Made Garments, 1991, R. L. Shep, PO Box 668, Mendoncino, CA 95460

Last updated 8 February 2009