Bodleian purchases historic ledgers of Oxford shoemakers Ducker & Son

Decades of purchases by literary greats, European royalty and staff and students of Oxford University are to be preserved for future generations as the Bodleian confirms a purchase of historic ledgers.

The auction purchase brings a unique piece of history to the Bodleian, providing a glimpse into the lives of the shop’s famous clients such as Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien and Brideshead Revisited novelist Evelyn Waugh.

Ducker & Son

For more than a century, “Duckers” traded from its well-known shop on Oxford’s Turl Street from 1898 until it closed in late 2016. The contents of the eleven leather-bound volumes detail the purchases of the shop’s illustrious clients over the last century and provide insights into the social and commercial history of the early 20th century. Over the years, customers have included:

• members of European aristocracy
• several Maharajahs
• generations of Oxford academics and students
• well-known names such as J R R Tolkien and Evelyn Wauch

The volumes acquired by the Bodleian cover the period from 1910-58 and feature beautiful copperplate writing detailing the names, addresses and personal style of thousands of customers, both ‘town and gown’. The detail in the ledgers extends beyond financial transactions; they also include newspaper clippings about high-profile customers that staff have pasted onto clients’ individual pages.

Well-known customers

One entry (pictured left) reveals JRR Tolkien's purchase of black rugby boots for 14s 6d in 1913, when he was a student at Exeter College, Oxford. Two pages of entries for Evelyn Waugh suggest that he was a loyal customer, buying approximately 20 pairs of shoes or boots between 1930 and 1946.

Another notable entry includes a pair of lambswool slippers purchased by former Prime Minister HH Asquith, whose papers the Bodleian holds, in the final years of his political career. Entries related to Duckers’ female customers include boot repairs commissioned by Lady Ottoline Morrell, the English aristocrat who was an influential patron of the arts and the lover of philosopher and writer Aldous Huxley.

Dr Chris Fletcher, keeper of special collections at the Bodleian Libraries, said: 'We are delighted that we have been able to save this fascinating piece of Oxford history and to keep the Duckers ledgers in the city where they have been for more than a century. Clothes make the man, as someone once said, and people will have fun looking at the buying habits of some familiar names, as well as taking a serious look into a sustained historical record of social and business history in Oxford.’

Find out more

The online catalogue featuring the ledgers can be found here.

Captions from top: Ducker & Son’s shopfront in Oxford city centre. For over a hundred years, “Duckers” traded from its well-known shop on Oxford’s Turl Street from 1898 until it closed in late 2016. Credit: Oxford University Images/Richard Lofthouse; 

One entry reveals JRR Tolkien's purchase of black rugby boots for 14s 6d in 1913, when he was a student at Exeter College, Oxford. Note that the ledger lists the purchase as ‘football’ boots as, at the time, the term football was used for both football and rugby. Credit: Courtesy of Mallams; The historic ledgers acquired by the Bodleain comprise 11 leather-bound volumes. The contents detail the purchases of the shop’s illustrious clients from 1910-58, and include beautiful copperplate writing detailing the names, addresses and personal style of thousands of customers, both ‘town and gown’. Credit: Courtesy of Mallams.