The Kleisers: Jewellers and Clockmakers by Olivia Hughes and Alun Bevan

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These were the words in the Cambrian Daily Leader Friday January 2nd, 1885:

“An awfully sudden death occurred at the Mumbles this morning, the deceased being a well-known watchmaker named Constantine KLEISER, living at the Mumbles. The deceased left his home for the Castle Hill Terminus in the morning, in order to proceed to Swansea by the 10.10am train on the Mumbles Railway. Being rather late, he ran as hard as he could to the station, but by the time he had got there, the train, as well as the trams had gone. Mr. KLEISER entered the waiting room, where, without a moment's warning, he fell down dead. The stoppage of the section of the heart is supposed to have been the cause of death. The melancholy occurrence has cast a gloom. The deceased leaves a widow and a large family. Mr. KLEISER was a native of Germany, from which country he migrated some thirty or forty years ago. Ultimately, he settled in Hereford, where he had a fair show of business and where until recently, a brother of his, now dead, had an establishment. He came to Swansea many years ago, after working in several of the principal watchmaking establishments, eventually opening a business again for himself at the Mumbles.”

So ended the life of Constantine Bernhard KLEISER at age 59. The question remained of how did he end up so far from his native soil?

For that, we go back to early 19th century Baden, which was a German feudal state under the control of Duke Leopold. It had been allied with Napoleon, but changed sides when the latter’s fortunes ebbed away, after his disastrous Russian Campaign.

Constantine was born in a small village in the Black Forest called Linach, the son of a farmer, Bernard KLEISER and Juliana BERGER, who made clocks during the long Winter evenings. He was christened on 1st Jan 1826 in the Catholic Church of Schonenbach, in the district of Villingen. He had an elder brother, Felix who left for England in 1842 to start a clock-making business.

By 1848, unrest was smoldering throughout Europe, to the extent that the year became known as the “Year of Revolution”.

Friedrich HECKER led four columns of armed civilian militia on a march from Konstanz, with the intention of garnering support as they approached the capital of Baden, Karlsruhe to overthrow Duke Leopold.

One of these columns headed towards Donaueschingen, which was only some 10-15km from where Constantine lived. It seems likely that the 22-year-old man joined the rebels and met a kindred spirit of the same age, Andreas Anselmus MARTIN from the village of Unterbaldingen, 10 Km further East.

The uprising did not go according to plan and was crushed by troops loyal to the Duke. The ringleaders fled to Switzerland, some later to USA, leaving the rest to make their own escape.

We don’t know, for certain, if this was what really happened, but we do know that Constantine and Andreas left Baden illegally, as they are not on the official Baden emigration index. What we do know is, that by 1849 they were both in Hereford, England, where Felix KLEISER had settled.  Andreas changed his name to Andrew, with Constantine as his best man at the wedding in June of that year.

The same year, Felix married Mary Ann SMITH, in Hereford.

They were all living close to one another at the time of the 1851 census.

There is one record in the National Archives dated Oct 21st, 1852 for Alien arrivals, showing Constantine KLEISER, a German clockmaker arriving in the Port of London from Rotterdam, aboard a ship called Rainbow. He may have been returning, after risking a visit home to the Black Forest.

Andrew MARTIN began a family, naming his first son Constant after his friend.

After a few years, Andrew left for Swansea where he began working for a well-known clockmaker, who was also from the Black Forest. He was Joseph KERN with a business at 195, High Street.

 Perhaps, because of a long separation, or from the stress of the new relationship of employer and employee, Andrew and Constantine evidently fell out. Constantine relocated to Mumbles, and resided at 1 Church Terrace, listing his business as located in ‘The Dunns’. There are several conflicting notices in the Cambrian concerning the breakup of the partnership.

The two adversaries went their separate ways, carrying out their professions in their own areas, at an acceptable distance from one another.

Life went on for Constantine and Mary Ann in a routine way in Mumbles until that fateful day at the station in 1885. Constantine was buried on 7th January at Oystermouth cemetery.

Andrew died in 1892 and was buried in Joseph KERN’S grave 662D at Danygraig cemetery. His son Constant carried on as jeweller and tobacconist in Swansea High St. Constantine’s widow, Mary Ann, lived on until 1909, when she passed away, to be reunited with her husband.

At least three of Constantine’s sons became clockmakers in their own right, with the most well-known being William Engelbert, who would undergo a formal apprenticeship elsewhere after his father’s death. A copy of this indenture is reproduced in Johanna Greenlaw’s book “Swansea Clocks.” William Engelbert first lived in Hereford as a child, then they moved as a family to Oystermouth, Mumbles, and lived in 1 Church Terrace, then Westbourne Place, and 65 Gloucester Place. At some point William moved back to Skewen with his family to run his shop and later returning to Mumbles, settling in their final home of 16 Park Avenue.

Possibly when William married Edith Ellen HOWELL, they moved to Skewen, Neath, where he opened his own jewellers and clockmakers shop, known as “Kleiser’s Corner,” as it was situated on the corner of Christopher Road. They had six children together (Muriel Rose, Ernald Howell, Royston Engelbert, Edith Iolene, Brinley William and Clarice Sybil).

However, things were not always easy for the KLEISERS. A frightening anecdote occurred 30 years later, during World War One.

There were vehemently anti German articles in the newspapers following the sinking of the Lusitania by a German U boat on 7th May 1915 and the use of chlorine gas at Ypres on 22nd Apr 1915. This led to widespread rioting and looting of German businesses around the country.

One of Constantine’s daughters, Susan Gertrude KLEISER, went so far as to change her name to her mother’s maiden name, Bullen CDL 24 Jun 1915.

As if further proof of loyalty to King and Country was needed, William’s son William Brinley fought  and almost died for Britain in WWI.

German East Africa referred to what became Tanganyika ,Rwanda and Burundi after the treaty of Versailles, where Jan SMUTS led British forces against Paul von LETTOW-VORBECK. Perhaps, William Brinley went there because of a knowledge of German. (CDL 24th Apr 1918).

William and Edith KLEISER eventually left Skewen and returned to Mumbles, along with most of their children, many of whom went on to have their own families. William passed away in 1948, aged 77, and Edith lived until the age of 84 and passed away in 1952. They are buried together, in Oystermouth Cemetery.

It was now some 100 years since two young men sought refuge in Britain to start a new life. The reality of moving to an industrialised place like Swansea, may have been a little different but there was no going back. Both their families had assimilated into the new society and become Welsh.!!

Researched by Olivia Hughes and Alun Bevan 

May 2021