By Press Release
Retired Coroner and Island historian
I am frequently asked by various interest groups to give a lecture on ‘The domination of Newport by the Pittis family from 1850-1950’. My interest in this remarkable family arose entirely by accident. I was in the County Records Office in the late 1970s, doing some research on another subject, when I picked up a little book with the unexciting title ‘The Pittis Geneaology – The Pittis Family in England and America Four Hundred and Sixty Four Years – Sixteen Generations 1480 to 1944’.
The author was Margaret Birney Pittis of Cleveland, Ohio in the USA. The book is little more than a list of names and dates which showed two-thirds of the family were in the USA and Canada, a substantial minority resided in Ireland, a smaller group in Sussex and a small section on the Isle of Wight. On looking through the Island section, I was astonished to see that many names were very familiar to me – people I knew well.
Thomas Pittis lived from 1749 to 1810, he was a merchant and grocer of Newport and fathered 14 children. He is the common ancestor of the Newport branch of the family; his eldest son, John, emigrated to the USA in 1820 and is the ancestor of the American Pittis family.
The genealogy is particularly complicated in Newport as there were many intermarriages between its members, who are sometimes doubly or trebly related. Some members also were given family surnames as Christian names, confusing issues even more.
Sir Francis Pittis (1812-1889)
The family intermarried at various times with the Dores, Eldridges, Buckells, Ways and Strattons. Three auctioneering firms came from or were closely related to the Pittis clan – Sir Francis Pittis & Son, Way Riddett and Watson Bull & Porter. Four local solicitors’ firms came into being from the family – James Eldridge & Sons, Buckell and Drew, Roach Pittis and Strattons. The building firm of William Stratton and the architect’s firm of Stratton & Millgate also formed part of the Pittis family’s business interests.
Aside from dominating the professional and business life of Newport, the family virtually controlled Newport Borough Corporation. In the 50 years from 1847 to1897, 19 Newport Mayors were members of the Pittis family and there were two successive town clerks. Another member of the family was the clerk to the Isle of Wight Rural District Council. The family also produced two successive vicars of St John’s Church in Newport.
It is an irony that although 13 of Thomas’ children remained in Newport, the Pittis family has almost died out on the Island, whereas the one son who emigrated to the USA was the ancestor of a vast number
When Margaret Birney Pittis visited the Isle of Wight in 1945 she found five people with the surname Pittis living on the Island. Today there is no actual person with that surname. There is a solitary member of the family, originally a Miss Pittis, still living on the Island – she is a distinguished musician in her late 80s.
I am often asked whether the family influence in so many aspects of Newport life, was damaging to the town. I have to say, that although it was clearly not a democratic situation, Newport was well-run and prospered during the years that the Pittis family was in the ascendency. Perhaps we should consider it a benevolent autocracy.