Douglas Garth
Encyclopedia
Douglas Garth was a British philatelist who was one of the "Fathers of Philately" entered on the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists
in 1921. He was an expert on the stamps of India and British Guiana and a Solicitor in the firm of Pemberton & Garth. Garth was the second son of Sir Richard Garth
(1820 -1903), a former Chief-Justice of Calcutta.
, where he won a gold medal for his display of India and Ceylon. He was credited by The London Philatelist
with introducing the modern stamp auction to Britain, the first such auction being held by Thomas Bull (1839-1905) at 77 Chancery Lane on 24 November 1888.
In 1891 Garth gave a display to the society of the First Issues of India and in 1896 he displayed Straits Settlements Stamps. In 1892 he gave evidence against the stamp forgers Benjamin and Sarpy. Garth's involvement in organised philately began to wane, however, as his health worsened in the late 1890s and he died, at Old Headington, Oxford, on 6 January 1900 of influenza followed by bronchitis. He was survived by a wife and five children.
Roll of Distinguished Philatelists
The Roll of Distinguished Philatelists is a philatelic award of international scale, created by the Philatelic Congress of Great Britain in 1921...
in 1921. He was an expert on the stamps of India and British Guiana and a Solicitor in the firm of Pemberton & Garth. Garth was the second son of Sir Richard Garth
Richard Garth
Sir Richard Garth PC QC was Member of Parliament for Guildford from 1866 to 1868 and Chief Justice of Bengal from 1875 to 1886....
(1820 -1903), a former Chief-Justice of Calcutta.
Philately
Garth was Honorary Secretary (1888 to 1894) of the Philatelic Society, London, now The Royal Philatelic Society London, and a member of the first Publications Committee of that society. He was on the committee of the London Philatelic Exhibition 1890London Philatelic Exhibition 1890
The London Philatelic Exhibition 1890 was held 19-26 May at the Portman Rooms, Baker Street, London. It was one of the first international philatelic exhibitions anywhere and it was the exhibition at which the Duke of Edinburgh announced that Prince George of Wales, later King George V, was a stamp...
, where he won a gold medal for his display of India and Ceylon. He was credited by The London Philatelist
The London Philatelist
The London Philatelist was first published in January 1892 and is the journal of the Royal Philatelic Society London.It is published ten times annually and includes coverage of worldwide philatelic and postal history topics...
with introducing the modern stamp auction to Britain, the first such auction being held by Thomas Bull (1839-1905) at 77 Chancery Lane on 24 November 1888.
In 1891 Garth gave a display to the society of the First Issues of India and in 1896 he displayed Straits Settlements Stamps. In 1892 he gave evidence against the stamp forgers Benjamin and Sarpy. Garth's involvement in organised philately began to wane, however, as his health worsened in the late 1890s and he died, at Old Headington, Oxford, on 6 January 1900 of influenza followed by bronchitis. He was survived by a wife and five children.
Publications
- "Notes on Straits Settlements Stamps. A paper read before the Philatelic Society, London, on the 15th May, 1896." in The London Philatelist, Vol. V, pp. 339-341, 1896.
Further reading
- Douglas Garth Obituary Notice in The Philatelic Record, Vol. 22, p. 53, 1900.
- Douglas Garth Obituary Notice in Stanley Gibbons Monthly Journal, Vol. 10, p. 145, 1900.