The Loders – Printers and  Booksellers

The Loders were a family of printers and Booksellers. The four generations of Loders listed below were all involved with the company.

          Robert Loder               1749 to 1811

          John Loder I                1789 to 1865

          John Loder II               1825 to 1917

          Morton Loder              1859 to 1929

Robert Loder is recorded as a bookseller and stationer in Bailey's 1784 Directory. By 1823 another directory states that he is a bookseller, stationer and printer. By 1830 John Loder had taken over the shop on the Thoroughfare by then it was also dealing in patent medicine, music and musical instruments. In 1871 John Loder is listed as bookseller, printer, bookbinder, commercial and fancy stationer, news agent and music seller. The years later another directory recorded that John Loder was also an agent for two insurance companies. Clearly it was necessary to diversify the business in order to make a living.

It was common practice for local information to be bound in with national publications. So, for example, Old Moore's Almanac for 1851 was bound with Loder's Woodbridge and Suffolk compendium.

John Loder I lithographed and published Isaac Johnson's 1827 map of the town and his views of Woodbridge churches and the Seckford Hospital.

John Loder I was interested in the history of the town and he published transcriptions of many key documents, such as the ordinances and statues of the Seckford Almshouses. He also produced an account of all the charities in the town. In this he stated that he wanted to write a ‘History of the ancient and present state of the town’ but was prevented by the lack information available to him.

John Loder II standing outside his shop

John Loder II was very active in the life of Woodbridge. He was on the Woodbridge Urban District Council and was its Chairman from 1897 to 1901. He was also secretary and Quartermaster of the Woodbridge (3rd Suffolk) Rifle Volunteer Corps and was a County Magistrate for the Woodbridge Division. He lived in Burkitt House, Chapel Street, and mixed socially with Edward FitzGerald and his circle.

John Loder II became embroiled in a libel action in 1879 and had to pay £100 damages. He was such a respected and trusted townsman that the inhabitants of Woodbridge set up a fund to pay the damages but he felt that he could not accept the £250 eventually raised.  Instead he used it to improve the town by having a channel dug to cut off the troublesome corner of the river by Kyson Point. An aerial photograph of this part of the river is shown on the right and the cut is marked by the white arrow. "Loder's Cut" runs through an extensive area of saltings which are covered at high tide and it has been a blessing to yachtsmen ever since.

By 1912, John Loder’s son Morton had taken over the family business and the firm eventually closed during the First World War.

Aerial photograph of the estuary by Kyson Point. 

The white arrow marks Loder's Cut.

Last edited  21 Aug 23