William Bunting

William carried on the business from his father Isaac, who died in 1850. Subsequent Post Office Directories showed him as "Nursery and Seedsman" at North Street and in 1863, White's Directory listed him under "Nurserymen" at Lexden Road and North Street. William Bunting c 1880

The 1861 census showed William (described as "A Nurseryman of 20 acres employing 7 men and 3 boys) and his wife, Harriett living with their three younger children at "Snake Lane" and the same census showed his mother, Elizabeth (described as "A Nurserywoman") living at Lexden Road with his two elder children, Harriett and William Ellis, the latter listed as a "Nurseryman". By this time, William's two elder children, William Ellis (b1839) and Alfred (b1843) had joined the business.

These were years of steady progress and the firm won contracts for tree planting and laying out gardens in many places in the borough of Colchester as well as further afield in Clacton on Sea and Walton-on-the-Naze. Before the railway had reached these resorts, the Buntings and their men had to walk to them from Colchester, a distance of about 20 miles

William's third son, Isaac (b1850) married Annie French in 1880 and emigrated with her to Japan, an incredible distance in those times. Their marriage certificate described him as a "Nurseryman" but it is not clear whether he worked in the Colchester business. In Japan he established his home and family and built up a substantial business as an exporter of Japanese Lily bulbs. Isaac became known as "Isaac of Japan" within the Bunting family.

The trading name "Bunting & Sons" first appeared in Kelly's Directory for 1878 when they were described as "Nurserymen and Seed Growers, North Street and Lexden Road". The firm was active in the local community even back in those days, the Essex County Standard of 1st June 1895 reporting under the heading "Extension of Colchester Cemetery":

"The contract of Messrs Bunting & Sons, nurserymen, Colchester, at £100 has been accepted for planting the ground, it being agreed with Bunting & Sons that it would be best to defer the work until the autumn".

The same newspaper for 24th October 1896 describes Lord Rosebery's visit to Colchester and the Oyster Feast and describes the floral decorations as follows:

"The floral decorations (which throughout the Town Hall were by Messrs. Bunting & Sons of North Street Nurseries) were admirable. At the west end was a lovely embankment of rare plants, consisting of Japanese speciosum lilies mixed in with tropical palms and red Bouvardias, with maidenhead fern arranged all round the front. At the north end of the room was a fine collection of Japanese lilies with creeping smilan arranged very artistically in front".

William Bunting died on 15 June 1895 and his funeral was described in the "Standard" of the following week. He was a deeply religious man and a staunch teetotaller, universally liked and respected. The Buntings of those days were non-conformists of Lion Walk Congregational Church and active Liberals. A year or two after William's death came a parting of the ways between William Ellis and Alfred, with Alfred setting up from North Station Road whilst William Ellis continued to trade from Lexden Road under the Bunting & Sons name. The two sides of the family business went their own ways but the present day firm descended from Alfred's business.