Francis Guy was born in Cork, County Cork, Ireland in 1820, the son of Richard Feltham Guy and Ann (Bacon) Guy. For more information on the earlier Guy family see the Guy Family Ancestry.

Francis married Mary Ann Canter (1826 to 1902) at St Michael's, Limerick, Co. Limerick, Ireland, on 15 December 1853 ². Mary Anne was the daughter of Richard Palmer Canter and Mary (Travers) Canter of Limerick ³. See the Canter Family History for more details.

Francis & Mary had 7 children

Francis's brother Joseph's married Mary Anne's sister Catherine Letitia Canter.

We will see that both the Guy and Canter families were printers, publishers, photographers and stationers.

The first record we have of the Guy's businesses are from the 1844-45 Aldwell's City of Cork Directory. There were 5 brothers and by 1844 some of them had apparently taken over Richard Palmer Guy's business as Guy Brothers Grocers & Stationers and were located at 64 Patrick Street. Later records show Francis, Joseph and John at the same address and so these three probably formed "Guy Brothers".

Later records (see opposite) show their continual growth, by 1846 they were "Guy Brothers, grocers and paper dealers", still at 64 Patrick Street.

In 1856 there is the first mention of printing and they were obviously expanding the business as they had moved to 70 Patrick Street with considerably more space to expand and by 1863 had acquired additional premises at 26 - 28 Academy Street in Cork.

The Griffith Valuation (1847-64) shows the 3 'Guy Brothers", Joseph, Francis and John, leasing property in Patrick Street (possibly both 64 and 70?).

References to Cork Business (see ref 5):

Not an awful lot is known about these brothers. As we have seen, the "Guy Brothers" were probably only three of the five brothers, John, Francis and Joseph.

In the 1844-45 Aldwell's directory Richard Bacon Guy, the oldest son, is listed as a vintner at 18 Merchant’s Quay. Richard Bacon Guy died in 1849.

Also in the 1844-45 Aldwell's, George Guy, the youngest son, appears to have had two businesses, a Stationer at 84 Patrick Street and a Vintner at 21 Anderson’s Quay and in 1856 George was a wholesale stationer in Marlboro' Street, Cork. Given the stationery connection, he was possibly also involved with the printing business.

The only other mention of John is in the Griffith Valuation (1847-64) when he was leasing property at Sunday's Well Road. He married Sarah Clements in 1850 may have later emigrated to the USA.

Guy & Co. was located not only in Cork, but also in Limerick.

I initially thought that the company originated in Cork, but I recently discovered a piece of Guy printing at the Limerick Museum, dated 1843 (see side box), possibly pre-dating the Cork printing works by 10 to 15 years.

This would seem to imply that the Guy Brother's printing business was originally Guy & McQuaide (or McQuaide) in Limerick (see tables opposite).

The business appears to have started at and then moved (or spread) to 114 George St in about 1857 (note that George was renamed O'Connell Street in about 1900). At about the turn of the century address included which runs parallel to George Street, and so it must have become a substantial site.

The Limerick business operated under several names. The dates are from products in the collection of the Limerick Museum and trade directories and may extend beyond the range shown (see tables opposite and in the notes):

• Guy & McQuaide between 1843 and 1890-91
  (In 1890 one of their invoices was headed "The Limerick Stationery Hall and Steam Printing Works, 114 George Street, Limerick, To Guy & Co. Ltd. (Late Guy & McQuaide)")
• Guy & Co. between 1855 and 1931, but possibly as late as 1948
• various Guy & Co. variations - possibly specialist divisions - included:
  • Law Stationers
  • Lithographers
  • Engravers
  • Badge makers
  • Photographers
  • etc etc - see table below

References to Limerick Business:

Given that the only McQuaide business listed in the Limerick Trades Directory is Guy & McQuaide, it is highly likely that W.H. McQuaide (box to the right), the only McQuaide in the Limerick Trades Directory, is the business partner we are seeking.

Given the dates discussed above showing that the Limerick printing operation apparently predates the Cork one by perhaps 15 years, it seems likely that McQuaide established the printing business.

One possibility is that Richard Feltham Guy had set it up with McQuaide even earlier.

Francis and his brothers were obviously frequent visitors to Limerick (from at least 1843) and in 1853 Francis married Mary Anne Canter, daughter of Richard Palmer Canter and Mary Travers of Limerick. Richard Palmer was also a printer and stationer, but had died in 1834 and Mary Canter, his wife, had taken over the business.

Francis's brother Joseph married Catherine Letitia Canter, Mary's sister, and so there were close connections between the two families.

The Canter's printing business was established by Richard Palmer Canter at in about 1823 and after his death Mary moved it to 43 Patrick St. Mary died in 1867 and in 1867 and 1870 the business is listed under Joseph Canter, probably Richard's brother, Joseph Palmer Canter. The business is not listed after 1870 and so must have been closed shortly after this date.

As well as the disappearance of the Canter business c. 1870, Guy & McQuaide stopped trading c. 1880-90 and the Cork business also changed to Guy & Co. c. 1880-90. Perhaps at this time all of the businesses (including the Canter's?) were merged under the one name?

In Bassett's Limerick trade directory of 1880 Richard J Guy (son of Francis) is listed at the business address of the firm in Limerick and Francis Guy is listed at the Cork business address and so was presumably managing (or was at least a manager of) the Limerick branch.

References to Cork Business (see ref 5):

We have seen that in the Griffith valuation John, the oldest surviving son, was living at Sunday's Well Road in Cork.

In 1877 Francis and Mary were living at . The house is on the south side of the road directly opposite Shanakeil Road in the lower left of the map.

The house is the one in the photograph behind the block wall with the yellow door (left photo). Above the door is the name "Verulam". The only reference to this name that I can find, with a possible Guy family connection, is that of Baron Verulam of Verulam, Francis Bacon (1561-1626). Francis Guy's mother was Ann Bacon and so perhaps there was a family link or, more likely, Francis used his namesake's house name?

The right hand photograph is taken from the grounds of the neighbouring house (the two story house to the left in the left-hand photograph), which show these properties to be very desirable addresses even now. The properties run down to the River Lee. The Guy house is the one to the left.

Francis died in 1882 at the age of 62 and Mary Anne lived on until 1902, dying at the age of 75.

Coincidentally, Mary Jane Mayne, the first wife of Richard John Guy also died in 1882. Perhaps the death of his wife and father in the same year contributed to him leaving his family.

At about 1890 all of the business became Guy and Co and over the next years grew to be the major printer and publisher in Munster.

It was family owned until very recently when it was sold to the Clondalkin Group of Dublin.

It became a specialist pharmaceutical packaging supplier and remained Guy & Co until July 2006, when it was renamed Pharmagraphics Guy. It is located at IDA Industrial Estate, Ovens, Co. Cork, just west of Cork City.