George Wilkinson (music publisher)

By 1808 Wilkinson had arranged for Astor and Leukenfeld[1] to manufacture upright, cabinet pianos licensed from William Southwell's patent (EN 3029, 1807).

These instruments (like Petzold & Pfeiffer's harmomelo) were conceived to support the strain of the strings with strong, continuous frames in order to keep better in tune than competing arrangements.

In 1810 Wilkinson sold his publishing stock to Thomas Preston, and borrowed £12,000 from his father to enter in a partnership with his foreman Robert Wornum, who had invented improvements in small upright pianos including diagonal stringing and compact actions (EN 3419, 1811).

Wilkinson entered a partnership with Ferdinand Hirschfeld, and made a specialty manufacturing patented candles with compressed tallow for fuel in order to prevent sputtering and metal wicks to avoid need for snuffing, but these were marketed unsuccessfully.

Hirschfeld and Wilkinson, wax chandlers, and oil and spermaceti refiners, at Windsor Terrace, City Road were listed bankrupt 31 July 1835.