Records of Huntley and Palmers

Transcription

1 Records of Huntley and Palmers Reference: MS 1490 Title: Records of Huntley and Palmers Dates of creation: Extent: Over 4000 items Administrative/Biographical History Joseph Huntley, a Quaker schoolmaster from Oxfordshire, established a biscuit bakery in Reading in After 1829 his son Thomas became a partner and the firm was known as Joseph Huntley & Son. On the retirement of his father in 1838 Thomas Huntley operated alone and under his own name, and then in 1841 went into partnership with fellow Quaker George Palmer, later MP for Reading, as Huntley and Palmer. By 1846 Palmer had begun to transform the business, developing the first continuously running machine for making fancy biscuits and setting up a properly organised factory. Other members of the Palmer family became partners, and by the end of the nineteenth century the firm, now called Huntley and Palmers, was the largest biscuit business in the world and among the forty most important industrial companies in Britain. Huntley and Palmers cakes and biscuits were a household name and the distinctive tins, made by the firm Huntley, Boorne and Stevens (founded by another member of the Huntley family), were recognised worldwide. In 1898, after George Palmer's death, the private company Huntley and Palmers Ltd was established, which in 1921 combined with the firm of Peek Frean, each becoming subsidiary units of the Associated Biscuit Manufacturers Ltd. The Liverpool firm of W. & R. Jacob & Co. joined the group in In the late 1960s re-organisation took place, and from 1969 the three units disappeared as independent trading entities, being replaced by the division known as Associated Biscuits Ltd. Huntley and Palmers' Reading factory was finally closed down in Associated Biscuits Ltd was bought out by the American multi-national Nabisco in The company was renamed as Jacob's Bakery Ltd in 1989 and acquired by BSN

2 (Boussois Souchon-Neuvesel), which in 1994 changed its name to Danone. Scope and Content There are various personal papers of the Palmer family c , including personal correspondence; papers of George Palmer about his work as an MP; obituaries; visiting cards; a family tree tracing the Huntleys and Palmers back to the early seventeenth century; wills of Samuel Palmer 1903, Mary Jane Palmer 1910 and Samuel Ernest, Lord Palmer 1947; baptism and marriage certificates of Samuel Palmer, with various papers about the marriage settlement, and other miscellaneous items. Some of the personal papers show the relationship between the family and the firm, such as notices of congratulation sent on behalf of the employees to various Palmers when they got married. The bulk of the collection concerns the business of the firm, in all its aspects. Financial and general management records include accounts ; balance sheets and ledgers ; raw materials invoices and summaries ; journals of monthly expenditure ; journals of yearly expenditure ; internal accounts ledgers ; wages records, summaries, analyses and comparisons ; senior staff and directors' salaries and other remunerations ; partnership accounts ; register of members and shares ; stocks summaries ; profit and loss accounts ; fire and other insurance records ; tax returns ; private family accounts ; inventory books , and dividend records Minute books include those of the Executive Committee of Directors ; of the Board of Directors ; of the Reading Biscuit Factory Committee of Management , and of the general Committee of Management , and Legal papers include the book recording the particulars of sealed documents ; registers of deeds of property purchased ; contracts ; deeds of association relating to the relationship with Peek Frean and with Associated Biscuit Manufacturers; patents filed in different countries ,

3 and trademarks Business correspondence includes letters of the Palmers and other senior managers c There is also correspondence relating to various books produced about the firm, the British biscuit industry and the design aspects of packaging. Promotional material includes catalogues, records of displays and correspondence about Huntley and Palmers' exhibits at various international fairs ; advertising booklets, leaflets and catalogues c (in several languages); sets of advertising cards with various themes c ; newspaper and other advertisements ; recruitment and other pamphlets c , and press cuttings There are specimens of different types of packaging c , including foil and paper wrappers, labels for tins, cartons and details of stamps and marks. There is also some original artwork for packaging and promotional material. Production records include records of the purchase of raw materials ; recipes c ; output records ; productivity figures ; records of new machines and alterations ; production costs ; weekly manufacturing totals ; records of wedding cakes made ; comparisons of ingredients usage , and plant and machinery records Sales records cover both home and export sales from the 1850s onwards and include price lists ; lists of Christmas specials for export ; order books; customer invoices ; annual summaries ; trade comparisons and analyses , and price lists from rival firms c Personnel records include details of wages and employees c (not comprehensive); records of staff absence, accidents and factory closures c ; sick fund details ; details of Christmas gifts to staff ; papers concerning industrial relations c ; minutes of the Workers Representation Committee ; conditions of work , and rules and regulations There are records of Huntley and Palmers' various social clubs, including menus etc. from social and sporting events ; Recreation Club papers and fixture lists; cricket score books ; bingo cards; netball fixture lists , 'Ladies Record of

4 Activities' c1945, and music scores. Published material includes newspaper and journal articles c about the firm, the Palmer family, the British biscuit industry in and the collector's interest in biscuit tins. Journal issues include Bakers' Gazette nos There are photographs c , depicting various subjects including groups of employees, members of the Palmer family, VIP visits, exhibits at trade fairs and Huntley and Palmers' buildings. Album subjects include celebration cakes and international exhibitions ; presentations of sports and long service awards , and the visit of the Queen Mother to the factory in Audiovisual material consists of a video copy of a 53-minute film shot by Peek Frean in 1906, showing work in their factory; a video copy of a 20-minute film shot by Huntley and Palmers in the 1940s showing ingredient production around the world and factory processes; a video copy of a Huntley and Palmers promotional film lasting 16 minutes and shot in the 1950s; a video copy of a promotional film shot by Associated Biscuits Ltd in the 1970s showing production by the three firms, lasting 25 minutes; a vinyl disk produced c1935 by Huntley and Palmers with Christmas greetings from 'the Empire's greatest biscuit makers', duration 50 seconds, and a CD recording of the above disk. Other items of note include material relating to Huntley and Palmers supplies taken on the British Antarctic expeditions of ; visitors books for the factory ; papers concerning the royal warrants granted to Huntley and Palmers as suppliers to the courts of Europe; albums of corporate stationery ; a ledger recording the journeys of the firm's continental travellers , and particulars of army biscuits supplied to the War Office August Further material originates from the firms associated with Huntley and Palmers. There are some records from Peek Frean c , consisting chiefly of advertising material, financial records and minute books. Items from Jacob's include catalogues and price lists c , and promotional material c There are some records from Huntley, Boorne and Stevens, consisting chiefly of notes and figures concerning production in the twentieth century but also including a vellum ledger with customer

5 accounts There are records of directors salaries and minutes of the Accounts Committee from Associated Biscuit Manufacturers, and some catalogues, price lists and promotional material c from Associated Biscuits Ltd. Finally there is some material from the Nabisco Group, including historical notes, promotional material , price lists and catalogues and other items from subsidiary companies. Administrative Information Immediate Source of Acquisition The original deposit was made by the firm in 1977, with several later deposits. Material was also transferred from Reading Museum. Access Conditions Open to all researchers. No reader's ticket is required but an appointment is necessary. Check the archives access page for contact details and opening hours. Note Reading Museum Service has an extensive collection of Huntley and Palmers material that complements the University Library's holdings. The Museum's collection includes biscuit tins, printed ephemera, photographs, maps, catalogues and oral history interviews. Further Information Finding Aids The collection is listed at item level.