Topic: What year did Stevens and Williams change their name to Royal Brierley

[Anne]

This is my understanding of what happened...

The company that was trading as Stevens and Williams Limited in 1931 was wound up voluntarily and relaunched (restructured), I've not yet found out why that was done. Possibly as a way to refinance it? Possible a change from a private limited company to a public one? I'm just speculating as to the reason until I can find the evidence of that...  that it was relaunched in 1931 is evidenced by the Companies House data, and that it was relaunched with the same name, i.e. Stevens and Williams Limited.

The company was called Stevens and Williams Limited right through until 1985 when it became Royal Brierley Crystal Limited, which in turn became Rbc Realisations Limited in 2000. Rbc Realisations Limited was dissolved in 2008.

[flying free]

Thanks so much Anne.

I did read something in BGbtw page 33
'The lack of orders which reduced the firm to two-day working week in the early years of the 1930s was an economic fact for many British manufacturing industries'.
It could be read that they were in financial straits I suppose. Which could be a factor in why they wound up the company and relaunched.

So it's interesting that the company was not called Royal Brierley Crystal until 1985.  I understand it then that they had a 'product range' called Royal Brierley Crystal by at least December 1949, according to that advertisement in the Pottery Gazette.

So : 

- at what date they decided to call their products 'Royal Brierley Crystal' is still to be determined
- whether or not all their ranges/designs fell under their banner 'Royal Brierley Crystal' is still to be determined

- whether or not it is determined that a product fell under the 'Royal Brierley Crystal' product range, it means their glass can legitimately be referred to as 'Stevens and Williams and then range name ( i.e. Caerleon, alabaster(sic), Tortoiseshell)' up until 1985 then? 
 
m

[Lustrousstone]

I think you got it. You can call your company (your trading name) and your product ranges whatever you like but your accounts have to be filed under your registered company name and your board members are board members of your registered company. So yes everything was made by Stevens and Williams until 1985. Many of the company names we know today are really trading names. It's all about marketing

[Frank]

Despite having company papers for Moncrieff I have never been able to penetrate the ins and outs of names usage. On top of all the 'legal' names, companies also had operational 'names' that bear little relationship to anything obvious. From the data given by Anne it would appear that they added Royal to the glassworks name between 1925 and 1931. Which ties in with the general statements in books. For simplicity it is probably desirable to use S&W until the final closure. Likewise with Powell that are often referred to as Whitefriars since the late 1990s by collectors. There are endless naming confusions around for glass companies with the name of their glassworks, in some  books you even find the odd case where they are mentioned as entirely separate entities.

[flying free]

 Frank, I'm afraid I disagree with your comment here

'From the data given by Anne it would appear that they added Royal to the glassworks name between 1925 and 1931. '



 In the London Gazette, dated 18 September, 1931,(source Anne's post - it's my underlining in the para quoted below) it specifically states
"STEVENS AND WILLIAMS Limited.
The Companies Act, 1929.
AT an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Members of the above named Company, duly convened, and held at The Brierley Hill Glass Works, Brierley Hill, in the county of Stafford, on the 11th day of September, 1931, the following Special Resolution was duly passed:
"That it is desirable to reconstruct the Company, and accordingly that the Company be wound up voluntarily; and that Mr. Thomas Henry Gough, Chartered Accountant, of Dudley, be and he is hereby appointed Liquidator for the purposes of such winding-up."
(105) H. S. WILLIAMS-THOMAS, Chairman."'

i.e. on 11 September 1931 the glass works was still called The Brierley Hill Glass Works.

and also

In this paragraph quoted from Anne's earlier post from L Angus Butterworth: British Table & Ornamental Glass, it says they added the word 'Royal' to their name of Brierley Crystal (as a brand name).  It has no source for that assertion and it has no date for the addition of the word 'Royal' to their brand name of Brierley Crystal, and it doesn't mention that they added the word Royal to their glass works name:

'According to L Angus Butterworth: British Table & Ornamental Glass, in the section on Stevens and Williams Ltd, the addition of Royal  to their name of Brierley Crystal (as a brand name) came about after the firm received the Royal Warrant to supply King George V with glassware.  LAB gives the date of the Royal Warrant as before 1925 when the Duke of York (later King George VI) visited the glassworks with his wife, and that was "shortly after this honour had been accorded."'

There's a lot of confusion around this paragraph.  The warrant was issued in 1919, the visit occurred in 1925, and there is no evidence I can find for the actual date of when the word Royal was added to their name of Brierley Crystal (as a brand name) and nothing mentioning the glassworks either.


Also, I think it is important for the correct company name to be used when describing items.


In summary I believe this is the chain of events and correct names for the company by date so far:



1740              - Brierley Hill Glass Works      - a glassworks founded in c1740
1846              - Stevens & Williams                   - Were a partnership formed who owned the glassworks
                                                                           called Brierley Hill Glass Works               
1903              - Stevens & Williams                  - We know this was still the company name at the point of 30th January 1903
                 

1903-1920    - Stevens & Williams/      - At some date between 30 January 1903 and 2nd January 1920 the Stevens & Williams company
             Stevens & Williams Ltd                  became Stevens & Williams Ltd
                                                                    - Date still to be determined   
                                       
1920-1930    - Stevens & Williams Ltd   - The company was called this between 2nd January 1920 and 1930 (Source – London Gazette )
               
1931              - Stevens & Williams Ltd  - We know the company was called this on 11 September 1931 
                                                                On 11 September 1931 that company trading as Stevens & Williams Ltd was formally wound up
               
1931-1985    - Stevens & Williams Ltd   - The company was registered as this name between 18 September 1931 and 28 May 1985
                                                                        (note - this is not an error, the company was wound up and renamed as the same name)
                                                                 
1985-2000    - Royal Brierley Crystal Limited - Between 28 May 1985 and 11 Dec 2000 the company was renamed Royal Brierley Crystal
                                                              Limited
2000-2008    - Rbc Realisations Limited        - Between 11 Dec 2000 and 19 February 2008 the Company was renamed Rbc Realisations
                                                                          Limited
                       

Therefore:                     
- whether or not a product was made under a product range that Stevens & Williams had denoted as the range 'Royal Brierley Crystal' is irrelevant for the purposes of correctly identifying their wares from 1846 until 28th May 1985
as
- all products produced by Stevens and Williams from 1846 up until 28th May 1985 can legitimately be referred to as:

      'A Stevens & Williams (insert range name or just insert item name if range name not known)' .

m

[keith]

Just to add a bit more....
2005-2007, Dartington ran the factory and gift shop, after this date production moved to N.Devon with a small team of ex RB'y workers still employed cutting and acid dipping, info' from Dartingtons,

[flying free]

in order to complete the early history of the company name in the list above, the outstanding question on this thread is:

1903-1920    - Stevens & Williams/      - At some date between 30 January 1903 and 2nd January 1920 the Stevens & Williams company
             Stevens & Williams Ltd                  became Stevens & Williams Ltd
                                                                    - Date still to be determined   
                                       

Anne has added some further information on this dating to earlier than 1920 on this thread -
http://www.glassmessages.com/index.php/topic,58268.msg348403.html#msg348403
Updated information Anne has added so far:

'I don't know if it helps or not, but there is a bit more info from the London Gazette:

7th June 1918 Supplement 30730, page 6713 (King's Birthday Honours List)
Joseph Silvers Williams-Thomas, Esq., J.P.; Chairman, British Flint Glass Manufacturers' Association, Limited; Chairman, Messrs. Stevens & Williams, Limited.

This entry states Stevens and Williams Limited and pre-dates M's previously earliest 1920 Limited status evidence.

And to take it back even further, in the Kelly's PO Directory for London 1914 (page 1658) is the following entry under Glass Manufacturers:
Stevens and Williams Limited, 57 Holborn Viaduct, EC

This will be their London showroom, but the fact that it has the Limited name is helpful!

I'll keep rummaging in my reference materials and see what else I can turn up for you...   '



Keith has also added further information on the more recent history of the company:
''Epsom Enterprises' ran RBC from around 1999 then went into receivership 1999-2000 and re started in 2002 by Tim Westbrook and associates until they sold out to Dartington in 2005, info' from Tim Westbrook,...'

m

[flying free]

Pertaining to this question on the summary post of dates I made:


'in order to complete the early history of the company name in the list above, the outstanding question on this thread is:

1903-1920    - Stevens & Williams/      - At some date between 30 January 1903 and 2nd January 1920 the Stevens & Williams
                                                           company  became Stevens & Williams Ltd
                                                                    - Date still to be determined   '
                                       


to confirm Anne's additional information from the Kelly's Directory 1914, there is a link on Grace's Guide to a 1914 directory of Who's Who in Business that shows the company name as Stevens & Williams. Ltd.,
http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/1914_Who's_Who_in_Business:_Company_S

[flying free]

Just adding a little bit of possible history to the timeline.

In summary I believe this is the chain of events and correct names for the company by date so far:



1740              - Brierley Hill Glass Works      - a glassworks founded in c1740

1828-1829     - Silvers, Mills and Stevens - listed in Pigot's as at Brierley Hill

1835         -  Silvers, Mills and Stevens  - Moor Lane Glass Works   (at some point before or during 1835 as this was listed in Pigot and Co 1835 -
                                                                  Source: page 657   https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Pigot_and_Co_s_National_Commercial_Direc/Fq5IAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=wordsley+glassworks&pg=PA657&printsec=frontcover

1846              - Stevens & Williams                   - Were a partnership formed who owned the glassworks
                                                                           called Brierley Hill Glass Works               
1903              - Stevens & Williams                  - We know this was still the company name at the point of 30th January 1903
                 

1903-1920    - Stevens & Williams/      - At some date between 30 January 1903 and 2nd January 1920 the Stevens & Williams company
             Stevens & Williams Ltd                  became Stevens & Williams Ltd
                                                                    - Date still to be determined   
                                       
1920-1930    - Stevens & Williams Ltd   - The company was called this between 2nd January 1920 and 1930 (Source – London Gazette )
               
1931              - Stevens & Williams Ltd  - We know the company was called this on 11 September 1931 
                                                                On 11 September 1931 that company trading as Stevens & Williams Ltd was formally wound up
               
1931-1985    - Stevens & Williams Ltd   - The company was registered as this name between 18 September 1931 and 28 May 1985
                                                                        (note - this is not an error, the company was wound up and renamed as the same name)
                                                                 
1985-2000    - Royal Brierley Crystal Limited - Between 28 May 1985 and 11 Dec 2000 the company was renamed Royal Brierley Crystal
                                                              Limited
2000-2008    - Rbc Realisations Limited        - Between 11 Dec 2000 and 19 February 2008 the Company was renamed Rbc Realisations
                                                                          Limited
                       

Therefore:                     
- whether or not a product was made under a product range that Stevens & Williams had denoted as the range 'Royal Brierley Crystal' is irrelevant for the purposes of correctly identifying their wares from 1846 until 28th May 1985
as
- all products produced by Stevens and Williams from 1846 up until 28th May 1985 can legitimately be referred to as:

      'A Stevens & Williams (insert range name or just insert item name if range name not known)' .

m

[Anne]

Another wee snippet from the London Gazette re the Royal Warrant:

Publication date:2 January 1920 Issue:31715 Pages:28/34
Issued from Buckingham Palace, January 1, 1920 by SHAFTESBURY, Lord Chamberlain to the Queen
LIST, of Tradesmen who hold Warrants of Appointment to His Majesty King George V., from The Lord Steward, with authority to use the Royal Arms. These Warrants do not carry the right
to fly the Royal Standard, or to use the word " Royal":—
Stevens and Williams Limited, glass, Stourbridge

And another one from the London Gazette which shows the company was Stevens and Williams Limited in 1918 :

Publication date:4 June 1918 Supplement:30730 Page:6713
Joseph Silvers Williams-Thomas, Esq., J.P.. Chairman, British Flint Glass Manufacturers' Association, Limited; Chairman, Messrs. Stevens & Williams, Limited