Molineaux & Webb Accounts

The Molineaux & Webb account books survive for the period May to November 1929. The books contain hundreds of entries from a mixture of companies and individuals, for amounts ranging from a few pennies to hundreds of pounds. With a bit of determined googling it has been possible to identify a fair number of the companies they supplied, a surprising number of which are still in operation. Most individuals in the receipt books cannot be identified.

Sector Breakdown by Revenue

Bearing in mind that the company was in receivership from 1927, the companies still using Molineaux and Webb in 1929 may not be fully representative of their clients in happier times. However a breakdown of customers by revenue received looks to be a good indication of their sales areas, though skewed a little by a few large customers.

The largest sector was lighting manufacturers. The company name was reused following the liquidation in the Birmingham area, suggesting the company name had a reputation in the lamp making industry.

The second largest sector was retail, which can be subdivided into national retailers (Woolworths), specialist fine glass and china shops, and suppliers of dinner services such as Stoniers, who presumably included Molineaux & Webb glassware when providing a full crockery & glass set. In terms of revenue, very little was generated by selling through national chains.

Manufacturing makes up the majority of the remaining revenue, with emphasis on the areas of metalworkers in Sheffield and Birmingham, railways, and shipping, with a small contribution from scientific glassware.

8% of revenue came from other glass companies, one of which was Webb & Co based in Salford, which we believe was the other Webb family business to come from their time in Warrington. There was also a connection to Robinsons of Warrington, which suggests ties to the Warrington glass industry right to the end. The Molineaux & Webb outgoing payments book shows monies going to the same glass firms, and others such as Jobling, and Stourbridge glass companies.

Revenue rounded to nearest 5 pence

31%

Lighting Manufacturers

£808.25

24%

Retailers & Trade Suppliers

£586.05

13%

General Manufacturers

£333.70

8%

Glass Makers & Suppliers

£208.15

7%

Railways

£185.35

4%

Public Organisations

£99.65

3%

Metal Workers

£86.60

3%

Textiles

£83.85

3%

Industrial & Scientific Instruments

£81.60

2%

Ships & Fishing

£63.65

With a small contribution from mining and Staffordshire potters

Top 5 Customers

STONIER & CO LTD

Supplied crockery etc to customers such as passenger liners - including the Titanic!

Sadly their records were destroyed in WW2

£510.65

W.T. GEORGE

Birmingham lamp maker

£281.50

W. DAVIES & SONS

London makers of mirrors, watches etc

£236.60

HEYES & CO LTD

Wigan firm - made handlamps

£158.70

ELI GRIFFITHS & SONS LTD

Birmingham lamp makers

£116.60

Complete breakdown of customers by sector

Money totals in £.s.d (pounds, shillings, pence)

Retailers & Trade Suppliers

CO-OPERATIVE WHOLESALE SOCIETY LTD

A major retail business group in the UK, with roots in Manchester

9.3.10

F.W. WOOLWORTH & CO

National retailer - went bust in 2009

35.17.1

G.W. DARBY

Nottingham retailer selling porcelain and probably glass

1.0.0

HARGRAVES & SONS LTD

Long running family business in Buxton, Derbyshire, selling cookware and gifts, including quality crystal pieces.

19.14.6

H.G. STEPHENSON LTD

Seller of fine china and glass in Manchester

9.12.6

STONIER & CO LTD

Supplied dinner services etc

510.13.6

Lighting Manufacturers

A.F. GENTON LTD

Railway and ships lamps

30.19.1

ANDREW CHALMERS & MITCHELL LTD

Lighting equipment manufacturers in Glasgow

17.7.8

BULPITT & SONS LTD

Birmingham brassfounders and ship lantern makers

36.6.1

ELI GRIFFITHS & SONS LTD

Birmingham lamp makers

116.12.9

HEYES & CO LTD

Wigan firm - made handlamps

158.14.10

METROVICK SUPPLIES LTD

Supplier of electric lamps

12.6.2

M.P. GALLOWAY LTD

Maker of ships instruments such as lanterns

46.1.10

PLAYER & MITCHELL

Birmingham maker of instruments such as foghorns & masthead lights

0.9.0

R.C. MURRAY & CO

Made ships lamps

4.12.5

W. MCGEOCH & CO LTD

Birmingham company, which made domestic and marine electrical fittings and lighting

106.6.9

W.T. GEORGE

Birmingham lamp maker

281.10.4

General Manufacturers

BAXENDALE & CO LTD

Manchester manufacturers, merchants and shippers to various trades

0.8.9

GENERAL ELECTRIC CO LTD

American multinational company

2.4.9

IMPERIAL CHECMICAL INDUSTRIES LTD

ICI - industrial chemicals firm

30.7.0

R. PICKERSGILL & SONS LTD

Mechanical engineers in north east England

51.5.3

VICKERS ARMSTRONGS LTD

Weapons makers, shipbuilders, engineers

12.15.11

W. DAVIES & SONS

London makers of mirrors, watches etc

236.12.2

Glass Makers & Suppliers

BUTTERWORTH BROS LTD

Manchester glassmakers

30.5.7

J. CHATER & SONS LTD

London producer of glass to rail and air business

61.17.1

PILKINGTON BROS LTD

Glass company in St. Helens, Lancashire

0.10.0

ROBINSON, SON & CO

Warrington glass works

70.10.10

T & W. IDE

Glass and framing company based in Essex

28.15.10

WEBB & CO

Based in Salford, with a distant family tie to Molineaux & Webb

16.10.5

Railways

CHESHIRE LINES COMMITTEE

Minor rail operator

28.3.6

GREAT SOUTHERN RAILWAY COMPANY OF IRELAND

Major rail operator

22.13.4

GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY CO

Major rail operator

59.0.9

LONDON MIDLAND & SCOTTISH RAILWAY CO

Major rail operator

32.5.11

LONDON & NORTH EASTERN RAILWAY CO

Major rail operator

36.2.4

RAILWAY SIGNAL CO LTD

General infrastructure providers to the railways

6.1.8

Public Organisations

ACCOUNTANT GENERAL OF THE NAVY

Controllers of naval expenditure

78.14.0

H.M. OFFICE OF WORKS

Government department

8.6.3

METROPOLITAN ASYLUMS BOARD

Ran workhouses and early hospitals prior to formation of the National Health Service

12.14.10

Metal Workers

A. MARKS & CO

Sheffield silversmiths

2.7.4

ANGORA SILVER PLATE CO LTD

Sheffield silversmiths

1.15.1

ATKINS BROS LTD

Midlands silversmiths

2.10.10

GABRIEL & CO LTD

Birmingham steel company

0.17.7

G.F. WESTWOOD & SON

Birmingham silversmiths

6.18.11

I.S. GREENBERG & CO LTD

Sheffield metalworkers

1.11.2

J.B. CHATTERLEY & SONS LTD

Birmingham silversmiths

4.3.9

J. ROUND & SON

Sheffield silversmiths

2.18.6

LLOYD, PAYNE & AMIEL LTD

Manchester silversmiths

48.19.3

RAENO SILVER PLATE CO LTD

Birmingham silversmiths, makers of dinner services etc

12.5.0

WALKER & HALL LTD

Sheffield silversmiths

2.3.10

Textiles

DOBSON & BARLOW LTD

Cotton machinery manufacturers

49.11.0

J. HETHERINGTON & SONS LTD

Textile machinery makers

33.9.7

RYLANDS & SONS LTD

Lancashire cotton manufacturers

0.17.1

Industrial & Scientific Instruments

BAIRD & TATLOCK (LONDON) LTD

Scientific instrument maker

12.5.3

BUDENBERG GAUGE CO LTD

Gauge and instrumentation makers in Manchester

0.3.4

GRIFFIN & TATLOCK LTD

Makers of scientific equipment

0.14.7

J. STONE & CO LTD

Electrical and mechanical engineers

27.19.7

OLIVER PELL CONTROL LTD

London company - maker of industrial and scientific instruments

5.9.2

REYNOLDS & BRANSON LTD

Manufacturing chemists and optical instrument makers

0.4.6

ROBINSON NELSON & CO LTD

Manchester laboratory equipment business

0.7.6

S. MAW SON & SONS LTD

Manufacturing chemists

31.16.3

W. & J. GEORGE LTD

Makers of scientific instruments

2.12.0

Ships & Fishing

ABERDEEN STEAM TRAWLING & FISHING CO LTD

Made and ran trawlers

17.10.0

KELSALL BROS & BEECHING LTD

Ran a fishing fleet

22.15.10

PICKERING & HALDANE'S STEAM TRAWLING CO LTD

Trawler company based in Hull

17.6.6

UNION CASTLE MAIL STEAMSHIP CO LTD

Passenger and cargo carriers

6.1.6

Notes on Data

Some of these firms were difficult to categorize on the basis of a few google snippets and could have been assigned to other areas. The most speculative of the major revenue assignments was W. Davies & Son which was placed under general manufacturers.