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.