Timeline

1790s

Thomas Webb & Thomas Molineaux baptised in Warrington

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1824

Warrington glass company Perrin & Geddes dissolved

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1826

Thomas Molineaux, Boulton Molineaux, Owen Ellis, William Maginnis and Thomas Webb lease land in Ancoats

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1827

Company opens for business as Maginnis, Molineaux & Co.

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1831

William Maginnis leaves partnership

Company renamed Molineaux, Webb, Ellis & Co.

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1834

Thomas Molineaux, Boulton Molineaux, Owen Ellis, and Thomas Webb buy further freehold land in Ancoats

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c1835

Likely start of pressed glass production

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1838

Thomas Molineaux, Boulton Molineaux, Owen Ellis, and Thomas Webb buy further freehold land in Ancoats

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1839

Death of Owen Ellis, his interest now represented by wife Mary

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1842

Thomas Molineaux, Boulton Molineaux, Mary Ellis, and Thomas Webb buy further freehold land in Ancoats

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1843

First documented reference to pressed glass production

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1845

Glass Tax Repealed

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1846

Company registers its first design

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1848

Boulton Molineaux & Mary Ellis leave the partnership

Company renamed Molineaux, Webb & Co.

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1851

Death of Thomas Molineaux

Molineaux & Webb display at the Great Exhibition and win a bronze medal

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1857

Thomas Webb, son Thomas George Webb, and business partner David Wilkinson buy further freehold land in Ancoats

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1858-1859

National Glass Strike

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1859

Thomas Webb retires, company handed to Thomas George Webb and David Wilkinson

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1860s

First known company patents applied for

Company stopped using London glass agents and ran its own showroom around the Hatton Garden area

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1864

Mass registration of company designs starts

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1873

Death of Thomas Webb

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1875

Most famous company design registered - black sphinx paperweight

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1879

Death of Boulton Molineaux

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1885

First of several decorative posy troughs registered

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1887

Thomas George Webb retires and hands the company to his son, Duncan Webb

Molineaux & Webb becomes a public listed company

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1901

Death of Thomas George Webb

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1918

Duncan Webb transfers shares to his son Duncan Webb Junior, who becomes chairman

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1927

Receiver appointed as the company struggles with debt

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1928

Last design registered

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1929

Company liquidated

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1936

Death of Duncan Webb

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1947

Death of Duncan Webb Junior

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1977

Pamela Webb, daughter of Duncan Webb Junior, sells company pattern book and family glass pieces at London auction

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2008

Pamela Webb bequeaths further family glass pieces to the Manchester Art Gallery on her death