Hunt, Edmunds & Co. Ltd & Hitchman & Co. Ltd Round Black Backed Steel

Hunt, Edmunds & Co. Ltd & Hitchman & Co Ltd black backed steel tray dating from the early 1930s. The history of Hunt, Edmunds & Co. Ltd dates back to 1807. The business was founded by Thomas Hunt when he purchased the Unicorn pub and its brewhouse in Market Place, Banbury. Thomas bequeathed the business to his son, John Hunt, who was succeeded at the Unicorn in turn, by his son John Hunt. John held three roles in Banbury, as owner of the Unicorn and its brewhouse, from 1832 to 1841, as a maltster in Market Place from 1835 to 1839, and as a maltster and brewer on Bridge Street. John and his brother Thomas traded as T. & J.Hunt both at the Unicorn and at Bridge Street from 1842 to 1847. Thomas Hunt purchased the Unicorn from John Hunt in 1848 and the partnership was dissolved. In 1850 Thomas Hunt went into partnership with William Edmunds. Edmund's son, Charles Fletcher Edmunds became a partner in 1886 when the Company owned two breweries and 64 tied houses. Charles succeeded his father in 1896 and in that year the Company was registered as Hunt, Edmunds & Co. Ltd. By the turn of the century the Bridge Street Brewery had become the Company's main site. In 1918 the Company acquired Dunnell & Sons Old Brewery and its 35 tied houses. The history of Hitchman & Co. Ltd dates back to 1796 when James Hitchman and his brother John founded the business in Chipping Norton. When James died in 1830, he was succeeded by his son William. William established a new brewery and maltings on Albion Street in 1850. When William died in 1881, his son, Alfred took over running of the brewery, and he registered the Company as Hitchman & Co. Ltd in 1890. Trading after registration was good and in 1898 the Company purchased part of the nearby Little Compton Brewery and its 25 public houses. Hitchman's acquired another business in 1917, the Loweswater Brewery of Benjamin Cole Harper. It became a subsidiary of Hitchman & Co. Ltd, trading as Harper's Hitchman Ltd. In 1924, the Borough Brewery of Hitchman & Co. Ltd and its 36 public houses, based in Chipping Norton, was taken over by Hunt Edmunds & Co. Ltd. Both companies continued to operate independently through a holding company, Hunt Edmunds Hitchman Co. Ltd. Brewing ceased at the Loweswater Brewery in 1929 and at Chipping Norton in 1933. The Borough Brewery site was used as a mineral water factory until 1968 and it was demolished in 1970. Hunt, Edmunds Bridge Street site continued to operate as the Company's sole brewery. By 1951, Hunt Edmunds & Co. Ltd supplied its beers to seven different counties. Folllowing almost three decades of steady trading and sound finances, the business became a target for a takeover. The Company, and its 187 public houses, was acquired by Bass, Mitchells & Butlers Ltd in 1965 and brewing ceased in 1967. The Bridge Street Brewery and its landmark chimney were demolished in 1974. The featured tray has both brewery names advertised and therefore dates between 1924-1933.