William Black & Co. Round Brass

William Black & Co. brass tray dating from the 1890s. The business was founded in Aberdeen in 1803 by William Black. William converted an old paper mill to create the Devanha Brewery. The firm traded as William Black & Co. The Company was famous throughout Britain for its Devanha Porter. In the 1850s the firm registered its XX trademark which is feature on this tray. In 1910 the business was registered as the Devanha Brewery Co Ltd. The Company was acquired by Thomas Usher & Son Ltd of Edinburgh in 1930 and brewing ceased. Vaux & Associated Breweries Ltd took over Thomas Usher & Son Ltd in 1959 and inherited the Devanha Brewery Co. Ltd name. Vaux's changed the name to Norseman Lager Co. Ltd and used it to launch the product in Scotland in 1974. When Allied Breweries Ltd closed Thomas Usher's Park Brewery in Edinburgh in 1980 all links to the Devanha Brewery were lost. The manufacturer's mark states - W.M.Brownlie Bridgeton Glasgow