The Trustees of the late R.J.Bentley Old Brewery Rotherham Round Black Backed Steel

Bentley's Old Brewery (Rotherham) black backed steel tray dating from 1937.

The Bentley's Buy The Old Brewery

Timothy Bentley, who owned the Lockwood Brewery in Huddersfield, purchased the Old Brewery in Rotherham in 1825.
His son, Robert Bentley, was sent to run the brewery.
He began purchasing public houses in the area, and was joined by his son, Robert John Bentley, in 1843, who ran the business before his father died in 1850.
Timothy Bentley Junior joined Robert John Bentley after Robert's death and the Company continued to purchase tied houses for its estate.
In 1875 Robert John Bentley was pronounced 'a person of unsound mind' and was committed to a London mental asylum. Robert John Bentley died in 1890 resulting in the appointment of a board of trustees to administer Robert Bentley & Co.

Run by Trustees

No Bentley was appointed a trustee.
The appointments favoured a continuation of the firm's strategy of acquiring an increasing estate of public houses..
The gentleman in old style clothes became the Company's trade mark in 1930.
The 1937 tray featured, confirms that the business traded as 'The Trustees of the late R.J.Bentley, which it did until 1949 when the Company was registered as Bentley's Old Brewery (Rotherham) Ltd.
Little was invested into the business which stagnated, with no purpose, and no management.
When several trust beneficiaries died and estate duties needed to be paid, the only solution was to sell the business.
The Old Brewery, with 56 public houses, was sold by the remaining beneficiaries to Hammond's United Breweries Ltd in 1956, and brewing ceased.

The manufacturer's mark states - "Hancor", Mitcham. Made in England
The tray featured was one of many produced for breweries all over Britain to commemorate the Coronation of King George VI in 1937.