Brutton, Mitchell, Toms Ltd Round Tin

Brutton, Mitchell, Toms Ltd tin tray dating from the 1950s.

Joseph Brutton & Sons Ltd Old Brewery based on Princes Street in Yeovil, and Mitchell, Toms & Co. Ltd Chard Brewery based on the High Street in Chard, were two separate companies with two separate historys.

The Brutton Connection

Thomas Cave established a brewery in Clarence Street, near Princes Street in Yeovil, in 1824.
Evidence suggests that there may have been a brewery on the same site as early as 1771.
The Company began trading as Kitson & Cave.
By 1830 Thomas Cave was a sole trader, listed as a 'Brewer & Malster', also owning a separate Wine & Spirits business.
Joseph Brutton was a brewer by 1851.
In 1854 he entered into business with Thomas Cave, with their firm trading as Cave & Brutton.
Thomas died in 1863, leaving Joseph as the sole owner trading simply as Joseph Brutton.
In addition to his brewery, Joseph's new malthouse, built in 1885, was the one of the first pneumatic examples in the country.
Listed as a 'Brewer and Wine & Spirits Merchant' in 1891, Joseph Brutton retired in 1893.
The Company became Joseph Brutton & Sons Ltd, after Joseph's death in 1913.
His sons carried on running the business, making swift and significant improvements to the brewery on Princes Sreet.

The Mitchell & Toms Connection

The Chard Brewery on the other hand, was owned by the Leman family and was trading under their name by the 1760s.
The business, with its Chard Brewery, was purchased by Sumner and Tucker Toms in 1825 and traded as Sumner & Toms.
Sumner died in 1889, and the Company became Toms & Co. Ltd, when it was registered in 1890.
The Company was re-registered in 1891 as Mitchell, Toms & Co. Ltd, to acquire Toms & Co. Ltd and F.Mitchell & Co. wine and spirit merchants.
In 1935 Mitchell, Toms & Co. Ltd made an arrangement with Joseph Brutton & Co. Ltd to brew all its beers at the Old Brewery in Yeovil, and brewing ceased at Tom's original Chard Brewery in 1936.

Brutton, Mitchell, Toms Ltd Formed

Mitchell, Toms & Co. Ltd acquired the business of Joseph Brutton & Sons Ltd in 1937, and the name of the new Company became Brutton, Mitchell, Toms Ltd.
The Chard Brewery site remained in use until the 1960s as a bottling plant, storage facility, and for cider production. The Chard Cider Mill produced 'Autumn Gold', the trade mark of which had been registered in 1931.
The Company purchased, and closed, the brewery of the Dorsetshire Brewery (Sherbourne) Ltd in 1951, mainly to add 78 public houses and 3 off-licenses to its estate, ensuring a wider distribution of its beers.

The Charrington & Co. Ltd Takeover

In 1960 Brutton, Mitchell, Toms Ltd was taken over by Charrington & Co. Ltd, changing its name to Charrington & Co. (South West) Ltd in 1963. Charrington's sold the 'Autumn Gold' cider brand to the Taunton Cider Co. Ltd soon after the takeover.
Charrington & Co. Ltd merged with United Breweries Ltd in 1964 to form Charrington United Breweries Ltd, and the Old Brewery in Yeovil ceased brewing shortly afterwards in 1965.
The site was redeveloped for housing in 2004.

The manufacturer's mark states - Reginald Corfield Ltd Lombard Road. London. S.W.19.