Morland & Co. Ltd Round Tin

Morland & Co. Ltd tin tray dating from the late 1970s.

Morland's West Ilsley Brewery

The brewery was founded by maltster Benjamin Morland at West Ilsley in 1711.
By 1886 the brewery was run by Edward Morland.

Morland's Eagle Brewery in Abingdon

In 1861 the Eagle Brewery of William Belcher on Ock Street in Abingdon, then in Berkshire, was purchased by George Bowes Morland who passed it on to his son, Edward Morland.

Morland's Abbey Brewery in Abingdon

In the mid-nineteenth century John Francis Spenlove, a brewer from Hoddesdon in Hertfordshire, married Suzanna Morland, daughter of William Morland, who was then running the West Ilsley Brewery.
Suzanna was a wealthy lady, and with her money, John was able to purchase the Abbey Brewery in Abingdon from Edward Child.
John invested in the Abbey Brewery and made major improvements within a few years.
John's wife and son predeceased him, leaving their daughter, Mary, as the sole heir to the business.
The firm was held in trust for her by John Spenlove's business partner, John Moses Carter, and her cousin, solicitor George Bowes Morland.
The day-to-day running of the Abbey Brewery was in the hands of its brewery manager, William Anderson.
When Mary died in 1866 the brewery was purchased by George Bowes Morland who then leased it to his son Edward Morland.

United Breweries Ltd

By 1886 Edward Morland was running three breweries, two in Abingdon, and Morland's original brewery in West Ilsley.
In 1887 the three breweries were registered as United Breweries Ltd and its trade mark featured the initials of each of the three breweries at the end of individual barrels shaped in a pyramid.
In 1887 the original brewery in West Ilsley closed and Abingdon became the centre of the Company's brewing operations.
When the lease ran out for the Abbey Brewery in 1895 all brewing was transferred to the Eagle Brewery in Ock Street.
In 1889 Henry Morland, George Bowes Morland's other son, purchased the Stert Steet Brewery at the end of Ock Street. In the same year the Shillingford brewery of Field & Sons was also acquired.
With brewing consolidated in Ock Street, a new brewhouse with increased capacity became essential. This was built in 1912.
In addition to the new brewhouse, developments included a new malt extract plant, new maltings, and a soft drinks factory.
Five breweries were purchased by the Company during the 1920s enabling it to double the number of tied houses and considerably widen its distribution network.
It acquired the Wantage Brewery Co. in 1920, Hewett & Co. Ltd of Waltham in 1925, Dymore Brown & Sons Ltd Royal Albert Brewery of Reading in 1927, where bottling continued until 1961,and Fergusons Ltd Angel Brewery in 1928. When it bought Fergusons it inherited its wine & spirits business which continued to trade.
In 1928 Belcher & Habgood sold the Tower Steam Brewery in Ock Street, to the Morland's, which now owned four breweries in Abingdon.

Morland & Co Ltd

In 1944 United Breweries Ltd became Morland & Co. Ltd and at the same time a new trade mark was introduced featuring the artist, George Morland, with a red frock holding a palette and a glass of beer.
In 1956 Morland's allowed Whitbread & Co. Ltd to acquire a minority shareholding in the business which, at the time, suited both companies.
By 1967 Morland's owned 235 public houses and 17 off-licences.
Morland & Co. plc continued to expand during the next forty years, purchasing hundreds of public houses.
The bottled anniversary brew 'Old Speckled Hen' was introduced in 1979 and became available on draught in 1990. It was a resounding marketing success.
A new keg racking plant was completed in 1986.
In 1991 and 1992 the Company acquired 101 public houses from the Courage group and 72 from the Inntrepreneur pub company.
The success of Old Speckled Hen resulted in the completion of a new brewhouse to cope with demand in 1995.
Morland & Co. plc purchased Ruddles Brewery Ltd in Langham, Rutland, in 1997.

Greene King & Sons Ltd Acquisition

In 1999 Greene King & Sons Ltd , which by that time had purchased a considerable amount of Whitbread's shares, made a second successful bid, to secure Morland & Co. plc.
The takeover included 251 public houses and Morland's Old Speckled Hen, which had become extremely popular both at home and in the export market.
In that year the Eagle Brewery in Abingdon was closed, its Old Speckled Hen and Ruddles beers were transferred to Bury St. Edumunds, and the site was demolished and sold to developer Berkeley Homes.
The site was converted into residential properties.