Hi All,
I added the attached badge to my collection at the weekend marked JR Gaunt London Late Jennens and it makes me wander if Gaunt started taking over areas of Jennens production as early as pre 1921. The Loyal North Regiment title changed to Loyal Regiment in 1921.
Jennens last posted a dividend in 1917 of 20% and during the period 1919-21 had losses of over £18000. It could of been possible they sold off parts of their business to keep the company afloat before their liquidation in 1925. I would be interested to know people's thoughts on this and if they have a similar badge with the same markings to a Regt that went through a title change around this period.
Paul
Quote:
Originally Posted by 'Ticker' Riley
Hi Keith
I haven’t been looking at Jennens myself, but fellow Forum member and researcher btns recently kindly pointed me to an interesting note that appeared in the December 2008 edition of Button Lines about this very subject. The short piece is by Peter B. Boyden, and he quotes from a Board of Trade file at the United Kingdom’s National Archives (ref. BT 31/20678/122097). The basics are that Jennens & Co. Ltd came to an end in 1925 with the compulsory liquidation of the Firm, upon a petition made by Firmin & Sons, one of their creditors. According to Mr Boyden’s research Jennens was purchased by J. R. Gaunt & Son for £4,500, with the final balance of this sum being paid to the Receiver on 8 July 1925. No mentioned here of any kind of amalgamation three years earlier, so it would appear pretty conclusive Gaunts did buy Jennens, and that it was in 1925 that they ceased to be an independent company – all interesting stuff!
Best regards
Martin
P.S. Just checked the entry for Jennens in The Directory of Gold & Silversmiths, Jewellers & Allied Traders 1838-1914: From the London Assay Office Registers, Volume I, and it says that it was Jennens who by 1917 had moved “to 2 New Burlington Place, W1”; so Gaunt must have taken over this premises with the buyout in 1925. I’d be interested to see what’s there now, if you do take happen to take a photo sometime.
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