Brewers of Burton
Encyclopedia
Burton upon Trent
had a unique position in the history of brewing, exporting beer throughout the world and accounting for a quarter of UK beer production at one time; emulation of Burton water is a prevalent brewing technique called Burtonisation. The town itself was dominated by the industry throughout the 19th century as much of its area was given over to brewery production. Hence Brewers of Burton dominated the town politically and socially.
, John Yeomans, and Sydney Evershed
, who had served previously as improvement commissioners, were chosen as aldermen at the first council meeting. Other brewers were co-opted and William Henry Worthington, formerly chairman of the improvement commissioners, was chosen as mayor. Brewers were prominent in parliament with Bass
, Ratcliff and Gretton
and Evershed representing Burton
and Gretton and Wardle representing South Derbyshire
. Many brewers were ennobled - for example Allsopp
, Bass, and Gretton, creating a subgroup of the Peerage, nicknamed the Beerage
. Yet an industry that had over 30 participants in 1881 had declined to eight in 1927 and many famous names disappeared from the shelves.
Other brewers existing in 1880 included the following:
A further three brewers are listed in 1898:
son of brewer Michael Bass
. Bass was known as 'the father of Midland cricket' and was a member of the Northern Counties team which played against the M.C.C. at Burton in 1841. In the heyday of brewing in Burton, many brewery companies had their own cricket teams. The Brewery Cup was established in around 1894 by the Burton Breweries Cricket Association. A legacy of the era remains in the two cricket grounds that have been used by Derbyshire County Cricket Club
- the Bass Worthington Ground
and the Ind Coope Ground
. First class cricketers from the brewing families, all of whom except the Allsopps played for Derbyshire, include
Burton upon Trent
Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a town straddling the River Trent in the east of Staffordshire, England. Its associated adjective is "Burtonian"....
had a unique position in the history of brewing, exporting beer throughout the world and accounting for a quarter of UK beer production at one time; emulation of Burton water is a prevalent brewing technique called Burtonisation. The town itself was dominated by the industry throughout the 19th century as much of its area was given over to brewery production. Hence Brewers of Burton dominated the town politically and socially.
Political influence
When the town was incorporated as a borough in 1878, the brewers Henry WardleHenry Wardle
Henry Wardle was a British brewer and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1885 to 1892.Wardle was born at Twyford, Berkshire, the son of Francis Wardle and his wife Elizabeth Billinge. In 1853 at the age of 21 he went into partnership with Thomas Fosbrooke Salt in the Burton...
, John Yeomans, and Sydney Evershed
Sydney Evershed (brewer)
Sydney Evershed , was an English brewer and Liberal Party politician who represented Burton.Evershed's family came from Albury in Surrey. By 1860 he had moved to Burton-on-Trent, and became a Burton brewer...
, who had served previously as improvement commissioners, were chosen as aldermen at the first council meeting. Other brewers were co-opted and William Henry Worthington, formerly chairman of the improvement commissioners, was chosen as mayor. Brewers were prominent in parliament with Bass
Michael Bass, 1st Baron Burton
Michael Arthur Bass, 1st Baron Burton KCVO , known as Sir Michael Bass, 1st Baronet, from 1882 to 1886, was a British brewer, Liberal politician and philanthropist...
, Ratcliff and Gretton
John Gretton, 1st Baron Gretton
John Gretton, 1st Baron Gretton PC CBE , was a British businessman and Conservative politician. Gretton won two gold medals in the 1900 Olympic Games.-Biography:...
and Evershed representing Burton
Burton (UK Parliament constituency)
Burton is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
and Gretton and Wardle representing South Derbyshire
South Derbyshire (UK Parliament constituency)
-Elections in the 2000s:-Elections in the 1990s:"-Elections in the 1980s:-Elections in the 1940s:-References:...
. Many brewers were ennobled - for example Allsopp
Henry Allsopp, 1st Baron Hindlip
Henry Allsopp, 1st Baron Hindlip , was a British businessman and Conservative Member of Parliament ....
, Bass, and Gretton, creating a subgroup of the Peerage, nicknamed the Beerage
Beerage
Beerage is a term mainly used to describe the influence of the brewing industry within the British political system. A portmanteau word combining beer and peerage, it arose through the ennoblement and award of other honours to brewers in the late 19th century, and such individuals were considered...
. Yet an industry that had over 30 participants in 1881 had declined to eight in 1927 and many famous names disappeared from the shelves.
Brewers and brewing companies
Here follows a roughly chronological list of known brewers and brewing companies in Burton: This lists owners rather than breweries because a brewery is a building - some brewers had more than one brewery and brewery buildings sometimes changed hands. In addition to companies started from scratch in the town, there were also pre-existing brewers from outside Burton who moved into the town in the 1870s.- Benjamin Printon 1708 - bought by James Musgrave 1729
- James Musgrave (and sons) 1729 - bought by John Greaves 1803
- Samuel and William Sketchley c1741- bought by Benjamin Wilson 1790
- Benjamin WilsonSamuel Allsopp & SonsSamuel Allsopp & Sons was one of the largest brewery companies operating in Burton upon Trent, England.Allsopp’s origins go back to the 1740s, when Benjamin Wilson, an innkeeper-brewer of Burton, brewed beer for his own premises and sold some to other innkeepers...
1743- bought by nephew Samuel Allsopp 1807 - Joseph ClaySalt's BreweryThomas Salt and Co. was a brewery that operated in Burton upon Trent for 150 years.The brewery was founded in 1774 as Joseph Clay and son by Joseph Clay, described in The "British Directory" of 1791 as one of the famous "nine common brewers of Burton-on-Trent." Joseph Clay came originally from...
c1751- passed to Thomas Salt 1813 - Charles Leeson c1753-1800
- William WorthingtonWorthington Draught bitter-History:The Worthington Brewery was founded in 1761 by William Worthington, although William had brewed his first ale in 1744. WH Worthington pioneered brewing science in 1866 by employing a chemist, Horace Tabberer, who lead the world in separation and cultivation of pure yeast strains. In 1880...
1760- bought by Bass 1927 - Thomas Morecroft
- Thomas Dicken
- William BassBass (beer)The Bass Brewery was founded as a brewery in 1777 by William Bass in Burton upon Trent, England. The main brand was Bass Pale Ale, which was once the highest selling beer in the UK...
1777- bought by Coors 2000 - Henry Evans 1790 - settled on son-in-law William Worthington
- John Walker Wilson -1790
- Hill and Sherratts c1780 –partnership dissolved 1820, bought by Lewis Meakin 1822
- John Greaves 1803- went bankrupt 1815 – run by Mason and Gilbertson by 1830
- Samuel AllsoppSamuel Allsopp & SonsSamuel Allsopp & Sons was one of the largest brewery companies operating in Burton upon Trent, England.Allsopp’s origins go back to the 1740s, when Benjamin Wilson, an innkeeper-brewer of Burton, brewed beer for his own premises and sold some to other innkeepers...
1807- merged with Ind Coope 1913 - Thomas SaltSalt's BreweryThomas Salt and Co. was a brewery that operated in Burton upon Trent for 150 years.The brewery was founded in 1774 as Joseph Clay and son by Joseph Clay, described in The "British Directory" of 1791 as one of the famous "nine common brewers of Burton-on-Trent." Joseph Clay came originally from...
1813- acquired by Bass 1927 - Lewis Meakin 1822- acquired by Charrington 1872
- Charles Hill
- Mason and Gilbertson 1830-
- John Marston 1834- merged with Thompson 1898
- Saunders 1837-
- Burton Brewery CompanyBurton Brewery CompanyThe Burton Brewery Company was one of the largest brewers in Burton upon Trent, England in the 19th century.The company was founded in 1842 by Henry and Thomas Wilders, who came from a family of tanners. They built their brewery on their leather-working premises in Burton High Street. It grew...
1842- bought by Worthington 1915 - Ind Coope 1856 - went into receivership in 1909 and merged with Allsopp in 1913
- Charrington (Head & Co)CharringtonsCharrington United Breweries Ltd was an English brewery company founded in 1738 which merged with Bass in 1967.-History:Robert Westfield, a member of the Brewers' Company from 1738, owned a brewery in Bethnal Green, London, prior to 1757, when he took Joseph Moss into partnership and moved to new...
existing London brewer 1872 - ceased brewing in Burton 1926 - Truman, Hanbury, Buxton & Co existing London brewer 1873-1971
- Mann, Crossman & Paulin existing London brewer 1874 - merged with Watney 1958
- Peter Walker 1876- acquired by Bass 1923
- Sydney Evershed pre 1880- merged with Marston Thompson 1909
- John Thompson pre 1880- merged with Marston 1898
- John Bell & Co. pre 1880- bought by Thomas Salt 1901
- Henry Boddington & Co existing Manchester brewer - bought by Everard 1892
- James EadieJames EadieJames Eadie was a Scottish brewer who founded an eponymous brewery in Burton on Trent which operated for 90 years.Eadie was born at Blackford, Perthshire one of the 14 children of William Eadie and his wife Mary Stewart and was baptised on 12 Jan 1827...
1854 - Bought by Bass 1933 - Thomas Sykes 1881- taken over by Everard 1898
- William EverardEverardsEverards is an independent British regional brewery founded in Leicester in 1849 by William Everard and Thomas Hull.It produces cask ales and owns over 160 tenanted pubs, mainly around the Leicestershire area and has won 'The Publican Pub Company of the Year Award' three times.The company is one...
existing Leicester brewer 1892-1985 - Marston and Thompson 1898- merged with Evershed to form Marston Thompson Evershed 1909
- Marston Thompson Evershed 1909-1999 bought by Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries PLC The Marston's Brewery also produces BassBass (beer)The Bass Brewery was founded as a brewery in 1777 by William Bass in Burton upon Trent, England. The main brand was Bass Pale Ale, which was once the highest selling beer in the UK...
under licence from InBevInBevInBev is a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev. The company existed independently for several years - since the merger between Interbrew and AmBev and until the acquisition of Anheuser-Busch. InBev has operations in over 30 countries and sales in over 130 countries... - Coors Brewers Limited - Bought from InBevInBevInBev is a subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev. The company existed independently for several years - since the merger between Interbrew and AmBev and until the acquisition of Anheuser-Busch. InBev has operations in over 30 countries and sales in over 130 countries...
in 2000. UK arm of Molson Coors Brewing CompanyMolson Coors Brewing CompanyMolson Coors Brewing Company is a company that was created by the merger of two of North America's largest breweries: Molson of Canada, and Coors of the United States, on February 9, 2005...
a brewery from the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - Burton Bridge Brewery, a local company
- Tower Brewery, a new microbrewery
- Cottage Brewery, based in the Old Cottage Inn
Other brewers existing in 1880 included the following:
- Bindley & Co
- Bowler Bros
- Carter Victoria Brewery
- Clayton & Co
- Cliff & Co
- Cooper & Co
- Edwin Dawson & Co
- Richard A. Eddie
- Green & Clarkson.
- Frederick Heap
- Frederick C Hill
- Pegge & Co
- James Porter & Sons
- Robinson & Co
- A.B. Walker & Co.
A further three brewers are listed in 1898:
- Beard Hill & Co
- Burton & Lincoln Brewery
- Trent Brewery Co
Brewers and cricket
As early as 1827, Burton Cricket Club was formed through the influence of Abraham BassAbraham Bass
Abraham Bass was an English cricketer known as 'the father of Midland cricket'. He played first-class cricket for the North in 1840 and 1841 and for Nottinghamshire in 1843....
son of brewer Michael Bass
Michael Thomas Bass, Sr.
Michael Thomas Bass, Sr. was a brewer of Burton on Trent, England, who considerably developed the Bass brewing company.-Biography:...
. Bass was known as 'the father of Midland cricket' and was a member of the Northern Counties team which played against the M.C.C. at Burton in 1841. In the heyday of brewing in Burton, many brewery companies had their own cricket teams. The Brewery Cup was established in around 1894 by the Burton Breweries Cricket Association. A legacy of the era remains in the two cricket grounds that have been used by Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the England and Wales domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Derbyshire...
- the Bass Worthington Ground
Bass Worthington Ground
Bass Worthington Ground is a cricket ground in Burton, England at which Derbyshire CCC played two university matches: v Oxford University in 1975 and v Cambridge University in 1976.The ground hosted 2 first-class matches.Game Information:...
and the Ind Coope Ground
Ind Coope Ground
The Ind Coope Ground is a cricket ground in Burton, England where Derbyshire CCC played between 1938 and 1980. In most years, the ground would host at least one County Championship match...
. First class cricketers from the brewing families, all of whom except the Allsopps played for Derbyshire, include
- Frederic AllsoppFrederic AllsoppThe Hon. Frederic Allsopp was an English first class cricketer who played for Marylebone Cricket Club in 1884....
- Herbert AllsoppHerbert AllsoppThe Hon. Captain Herbert Tongue Allsopp was an English First Class cricketer who played for Cambridge University....
- John EadieJohn Eadie (cricketer)John Thom Clarke Eadie was an English brewer and cricketer who played for Derbyshire in 1882.Eadie was born in Burton-on-Trent Staffordshire, the son of James Eadie and his wife Jean. His father, who was from Scotland, had established the James Eadie brewery company at Burton in 1854...
- William EadieWilliam EadieWilliam Stewart Eadie was an English cricketer who played for Derbyshire between 1885 and 1899.Eadie was born in Burton-on-Trent Staffordshire, the son of James Eadie and his wife Jean. His father, who was from Scotland, had established the James Eadie brewery company at Burton in 1854.Eadie made...
- Edward EvershedEdward EvershedEdward Evershed was an English cricketer who played for Derbyshire between 1888 and 1898.Evershed was born in Stapenhill, now part of Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire , the son of Sydney Evershed the brewer and MP for Burton...
- Frank EvershedFrank EvershedFrank Evershed was an English rugby player who played internationally for England between 1889 and 1893 and a cricketer who played for Derbyshire....
- Sydney EvershedSydney EvershedSir Sydney Herbert Evershed was an English brewer and cricketer who played first-class cricket for Derbyshire from 1880 to 1901 and was a long-serving club captain from 1891 to 1898....
- Wallis EvershedWallis EvershedWallis Evershed was an English cricketer who played for Derbyshire between 1882 and 1884.Evershed was born in Stapenhill, the son of Sydney Evershed the brewer and MP for Burton. He was educated at Clifton College where he was awarded his cap and was captain of the XI in 1882...
- William EvershedWilliam EvershedWilliam Evershed was an English cricketer.Evershed made his first-class debut for pre-county club Hampshire against Petworth in 1845...
- Robert George TomlinsonRobert George TomlinsonRobert George Tomlinson was an English brewer and cricketer who played for Derbyshire between 1891 and 1893 and was later umpire in first class matches in Scotland....
- William TomlinsonWilliam TomlinsonWilliam James Vincent Tomlinson was an English schoolmaster and cricketer who played first-class cricket for Derbyshire and Cambridge University from 1920 to 1924....