Salt's Brewery
Encyclopedia
Thomas 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 Merrybower, near Derby. When Clay died in 1800, his son Joseph took over and also acquired the Leeson brewery. When he opened one of the first banks in Burton, Joseph junior then delegated the management of his brewery to his maltster
, Thomas Salt, to whom he sold out just before the Napoleonic Blockade of Russia and the Baltic
, which led to a dramatic decline in beer exports. Burton brewers had exported large quantities of beer to the Baltic, importing in exchange timber and iron to make the barrels.
Salt later worked Clay's brewery as part of his own brewery at 119 High Street.
After Thomas Salt's death in 1813, his brewery was managed chiefly by his son Thomas Fosbrooke Salt, under the name Salt and Co. In 1853 Henry Wardle
joined Salt in the business and in due course Salt’s sons Edmund and William also became directors. Henry George Tomlinson, who had joined the company as its chemist also joined the board. When pale ale came into prominence, and Salts with other Burton firms saw the need to cater for the public’s changed tastes, Salt’s IPA
became particularly well-known. The company’s workforce grew from 194 in 1861 to 400 in 1888 making it one of the major breweries in Burton behind Bass
, Worthington
, and Samuel Allsopp & Sons
.
After Wardle died in 1892, the company became a public limited company. A process of expansion in the 1890s saw the company take over John Bell and the Anchor Brewery. By the end of the century the company had tied house
s as far away as Cheltenham
and Gloucester
. In the difficult trading conditions in the first decade of the 20th century, Salts tried to effect a merger with Allsopps and the Burton Brewery Company
. This was opposed by some of the debenture holders, and the company went into receivership in 1907. The company was restructured financially by depriving the Directors of almost all the value of their holdings, but survived until 1927, when it was taken over by Bass.
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
that operated in Burton upon Trent
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"....
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 Merrybower, near Derby. When Clay died in 1800, his son Joseph took over and also acquired the Leeson brewery. When he opened one of the first banks in Burton, Joseph junior then delegated the management of his brewery to his maltster
Malt
Malt is germinated cereal grains that have been dried in a process known as "malting". The grains are made to germinate by soaking in water, and are then halted from germinating further by drying with hot air...
, Thomas Salt, to whom he sold out just before the Napoleonic Blockade of Russia and the Baltic
Continental System
The Continental System or Continental Blockade was the foreign policy of Napoleon I of France in his struggle against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland during the Napoleonic Wars. It was a large-scale embargo against British trade, which began on November 21, 1806...
, which led to a dramatic decline in beer exports. Burton brewers had exported large quantities of beer to the Baltic, importing in exchange timber and iron to make the barrels.
Salt later worked Clay's brewery as part of his own brewery at 119 High Street.
After Thomas Salt's death in 1813, his brewery was managed chiefly by his son Thomas Fosbrooke Salt, under the name Salt and Co. In 1853 Henry Wardle
Henry 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...
joined Salt in the business and in due course Salt’s sons Edmund and William also became directors. Henry George Tomlinson, who had joined the company as its chemist also joined the board. When pale ale came into prominence, and Salts with other Burton firms saw the need to cater for the public’s changed tastes, Salt’s IPA
India Pale Ale
India Pale Ale or IPA is a style of beer within the broader category of pale ale. It was first brewed in England in the 19th century.The first known use of the expression "India pale ale" comes from an advertisement in the Liverpool Mercury newspaper published January 30, 1835...
became particularly well-known. The company’s workforce grew from 194 in 1861 to 400 in 1888 making it one of the major breweries in Burton behind Bass
Bass (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...
, Worthington
Worthington 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...
, and Samuel Allsopp & Sons
Samuel Allsopp & Sons
Samuel 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...
.
After Wardle died in 1892, the company became a public limited company. A process of expansion in the 1890s saw the company take over John Bell and the Anchor Brewery. By the end of the century the company had tied house
Tied house
In the UK a tied house is a public house that is required to buy at least some of its beer from a particular brewery. This is in contrast to a free house, which is able to choose the beers it stocks freely.- Definition of "tied" :...
s as far away as Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
and Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
. In the difficult trading conditions in the first decade of the 20th century, Salts tried to effect a merger with Allsopps and the Burton Brewery Company
Burton Brewery Company
The 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...
. This was opposed by some of the debenture holders, and the company went into receivership in 1907. The company was restructured financially by depriving the Directors of almost all the value of their holdings, but survived until 1927, when it was taken over by Bass.