Howards and Sons was a pharmaceutical business established in 1797 by Quaker chemists William Allen and Luke Howard under the name 'Allen & Howard'. The business consisted of a dispensing pharmacy in Plough Court managed by Allen and a laboratory in Plaistow, Essex managed by Howard. Allen and Howard amicably dissolved their business in 1805 with each keeping their respective sections.[1][2][3]
As Howard's chemical manufacturing business grew, new premises were needed and he shifted the laboratory to City Mills, Stratford where it flourished over the 19th century becoming Howards and Sons in 1858.[1] It was under this title that it became a well-known supplier of quinine and aspirin.
Notable partners include John Eliot Howard, son of Luke Howard, who became a specialist in cinchona bark identification and quinine-related research, and Joseph Jewell (1763–1846).[4][3]
Manufacture of chemicals ceased in 1975.[1]
The business-related archives are located at the London Metropolitan Archives, Redbridge Heritage Centre and John Eliot Howard's cinchona archives at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Table showing selected iterations of Howards and Sons 1797-19 edit
| Years[1] | Name | Partners | Location & notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1797–1806 | Allen & Howard | William Allen, Luke Howard | Plaistow, Essex |
| 1805–1806 | L. Howard & Co. | Luke Howard | City Mills, Stratford from 1806 |
| 1807–1823 | Howard, Jewell & Gibson | Luke Howard, Joseph Jewell & John Gibson | |
| 1824–1830 | Howard, Jewell, Gibson & Howard | Luke Howard, Joseph Jewell, John Gibson & Robert Howard | Luke Howard and Joseph Jewell retired on 31 December 1830 |
| 1832–1837 or 1841 | Howard, Gibson & Co. | John Gibson, Robert Howard, John Eliot Howard, Robert Gibson & John Kent | |
| 1841–1858 | Howards & Kent | ||
| 1858–1903 | Howards & Sons | Robert died in 1871, after which John Eliot became a sleeping partner. David and Dillworth Howard took on management. | 1875, parts of factory destroyed by fire; 1898 Moved to Ilford |
| 1903 onwards | Howards & Sons Ltd | Wider members of the Howards family | 1914 City Mills lease dissolved.
Up until 1949, Howards and Sons existed with many subsidiaries not detailed here. |
| 1961 | Howards of Ilford | Laporte Industries Ltd takeover | |
| 1975 | Bilstar Ltd | Renamed and chemical manufacture ceases. |
References edit
- ^ a b c d Richmond, Lesley, ed. (2003). The pharmaceutical industry: a guide to historical records. Studies in British business archives. Aldershot: Ashgate. ISBN 978-0-7546-3352-5.
- ^ Hudson, Briony; Boylan, Maureen (2013). The School of Pharmacy, University of London: Medicines, Science and Society, 1842-2012. Amsterdam, Boston, Heidelberg u.a: Elsevier. ISBN 978-0-12-407665-5.
- ^ a b Slater, A. W (1855). Howards chemical manufacturers 1797-1837 (MSc. Econ thesis). University of London.
- ^ Walker, Kim; García Guillén, Esther; Allasi Canales, Nataly; Medina, Leopoldo; Driver, Felix; Rønsted, Nina; Nesbitt, Mark (2022-09-02). "Reconnecting the Cinchona (Rubiaceae) collections of the "Real Expedición Botánica al Virreinato del Perú" (1777-1816)". Anales del Jardín Botánico de Madrid. 79 (1): e119. doi:10.3989/ajbm.2613. hdl:10261/288607. ISSN 1988-3196. S2CID 252060785.