Bowyers of Trowbridge, Wiltshire, manufacturer of meat products including sausages
In 1805, Abraham Bowyer set up a grocers shop in Trowbridge. He became well known for his meat products, and particularly his sausages. As his business developed, Bowyer began to specialise in meat products.
1891 Bowyer, Philpott and Sawyer trading as Bowyer, Philpott and Co. Share issue. Directors to include E. Bowyer, J. R. Philpott and John Sawyer.[1]
1897 Bowyer, Philpott and Co, Ltd., Innox Mills, Trowbridge. Pure Barley Mill.[2]
1891 Acquired the business of Paynes, another Trowbridge bacon firm, owned by Arthur Hiscock.[3]
1899 Acquired the business of F. M. Garlic which was established by his father Zebedee Garlick.[4]
1915 Bowyer, Philpott and Payne, Bacon Factory at Trowbridge.[5]
1924 Trading formerly as Bowyer, Philpott and Payne changed to Bowyer's (Wiltshire Bacon) Ltd.[6] Raymond J. Harris is Managing Director.[7]
1927 Owned by John Mitchell Harris and his son Raymond Harris of Calne.[8]
1932 'R. J. Harris, Managing Director of Messrs. Bowyers (Wiltshire Bacon) Ltd, well-known bacon curers, of Trowbridge'[9]
1934 AGM. Raymond J. Harris is Chairman. H. J. Spackman is Director. Difficult trading.[10]
1936 Open 'handsome new shop' in Market Street, Trowbridge.[11]
1946 H. J. Spackman is Managing Director (death of his son noted).[12]
1958 Celebrate 150 years.[13]
1964 Bowyers (Wiltshire Bacon) Company agreed to acquire interest in Spanish packing concern with factory at Barcelona.[14]
1985 Acquired by Northern Foods[15]
1990 Merged with Palethorpes of Market Drayton and Pork Farms of Nottingham into new company Pork Farms Bowyers.
In 2001, the Bowyers and Palethorpes pork sausage business and brands were sold to Kerry Group, to allow the company to concentrate on baked meat products.
The company was bought by Vision Capital in 2007, as part of a £160 million divestment by Northern Foods. With European Union laws focusing on the statutory need to produce Melton Mowbray Pork Pies within a defined distance of Melton Mowbray, the company chose to close the Bowyers plant with the loss of 400 jobs, and invest £12 million into the Nottingham plant to increase Melton Mowbray Pork Pie production. Some workers were subsequently offered jobs in the Pork Farms plant at Shaftesbury.
The residual site at Innox Mill was proposed to be sold to Wiltshire College to develop a new campus, with retention of the Grade 2 listed mill, and demolition of the 1950s industrial development. But these plans were dropped in December 2009, leaving the site with an uncertain future.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette - Thursday 26 November 1891
- ↑ Trowbridge Chronicle - Saturday 27 March 1897
- ↑ Wells Journal - Thursday 23 September 1993
- ↑ Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser - Saturday 07 January 1899
- ↑ The London Gazette Publication date:12 November 1915 Issue:29364 Page:11220
- ↑ Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser - Saturday 29 November 1924
- ↑ Western Daily Press - Monday 22 December 1924
- ↑ Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser - Saturday 15 October 1927
- ↑ Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser - Saturday 16 July 1932
- ↑ Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser - Saturday 29 December 1934
- ↑ Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser - Saturday 11 July 1936
- ↑ Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser - Saturday 28 September 1946
- ↑ Bristol Evening Post - Tuesday 08 July 1958
- ↑ Liverpool Daily Post (Welsh Edition) - Tuesday 17 March 1964
- ↑ The Times, Jun 15, 1985