Goddards
Makers of Goddard's Silver Polish.
1813 Joseph Goddard was born in Market Harborough, Leicestershire.
1830s He always held a deep appreciation for beautiful silver and, as a chemist and county analyst in Leicester, J. Goddard was frequently called upon to assay fine silver owned by England's wealthy families.
Joseph Goddard's career altered when, after the discovery of electroplating, silver-plate became affordable to the average English home. The initial excitement of those who bought new silverware, however, soon turned to disappointment because the commonly used mercurial silver polish ate away the thin-layered silverplate.
Joseph Goddard was sure that there must be a way to clean tarnished silverware without spoiling the finish. In 1839, and after many attempts, he finally perfected a silver polish that would safely remove tarnish from even the thinnest plated silver. Goddard's Non-Mercurial Plate Powder was introduced and the fame of Plate Powder quickly spread. Goddard's powder became so much in demand that it was soon marketed through other retailers.
1877 Joseph Goddard died, and his son, also called Joseph, joined the business, followed, in turn, by his son and grand son. All of them expanded the business to produce a range of other polishes.
1885 Goddard's products won six gold medals for excellence at the American Exposition.
See also R. S. Goddard for competing Goddard polish
See Also
Sources of Information
- [1] Goddard's company website
- Trademarked. A History of Well-Known Brands - from Aertex to Wright's Coal Tar by David Newton. Pub: Sutton Publishing 2008 ISBN 978-0-7509-4590-5