AGE - Agricultural and General Engineers

Agricultural and General Engineers was a combine of British engineering companies formed in 1919.

1919 Prospectus. Capital is 3 million pounds. Lists the associating companies as:

• Aveling and Porter
• E. H. Bentall and Co
• Blackstone and Co
• Richard Garrett and Sons
• James and Frederick Howard

Directors:

• Archibald White Maconochie
• Thomas Bilbe Robinson
• Thomas Lake Aveling
• Edmund Ernest Bentall
• George Mills Blackstone
• Frank Garrett
• Geoffrey Howard

1920 March. G. D. Perks joins the board and becomes Deputy Chairman in October 1921

1920 May. Extraordinary General Meeting. Announced that the following companies had joined them: Later states that nine companies joined in this year

• E. R. and F. Turner
• Charles Burrell and Sons
• L. R. Knapp and Co
• Clarkes Crank and Forge Co

1920 October. Annual General Meeting. George D. Perks was re-elected as a director. Mention of the following additional companies:

• Barford and Perkins

1923 July. J. E. S Perkins succeeeds J. G. Barford as a director

1923 October. 4th Ordinary General Meeting. G. E. Rowland is Chairman. He was appointed to this position the previous month. Stated that the original five companies had another nine added now to the company making 14. Loss over four years is £252,125 and assets have reduced by £437,578.

1924 April. Extraordinary General Meeting. Mention of Stanley Brotherhood as founder shareholder.

1925 October. A. Leggett joins the board

1925 ? Carlisle joins the board

1925 6th Ordinary General Meeting. Mention of the following companies as part of the fourteen:

• Davey, Paxman and Co
• Bull Motors

1928 Display advertisement in The Times shows 13 companies only:

• Aveling and Porter
• Barford and Perkins
• E. H. Bentall and Co
• Blackstone and Co
• Peter Brotherhood
• Bull Motors
• Charles Burrell and Sons
• Clarkes Crank and Forge Co
• Davey, Paxman and Co
• Richard Garrett and Sons
• James and Frederick Howard
• L. R. Knapp and Co
• E. R. and F. Turner

1928. 9th Ordinary General Meeting. Mentions 14 copmpanies. Total of 10,000 persons employed.

1931 Call for an independant inquirey into the running of the company by three directors of the board and seven of the associated companies opwning more than 1,000,000 shares in the company. These were:

• G. M. Blackstone
• T. Aveling
• E. E. Bentall
• E. J. Barford
• W. G. Barford
• E. E. Blackstone
• H. V. Blackstone
• L. Turner
• James Howard
• C. E. Bentall

• AGE Electrical Co

• Peter Brotherhood

• Burrell's Hiring Co

• The company was not successful in commercial terms but it did develop two of the most advanced diesel tractors in the world.
  • A four-cylinder Blackstone engine powered one of the tractors with an output of 37.7 HP with a petrol engine provided for starting the diesel.
  • The other tractor was powered by a four-cylinder diesel engine produced by Aveling and Porter with an output of up to 42.4 HP. This engine was one of the fastest early diesel engines and the starting equipment was an electric motor.
• The company entered receivership in 1932.

• 1932 R. A. Lister and Co and Ruston and Hornsby jointly acquired the road-roller manufacturers Aveling and Porter, and Barford and Perkins from the receivers. A new joint company Aveling-Barford was established by the 2 to hold these interests.

See Also

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Sources of Information

• [1] Wikipedia
• The Engineer of 9th July 1920
• From 1890 to the Present Day Farm Tractors by Michael Williams published in 2005 by Silverdale Books ISBN 978-1-84509-251-1
• The Complete Encylopedia of Tractors by Mirco de Cet published in 2006 by Rebo International ISBN 978-90-366-1893-9