Grout and Baylis

of Ponders End

1807 Opened in Norwich

1809 Grout and Baylis' crape factory was built in South Street. This closed in 1894 and the factory was later taken over by the United Flexible Metal Tubing Co.

1812 Partnership change. '... the Partnership trade or concern of Crape-Manufacturers, carried on at Norwich, Ponder's End, and London, by us whose names are hereunder-written, under the firm of Grout, Baylis, and Co. was this day dissolved by mutual consent, so far as Thomas Taplin...'

1833 Partnership change. '...the Partnership between the undersigned, Joseph Grout, George Grout, John Baylis, John Brown, James Baylis, and George Ringer, of Gutter-Lane, in the City of London, Crape-Manufacturers, was dissolved on the 5th day of July last, so far as regards the said George Grout, who then retired ; and that the business is continued by the said Joseph Grout, John Baylis, John Brown, James Baylis, and George Ringer, and the undersigned William Martin...'

1837 Partnership change. '... the undersigned, Joseph Grout, John Baylis, John Brown, James Baylis, George Ringer, and William Martin, of London, Norwich, Yarmouth, Bungay, Bocking, and Ponders-end, Crape Manufacturers, has been dissolved....'

1839 'a vast silk crape manufactory....carried on by Grout and Baylis'

'1809 A factory was built here for dyeing and finishing crape before dispatch to London. It had deep wells in the chalk for clean water and a stream carried away the dye – Hence Black Dyke Works. There was an increase in the demand for black crape, worn as part deep mourning. Silk was taken from London to East Anglia where it was woven into cloth, and then taken to Ponders End where it was crimped, dyed and given a waterproof finish. After crimping, the cloth was steeped in a liquor made from valonia to set the embossed figure. The cloth was then dyed, using logwood. In the late 1880s the market in crape began to slump with a less rigid attitude towards mourning.'

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