Exhibitor : David Figg
Match hardware from Bell & Black, London is probably only second in terms of variety behind Bryant & May. They come in all shapes and sizes from the very tiny to the quite large.
Samuel Alexander Bell, one of the pioneers of the English match industry, established himself in 1839 however he did not appear in the London Directory until the 1848 issue when the business was styled Samuel Alexander Bell & Company and was trading at 15 Bow Lane, Cheapside, London and also at Stratford.
During the following year, Bell took John Black into partnership with him under the name of Bell & Black. This association of names was to last until 1885, however Black, still a partner in 1859, had left by 1861 when Bell was the sole partner. The works were situated on the south side of High Street Stratford, near Bow Bridge.
In 1852 they employed 300 hands, half of them inside the factory, the others being “out workers” who collected materials from the factory and took them home, returning the finished articles when ready, on a piece-work basis, a custom of the time.
In 1868, letters patent were granted to Samuel Alexander Bell. Sometime between 1868 and 1876, Bell also leaves the business as in this latter year, a joint stock company Bell & Black Limited (No. 10582) was floated to take over the business. The managing Director was William Bridges Adams, an engineer well known in connection with local enterprises.
Difficult times were approaching. Nearly fifty years earlier the chemists had abandoned the hazardous manufacture of matches in favour of the new factories from which they were able to buy matches cheaper than they themselves could make them. Now it was the factories who were facing a crisis. A factory equipped with the latest machinery could increase its output and reduce costs. Fewer factories would be needed, though new capital would have to be sunk into those still operating.
Such conditions demanded a pooling of interests by those wishing to survive, the scrapping of buildings not suitable for conversion to the new order and the unstinted use of new capital in purchasing the best machinery the market could provide.
In 1881, the businesses of John Hynam and The London Match Company were absorbed as a preliminary to a major grouping carried out in the same year by the merging of four large concerns.
- Dixson Son & Evans of Manchester
- John Jex Long of Glasgow
- Bell & Black Limited of London, and
- John Bellerby & Son Ltd of York.
The new company created for this purpose was called The Bell & Black Match Company Limited (No. 15588). The registered office was at High Street, Stratford until 1882, when it was removed to 147 Cannon Street, London.
In 1884 the Stratford Works was still in use, as also were addresses at 79 High Street, Stratford and Marshgate Lane, Stratford. In March 1885, the registered office was moved to 101 Leadenhall Street, London. A month later the company was absorbed by Bryant & May Limited.
Click on an image below to enlarge it and see the Bell and Black item.
Very early Samuel Alexander Bell pillbox from mid 1840s, 42 x 33 mm
Two late 1850s tins, one for Patent Wax Vestas and one for Patent Gas Congreves
Registered February 24th 1858, 48 x 27 x 43 mm & 48 x 27 x 51 mm
Side view of the two 1850s tins shown to left
Two early small tins from the 1880s with sliding lids, one done for the 1880 Melbourne International Exhibition, 32 x 43 x 12 mm
Number 4 size tins with variations i.e. with and without S on Black, full address vs London, one has “go to bed”, one with Registered Dec 1871 and bottom two show “150 Vestas” on front edge, 72 x 40 x 22 mm, 73 x 36 x 22 mm, 72 x 37 x 22 mm, 63 x 39 x 15 mm, 70 x 35 x 18 mm & 69 x 37 x 22 mm
Number 7 size tins (Contents 500) with variations to address plus with and without number, 95 x 38 x 32 mm, 95 x 37 x 32 mm & 93 x 40 x 32 mm
Two unusual Size 8 tins, with and without number. Contents thought to be 750, 92 x 43 x 33 mm & 95 x 45 x 32 mm
Two Size 10 tins (Contents 1,000), 130 x 40 x 40 mm, 127 x 38 x 38 mm
Another uncommon Size 11 tin (128 x 45 x 41 mm) plus a Size 31 tin (160 x 45 x 20 mm). The latter tin is dated to 1881 or after as the design includes the four shielded logos of the companies that merged in that year
Another unusual Size 12 tin (128 x 52 x 41 mm) plus a Size 20 tin (106 x 56 x 47 mm)
Small brass cylinder (20 x 41 mm), simple waistcoat size box (58 x 40 x 16 mm) and a presumed Number 6 size box (72 x 44 x 25 mm)
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