This is the true tale of Septimus Henry Ward & George Wright and their shared trials and tribulation in their efforts to run the Sheaf Island Brewery in Sheffield , a family owned Brewery for most of its existence along with a little help from their friends and family
The Early Days 1830-1896
In the 1840s a Young man named George Wright, an employee of Doubler And Gentel, Lincolnshire Corn Merchants, of 58 Newland Street Lincoln, whose wife, Emma, was one of the partners, William Gentil sister, went to Sheffield to collect a debt for his employer from Mr John Kirby, a local Sheffield Brewer, who had been in partnership with a John Roper, but had taken full ownership on the 7th of September 1842. At the time John Kirby’s business, (original consisting of two dwelling houses and a malt-kiln, a brew-house, with stabling in Effingham Street, Sheffield) was not going well, but on the other hand one man’s bad lucky is another man’s good fortune. The Lincoln Corn merchant, after receiving George’s report decided the only way to get the money owed to them by the “Sheaf Island Brewery” of Effingham Street was to put into their own manager and get it back on its feet making a profit rather than putting a perfectly good business in to bankruptcy . George was given the job, and his family have been involved with that brewery until its demise in 1990s. The debt was eventually settled and his experience at Kirby’s had convinced him that Brewing was a good occupation to have, and Sheffield was the place he and his family would settle in. He managed to negotiate a partnership with Kirby and in 1861 the new firm became Kirby, Wright & Co. They did their own malting on the premises having an established small malting house on site the barley still coming from Lincolnshire.
Of course it’s alright brewing the beer with the aim of turning out a good quality stable product, but they also had to sell it. At that time many licenced premises were privately owned. The Beer-house act of 1830 enabled anyone to brew and sell beer and ale whether from a public house or their own homes, upon obtaining a moderately priced license of just under £5 for beer. The quality could be variable so it was important to get things right to beat the competition.
Sometime around 1868 Septimus Henry Ward became a partner in Kirby, Wright & Co who having achieved the reputation of a good business, which was becoming unstuck after George Wright was persuaded by a relative to become a guarantor for cargos on the high seas, which was a highly profitable venture as long as nothing went wrong. However one of the cargoes was lost and the bank foreclosed on the loan and things began to look very bleak for George and Septimus at the Brewery.
The London Gazette tell us that on the 5th day of July 1869 notice is hereby given, that the Partnership heretofore subsisting between George Wright and Septimus Henry Ward, of the Sheaf Island Brewery, Sheffield, Brewers, carrying on business under the style of Kirby, Wright and Co., was this day dissolved by mutual consent. The business will in future be carried on by the said Septimus Henry Ward and the assets of the partnership will belong to and all partnership debts due to or from the same shall be received and paid by the said Septimus Henry Ward. Then a month later another relevant notice appeared in the Gazette on the 21st August, 1869 stating a notice was hereby given, that the following is a copy of an entry made in the book kept by the Chief Registrar of the Court of Bankruptcy for the Registration of Trust Deeds : Names and descriptions of the Debtors, as in the Deed George Wright and Septimus Henry Ward, both of the Sheaf Island Brewery, Sheffield, in the County of York, Brewers, lately carrying on business in partnership under the style or firm of Kirby, Wright, & Co. A short statement of the nature of the Deed whereby the debtors covenant to pay to the trustees, for the joint and separate creditors 5s in the pound, by five equal instalments, at four, eight, twelve, sixteen, and twenty calendar months after the registration of the deed. George Wright stayed on with the Company as the operation Brewer.
The Early Days 1830-1896
In the 1840s a Young man named George Wright, an employee of Doubler And Gentel, Lincolnshire Corn Merchants, of 58 Newland Street Lincoln, whose wife, Emma, was one of the partners, William Gentil sister, went to Sheffield to collect a debt for his employer from Mr John Kirby, a local Sheffield Brewer, who had been in partnership with a John Roper, but had taken full ownership on the 7th of September 1842. At the time John Kirby’s business, (original consisting of two dwelling houses and a malt-kiln, a brew-house, with stabling in Effingham Street, Sheffield) was not going well, but on the other hand one man’s bad lucky is another man’s good fortune. The Lincoln Corn merchant, after receiving George’s report decided the only way to get the money owed to them by the “Sheaf Island Brewery” of Effingham Street was to put into their own manager and get it back on its feet making a profit rather than putting a perfectly good business in to bankruptcy . George was given the job, and his family have been involved with that brewery until its demise in 1990s. The debt was eventually settled and his experience at Kirby’s had convinced him that Brewing was a good occupation to have, and Sheffield was the place he and his family would settle in. He managed to negotiate a partnership with Kirby and in 1861 the new firm became Kirby, Wright & Co. They did their own malting on the premises having an established small malting house on site the barley still coming from Lincolnshire.
Of course it’s alright brewing the beer with the aim of turning out a good quality stable product, but they also had to sell it. At that time many licenced premises were privately owned. The Beer-house act of 1830 enabled anyone to brew and sell beer and ale whether from a public house or their own homes, upon obtaining a moderately priced license of just under £5 for beer. The quality could be variable so it was important to get things right to beat the competition.
Sometime around 1868 Septimus Henry Ward became a partner in Kirby, Wright & Co who having achieved the reputation of a good business, which was becoming unstuck after George Wright was persuaded by a relative to become a guarantor for cargos on the high seas, which was a highly profitable venture as long as nothing went wrong. However one of the cargoes was lost and the bank foreclosed on the loan and things began to look very bleak for George and Septimus at the Brewery.
The London Gazette tell us that on the 5th day of July 1869 notice is hereby given, that the Partnership heretofore subsisting between George Wright and Septimus Henry Ward, of the Sheaf Island Brewery, Sheffield, Brewers, carrying on business under the style of Kirby, Wright and Co., was this day dissolved by mutual consent. The business will in future be carried on by the said Septimus Henry Ward and the assets of the partnership will belong to and all partnership debts due to or from the same shall be received and paid by the said Septimus Henry Ward. Then a month later another relevant notice appeared in the Gazette on the 21st August, 1869 stating a notice was hereby given, that the following is a copy of an entry made in the book kept by the Chief Registrar of the Court of Bankruptcy for the Registration of Trust Deeds : Names and descriptions of the Debtors, as in the Deed George Wright and Septimus Henry Ward, both of the Sheaf Island Brewery, Sheffield, in the County of York, Brewers, lately carrying on business in partnership under the style or firm of Kirby, Wright, & Co. A short statement of the nature of the Deed whereby the debtors covenant to pay to the trustees, for the joint and separate creditors 5s in the pound, by five equal instalments, at four, eight, twelve, sixteen, and twenty calendar months after the registration of the deed. George Wright stayed on with the Company as the operation Brewer.
They employed travellers to chase up orders in the 1870s the three sales reps including a female, and a Mr Smeeton, who travelled in Sheffield on the tram way, as well a Mr William Wild who called on the Houses in the surrounding country side. Mr Wild was provided with a company vehicle, which was a pony and trap, although he was often brought back to the Brewery by the pony he never touched a drop from Friday to Monday morning! Being a Ward's Brewery rep was not the safest job in the world as the following newspaper report relates: - a Mr John Shirley was driving from Ecclesfield to Sheffield in a light skeleton Gig, when the gig was upset and he was thrown out and rendered insensible, it was only when he came too he found that the body of the trap had been dragged from the wheels and broken. The wheels cushions, lamps and whip, were missing, a little later on the wheels were subsequently found in the possession of some hawkers, a Joseph Smith, and George Cutts, who were charged on suspicion of have stolen a pair of wheels belonging to S. H. Ward & Co.
Over the years public houses became more expensive to run and the change from private to company ownership gathered momentum. Wards kept their existing premises and started buying up free houses. Their policy initial was to buy houses in different locations this accounts for the wide distribution of licenced premises which stretched from Peak Forest in the West to Barton-on-Humber. The Beer was delivered locally by horses drawn drays. They had about 30 horses at one time for regular weekly or fortnightly deliveries some of whom were still working up to about 1931.
They did deliveries by train to the
more outlying places. The expansion of the railways from 2,441 miles of track in
1845 to, in just fifteen years, to 10,433 in 1860, opened up distribution &
acquisition opportunities exponentially. Motor transport at the beginning of the 1900 broadened the
opportunities even further. In 1917 the first motor lorry was purchased to help
with deliveries and in 1928 two Over-type Folden steam wagons were added to the fleet which stayed in service for
the next twenty years. The front resembled a traction engine by having a
cab built around a horizontal fire-tube box with a round smoke box and
chimney. The back resembled a lorry in having a load-carrying body and being
built around a chassis. They were replaced eventually by petrol, then diesel
driven lorries. The old steamers had been very useful during the time of petrol
rationing during WW1 and the post war years.
In the 1870s Septimus gained a new partner, a Captain Weyland Mere Latham RN retired. He had been the joint proprietor of the Latham & Quihampton Albion Brewery and in September 1875 they dissolved the partnership between himself and Basil Duckworth Quihampton the firm ending up as part of Wards. The Soho site eventually became Ward’s main operating base after a more modern brewing plant was built, the name been changed to the Sheaf Island Brewery so as to keep brand loyalty. The Brewing Tower built in 1874 is about all that remains of the site today.
In 1865 George Wright had been granted compensation for flood damage as Owner and occupier of the Sheaf Island Brewery, and owner of the Personal Property mentioned below to be flood damaged Cost of cleansing and repairing the Brewery premises which were inundated £8 15s Isinglass and other property destroyed £19 6s 0d 72 Gallons Beer destroyed at 11d per Gall £3 6s 0d Loss on forced Sale of 1800 Gallons of Beer stocked upon the Premises Inundated £15 0s 0d Loss and Trade damage on Stoppage of the Brewery during the c £10 0s 0d Interest to date of Claim £1 0s 0d £39 0s 0d Certificate Granted 3 July 1865 This would be another reason for the site move.
In 1865 George Wright had been granted compensation for flood damage as Owner and occupier of the Sheaf Island Brewery, and owner of the Personal Property mentioned below to be flood damaged Cost of cleansing and repairing the Brewery premises which were inundated £8 15s Isinglass and other property destroyed £19 6s 0d 72 Gallons Beer destroyed at 11d per Gall £3 6s 0d Loss on forced Sale of 1800 Gallons of Beer stocked upon the Premises Inundated £15 0s 0d Loss and Trade damage on Stoppage of the Brewery during the c £10 0s 0d Interest to date of Claim £1 0s 0d £39 0s 0d Certificate Granted 3 July 1865 This would be another reason for the site move.
The Old
Albion Brewery of Ecclesall Road which had been founded in about 1840 and then merged with its
close neighbour William Bradley’s Soho Brewery in the 1870s and both breweries were
acquired with five licensed houses by S H Ward. Then Wards disposed of the Albion site to the Worksop
and Retford Brewery, however they were themselves taken over by Tennants in
1939 which company in turn was absorbed into the Whitbread Empire in 1962. We
will learn more about Whitbreads later on
Septimus and his partner had carried on the business at the Sheaf Brewery, as a Common Brewers and Wine and Spirit Merchants The local newspaper recorded an interesting court case in 1878 when they took one of their travellers and collectors to court over an argument over “Barm.” The man was paid a salary of £2 10s per week in addition to £4. 10s as expenses and treats, “Barm” money (or a discount to the buyer) was not included in the expenses and he had not entered into the books, so was he on the fiddle? The jury though not and the case was dismissed.
The Ward/Latham partnership was dissolved on the 28th day of June, 1893 by mutual consent. Latimer who carried the rank of a British Naval Commander upon retirement had hit the newspaper headlines due, in Victoria times anyway, to a scandalous divorce. He had been married to the widow Roberts, and his first attempted to divorce her in 1881 was disallowed due to lack of evidence. He had another attempt in 1885 and this time was successful, however it was argued that he had knowingly allowed other men to associate with her freely in what was regarded in those days as curios circumstances. He moved to Hampshire then in 1896 remarried keeping away from the Sheffield area as much as possible. Septimus seems to have supported him during this difficult time speaking up for him during the court case & representing him at a bankruptcy hearing for a Robert Seaton proprietor of the George Hotel Hatherage in the Peak District of Derbyshire. He died in 1906 leaving an estate worth £6956 19s 2d
Septimus and his partner had carried on the business at the Sheaf Brewery, as a Common Brewers and Wine and Spirit Merchants The local newspaper recorded an interesting court case in 1878 when they took one of their travellers and collectors to court over an argument over “Barm.” The man was paid a salary of £2 10s per week in addition to £4. 10s as expenses and treats, “Barm” money (or a discount to the buyer) was not included in the expenses and he had not entered into the books, so was he on the fiddle? The jury though not and the case was dismissed.
The Ward/Latham partnership was dissolved on the 28th day of June, 1893 by mutual consent. Latimer who carried the rank of a British Naval Commander upon retirement had hit the newspaper headlines due, in Victoria times anyway, to a scandalous divorce. He had been married to the widow Roberts, and his first attempted to divorce her in 1881 was disallowed due to lack of evidence. He had another attempt in 1885 and this time was successful, however it was argued that he had knowingly allowed other men to associate with her freely in what was regarded in those days as curios circumstances. He moved to Hampshire then in 1896 remarried keeping away from the Sheffield area as much as possible. Septimus seems to have supported him during this difficult time speaking up for him during the court case & representing him at a bankruptcy hearing for a Robert Seaton proprietor of the George Hotel Hatherage in the Peak District of Derbyshire. He died in 1906 leaving an estate worth £6956 19s 2d
Three years later S. H. Ward and Company were registered as a limited
liability Company in the February of 1896 with
96 licenced properties, brewing, wine and Spirits, hops bitters, and aerated
water. The
business was further expanding by the purchase of a further six additional Houses in that year. At the same time in
order to help finance the loss of a wealthy business partner a £80,000, 4%
First Mortgage Debenture was put out for subscription. Additional stock of
£20,000 was issued in 1899. The
Wright family still ran the day to day business of brewing and eventually
things ended up with the Ward family owning a 51% share and the Wright family
owning the remaining 49%., although George probably was not included in the
deal.
In 1899 a wine & spirits department opened blending all classes of wine & spirits including its own in house whisky at one time labelled "S. H. Ward and Co. Ltd Patriotic Blend Scotch Whiskey" Sheffield. Consumed in Great Britain over the seas where the sun never set and her Colonies.
Wards were not always successfully in everything they did as this newspaper story of the 20 September 1895 relates: This is an application by Mr Septimus Henry Ward of the Sheaf Island Brewery for a beer off (dealer) licence. Mr Ward said the licence was to enable him to sell less than six dozen in bottles at a time. It was stated he had made the same application once before two years ago and been refused so was there a single alternative fact between now and two years ago? Mr Ward said they were now brewing light diner ale and invalid’s stout, and these were often required by families who could not find accommodation for six dozen. It seemed the Devonshire Arms was only about eight yards away and that house was owned by his firm, people could get small quantises here, but had not the convenience of delivery. However It was stated that as the Devonshire Arms was full licenced and there were ten other licenced houses within two hundred yards. The application was refused.
In other word Wards had a Wholesale Dealer’s Licence which entitles the Licensee to sell alcohol in bulk quantities of not less than two and a quarter gallons to a person who is Licensed to sell beer by Retail, and in any quantity not less than four and a half gallons or two dozen reputed quart bottles to any other person and wished to change it to an off sales licence. I expect he had a drop of that invalid stout after all tha
Wards used to do a “Hop Bitters” which was a form of non-alcoholic drink greatly favoured by agricultural worker as a real thirst quencher but due to some alteration in excise duty regulations in 1914 and the resulting price increases it killed the trade. However they started up an aerated mineral water plant in about 1906 which was in turn closed down in 1946 to make room for their new bottling plant. Bottom of Form
In 1899 a wine & spirits department opened blending all classes of wine & spirits including its own in house whisky at one time labelled "S. H. Ward and Co. Ltd Patriotic Blend Scotch Whiskey" Sheffield. Consumed in Great Britain over the seas where the sun never set and her Colonies.
Wards were not always successfully in everything they did as this newspaper story of the 20 September 1895 relates: This is an application by Mr Septimus Henry Ward of the Sheaf Island Brewery for a beer off (dealer) licence. Mr Ward said the licence was to enable him to sell less than six dozen in bottles at a time. It was stated he had made the same application once before two years ago and been refused so was there a single alternative fact between now and two years ago? Mr Ward said they were now brewing light diner ale and invalid’s stout, and these were often required by families who could not find accommodation for six dozen. It seemed the Devonshire Arms was only about eight yards away and that house was owned by his firm, people could get small quantises here, but had not the convenience of delivery. However It was stated that as the Devonshire Arms was full licenced and there were ten other licenced houses within two hundred yards. The application was refused.
In other word Wards had a Wholesale Dealer’s Licence which entitles the Licensee to sell alcohol in bulk quantities of not less than two and a quarter gallons to a person who is Licensed to sell beer by Retail, and in any quantity not less than four and a half gallons or two dozen reputed quart bottles to any other person and wished to change it to an off sales licence. I expect he had a drop of that invalid stout after all tha
Wards used to do a “Hop Bitters” which was a form of non-alcoholic drink greatly favoured by agricultural worker as a real thirst quencher but due to some alteration in excise duty regulations in 1914 and the resulting price increases it killed the trade. However they started up an aerated mineral water plant in about 1906 which was in turn closed down in 1946 to make room for their new bottling plant. Bottom of Form
So who was Septimus Ward?
In about 1822 Septimus’s father, John Ward, who was born nearby in Felixkirk near Thirsk, bought Carlton Hall in Carlton Husthwaite, North Yorkshire, however a later an agreement was made to rename it as the Old Hall. He made it the family home. John and Hannah his first wife had six children four of whom sadly died at an early age and following Hannah’s death, he married a local girl, Jane Blyth, and decided to move to Pickering where in 1831 Septimus, John Ward’s seventh child, was born. An elder step-brother, James, and his sister, Jane appears on 1841 Census during the family’s time in Pickering. That leaves us with a remaining step-brother to make Septimus the seventh child. Now The London Gazette tells us that in 1899 Septimus attended an Irish printing Company liquidation meeting for Marcus Ward & Sons of Dublin Marcus Ward's father was a John Ward who formed a Partnership in a printing company naming it John Ward & Co., he handed it over to Marcus in 1830 who changed the name to Marcus Ward & Co. So he is probably the missing sibling. Eventually John Ward decided that the remaining boys Septimus and James ought to become farmers and by 1851 the family had returned to Carlton.
Septimus did not take to farming and went off to London. Then in 1867 after the father’s death in 1865 two years earlier the property remained subject to a trust; the trustees raised a mortgage on the Old Hall estate so that Septimus Ward could have his share sooner rather than later. (This gave him the means to buy into Kirby, Wright, & Co.) The older step-brother, James Ward, who was now running the farm, was given the ‘equity of redemption’ in the mortgage, but was never in a position to pay off the debt. In 1890 John Ward succeeded his father James at the Old Hall, and by 1910 his son Herbert Ward had taken over. Some years previously it had been agreed that Charles Blyth Ward, only son of Septimus, should discharge the mortgage and become owner; so the Carlton Wards became tenants of their wealthy Cousin Charles. Herbert was the last Ward family member to farm there, and when he died 1940s he left no son to carry on the farm. Charles Ward’s daughters disposed of the property on in 1954.
There are several clues to Septimus’s early occupation in the London Gazette & an Old Bailey trial. In 1857 he was a witness for the prosecution in an Old Bailey murder trial and gave his address as Thornhill Crescent, Barnsbury, Occupation Warehouseman (which is not about a man in a brown dustcoat and a folk lift truck, but a proprietor or management of warehouses). The 1861 Census tells he was an agent staying as a visitor at 6 Halcham Terrace St Paul's Deptford. His father John died in 1865 and a year later in 1866 he married Emma the youngest daughter of Samuel Strong, a retired Brewer, who was running a family trust fund. At that time he still describes his occupation as a Warehouseman. Finally on the 6th of May 1867 he is named as a trustee, Septimus Henry Ward, of Norbiton in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, in the bankruptcy of a Charles Coleman, of 31, Lawrence-lane, in the city of London a Warehouseman. Which suggests to me Septimus had now got hold of his inheritance in cash and no longer needed employment in the warehouse business, It may have been that he had been an agent for Mr Charles Coleman, warehouseman, and coupled with now been related to Samuel Strong who had some very good connections in the Brewing trade you can see why he ended up in Sheffield in 1868.
In about 1822 Septimus’s father, John Ward, who was born nearby in Felixkirk near Thirsk, bought Carlton Hall in Carlton Husthwaite, North Yorkshire, however a later an agreement was made to rename it as the Old Hall. He made it the family home. John and Hannah his first wife had six children four of whom sadly died at an early age and following Hannah’s death, he married a local girl, Jane Blyth, and decided to move to Pickering where in 1831 Septimus, John Ward’s seventh child, was born. An elder step-brother, James, and his sister, Jane appears on 1841 Census during the family’s time in Pickering. That leaves us with a remaining step-brother to make Septimus the seventh child. Now The London Gazette tells us that in 1899 Septimus attended an Irish printing Company liquidation meeting for Marcus Ward & Sons of Dublin Marcus Ward's father was a John Ward who formed a Partnership in a printing company naming it John Ward & Co., he handed it over to Marcus in 1830 who changed the name to Marcus Ward & Co. So he is probably the missing sibling. Eventually John Ward decided that the remaining boys Septimus and James ought to become farmers and by 1851 the family had returned to Carlton.
Septimus did not take to farming and went off to London. Then in 1867 after the father’s death in 1865 two years earlier the property remained subject to a trust; the trustees raised a mortgage on the Old Hall estate so that Septimus Ward could have his share sooner rather than later. (This gave him the means to buy into Kirby, Wright, & Co.) The older step-brother, James Ward, who was now running the farm, was given the ‘equity of redemption’ in the mortgage, but was never in a position to pay off the debt. In 1890 John Ward succeeded his father James at the Old Hall, and by 1910 his son Herbert Ward had taken over. Some years previously it had been agreed that Charles Blyth Ward, only son of Septimus, should discharge the mortgage and become owner; so the Carlton Wards became tenants of their wealthy Cousin Charles. Herbert was the last Ward family member to farm there, and when he died 1940s he left no son to carry on the farm. Charles Ward’s daughters disposed of the property on in 1954.
There are several clues to Septimus’s early occupation in the London Gazette & an Old Bailey trial. In 1857 he was a witness for the prosecution in an Old Bailey murder trial and gave his address as Thornhill Crescent, Barnsbury, Occupation Warehouseman (which is not about a man in a brown dustcoat and a folk lift truck, but a proprietor or management of warehouses). The 1861 Census tells he was an agent staying as a visitor at 6 Halcham Terrace St Paul's Deptford. His father John died in 1865 and a year later in 1866 he married Emma the youngest daughter of Samuel Strong, a retired Brewer, who was running a family trust fund. At that time he still describes his occupation as a Warehouseman. Finally on the 6th of May 1867 he is named as a trustee, Septimus Henry Ward, of Norbiton in the County of Surrey, Gentleman, in the bankruptcy of a Charles Coleman, of 31, Lawrence-lane, in the city of London a Warehouseman. Which suggests to me Septimus had now got hold of his inheritance in cash and no longer needed employment in the warehouse business, It may have been that he had been an agent for Mr Charles Coleman, warehouseman, and coupled with now been related to Samuel Strong who had some very good connections in the Brewing trade you can see why he ended up in Sheffield in 1868.
Septimus and Emma Ward (my Great-aunt) and their first child moved in to Collegiate Crescent in Sheffield. Now you may have thought he had enough to deal with sorting out a bankrupt brewery than having to deal with problems at home. However he had to appear in Court on the 9th of July 1869 over a domestic dispute between the Wards and their ex-children’s nanny, Mary Rhodes, who sought to recover the sum of £1 8s for non-payment of money in lieu of notice. When she started working for them the agreed was a months’ notice, or a month’s warning either side. On the 3rd of May some unpleasantness took place between the Mary Rhodes and Mrs. Ward, and Mary put her notice in according to the terms of the agreement. On the 24th of May Emma Ward went to the nursery, and after finding much fault with her, Mary asked when her time expired and Emma told her in no uncertain terms that she was to go the next morning, as she would not have such a woman in the house. So Mary left the next morning and she then sort to recover the wages for the remainder of the month which she believed she was entitled. Septimus admitted that his wife ordered Mary Ward to leave, but afterwards Emma requested her to stay, and was very much distressed when she persisted in going. Septimus also asked her to stay, telling her that she had a good situation for fifteen months. His Honour said it was impossible for a servant to go in that way – first told by her mistress to go, and then by her master to stay. She was justified in leaving and the verdict would be for the amount claimed £1 8s.
By 1878
the Ward family had moved into a large house in Kenwood Road, Sheffield,
and in a newspaper report date 1900 his address is given as
Shire Hall Cherry Tree Road which is the next road along either way they
filled it full of their five girls Emma, Kate, Louisa, Helen & Amy and one
boy, Charles Blyth Ward. My great-grandmother, Louisa Mander, use to come up
from London to spend Christmas with them, trailing along her husband & nine
children consisting of 6 boys and three girls, and the children’s nanny who
looked after them all.
All of the boys went to Charterhouse School in Godalming paid for by a trust fund set up for their education by their late Uncle Thomas Strong (the proprietor of Strong & Co., a brewery in Romsey, Hampshire
Charles Ward played a lot of football at school and at Trinity College Cambridge which he attended till 1893, after university he played for the Old Carthusians and in 1897, an opportunity arose for South Africa’s footballers to test themselves against the mighty Corinthians Football Club of England. Formed in 1882, they were not only the first foreign football team to visit SA) but also the first English team to play a soccer match outside Europe. Founded strictly as amateurs, their ideal was to promote fair play at all levels of the game - with an emphasis on honesty, integrity and loyalty. A total of eighty three players (more than any other club) had been selected from their ranks to play full internationals for England. And twice the full Corinthians team represented England. They had a very successful tour, in which the English went home undefeated after scoring 113 goals in only 23 games. Charles was also in the winning team in 1896 & 1898 when they won the London Charity Cup. They later amalgamated with Sheffield United.
The 20th Century
At the same time Charles joined the 4th West Riding volunteers Artillery in between working for Ward’s Brewery. He joined the company sometime after William Thomas Wright who following his father into the company in 1880. William was a qualified analytical chemist and a fellow of the Chemical Society went to work to develop the business from the start. He brought scientific and laboratory control into the Brewing operation. In 1900 he supervised the design and construction of a new fermenting room which was still in operation some 90 years later. Before joining the firm he spent time in London learning the latest technique of bottling beers and minerals waters; and he who was responsible for the introduction of the bottling department. William’s brother, Richard, joined the company and the three of them ran the business.
Septimus Henry Ward having passed away on the 24 Oct 1905 leaving an estate worth £82,484 6s 6d as well the brewery he had several other interests as a JP and was a former member of the local School Board and served as a Church Warden.
Seven years later George Wright’s life came to an end aged 78 years in the June quarter of 1912.
In 1913 Wilfred Wright joined the firm. “When the selling price of beer was 2d per pint” however his career was put on hold with the coming of WW1. At the same time Charles Ward was recalled to the Royal Field Artillery and Wilfred joined the same Regiment. “Public houses were crying out for beer all though the war and the brewery did it’s best to meet the demand.” The Defence of the Realm Act was introduced on August 8th 1914 which governed all lives in Britain during WW1. It attempted to reduce over consumption of alcohol. It listed everything that people were not allowed to do in time of war and stated that, opening hours in pubs were to be cut, beer was to be watered down, & customers in pubs were not allowed to buy a round of drinks.
The London Gazette tells us that on the 16th of March 1915 Wilfred Atkin Wright to be second lieutenant in the 3rd West Riding Brigade after having been wounds Wilfred was invalided out of the army and re-joining the business on New Year’s Day 1919. The Brigade he was in went to France early in 1915 as part of 49 Division, going into action firstly opposite Lille, close to Fleurbaix. In July it moved near to Ypres, where in October it was re-equipped with 18 pounder guns. In March 1916 it was in action on the Somme, where in the attack upon Thiepval it supported, amongst others, the Hallamshire Rifles. After the carnage of the Battle of the Somme, in December 1916 the reorganisation of artillery resulted in the unit being broken up, with batteries posted to other units. Those batteries fought the remainder of the 1st World War on the western front in France. It was characteristic of that campaign that during the whole of the period in France none of the batteries moved outside a frontage of sixty miles.
Rather frustratingly for Charles Ward he had an unfortunate riding accident in the first year of the War when he fell off his horse, breaking his leg so badly that at the aged of 40 years he was invalided out of the army and spent the remaining war time years working on the shop-floor of an armament factory.
In 1920 Wilfred’s brother, Geoffrey, came into the firm specialising on the malting side; they were all followed by a cousin, Gerald Wright, in 1922 who was a qualified metallurgist as well as being a master of science with a diploma in brewing. S.H. Ward & Co continued its policy of acquiring new premises and rebuilding dilapidated ones or for that matter shedding the unprofitable ones until the beginning of WW2 when a halt was put on progress due to the war effort and the shortage of building materials. The brewery was however affected by shortages of brewing material in 1940 almost half the country’s hop crop was destroyed in the London Blitz.
Between December the 12th to the 15th of 1940 Sheffield was heavy bombed by the Germans over one night they dropped 350 tons of high explosives and incendiary bombs during a 9 hour period. S. H. Ward & Co considered themselves luck that only three incendiary bombs landed on the Sheaf Island Brewery site and caused only minor damage. Neither the one that fell in the wine and spirit department nor the one that fell in the Bond managed to cause a fire. The third was extinguished by a water tank at the top of the brew tower. Four employees were killed, which greatly upset everybody concerned. As in WW1 the Brewery was affected by a short of materials in the case of WW2 over half the country’s hop crop was destroyed in 1940 in the London Blitz. Distillation of spirits was stopped, although Wards were somewhat cushioned from this effect by having good spirit stock. As can be imagine during the War pubs got busier and although along with other basics such as bread, potatoes and cigarettes they were never rationed but there were restrictions made by increased prices reduced alcoholic content along few basic ingredients making up the beer Despite these setbacks the brewery recovered after the end of the war and continued restoring pubs and developing the brewing process. In 1948 they modernised the bottling hall followed by in 1955 the changeover to stainless steel fermenting vessels.
The Bombing also destroyed various Sheffield pubs such as the Sportsman, the Midland and the Hermitage which were later rebuilt, but it was curtains for the Shades Vaults which disappeared under a heap of rubble never to be seen again. The Shades Vaults was situated on Watson's Walk known locally as the Hole in the Wall it had a second entrance from Hartshead Square. At one time It was kept by Mr. Sam Turner, familiarly called “Gin Sam," to distinguish him from “Flannel Sam," his namesake, the draper, in Angel Street. Originally a carpet weaver, he took advantage of the enforced idleness due to a broken arm to marry a widow who had a public-house at the corner of Waingate and Castle Street. When ejected from there, to make way for the Town Hall (now Court House) of I805, they migrated to Watson's Walk and did very well for themselves
After WW11 Wards continued their policy of improvement and acquisition, a good example being the Puzzle Hall Inn in Sowerby Bridge, North Yorkshire at the time it had been a pub for about three hundred years or so. A small brewery was established around 1895 by John Platt, which closed in 1935 when S. H. Ward & Company of Sheffield bought the pub. On 24th October 1912, John fell off the roof whilst carrying out repairs and died. After John’s death, Lydia his other half carried on as licensee. Up until 1950 the beers came from Sheffield by rail, the final part of the delivery was by road from Sowerby Bridge station goods yard. It was the most northerly outlet for Ward's Beers. (more details can be found at http://www.beervisits.eu/)
Charles Blyth Ward died 23 April 1950
He had married Mary Kate Thompson in 1899 it turned out not to be successful union and in 1917 they divorced There had been a lot of tension about their inability to have children together and Kate been aged 41 at the time of their divorce making their chances of raising a family together less possible. Three years later aged 43 Charles married his housekeeper, Eva Duke aged 27 and they left Sheffield and initially moved to large house in Derby Dale, Oaker.
His obituary read
“Mr. C. B. Ward, of Hurker, Farley, Matlock, who died on Sunday, aged 75, had been chairman of S. H. Ward and Co. Ltd, Sheaf Brewery, Ecclesall Road, Sheffield, since the death of his father 45 years ago. He had been chairman of J. W. Holmes, Ltd., a Retford subsidiary, since it was founded in 1920. Mr. Ward was formerly a well-known amateur footballer, playing with both the Sheffield Club and the Corinthians, with whom he toured South Africa in 1897. He was also a good shot. He leaves a widow, and two daughters.”
Richard Thomas Swift (Tom) states “in my early twenties I was Captain Ward’s chauffer for the last five years of his life. By then he was very doddery on his feet, & the job mainly consisted of taking him to Sheffield to attend a Board meeting once a month. When I first started to work for him I was instructed that I would be best off to just agree with him, so I did so. He had served in the Royal Field Artillery & the reason why I know this is that he had two twelve bore shot guns with the name of the Regiment etched on. I took him down south somewhere to visit his Sister now & then, although I cannot remember where or what she was called. Prior to living in Fairly they lived in Oaker on a property that employed seven gardeners unfortunately the house was built on a hillside & it started to slip so they had to move to a small home in Fairly, although it was still a good size. The Captain was buried in Oaker & I recently tried looking for his tombstone, but the graveyard is so over grown now I could not find it. Mrs Ward was called Eva Duke prior to marriage she was always very kind to me & I enjoyed working for them.”
William Thomas Wright died a few months after on the 17th 0f July leaving £60,347 3s 2d so passing on the business to the next generation.
Charles’s two daughters did not want to become involve in brewing and decided to dispose of their 51% share of the business. Part of the agreement when it was divided up was that the Wright family had to be given the first option to buy, so they bought two shares thus getting back full control of the Brewery lost when George Wright had handed over ownership to Septimus due to some bad investment back in 1869. Truman’s Brewer (part of the Threlfall's group) bought the remaining 49% and were eventually taken over by Whitbreads in 1967, who at that time the second largest brewery business in the United Kingdom.
Charles Blyth Ward died 23 April 1950
He had married Mary Kate Thompson in 1899 it turned out not to be successful union and in 1917 they divorced There had been a lot of tension about their inability to have children together and Kate been aged 41 at the time of their divorce making their chances of raising a family together less possible. Three years later aged 43 Charles married his housekeeper, Eva Duke aged 27 and they left Sheffield and initially moved to large house in Derby Dale, Oaker.
His obituary read
“Mr. C. B. Ward, of Hurker, Farley, Matlock, who died on Sunday, aged 75, had been chairman of S. H. Ward and Co. Ltd, Sheaf Brewery, Ecclesall Road, Sheffield, since the death of his father 45 years ago. He had been chairman of J. W. Holmes, Ltd., a Retford subsidiary, since it was founded in 1920. Mr. Ward was formerly a well-known amateur footballer, playing with both the Sheffield Club and the Corinthians, with whom he toured South Africa in 1897. He was also a good shot. He leaves a widow, and two daughters.”
Richard Thomas Swift (Tom) states “in my early twenties I was Captain Ward’s chauffer for the last five years of his life. By then he was very doddery on his feet, & the job mainly consisted of taking him to Sheffield to attend a Board meeting once a month. When I first started to work for him I was instructed that I would be best off to just agree with him, so I did so. He had served in the Royal Field Artillery & the reason why I know this is that he had two twelve bore shot guns with the name of the Regiment etched on. I took him down south somewhere to visit his Sister now & then, although I cannot remember where or what she was called. Prior to living in Fairly they lived in Oaker on a property that employed seven gardeners unfortunately the house was built on a hillside & it started to slip so they had to move to a small home in Fairly, although it was still a good size. The Captain was buried in Oaker & I recently tried looking for his tombstone, but the graveyard is so over grown now I could not find it. Mrs Ward was called Eva Duke prior to marriage she was always very kind to me & I enjoyed working for them.”
William Thomas Wright died a few months after on the 17th 0f July leaving £60,347 3s 2d so passing on the business to the next generation.
Charles’s two daughters did not want to become involve in brewing and decided to dispose of their 51% share of the business. Part of the agreement when it was divided up was that the Wright family had to be given the first option to buy, so they bought two shares thus getting back full control of the Brewery lost when George Wright had handed over ownership to Septimus due to some bad investment back in 1869. Truman’s Brewer (part of the Threlfall's group) bought the remaining 49% and were eventually taken over by Whitbreads in 1967, who at that time the second largest brewery business in the United Kingdom.
memorabilia from Wards one hundred and fifty Anniversary
The Tankard on the right was created in 1990 as a limited addition by Wades Potteries. on the rear of the Tankard the following script was inscribed The origins of the Company stretch back to the 1830s when Josiah Kirby was brewing at the Sheaf Island Brewery, Sheffield. Here he was joined by George Wright a Lincoln corn merchant ( great-grandfather of the present Managing Director) and together they formed Kirby Wright & Co in 1840. The firm prospered and towards the end of the century the Albion and Soho breweries were acquired with financial assistance from Septimus Henry Ward. In 1972 Wards joined the Sunderland based Vaux Group but continued to trade under the name of S H Ward & Co. Over the last 150 years the Company has established a reputation for its products and remains today committed to producing high quality beers brewed in the traditional manner using fine ingredients
The Tankard on the right was created in 1990 as a limited addition by Wades Potteries. on the rear of the Tankard the following script was inscribed The origins of the Company stretch back to the 1830s when Josiah Kirby was brewing at the Sheaf Island Brewery, Sheffield. Here he was joined by George Wright a Lincoln corn merchant ( great-grandfather of the present Managing Director) and together they formed Kirby Wright & Co in 1840. The firm prospered and towards the end of the century the Albion and Soho breweries were acquired with financial assistance from Septimus Henry Ward. In 1972 Wards joined the Sunderland based Vaux Group but continued to trade under the name of S H Ward & Co. Over the last 150 years the Company has established a reputation for its products and remains today committed to producing high quality beers brewed in the traditional manner using fine ingredients
Wards also produced a series of six beer mats under the general title of Wards Heroes
The stories need to be taken with a pinch of salt, but one could imagine they made good reading after a pint or two.
No 1 Tobermory the Brewery Cat The large stocks of barley used in the brewing process, which must be kept warm and dry create an environment which is almost irresistible to rodents. Thus it is that all breweries place considerable value on the services of the Brewery Cat. A Wards where brewing tradition stretches back foe 150 years, untold numbers of cats have played their part in maintaining the standadrs for which we are renowned. The most famous was Tobermory IV who ia reputed to have caught 104 mice and 3 rats in a single 24 hour period. However the occasion for which he is particularly remembered was when plunged fearlessly into a fermenting vessel filled with Best Mild after a mouse which had dived in to escape its tormentor. By great good fortune the Duty Brewer witnessed the incident and was able to effect a rescue by using a long handled skimmer.
Unfortunately the effect of the C02 gas given off by the fermenting ale caused permanent damage to Tobermory’s respiratory system and his heavy wheezing became a familiar sound around the maltings. This of course seriously affected his efficiency and he died aged 20 of shame and malnutrition
No 2 Thunderer the Dray Horse
Dray Horse are such a part of the great tradition of British brewing the lorries which replaced horse drawn drays between the Wars are still referred to as “drays” At the Sheaf Brewery where the brewing tradition stenches back 150 years there is one horse
whose memory is revered above all others. Thunderer who stood 18 hands high, was captured from the Russians at the siege of Sevastopol by Captain Aloysius Ward and brought back on the cessation of hostilities. He was put to work delivering the heavier loads around the hilly suburbs of Sheffield and quickly earned a reputation for immense strength. His favourite tipple was vodka and woe betide any landlord who did not have a gill ready to pour down his throat on delivery day. His career finally came to an end in the winter of 1895 when he collapsed on Snig Hill. The land lord of the Royal Oak revived him with a half bottle of vodka but Thunderer died after staggering a few hundred yards further. At the autopsy 2 enormous gall stones each seven lbs in weight and over 12 inches in circumference were discovered. The stones can be seen in the sample cellar of the sheaf Brewery today.
No3 Fred Mountfield, Drayman
Brewery draymen, renowned for their physical strength and frequently the subject of Music Hall jokes or articles in the Boys Own Paper, play an important part of Brewery folklore. At Wards where the Brewing tradition stretches back 150 years, one drayman in particular is remembered with pride. Fred Mounfield, a giant of a man at 6’ 2” and twenty-five stone, could lift a 4cwt barrel of Best Bitter with consummate ease. During the Sheffield flood of 1864 which cost the lives of 6 people, Fred was walking home beside the swollen Riven Sheaf when he heard a strange cry. He plunged into the fast flowing water and discovered a large sow stuck against a bridge parapet. Drawing on his great strength and experience he lifted the complaining animal clear and hurled it 10’ to the tow path. The gallant act was the cause of much comment in the local press and Fred received a pint of Kirby Ale a day for the rest of his life as a reward from Josiah Kirby. Little did he know that over 100 years later the dumper sack used by draymen to soften the fall of casks at the point of delivery is still called a “pig” in memory of Fred’s action.
No 4 Josiah Kirby Josiah Kirby owned the Sheaf Brewery in Sheffield in the 1839’s where he brewed Superior “Ale & Porter” using the finest Kentish hops and English malt. He copious quantities of water from the River Sheaf which gave his ale a distortive taste. His slogan “Twice brewed and seldom bettered” stemmed from the fact that waste water from the Brewery returned again to the river and was then Josiah it was who began the ceremony of “sourcing the marsh” which occurred to mark the solstice. A “pinny” or gallon measure was passed around the assembled workforce, who were all seated in a circle. The pinny had to be held in a special way (later known as Kirby Grip) and each employee sipped it he rose and said “Floreat bibbendum” (Long live drinking). Split liquor would sometimes cause a man’s breeches to stick fast to the Yorkshire settles until released by a sprinkling of sal volatile. Josiah who later linked up with George Wright to form Kirby Wright started the company which was to become S. H. Ward & Co. Ltd, and at the Sheaf Brewery the traditions of brewing excellence which he started continued to this day.
No 5 Joe “Plunger” Molloy- Spirit Blender
For many years breweries did not just brew beer, they also blended and bottled spirits and produced their own range of mineral waters and cordials. At Wards Sheaf Brewery where the brewing tradition stretches 150 years the task of producing such favourites as Iliska Whisky and Black star rum was entrusted to Joe Molloy. “Plunger” got his name from an incident in December 1940 during one of the great raids on Sheffield. He was on fire watching duty at the top of the Brewer tower when the site was hit by a stick of incendiary bombs. One, narrowly missing his lookout, went straight through the roof and into a water tank, the second landed in the bonded warehouse where it burnt itself out and the third fell in the Wine & Spirit Department. Joe Molloy rushed down the stairs and into his Department where a fierce fire had developed near the foot of a 26 gallon butt of Iliska Whisky. Without hesitation he dived complete with gas mask to the bottom to release the safety valve, flooding the floor and extinguishing the fire. The following day a number of brewer workers volunteered to mop up the floor and the expression “having a mop” (a sly glass during working hours) is still used to this day. “Plunger” died in 1948 but the famous butt can still be seen in the sample cellar at the Sheaf Brewer.
No 6 Ettie Quihampton-cooper In the days when all beer was “real” and a lager was a South America waggon train, brewers deliver their ales in casks of memel oak. The coopers who made and repaired the stacks of hogsheads barrels kilderkins and firkins played a vital part in the chain which stretched from cooper to dram shop At Wards where the tradition of brewing excellence goes back 150 years and where 1 barrel in 3 is still delivered in cask. One cooper in particular is remembered above all others. Ettie Quihampton, who was found abandoned in a hop sack at the gates of Latham & Quihampton’s brewery in Sheffield and was brought up by the night watchman, left school at 10 and became the only female apprentice cooper in England. Lathams was absorbed by S. H. Ward & Co Ltd, and for the next 50 years she worked in the cooper’s shop. During the !st World War when supplies of memel were impossible to obtain, Ettie could be found combing the Porter Brook (which runs through the Brewery site) for driftwood from which she fashioned handmade barrels, called gherkins owing to their distinctive shape. She is also reputed to have made the panelling which can still be seen in the Managing Director’s office. She died in 1922 and was buried at her request, in a hogshead of the finest memel oak
The stories need to be taken with a pinch of salt, but one could imagine they made good reading after a pint or two.
No 1 Tobermory the Brewery Cat The large stocks of barley used in the brewing process, which must be kept warm and dry create an environment which is almost irresistible to rodents. Thus it is that all breweries place considerable value on the services of the Brewery Cat. A Wards where brewing tradition stretches back foe 150 years, untold numbers of cats have played their part in maintaining the standadrs for which we are renowned. The most famous was Tobermory IV who ia reputed to have caught 104 mice and 3 rats in a single 24 hour period. However the occasion for which he is particularly remembered was when plunged fearlessly into a fermenting vessel filled with Best Mild after a mouse which had dived in to escape its tormentor. By great good fortune the Duty Brewer witnessed the incident and was able to effect a rescue by using a long handled skimmer.
Unfortunately the effect of the C02 gas given off by the fermenting ale caused permanent damage to Tobermory’s respiratory system and his heavy wheezing became a familiar sound around the maltings. This of course seriously affected his efficiency and he died aged 20 of shame and malnutrition
No 2 Thunderer the Dray Horse
Dray Horse are such a part of the great tradition of British brewing the lorries which replaced horse drawn drays between the Wars are still referred to as “drays” At the Sheaf Brewery where the brewing tradition stenches back 150 years there is one horse
whose memory is revered above all others. Thunderer who stood 18 hands high, was captured from the Russians at the siege of Sevastopol by Captain Aloysius Ward and brought back on the cessation of hostilities. He was put to work delivering the heavier loads around the hilly suburbs of Sheffield and quickly earned a reputation for immense strength. His favourite tipple was vodka and woe betide any landlord who did not have a gill ready to pour down his throat on delivery day. His career finally came to an end in the winter of 1895 when he collapsed on Snig Hill. The land lord of the Royal Oak revived him with a half bottle of vodka but Thunderer died after staggering a few hundred yards further. At the autopsy 2 enormous gall stones each seven lbs in weight and over 12 inches in circumference were discovered. The stones can be seen in the sample cellar of the sheaf Brewery today.
No3 Fred Mountfield, Drayman
Brewery draymen, renowned for their physical strength and frequently the subject of Music Hall jokes or articles in the Boys Own Paper, play an important part of Brewery folklore. At Wards where the Brewing tradition stretches back 150 years, one drayman in particular is remembered with pride. Fred Mounfield, a giant of a man at 6’ 2” and twenty-five stone, could lift a 4cwt barrel of Best Bitter with consummate ease. During the Sheffield flood of 1864 which cost the lives of 6 people, Fred was walking home beside the swollen Riven Sheaf when he heard a strange cry. He plunged into the fast flowing water and discovered a large sow stuck against a bridge parapet. Drawing on his great strength and experience he lifted the complaining animal clear and hurled it 10’ to the tow path. The gallant act was the cause of much comment in the local press and Fred received a pint of Kirby Ale a day for the rest of his life as a reward from Josiah Kirby. Little did he know that over 100 years later the dumper sack used by draymen to soften the fall of casks at the point of delivery is still called a “pig” in memory of Fred’s action.
No 4 Josiah Kirby Josiah Kirby owned the Sheaf Brewery in Sheffield in the 1839’s where he brewed Superior “Ale & Porter” using the finest Kentish hops and English malt. He copious quantities of water from the River Sheaf which gave his ale a distortive taste. His slogan “Twice brewed and seldom bettered” stemmed from the fact that waste water from the Brewery returned again to the river and was then Josiah it was who began the ceremony of “sourcing the marsh” which occurred to mark the solstice. A “pinny” or gallon measure was passed around the assembled workforce, who were all seated in a circle. The pinny had to be held in a special way (later known as Kirby Grip) and each employee sipped it he rose and said “Floreat bibbendum” (Long live drinking). Split liquor would sometimes cause a man’s breeches to stick fast to the Yorkshire settles until released by a sprinkling of sal volatile. Josiah who later linked up with George Wright to form Kirby Wright started the company which was to become S. H. Ward & Co. Ltd, and at the Sheaf Brewery the traditions of brewing excellence which he started continued to this day.
No 5 Joe “Plunger” Molloy- Spirit Blender
For many years breweries did not just brew beer, they also blended and bottled spirits and produced their own range of mineral waters and cordials. At Wards Sheaf Brewery where the brewing tradition stretches 150 years the task of producing such favourites as Iliska Whisky and Black star rum was entrusted to Joe Molloy. “Plunger” got his name from an incident in December 1940 during one of the great raids on Sheffield. He was on fire watching duty at the top of the Brewer tower when the site was hit by a stick of incendiary bombs. One, narrowly missing his lookout, went straight through the roof and into a water tank, the second landed in the bonded warehouse where it burnt itself out and the third fell in the Wine & Spirit Department. Joe Molloy rushed down the stairs and into his Department where a fierce fire had developed near the foot of a 26 gallon butt of Iliska Whisky. Without hesitation he dived complete with gas mask to the bottom to release the safety valve, flooding the floor and extinguishing the fire. The following day a number of brewer workers volunteered to mop up the floor and the expression “having a mop” (a sly glass during working hours) is still used to this day. “Plunger” died in 1948 but the famous butt can still be seen in the sample cellar at the Sheaf Brewer.
No 6 Ettie Quihampton-cooper In the days when all beer was “real” and a lager was a South America waggon train, brewers deliver their ales in casks of memel oak. The coopers who made and repaired the stacks of hogsheads barrels kilderkins and firkins played a vital part in the chain which stretched from cooper to dram shop At Wards where the tradition of brewing excellence goes back 150 years and where 1 barrel in 3 is still delivered in cask. One cooper in particular is remembered above all others. Ettie Quihampton, who was found abandoned in a hop sack at the gates of Latham & Quihampton’s brewery in Sheffield and was brought up by the night watchman, left school at 10 and became the only female apprentice cooper in England. Lathams was absorbed by S. H. Ward & Co Ltd, and for the next 50 years she worked in the cooper’s shop. During the !st World War when supplies of memel were impossible to obtain, Ettie could be found combing the Porter Brook (which runs through the Brewery site) for driftwood from which she fashioned handmade barrels, called gherkins owing to their distinctive shape. She is also reputed to have made the panelling which can still be seen in the Managing Director’s office. She died in 1922 and was buried at her request, in a hogshead of the finest memel oak
Wilfred Wright became the next chairman and business continued as normal for a while, then in the early 1970s Wards became a target for a takeover presumably by Whitbreads who already owned 49% of the shares so Wards under the chairmanship of Wilfred Wright decided that if the company days of independence were numbered they would decide which group to join in the Company’s best interest. They looked around for a family run brewery with the same outlook as themselves and came across Vaux Brewery of Sunderland in 1972- S. H. Ward & Co was acquired by Vaux & Associated Breweries as a subsidiary but continued to trade under its own name. In 1973 Mr G. A. Wright (who had joined the firm in 1921) died and in 1974 the Chairman, Mr Wilfred Wright passed away (he had served the company for 61 years). Michael Wright joined the Vaux Board of Directors
Michael Wright, Wilfred's son, and latterly Managing Director, joined the Company. He started his training at Wards then spent time at the Blackpool Brewery and then on to a firm of analytical chemists in London, then finally with Carlsberg.
Michael Wright, Wilfred's son, and latterly Managing Director, joined the Company. He started his training at Wards then spent time at the Blackpool Brewery and then on to a firm of analytical chemists in London, then finally with Carlsberg.
In 1989 the British Government decided that they were going to cut the big six brewer’s monopoly of the business and they were initially told they would have to limit their pub estates to just 2,000 each or dispose of the brewery This brought new acquisitions to Wards estate from Tetleys and John Smith although they had to change the brew formula in some areas losing the classic malty taste to maintain their sales. The Company´s main brand "Wards Best Bitter" had historical sales of 15 million pints per annum. It was sold in almost 600 pubs and clubs till 1999. Wards had national consumer awareness with its past sponsorships of Sheffield United FC and Derbyshire County Cricket club.
But once you start medalling with thing they often do not turn out the way you want. In the 1990s the Vaux Group had expanded into hotels , then in the March 1999 the Board accepted the advice of their Corporate Financier and decided to close both breweries despite them being really good businesses. The Chairman Sir Paul Nicholson disagreed and resigned in protest of the decision. Vaux& Associated Breweries including Wards were broken up the company name was changed to Swallow Group plc. The Company was then taken over by Whitbread in 2000. Which could be regarded as “if I don't get you now I will get you later!” The last brew at Wards took place early in June, with final closure of the brewery on July 2nd 1999.
Two rescue bids were made, but both turned down. The first by ex MD Frank Nicholson was a £70million bid for the breweries and pubs. A second bid of £8 million for Wards brewery by commercial director Barry Arnold and head brewer Paul Simpson was also rejected.
The Double Maxim Beer Company (founded in 1999 after Vaux Brewery was closed) was set up to rescue the famous Double Maxim beer by some ex-directors and the head brewer. They bought the brand and recipes for Wards and re-launched Wards Best Bitter to be brewed and bottled by Robinson of Stockport. The Wards site was sold for £3.7 million to a property developer. In 2003 Robinson acquire the brand in their own right. They describe the brew as an outstanding full flavoured golden bitter, brewed to its original Sheffield recipe, is an interesting blend of toasted biscuit and mellow citrus flavours perfectly balanced by an usual sweet and mineral background.
So who was the villain of the piece? I leave you to Judge but the answer maybe that there wasn’t any, People just do what do what people do, and perhaps even with a great deal of sadness in seeing it go, Wards had had their day, and thing are going back to where they were after the 1830 Beer Act, although in a modern day setting, with large international breweries and micro-breweries sprouting up all over the place producing their own individual beers and long may they last.
Cheers!
Many thanks for the people who knowingly, or unknowingly, provided the research material for this site
This included Septimus Henry Ward's Granddaughter, Ann Sutton,
Michael Wright the last Managing Director of S. H .Ward & Co.
Tom Swift
The Sheffield History site
And many more.
Other websites you may wish to visit are
http://thomas-strong-romsey-brewer.weebly.com/ The story of the life and times of a Romsey Brewer http://womanofross.weebly.com/ The life of Mary Cooper a Drayman widow kill in WW1 from Ross on Wye
Finally. I would be please to hear from anyone who have an amusing story, or wishes to place their memories of Wards on this website. If on the other hand you have corrections or alteration you feel I need to make by all means get in touch
Regards
Bryan Cooper
But once you start medalling with thing they often do not turn out the way you want. In the 1990s the Vaux Group had expanded into hotels , then in the March 1999 the Board accepted the advice of their Corporate Financier and decided to close both breweries despite them being really good businesses. The Chairman Sir Paul Nicholson disagreed and resigned in protest of the decision. Vaux& Associated Breweries including Wards were broken up the company name was changed to Swallow Group plc. The Company was then taken over by Whitbread in 2000. Which could be regarded as “if I don't get you now I will get you later!” The last brew at Wards took place early in June, with final closure of the brewery on July 2nd 1999.
Two rescue bids were made, but both turned down. The first by ex MD Frank Nicholson was a £70million bid for the breweries and pubs. A second bid of £8 million for Wards brewery by commercial director Barry Arnold and head brewer Paul Simpson was also rejected.
The Double Maxim Beer Company (founded in 1999 after Vaux Brewery was closed) was set up to rescue the famous Double Maxim beer by some ex-directors and the head brewer. They bought the brand and recipes for Wards and re-launched Wards Best Bitter to be brewed and bottled by Robinson of Stockport. The Wards site was sold for £3.7 million to a property developer. In 2003 Robinson acquire the brand in their own right. They describe the brew as an outstanding full flavoured golden bitter, brewed to its original Sheffield recipe, is an interesting blend of toasted biscuit and mellow citrus flavours perfectly balanced by an usual sweet and mineral background.
So who was the villain of the piece? I leave you to Judge but the answer maybe that there wasn’t any, People just do what do what people do, and perhaps even with a great deal of sadness in seeing it go, Wards had had their day, and thing are going back to where they were after the 1830 Beer Act, although in a modern day setting, with large international breweries and micro-breweries sprouting up all over the place producing their own individual beers and long may they last.
Cheers!
Many thanks for the people who knowingly, or unknowingly, provided the research material for this site
This included Septimus Henry Ward's Granddaughter, Ann Sutton,
Michael Wright the last Managing Director of S. H .Ward & Co.
Tom Swift
The Sheffield History site
And many more.
Other websites you may wish to visit are
http://thomas-strong-romsey-brewer.weebly.com/ The story of the life and times of a Romsey Brewer http://womanofross.weebly.com/ The life of Mary Cooper a Drayman widow kill in WW1 from Ross on Wye
Finally. I would be please to hear from anyone who have an amusing story, or wishes to place their memories of Wards on this website. If on the other hand you have corrections or alteration you feel I need to make by all means get in touch
Regards
Bryan Cooper