Booth Men, Booth Companies and Booth Brands
Companies
Alfred Booth & Co
Charles Booth & Co
Surpass Leather Co (1904 50% from 1908 100%). In 1903/4 Charles Booth decided to start unifying the Philadelphia and Gloversville businesses under one company and buying all of Surpass. The production of Surpass had been doubled.
Booth and Kent (from 1878 100%)
Kent and Booth
Booth and Kent and Company, Gloversville. “A large leather mill operation on Washburn and Grand Streets, across from Kent Street. (from Decker, 1998, Gloversville)
Booth and Co, Inc Still to be found in Peabody Mass
Booth & Co formed in 1901 to manage the tug and barge operations on the River Amazon
The Battery Company (formed to hold all US assets; probably a tax move as it was explained that they stopped using it after tax changes in the UK)
Melrose Tanners 100% purchased in 1948 (completed January 1949) at the request of the Wade family. Defined as a “small sole leather tannery”. the buildings were all poor and a rebuilding programme at once put in place.
The Pavlova Leather Company purchased in 1919, but defined in Booth Bulletins as acquired in 1921
The Boniface Sheepskin Company
Turney Brothers 100% from 1971
Charles Tanneries Set up in 1946 To sell Wades production and named Charles as key members of both Wade and Booth families called Charles
Nuneaton Wool Co?
Nuneaton Leather Co (Booth 50% Johnson 50%)
Wade and Co (50% Booth 50% Wade although at start up Booths had the majority. Booth bought 100% on the death of Charles Wade in 1956)
Atlantic Tanning
New Zealand Light Leather (10% Booth and 90% NZ fellmongers) later sold to Gomshall. Important source of crust for Pavlova from 1970
OFRO
Bulleys Tanneries Ltd (Thika & Kahawa factories)
Tombooth
Booth & Co (England)
Booth Overseas
Booth & Co (International)
Booth & Company Limited, Merchants in hides and skins
Bulleys Tanners Limited, a small tannery outside Nairobi (1952)
Bulleys Trading Company, Import Agents
Booth Steamship Company (whose ownership was sold in 1946) had subsidiaries The Booth American Shipping Corporation of New York, and The South End Stevedoring and Porterage Co Ltd of Liverpool. After the sale of the Steamship Co. Alfred Booth & Co. transferred their registered office from Liverpool to London.
Booth & Company (Africa) Limited, Building Contractors
Densten Felt & Hair Co, USA (bought around 1910) In Philadelphia next to Surpass. Mostly producing underfoot for carpets.
Gardiner-Lucas Glue & Gelatine Corporation USA (bought around 1910)
B.Cannon & Co Ltd, Lincoln (established 1865 acquired pre WWI, glue and gelatine; but there was some fellmongering or leather making done in Lincoln also, which was closed in 1917 when Alfred Booth bought into the Pavlova leather syndicate)
The Booth Steamship Co. Set up 1881 and reformed in 1901 on the purchase of Red Cross Iquitos Steamship.
The Unit Construction Company acquired 1919 form Crittalls
In 1964 after a family split the leather business was established separately as Booth and Company (International) Ltd. It became a public company in 1974 and was sold to Garnar-Scotblair in 1981. John Sebastian Macaulay Booth was the Managing
Director during this period. He was the grandson of Charles Booth who died on 23rd November 1916
Booth Mechanical services. Originally part of Alfred Booth Group. Continues to supply plumbing and heating services in the west of England, Based in Liverpool.
Booth Research Laboratories set up as a section of Booth & Co (England) Ltd in Wade’s Nottingham tannery in 1946. Walter Frankford in charge with a small staff.
Manaos Harbour Ltd. In 1949 George Booth was Chairman, Charles Good was London Director, Percy Crisp was his Secretary. Claude Greenfield was local manager in Manaos. In 1949, but not as part of Booths, George Booth was also Chairman of the Manaos Tramways and Light Railway Co Ltd. and the Sao Paulo (Brazilian) Railway Co Ltd (this latter was expropriated by the Brazilian Government in the late 1940s)
Booths also became involved in White & Co. This US engineering and finance business set up a UK company with the same name in 1899 and sent over two Americans to run it and hired Andrew Beatty and George Balfour in the UK. The latter two were later to establish Balfour Beatty & Co, and of the American staff William Burton became a partner of Booths in the US and the other Albert N.Connett was the father of Harold Connett who became President of the Surpass Leather Co. They built the Manaos railways and others in Brazil and Booths carried all the materials out to Brazil and GMB joined the Board. J.G. White offices were at 9 Cloak Lane, London. In 1917 GMB went to New York and ended up buying the UK business. For various reasons in the 1920s most bits were sold off and 1929 White came from the US and but the central Co back, but left GMB temporarily as Chairman but in 1931 he needed to sell it again when GMB was in the US and GMB bought back as a personal interest, GMB agreed to change the name and when GMB too a Mr. Burton-Baldry and a Mr.Drummond as partners and they changed the name to White Drummond & Co. Ltd. At that time 90% of the business was owned by Mr Ian Fairbairn and GMB and the engineering side had shrunk to a very small size. The financial subsidiary was known as Municipal & General Securities Co. Ltd. and in 1931 GMB and Fairbairn used it to establish a successful “Unit Trust” investment business.
Booth Men
Alfred Booth (founder) 1834-1914
Rt Hon Charles Booth (founder) 1840-1916
Charles Booth, photograph taken around 1879. From cover of Victorian Aspirations by Belinda Norman-Butler
JSM Booth MD (CEO Booth International) 1913-1994
John Booth (JSMB) photographed in his office at Trent Bridge
Charles Booth 1868-1938
Charles Wade (1856-1924) Came from Grantham to the Nuneaton plant and then around 1900 bought Edward Turney’s old Whitemoor Leather Works. He persuaded Charles Booth to join him and the capital was Wade £2000 and Booth £5000, the arrangement being that any profit coming to Wade would be put back into the business until the capital was equal.
Charles Herbert Wade founded Wade & Co (Nottingham) Ltd
Charles Booth Junior, eldest son of Alfred became partner in 1895 focused on shipping
Alfred Allen Booth (later Sir Alfred Booth, Bt.) younger brother of Charles Jnr joined company in 1895 focused on shipping
George Macaulay Booth Born September 22, 1877 died March 10, 1971 second son of Charles, joined in 1895. focused on leather. Father of JSMB. He was a Director of the Bank of England 1915-1947, and a bust was sculpted of him by Sir Charles Wheeler (seehere – as of December 2017)
This note about it him was found in a pamphlet (which was written to show that too many directors of the Bank of England had interests outside of the UK. Nevertheless it is a good list of his companies.
Less spectacular, though possibly more potent in terms of solid financial associations, is Mr. George Macaulay Booth. Mr. Booth comes of a well-known shipping family and is on the board of the Booth Steamship Co., Ltd. But he is more than that.
He is associated with the famous firm of contracting engineers J. G. White & Co., Ltd., which has assisted materially in the development of backward nations fortunate enough to obtain the necessary loans from European and American financiers. His closest affiliation is with the South American Continent.
Here is a list of companies of which he is a director: the Amazonas Engineering Co., Ltd., Manaos Harbour, Ltd., Manaos Tramways & Light Co., Ltd., Para Electric Railways & Lighting Co., Ltd., and the San Paulo (Brazilian) Railway Co., Ltd., which is the most important of them and has £6,000,000 sunk in it.
The more one enquires into the financial connections of this particular Bank of England director the more interesting they become. There is a curious interlinking of railways, engineering and finance, all under foreign control. It is noted, for example, that the Para Electric Railways, a £1,000,000 company, are managed by J. G. White & Co., Ltd.
Now J. G. White & Co., Ltd., is not really a British concern. It was registered here in 1900 to “acquire the entire business outside North America of J. G. White & Co., Incorporated, of New York, electrical engineers, contractors, financiers and investment brokers.” The British company controls the Municipal & General Securities Co., Ltd., the investment trust, but is in turn controlled by J. G. White & Co., Incorporated, of New York.
The two ostensibly British concerns with which Mr. Booth is connected are the Booth Steamship Co., Ltd., and Alfred Booth & Co., Ltd., the big merchant company which has an authorised share capital of £2,000,000. In this connection Mr. Booth can be classed as an exporter, but the dictates of his financial conscience must still incline him towards internationalism in his outlook.
From THE OLD LADY UNVEILED A Criticism and an Explanation of THE BANK OF ENGLAND BY J. R. JARVIE, WISHART & CO. 1933. This can be found easily on line (my copy is from 2017)
Dr Henry Booth Born 1901 son of Charles Booth jr (who became a director of Midland railway in 1898) Great Great nephew of Henry Booth (1789-1869) who was a partner with Stephenson in the development of the rocket steam engine. Chemist, worked in leather trade for 50 years in factories in Abingdon. Retired 1977 and wrote biography of Henry Booth on the steam engine.
David Allcock Technical, Wades & Holdens
Richard Amis CBE last Chairman of Alfred Booth & Co on whose watch the company was sold in 1986, Grandson of Sir Alfred Booth 1st Bart
John Barlow (Dr) original 60s/70s R&D, John went to the US with Rohm and Haas and then returned to Pittards in the UK in the late 1980s
John Bartle Suede technician, Melrose
Charles Becker had charge of sales of shoe leather from both Gloversville and Philadelphia in 1894. Worked out of New York sorting office
Rowan Bell Kahawa Tannery manager circa 70s then went to NZ
Ron Bennett Director Pavlova, Wades from 1952 until 1971 then Pavlova. (Turneys before Wades) died December 2014
John Burstow Ulster Leather/ATCo
David Boyce Accountant – Melrose, Pavlova, Kinswood
David Bolle Pavlova Sales
Arthur Baxter ran Booth & Co London Ltd with CJG in 1910
Horace Bradley, traffic manager of the Booth Line, retired 1945 after nearly forty-four years service in the New York office of the company. He joined the predecessor organization, Booth Co., steamship agents and leather merchants, on May 4, 1901, and remained through two reorganizations.
Dick Bigwither “Supremo” Booth & Co (England) Ltd
Paul Bloodworth Accountant – 1966-1994 Melrose, Bulleys, Holdens. ATCo/ULCo Turneys Scotblair Pittards Booth & Co(England) & partially Booth (Boston), Roorda BV Retired in Northern Scotland
Tony Boucher Last Manager Booth & Co (England) Ltd. Died 2010 in Chichester
W.C.Burton Sailed with George Booth to US in 1917 to join the New York office (An American living in London as joint MD of JG White & Co which had set up the trams in Manáos and Para)
Walter Frankford. Came to the U.K. around 1935/36 with the help of Sir Clement Jones. Initially worked at Wades, then took over the Booth Research Laboratory general work and moved from there to Melrose Tanners at the time they specialised in Sole and Cordovan leathers
W.J. Cannon Cannons of Lincoln. W.J. Cannon was there in 1915 and advised George Booth on war supplies
Retired in ScotlandFinished at Pavlova
David Church Penultimate accountant Turneys.
Frank Critchley Accountant/Secretary Wades 60s & 70s
K Chapman Snr Booth (Boston) Ltd but started in Philadelphia in the 1940s
K Chapman Jnr Booth Boston plus Turneys. Only remaining company (2017) retaining the Booth name Booth and Co
A.N.Connett Sailed to US to join Booth New York with George in 1917. An American and with Burton was joint MD of J.G.White & Co.
Harold Connett (H.C. in many documents) Surpass Leather was Chairman of Tanners Council of America 1937- 1942
Paul Crompton Worked first for the Booths in China then ran USA and died with his family on the Lusitania. There is a very comprehensive article about him and his family – his wife, six children and governess – on this large web site covering the Titanic. It includes photos of the family and their former house in London, before they moved to China and then the USA. The article states that he had been offered Directorship of the Steam Ship business by Charles Booth and was possible travelling to the UK to discuss this and a possible full time move back to the UK.
David Crompton USA. Became head of Booth interests in the US when C.W.Jones returned to Liverpool as a Director of Booth Steamship Company in 1910. Brother of Paul from whom he took over Surpass in 1915. He stayed with the company in the US until 1935.
John Coggins (Dr) Original Booths R&D
William Cunningham In 1890 joined Sydney Office. Cunningham moved to Gloversville in 1898 and later took over the pickled sheepskin department in New York.
Ken Delves Booth International Director, Managing Director Pavlova. Born in Southwell, Notts
David Donald (Group FD mid 60’s to 1981)
David (Mac) McDowell (Melrose & ET Holdens)
Dieter Demenco (Turneys for a spell 1978)
Joseph Dub (de Dubski) Slovakian – major player UCT Ltd
Kevin Feenan Sales manager AT Co & UL Co
Alec Finch Melrose MD, Director Booth International. then Pavlova; had job of closing many Booth and Garnar plants
Thomas Fletcher Partner, managed New York, started 1867. Died in 1904
Enfield Fletcher son of Thomas
Tom Fletcher son of Thomas
Alan Game worked at Russells, Pavlova and at J&T Beavens at Holt. Died in 2010
Clement Gardiner Booth Man in US around 1917
CJ Garland One of the “Garland Brothers” in Liverpool 19th cent. Died 1904. One of Booths earliest employees and ran the Liverpool office in India Buildings. “So we drop off one by one and what an old patriarch I become” – Charles Booth.
Chris Glaysher Tombooth
AE Gaenslen (NY) opened Boston office and subsequently became partner in Alfred Booth and Co
Captain Good, Booth Line master used as technical adviser for the Iquitos harbour works
Mike Green Booth & co (England) ltd
Robin Grossert Accountant/Secretary tombooth/bulleys
Jim Hillman Long time Pavlova accountant, before David Boyce
F.G. Heise Liverpool 1890s
Gustav Richard Heise Died 1896, worked with Alfred Booth and Co for 27 years.
Kurt Herschfeldt (original Atlantic Tanning boss)
Fred Hudson, Director of Wade & Co (Nottingham) Ltd. Died 18th February 1953. Studied leather at Leeds via evening classes. In 1927 published paper on Chromium chlorides being converted to chrome sulphates. Worked at Wade all career.
Jack Husselby Long time Wades Gen. Mgr & Technical person (went to BLC on closure of Wades) Died, aged 95, towards the end of 2021
Jim Jackman Wade Technician who became head of Booths R&D after Mr Simon in 1968. Jim Jackman was a major figure in the setting up the Leather Conservation Centre, and I remember him talking a great deal about it around 1979/1980. He joined Wades in 1952
C.W. Jones Sir Clement Jones. Hired by George Booth in July 1902 to help in the USA. Remained a great friend of Booths until he died 29th October 1963. “No choice could have been more fortunate for me in those first years in America when friction between factories and the young Englishman representing the absentee English owner would have been fatal”. Crow (p40)
James Kent Gloversville tanner invented Dongola tanning and the foundations of modern fatliquoring 1830-1885
Tadeus Kieniowicz Last Accountant Wade & Co
Julius Kuttner US manager who ran Kent tannery in Gloversville after Booths bought it and set up to develop Chrome Tanning. Died 1901 Met with Schultz in Rackeys restaurant in New York and planned the Schultz chrome patents. Kuttner went to America at the age of 30, having been manager of a cooperative corset factory in Stuttgart, Germany. After his enterprises in the US in corsets and textile machinery failed (largely due to being ruined by an unscrupulous partner) he accepted a temporary job as book keeper for Booth & Co. in 1876. Died 1901.
Bill (William) King (Bulleys technician). Canadian ex Kenya Hide Improvement commission)
Franklyn B. Kirkbride Appointed manager of American interests in August, 1905 (he was succeeded by Paul Crompton and Clement.W.Jones) All three made a strong team in the USA when George left in January 1906
Cyril Ladegourdie Chief Engineer Bulleys Tanneries
F.Lingebach (NY)
James J. Lyons February 12, 1890 – January 7, 1966 New York, American Democratic politician who served as Borough President of the Bronx (1934-1962). 1903 he worked as office boy in Surpass Leather and later as salesman. Quoted as saying he had sold enough leather to cover 4 million pairs of women’s feet.
Leo Macdonough (Group Accountant, then MD at Atlantic Tanning Co/ULC, then Pavlova)
Sir Peter Meinertzhagen Managing Director Alfred Booth and Co 1946-57
Ernie Mills Group Accountant & manager of Pavlova from 1969
FE Miller Australia 1890s. Frank Miller established the office close to the current Sydney Opera House
J.P.Mathieu Philadelphia tanner who worked with Booth to develop Surpass
AE Mould Liverpool 1890s
Len North One time Group Accountant?
Trevor Norris Technical Director Turney Bros in the 1970s
Paddy O’Flynn Formed OFRO. Quote JSMB “Our Fucking Rawstock Organisation”- Booth Overseas & Tombooth
Mike Parsons Pavlova, then ET Holdens – later BLC CEO and Scottish Group
Mr Poulter Snr Joined group from Pittards in 1948 and worked in Kenya. Bulleys having spent time in Wades, Pavlova and Melrose (which had just been bought). He worked there until the company split in 1962
Ron Poulter Jnr Studied at Leeds in 1961-65 with a grant from Booths and then worked at Pavlova 1965-1971, then Turneys until 1973 before leaving to join Eastern Counties, then Hodgsons in 1977. From 2006 in New Zealand.
Robert Parsons JSMB introduction – Cuero Garments ltd, Ex`Captain retired from the army
Pete Paterno American engineer at Turneys
Beatrice Potter Beatrice Potter (Webb) Cousin-in law of Charles and Mary Booth and worked with Charles on the “Book”. Very much influenced by her friendship with the family
Nicholas Rauchwerger first manager of Melrose in 1948 when taken over by Booths. Initially processed 350 hides a week into Bends, Shoulders and Bellies sold as bottom leather to shoe factories and the repair trade.
Mike Redwood MD and Chairman Turneys 1977-1980. Also MD of Wades and Charles Tanneries
Mr Robilliard Booth manager in Manáos 1908
J Rotton Production, Pavlova Bulleys. Production Director Turneys. Grandson of GMB
John Rozemulder OFRO & Tombooth
George Rumpf appointed factory manager of Surpass in 1927 died 1951
John Rumpf father of George, and factory manager before him
Augustus Schultz Born in Germany …….Obtained his chrome patents in 1884 and then went on to work on inventions in central heating
Mr Simon Headed Booth R&D before Jim Jackman
Selby Smith New Zealand based Booth England
Bill (William) Stewart Director, Nottingham Tanneries Managing Director of Wades, Turneys and Charles Tanneries
Paul Stribbling Group Co Sec at time of “Going Public” and to 1979
Charles H.Skinner USA 1890s Factory manager of Surpass Philidelphia until retiring in 1927
Henry Shepard Chief engineer Pavlova 1969 to closure. Did a lot of group work
T.B.Southgate Brazil
Harold Tregoning Engineer in charge of harbour works in Iquitos, which Booths were constructing. A friend from Harrow of George so they had major reunion in 1908
Richard French Last accountant Booth Overseas?
Slavik Moucka (Chief Technician UCT/ULC)
Joe Jackson works engineer Pavlova
Ralph Liddyard Works Manager Pavlova
William Purcell Brazil 1890s
Benajamin Crimp Brazil
Charles Good Brazil
J.Clissold Brazil
Marcel Verwiel (Bulleys CEO, then Pavlova & Atlantic Tanning)
Max Wade (Charles Tanneries Sales – original Wade family) Works Manager of Wades from 1953. Max was nephew of Charles Wade
Fred Hudson works manager at Wades 1943 until his death in 1953.
Weston Wade As Max Wade above.
John R Webb Liverpool 1890s
Marcel Werviel Took over Bulleys after Mr Poulter
”Doc” White, a brilliant leather chemist and an institution at Surpass. Retired September 1954.
Peter Wilcox Original Booths 60s/70s R&D
George S Wolff German origin Philadelphian who developed enamel finish to copy patent. Booth had JV with him, but not very successful
Yagnesh Kumar Zala [Babu!] (technician – Bulleys/R&D/Pavlova)
The first group of “Booth Men” were defined in the 1880s and 1890s when Charles moved to his system of less involved management and delegation to trusted lieutenants
Turney Brothers only
Sir Arthur William Black 28 February 1863 – 13 July 1947[1] was an English lace manufacturer from Nottingham and a Liberal Party politician who served in local government in Nottingham before holding a seat in the House of Commons from 1906 to 1918. He was a director of Turney Brothers
Charles J. Pain, F.C.A. Vice-Chairman in 1927
Sir Arthur W. Black director 1927
John A. E. Turney director 1927
Douglas J. Law director 1927
Joseph Turney Wood. Discovered the pancreatic enzymes which brought the use of dog faeces, purring, in the tannery to an end.
Brands
ABC Heavy sheep grains made in Nuneaton Leather Company
for the New York market 1882
Bonafide glazed kid made for Booth by Richard Patsowsky of NY likely a
crude chrome tannage 1891-93
Daisy Kid Ceara goat with Dongola Tannage to make an imitation kid 1880
Dongola Tannage invented by James Kent very good for kid and kangaroo, although later adapted for all leathers 1877
Elite Glace Kid leather from Wades 1947
Ideal Enamelled leather to look like Patent (by Wolff) 1898
Eureka
Surpass A chrome tanned black glazed kid (on Ceara goat and others) 1894
Ajmal Camel A chrome tanned East African or Bactrian aniline printed camel skin – Melrose, circa 1966
Ngombe As above but on East African bovine crust 1975?
Cordovan High glazed horse butt shells for American golf shoes. Melrose Tannery 1950s
Drysoft Hi Tech chamois (really a Pittards brand I suppose) 1990s
Willow Calf Turney bros high class calf 1918 on
Meltan Sole leather from Melrose tanners 1950s on
Oasis kid Popular bookbinding leather made by Odell Wilson and Tilt until closure in 1992