Records of Huntley and Palmers, Biscuit Manufacturers

HP

1837-1995

The bulk of the collection concerns the business of the firm, in all its aspects. Financial and general management records include accounts 1837-1947; balance sheets and ledgers 1858-1951; raw materials invoices and summaries 1844-1857; journals of monthly expenditure 1926-1936; journals of yearly expenditure 1913-1954; internal accounts ledgers 1899-1924; wages records, summaries, analyses and comparisons 1858-1954; senior staff and directors' salaries and other remunerations 1928-1963; partnership accounts 1857-1878; register of members and shares 1899-1963; stocks summaries 1939-1944; profit and loss accounts 1924-1934; fire and other insurance records 1878-1936; tax returns 1893-1906; private family accounts 1878-1898; inventory books 1905-1918, and dividend records 1898-1930. Minute books include those of the Executive Committee of Directors 1922-1948; of the Board of Directors 1898-1951; of the Reading Biscuit Factory Committee of Management 1917-1946, and of the general Committee of Management 1920-1926, 1946-1958 and 1959-1968. Legal papers include the book recording the particulars of sealed documents 1898-1967; registers of deeds of property purchased 1841-1971; contracts 1880-1931; deeds of association relating to the relationship with Peek Frean and with Associated Biscuit Manufacturers; patents filed in different countries 1887-1959, and trademarks 1961-1968. Business correspondence includes letters of the Palmers and other senior managers c1850-1983. There is also correspondence relating to various books produced about the firm, the British biscuit industry and the design aspects of packaging. Promotional material includes catalogues, records of displays and correspondence about Huntley and Palmers' exhibits at various international fairs 1878-1950; advertising booklets, leaflets and catalogues c1880-1990 (in several languages); sets of advertising cards with various themes c1885-1910; newspaper and other advertisements 1842-1946; recruitment and other pamphlets c1900-1990, and press cuttings 1912-1984. There are specimens of different types of packaging c1850-1960, including foil and paper wrappers, labels for tins, cartons and details of stamps and marks. There is also some original artwork for packaging and promotional material. Production records include records of the purchase of raw materials 1857-1929; recipes c1860-1945; output records 1859-1965; productivity figures 1904-1960; records of new machines and alterations 1919-1931; production costs 1914-1933; weekly manufacturing totals 1923-1932; records of wedding cakes made 1877-1921; comparisons of ingredients usage 1925-1934, and plant and machinery records 1905-1934. Sales records cover both home and export sales from the 1850s onwards and include price lists 1867-1982; lists of Christmas specials for export 1897-1901; order books; customer invoices 1864-1919; annual summaries 1884-1898; trade comparisons and analyses 1894-1937, and price lists from rival firms c1890-1970. Personnel records include details of wages and employees c1890-1944 (not comprehensive); records of staff absence, accidents and factory closures c1900-1936; sick fund details 1849-1855; details of Christmas gifts to staff 1887-1916; papers concerning industrial relations c1911-1981; minutes of the Workers Representation Committee 1916-1926; conditions of work 1918-1944, and rules and regulations 1893-1949. There are records of Huntley and Palmers' various social clubs, including menus etc. from social and sporting events 1868-1938; Recreation Club papers and fixture lists; cricket score books 1883-1956; bingo cards; netball fixture lists 1945-1946, 'Ladies Record of Activities' c1945, and music scores. Published material includes newspaper and journal articles c1900-1995 about the firm, the Palmer family, the British biscuit industry in and the collector's interest in biscuit tins. There are photographs c1872-1980, depicting various subjects including groups of employees, members of the Palmer family, VIP visits, exhibits at trade fairs and Huntley and Palmers' buildings. Album subjects include celebration cakes and international exhibitions 1929-1954; presentations of sports and long service awards 1918-1954, and the visit of the Queen Mother to the factory in 1955. Audiovisual material consists of a video copy of a 53-minute film shot by Peek Frean in 1906, showing work in their factory; a video copy of a 20-minute film shot by Huntley and Palmers in the 1940s showing ingredient production around the world and factory processes; a video copy of a Huntley and Palmers promotional film lasting 16 minutes and shot in the 1950s; a video copy of a promotional film shot by Associated Biscuits Ltd in the 1970s showing production by the three firms, lasting 25 minutes; a vinyl disk produced c1935 by Huntley and Palmers with Christmas greetings from 'the Empire's greatest biscuit makers', duration 50 seconds, and a CD recording of the above disk. Other items of note include material relating to Huntley and Palmers supplies taken on the British Antarctic expeditions of 1911-1912; visitors books for the factory 1869-1973; papers concerning the royal warrants granted to Huntley and Palmers as suppliers to the courts of Europe; albums of corporate stationery 1883-1911; a ledger recording the journeys of the firm's continental travellers 1887-1903, and particulars of army biscuits supplied to the War Office August 1914. Further material originates from the firms associated with Huntley and Palmers. There are some records from Peek Frean c1880-1960, consisting chiefly of advertising material, financial records and minute books. Items from Jacob's include catalogues and price lists c1890-1940, and promotional material c1980-1995. There are some records from Huntley, Boorne and Stevens, consisting chiefly of notes and figures concerning production in the twentieth century but also including a vellum ledger with customer accounts 1842-1845. There are records of directors salaries 1928-1958 and minutes of the Accounts Committee 1931-1945 from Associated Biscuit Manufacturers, and some catalogues, price lists and promotional material c1970-1980 from Associated Biscuits Ltd. Finally there is some material from the Nabisco Group, including historical notes, promotional material 1983-1990, price lists 1984-1990 and catalogues and other items from subsidiary companies. There are various personal papers of the Palmer family c1860-1951, including personal correspondence; papers of George Palmer about his work as an MP; obituaries; visiting cards; a family tree tracing the Huntleys and Palmers back to the early seventeenth century; wills of Samuel Palmer 1903, Mary Jane Palmer 1910 and Samuel Ernest, Lord Palmer 1947; baptism and marriage certificates of Samuel Palmer, with various papers about the marriage settlement, and other miscellaneous items. Some of the personal papers show the relationship between the family and the firm, such as notices of congratulation sent on behalf of the employees to various Palmers when they got married.

Over 4000 items

English

fonds

Huntley and Palmers Limited, Joseph Huntley & Son, Boorne and Stevens Huntley, Peek Frean, Associated Biscuit Manufacturers Ltd, W. & R. Jacob & Co., Associated Biscuits Ltd, Inc. Nabisco Brands, Jacob's Bakery Ltd, Danone, George Palmer, George William Palmer, Thomas Huntley, William Isaac Palmer, Samuel Palmer, Alfred Palmer, Walter Palmer

Reading, Biscuit industry (Great Britain)

During 2022-2023 the collection underwent a re-cataloguing project. The catalogue has been given an organisational structure which will guide users to relevant parts of this large collection. Where possible the original numbering of items has been retained. The catalogue has been arranged as follows: HP A Administrative Records HP B Company Records HP C Financial Records HP D Manufacturing and Production Records HP E Marketing Records HP F Records of Shows and Exhibitions HP G Photographic Records HP H Company Histories, Research and Reference HP J Social Records HP K Family Records Some items were identified as having a different provenance to the main deposit and these items have been re-catalogued with a new collection reference, a note of the previous reference number has been retained on the catalogue description. MS 5848 (previously HP 1014) - CD containing 28 excerpts from interviews recorded during an oral history project and excerpts from promotional films produced by the company. MS 5849 (previously HP 1015) - Notebook containing minutes for the meetings for the Wembley Exhibition Fund, 1924. MS 5850 (previously HP 1016) - Material relating to Clement Bullivant Williams MS 5852 (previously HP 1021) - Material relating to written histories of Huntley, Boorne & Stevens and Huntley & Palmers Further material has been identified as published material and has been transferred to the Special Collections Library: First Name News, the Huntley & Palmers' Works Magazine (previously HP 315) Bakers' Gazette nos. 1-12 1849. (previously part of HP 344) Volume entitled, 'Lambeth method of Cake Decoration and Practical Pastries' by Joseph A Lambeth, First Edition, 1936, published by Virtue and Company Limited, London. Bought by the company, Huntley & Palmers', for the Experimental Dept, 20 April 1936 (previously HP OS 612)