[nb-NO]Archival history[nb-NO]
History of Salter (taken from http://www.salterhousewares.com/salter_uk/salter-history, accessed by MERL on 09/08/2013) - 'For many years the UK'S No.1 BRAND for domestic weighing scales, (currently around 40% market share), Salter Housewares Ltd has now become the leading brand in many other countries including Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Chile and Portugal. // SALTER HOUSEWARES itself began life in the late 1760 in the village of Bilston, England. At this time Richard Salter, a spring maker, began making 'pocket steelyards', a scale similar to the fisherman's scale of today. // By 1825 his nephew George had taken over the company, which became known as George Salter & Co. and later established a large, well equipped manufacturing site in the town of West Bromwich. From here the company produced a wide variety of scales including the UK'S first bathroom scale! Other items were added to the range, including irons, mincers, potato chippers, coin-operated machines and another 'first' for the UK, the typewriter. // The business thrived throughout the 1900s and by 1950, employed over 2000 people, still in the same area and owned by the same family. Then, in 1972 the company was purchased by Staveley Industries Plc and was split into separate subsidiaries, housewares, industrial etc. relocating as required. // In the late 1980s, and early 90s Staveley acquired more businesses world-wide to form a new 'weighing group' including the Weigh-Tronix company of America, and in 1998 after a management buy out, this became the Weigh-Tronix Corporation, with Salter Housewares a part of that. The focus of the new corporation however was increasingly towards industrial or commercial weighing, so on February, 2002, the management team at Salter Housewares Ltd, backed by Barclays Private Equity, bought the company out from the group, to concentrate on its consumer businesses. // So rapid was the growth over the next two years that the company became an attractive acquisition target, and consequently in March 2004 was sold to the US-based HoMedics company, leaders in the "personal wellness" product category. In 2006, Salter Housewares USA and Taylor Precision Products Inc (also owned by HoMedics) merged together to combine sales, marketing, and distribution efficiencies to be more reactive to the changing retailer environment. // Located in the UK, USA, & Canada, with distribution to over 100 countries world-wide, still enjoying the #1 brand for bathroom scales in the UK and now part of the highly successful HoMedics group the company is now set for continued growth and product extension.', List with photographs of the objects in this collection offered for donation to MERL that have been accepted., Set of images of associated docs and information (located in folder L:\MERL\Objects\Associated docs and photos relating to Joseph Bevan loaned by Jayne Traill Entry Form 406)., MERL Miscellaneous note - Associated information - The objects all belonged to the donor's grandfather, Joseph Bevan, who ran the farm at Ascot Place Estate. The farm was called Miltons Farm. Joseph Bevan, a cousin of Aneurin Bevan, was born in the 1920s and was originally from near Abergavenny, Wales. Before moving to Ascot, he farmed in Wales and in Shropshire - the donor estimates that he started farming in the 1940s. During and just after WW2, he had a lot of Italian prisoners to help on his farm. He moved to Ascot Place in 1967 and worked there until his retirement in 1985 or 1986. When Joseph Bevan arrived at the Ascot Place Estate, it was under the ownership of entrepreneur Clive Sinclair, and it was later brought by H. J. Heinz. // He kept cattle (but not dairy) and sheep, and occasionally did arable farming also. He won a ploughing match, about which there is a press cutting as it was considered unusual for a stockbreeder to have won. He was considered a local expert on sheep - other local farmers used to bring their flock to the farm to be sheared. He also used to look after other people's sheep and would usually get some lambs in return. The Welsh blacks he kept at Ascot Place were his own flock, as Mrs Heinz only wanted to keep white sheep. He kept Friesian cattle. Even after his retirement, he continued to keep a small flock of sheep until 2001, when he passed away., MERL Miscellaneous note - Jayne Traill Acquisitions - 'The Salter spring balance is a very small balance for use on a farm. The donor remembers it being used for weighting very small bales of wool, and also for weighing lambs. The lamb would be put in a small sling which was hung from the hook.'
