Description
Ferris & Son Brewery operated in Dawlish, England, for over a century, supplying beer, lemonade, ginger beer and mineral water to public houses (pubs) and inns in the vicinity of Dawlish, Teignmouth, and Exeter. The company was founded in 1817 and sold to Richard Ferris in 1825. It remained in the Ferris family until the entire business, including the brewery and the pubs it owned was sold in 1926 to Heavitree Brewery in Exeter.
James Dilks (born 1824) was a printer in Nottingham, England, whose company offered lithography, copperplate engraving, and embossing and produced almanacs, show cards, labels, and stationery. In 1853, Dilks, identifying himself as a lithographer and embosser, patented a method for producing bands for binding “packets and parcels of lace and other articles” that combined woven material with paper. Letterhead from 1872 describes the company as “Practical Lithographers and Draughtsmen, Engravers, Die Sinkers & Embossers by Steam Power.” Based on census records, the company was still in existence until at least 1881.
Condition: Generally very good with the usual overall light toning, wear, handling. Short tear upper right margin, restored verso, unobtrusive.
References:
English Patents of Inventions, Specifications: 1853. No. 2726. Online at Google Books: https://books.google.com/books?id=Q_z7f_TcUE0C&pg=RA5-PP8 (23 September 2022).
Force, David. “Dawlish Brewery.” Dawlish Beach. 2 May 2021. https://www.dawlishbeach.com/2021/05/dawlish-brewery/ (23 September 2022).
“James Dilks.” Find My Past. https://www.findmypast.com/1881-census/james-dilks-0015199107 (23 September 2022).
“Lithographers & Draughtsmen Letterhead 1872.” Antiques Atlas. 2022. https://www.antiques-atlas.com/antique/lithographers__draughtsmen_letterhead_1872/as167a1097 (23 September 2022).
“Printers trade card: Almanack Season 1878.” Abebooks. https://www.abebooks.co.uk/Printers-trade-card-Almanack-Season-1878/1254722218/bd (23 September 2022).
