John Reynolds
of Birmingham
1841 John Reynolds set up a company to manufacture nails. As the company grew, it sought other products to make.
1849 Directory: Listed as nail manufacturers [1]
1875 John Reynolds retired, passing leadership of the company to his sons Edwin Reynolds and Alfred John Reynolds
1881 Edwin died.
1890 Alfred John's sons, John Henry Reynolds and Alfred Milward Reynolds, joined John Reynolds and Sons, Ltd
1897 Alfred M. Reynolds and J. T. Hewitt patented the process for making butted tubes, which are thicker at the ends than in the middle. This allowed frame builders to create frames that were both strong and light weight.
1898 The Patent Butted Tube Co was spun off from the parent company
1922 Manufacturer of screws, rivets, wire and nails.