Smith and Wellstood
of Bonnybridge, Falkirk, Scotland, warehouse and later manufacturers of Esse cast iron products.
1854 Company founded as a retail hardware business in Glasgow.
1855 James Smith contracted George Ure, managing partner of Crosthwaite, Ure and Co of Camelon, to produce stoves.
In their early days, may have had castings made by Crosthwaite's Union Foundry at Camelon.
1858 James Smith and Stephen Wellstood became partners.
1860 George Ure opened his own foundry, the Columbian Stove Works, at Bonnybridge, with James Smith and Stephen Wellstood.
1864 Robert Dobbie became assistant manager of the Smith and Wellstood warehouse at Bonnybridge, and manager in 1867 after the retirement of Stephen Wellstood.
1869 Dobbie left Bonnybridge to set up an iron merchant's warehouse in Glasgow, called Dobbie and Rennie.
1869 American Confederate leader Jefferson Davis spent some time as a guest of James Smith (at 4 Sydenham Road, Glasgow) after he was released from prison, where he had spent two years for his involvement in the Civil War. Davis and Smith had become friends when Smith visited Mississippi before the war to found an iron works. Smith's younger brother, Robert, became a colonel with the Mississippi Rifles, and bodyguard to Mr Davis. He died at the Battle of Munfordville.[1]
1873 Smith and Wellstood opened their own foundry.
1874 Smith and Wellstood took an action against Dobbie, Forbes and Co at Glasgow Sheriff Court for using their trademark 'Trafford' on ranges made by Dobbie, Forbes. The defendant was fined £500 costs and forbidden to use the trade mark.
1890 Amalgamated with George Ure and Co, taking over Columbian Stove Works in that year.
1890 Private company.
1903 George Albert Ure, a director of the company, gained his first (of many) patents, for a method of adapting anthracite and other self contained stoves to ordinary fireplace openings.
Products included the Esse-Vista Stove, Jeunesse Stove
By 1936 was proprietor of the Esse Cooker Co, maker of Esse Cookers
1938 Products included the Bonny Bridge, Hydresse, Raydesse and Triumph boilers and water heaters.
1947 After the death of the managing director, George Ure, the business changed hands.
1948 Company made public.
1949 Smith and Wellstood was registered as a limited company.
1950 a new foundry was established in Johannesburg, which was sold in 1971 to a South African company.
1961 Ironfounders and manufacturers of cooking and heating appliances; kitchen engineers and steel fabricators. 1,000 employees. [2]
1963 Licensed Bowater Associated Industries as sole concessionaires for Esse metal ceiling panels[3]
1973 Smith and Wellstood Ltd were taken over by the Kent-based Dover Engineering Group[4].
1978 this became part of the Newman Industries Ltd Group.
The company went into receivership in 1984. The Ouzledale Foundry Co Ltd bought out the foundry and established the new company of Smith and Wellstood (1984) Ltd.
A good history of ESSE products is available online [5]