Catalogue description John Burgess and Son Ltd, sauce manufacturers

Price lists, dinner menus, photographs and company histories

John Burgess and Son Ltd, London, sauce manufacturers

Records were transferred from Local studies in May 2002, but appear to have been deposited at the same time as Accession 794 in February 1976 by Mrs M B Whittington (former Chairman of the company).

The company of John Burgess and Son Ltd, sauce manufacturers, was established by John Burgess, a farmer from Hartley, Whitney, Hampshire in the late eighteenth century. Newspaper reports outlining the history of the firm (see 1470/20) conflict over the exact date it was founded, but a watercolour depicting the shop (see 1470/19) indicates a date of 1760. John Burgess is first mentioned in the rate book for the Strand in 1774 and later in Kent's 1778 London Directory as an oilman at 101 Strand. From an advert in the 14 May 1779 edition of The Morning Post (see 1470/8) we know that he had moved to 107 Strand, still describing himself as an oilman, although at various times over the next few years the firm is described as "Ham and oil warehouse". In 1800 the company name changed to Burgess and Son and in 1827 to John Burgess and Son, Italian and fish sauce warehouse. By 1904 Burgess's had become a limited company. In 1908 a new warehouse was built at Willesden Junction with the Strand shop closing permanently in 1914. Subsequently in 1960 the company moved to Edmonton in North London.

Burgess's was most renowned for its essence of anchovies, and won awards at the 1867 Paris Exhibition and 1873 London International Exhibition for both its fish pastes and pickles. A trade card for John Burgess dated 1787 is located in the Westminster Print Collection, reference L135 (90).

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