"Dent, Allcroft and Co" Glovemakers: 96, Wood St in 1898 - COMPLETED

[Keith Sherwood]

Hi, Everyone,
When my gt-gt-grandfather James Kershaw died in 1898 the firm he worked for were well-represented at his funeral and burial at Abney Park.  They were referred to as:"DENT, ALLCROFT and Co., of 97, Wood Street.
I believe they made quite fancy gloves, and there's even a bit of family folklore that says that my ancestor managed to get hold of someone else's idea and patent it - the stud, or fastener, which would have been used, I suppose, in those gloves.
Does anyone know whether this firm still exists in London or elsewhere...?
Keith (Have edited incorrect name, now 16.23 mon)

[Cougar]

Hi Keith
there was this ref. on google
John and William DENT, who were 19th century glove makers and owner/restorers of Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire. (http://www.northpennineancestors.co.uk/OurSurnamesD.htm)
appropros to nothing - this continues on re the Castle (http://www.statelyhomes.com/areas/details.asp?HID=168&ID=594&path=12,25,116,594)

Interesting that I found nothing 'current' - but I remember the name Dent in ref. to gloves - in fact, think I still have a pair.   Sorry nothing more came to light - perhaps one of the locals will know what became of them-the manufacturers, not my pair.
Cougar

[Shropshire Lass]

Hi Keith

Are you certain of the name of the company?  I have relatives who worked for Fownes Gloves in Worcester and their big rival was Dent Allcroft & Co. 

Quote from  www.worcestercitymuseums.org.uk/mag/spirit/spglov.htm#da
"While many of the smaller businesses did not survive this period, two of Worcester's most famous gloving firms, Dent Allcroft and Co Ltd. and Fownes Gloves Ltd. survived by reorganising their workforce, introducing a factory system and improving the overall quality of the products. Both these firms went on to become leading glove manufacturers in Europe."

See also  www.plal.com/dents.htm  where you can read some history and buy yourself a pair of Dents gloves!

Monica

[Keith Sherwood]

Hi again, Cougar,
Thanks for having a bit of a search around on my behalf.  Are your Dent's gloves good quality? - better than Adam Gilchrist's, I expect (or Geraint Jones of England, to be perfectly fair).
Wasn't the cricket amazing in the end, and I can't wait for the 2006/7 re-match.
Now, I'd better shut up about the "flannelled foolishness" or I'll be excommunicated from this list.  Will pursue those excellent links you provided...
Keith

[Cougar]

Hi Keith
Just had to let you win one to make you feel good.
Note we just trounced the world 11 by 3 matches to nil???
Yes, my Dent gloves are excellent quality leather ones - thought I might be showing my age knowing about them, but obviously from Monica's post - they are still available.
Cougar

[Keith Sherwood]

Monica,
What an embarrassing gaffe on my part!  I've just looked up the obituary again, and of course it's meant to be ALLCROFT, not Allcock.  (Puns leap into my head, such as not crowing about it - must have been thinking of that famous chapel in Ely cathedral to one of their bishops; the place is festooned with dozens of cockerels)  And having sorted that out for me, it looks as though you've put me onto the right trail.  No wonder I couldn't find anything...(I wonder whether I can edit the misleading Subject Title now)
Keith

[Shropshire Lass]

Hi Keith

We'd better not pursue just what you might have been thinking of!  And I thought genealogy was an all-absorbing subject, leaving no time for other interests.

Our glovemakers came up from Somerset to work for Fownes and rose quite high in the business.  All their gloves with a stud had a picture of a gloved fist stamped on the stud.  Family tradition has it that the fist was drawn from life and belonged to our man.  What a claim to fame!

Monica

[Cougar]

Found
http://www.dents.co.uk/
Cougar

[Keith Sherwood]

Hi, Monica and Cougar,
This is getting quite steamy now, isn't it, with studs and cocks flying about all over the place...!
But on a much more serious note (ahem...drawing a deep breath), this has all been fascinating, and I hadn't realised that Worcester was where it all started.  I suppose the Wood Street address in London must have been some kind of London office, to go along with all those other branches worldwide.  Wonderful to think that the firm is still going strong today - I used to live in Warminster in Wilts for a while, and had no idea that Dent's had a factory there.
I suppose I should have put this on the Worcs. site, not London.  And we're in good company here, for wasn't William Shakespeare's father, John, a glove-maker too, in the 16thC...?
Keith