By Royal East Yorkshire Appointment


I've mentioned many times on the Twitter feed that history can be found in the most unexpected places, and none more so than a House of Fraser carrier bag. I've seen them thousands of times, and own a couple myself, but for the first time did I notice it had the Queen's Coat of Arms on it.

The Black Version of the House of Fraser Carrier bag


 A few clicks on the computer told me that House of Fraser holds the Royal Warrant as Outfitters and Household Suppliers. Technically, the Warrant holder is an actual person, and also the House of Fraser is registered in London, but the store in Hull dates back to W.H. Hammond opening a drapery store in 1821, was was situated on North Bridge, before moving to Osbourne Street. As Mr Hammond had no heirs, the business was sold to James Powell and his sons in 1889. The move to the present location happened in 1916, though it was bombed in 1941, and the present building wasn't built until 1952. The Powell family sold the business to House of Fraser in 1972, re-naming it "Binns", which is the name I first remember it as. Then it went back to Hammonds, and another re-branding to "House of Fraser". So yes, a Hull company does hold a Royal Warrant, though it's not the only one.

The shotgun cartridge company, Hull Cartridge has held the Royal Warrant from Her Majesty (the only other Royals that can give Warrants are the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales) since 1992. The company was set up in 1947 by Sydney Bontoft and his son the one-time residence of Paul Heaton in his 'Housemartins'Peter down De Grey Street, which runs from Beverley Road through to Newland Avenue; better known for the one-time residence of Paul Heaton in his 'Housemartins' days in the 1980's/early 1990's, and these days, the home of the 'Adelphi' club. In 1980, the company moved to Bontoft Avenue, off  National Avenue in West Hull where a purpose built factory was built and is still run by the Bontoft family today.



The Queen also favours another East Yorkshire company in Driffield for her animal health and hygiene products, East riding Farm Services. Established over 15 years by father and son, David and Richard Smith and received the Royal Warrant in 2013. Unfortunately, the on-line brochure isn't up and running, so we can't see what mineral licks and food supplements Her Majesty buys for her animals.

  


A name that may be familiar to some of you for supplying British and overseas Royalty, is the dressmaker Madame Clapham, whom had premises in Kingston Square in Hull. Though I will cover her history in more detail another time, she did supply outfits to Queen Maud of Norway, the third daughter of King Edward VII. As explained earlier in the post, this unfortunately did not entitle Madame Clapham to have a British Royal Warrant and display Maud's Royal Coat of Arms. 

Madame Clapham

Somewhere in my stacks of historical papers is a copy of an advert in the Eastern Morning News newspaper from the Southcoates Laundry, Southcoates Lane, East Hull, during the early Edwardian era, claiming that they were the laundry of choice to wash the King's (Edward VII) 'unmentionables'! I don't doubt them, but possibly on a visit to the area, and he needed something clean to go to one of his houses with! 

An example of late Victorian/ Edwardian men's 'unmentionables'!

For the Curious among you, here is the link to the Royal Warrant Holders Association Website, where you can find out if your favourite products hold Royal Approval.

Words (c) Tracy Taylor  (June 2017)

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