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Information on Don Confectionery Ltd.

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My Grandfather used to work for Don Confectionery in Sheffield.

I know very little about this company.....location size etc

Any info appreciated.

 

Marty

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The Don Bakery used to be in Hillsborough down the little cobbled lane at the right hand side of present day Woolworths.

 

In the old days it was fronted by a school, I believe it was called the Hillsborough National school but I could be wrong.

 

We used to take a shortcut down that lane which came out in the Old Blue Ball pub yard, this saved us walking to the corner to go down Bradfield Road.

 

When my mother was a girl she had he job of cleaning all the baking trays and equipment.

 

She once accidently dropped a bar of carbolic soap into the meat mincer when she was fooling around with one of the lads.

 

The Pork Pies had a special taste that week.

 

 

Happy days

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The 1927 KELLYS DIRECTORY entry lists them as 31 Crookes place. 321 Middlewood rd, 193 Main rd Darnall, 9 the Wicker, 13 the Moor, 581 Attercliffe rd, no entry for them in the 1911 directory.;)

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Thanks.

I believe Don Confectionery split from Bassetts many years ago and were the taken over by Bassetts again.

I was looking for their manufacturing sites in Sheffield and any other details.

Marty

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I was shown an early map of the Spitalfield area and a large factory nearby was labelled 'Don Confectionery'

In the midst of one of Sheffields busiest manufacturing areas.

Anyone any info on this site?

Marty

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Here are a few recollections of the Don Bakery in an earlier thread:

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=272299 Scroll down to post #7 and later ones. It was the back entrance to the Don Bakery that was in the cobbled lane; the main entrance was at the end of Proctor Place (formerly Crookes Place).

 

I'm not sure if the Don Bakery and the Don Confectionery Company were the same. A bit of Googling confirmed the link between Don Confectionery and Bassett's ( http://www.bassettbranches.org/newsletters/2005/20051120/20051120.shtml ) and revealed that Joseph Thornton (whose sweet shop developed into the chain of "Chocolate Kabins") was evidently a salesman for the Don Confectionery Company - see http://www.rotherhamweb.co.uk/h/nthornton.htm Here's a Don toffee tin that turned up in New Zealand: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Antiques-collectables/Silver-metalware-tins/Tins/auction-163626485.htm and another one: http://www.goldingyoung.com/catalogues/Ct040204/lot23.jpg

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This is a very old post but I thought that I would answer it particularly because I want to find out more myself.

 

My interest is because my grandfather, Joseph William Thornton worked there as a salesman before he started the Thorntons confectionery business in 1911 and I am trying to find out more about his employment there.

 

I have recently borrowed a copy of the Bassett's history written by Mr Johnson and based on that I can tell you that the Don Confectionery Company was started by Samuel Meggitt Johnson in 1878 when he was managing director of Bassett's as a place for the two sons of George Bassett to work because he did not want them in the Bassett's business.

 

The Don Confectionery Company survived until 1933 when apparently it got into difficulties and was then bought back in my Bassett's.

 

If anybody knows the whereabouts of any information about the business then please let me know.

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The 1927 KELLYS DIRECTORY entry lists them as 31 Crookes place. 321 Middlewood rd, 193 Main rd Darnall, 9 the Wicker, 13 the Moor, 581 Attercliffe rd, no entry for them in the 1911 directory.;)

 

You posted this a long time ago but I thought that I would reply as I want to find out more about the company.

 

Do you think that these were retail shops? Do you have any more Kelly's with info about the company?

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You posted this a long time ago but I thought that I would reply as I want to find out more about the company.

 

Do you think that these were retail shops? Do you have any more Kelly's with info about the company?

A quick look in 1938 Kellys all the shops have been taken over one example is Gallons grocers,

 

DON CONF CO LTD,MFGS CONFECTIONERS 78 ALBERT TERRACE ROAD 6

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Many thanks for the reply. I live in Devon now so it is not possible to pop into the Library in Sheffield. I intend to come up for a few days to do this properly but can't do for a bit yet.

I'm interested because my grandfather worked for the Don before he started the family business in 1911.

I published a book in 2009 which included the story of the family business but there were things that I did not know about the family in 1911 so the early part of the story is not complete. We have now found the house where they lived in 1911 and that has led to a request from my publisher to research the earlier history of the Thornton family and then write something about it.

At the moment I am researching the Don because he was there for 20 years, I am hoping to find records but the Library Archives are not accessible at present.

 

It would be quite significant if the Don had retail shops because this means that grandfather would have got some retail experience and it was a retail business that he started.

 

The Don was started in 1878 by SM Johnson who had become MD of Bassetts and obtained a significant shareholding. He started it for the two sons of Geo Bassett because he could not get on with them. In 1893 they fell out completely and Johnson then took over the Bassett shareholding held by the two sons and handed over his shareholding in the Don to them in exchange.

 

Joseph William Thornton (my grandfather) was working at the Don in 1891 (20 years old) and left in 1913, he probably started earlier say about 1887.

 

If you have other copies of Kelly's in that period of 1887 - 1913 and could check whether the Don appeared to have other premises that could have been retail shops then that would be really interesting and helpful.

 

Many thanks indeed,

Peter Thornton

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I should have said also that in 1933 the Don was sold back to Bassetts and thus became part of that business.

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Many thanks for the reply. I live in Devon now so it is not possible to pop into the Library in Sheffield. I intend to come up for a few days to do this properly but can't do for a bit yet.

I'm interested because my grandfather worked for the Don before he started the family business in 1911.

I published a book in 2009 which included the story of the family business but there were things that I did not know about the family in 1911 so the early part of the story is not complete. We have now found the house where they lived in 1911 and that has led to a request from my publisher to research the earlier history of the Thornton family and then write something about it.

At the moment I am researching the Don because he was there for 20 years, I am hoping to find records but the Library Archives are not accessible at present.

 

It would be quite significant if the Don had retail shops because this means that grandfather would have got some retail experience and it was a retail business that he started.

 

The Don was started in 1878 by SM Johnson who had become MD of Bassetts and obtained a significant shareholding. He started it for the two sons of Geo Bassett because he could not get on with them. In 1893 they fell out completely and Johnson then took over the Bassett shareholding held by the two sons and handed over his shareholding in the Don to them in exchange.

 

Joseph William Thornton (my grandfather) was working at the Don in 1891 (20 years old) and left in 1913, he probably started earlier say about 1887.

 

If you have other copies of Kelly's in that period of 1887 - 1913 and could check whether the Don appeared to have other premises that could have been retail shops then that would be really interesting and helpful.

 

Many thanks indeed,

Peter Thornton

 

Hi Peter have you used Historical directories

Historical directories can be read online at least the earlier ones type in hISTORICAL DIRECTORIES. I CAN LOOK UP LATER ONES FROM 1927 regards Roy.

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