History of the Phillips of Royston
.jpg)
Royston Brewery, Baldock Street
On 21 September 1725, the Royston brewery was bought by Robert Phillips from Radstock ie Radwell and mentioned as the founder in a later obituary. Around 1759 it passed to his son John I (b1713). The original article suggested that Robert was around 50 when he bought the brewery, so would have been in his eighties. Why not to his eldest sons William (b1704), Robert (b1705) or Michael (b1708), who are identified in notes from descendants now living in New Zealand? Was the focus on milling and baking in this period, or had they involved elsewhere eg Oxford and Coventry? John I apparently died unmarried in 1786 and the brewery passed to his nephew John II (b1755), one of the sons of another brother Thomas (b.1712) in Stamford.
John II died in 1821, also unmarried. The brewery passed to his nephews John III (son of Robert) and John IV (b1796 son of Joseph I of Stamford). John III died in 1826 and two years later his mother sold their share of the brewery to John IV.
John IV's first wife, Monica Michael, died in 1839, leaving a son John V and possibly three daughters. John IV married for a second time, a Jane Helen Marshall of Waldersea, his brother Edward having married a Martha Marshall. (NB a family of this name brewed in Trumpington - Ada Emily Phillips of the Mortlake family also married a Marshall). He seems to have had two sons Joseph Edward John and George Frederick by his second marriage. By December 1870 the business was trading as Phillips Bros, suggesting that John V (b1835) and his half brother Joseph Edward John (b1843) had taken over the business from their father. John IV died in 1871 and in 1874 the business was listed as Phillips J & JE.
In 1897 a limited company was formed with directors John V's son by his first wife - John Robert Phillips of Torquay, James Jarvis of Eastbourne and James Edward Jarvis who was the MD at Royston. The latter was also a director of the Stamford Brewery in 1915. JEJ Phillips retired from active involvement in 1897, when he was also a shareholder in Halls of Oxford.
In 1899 Phillips of Royston bought Alexander Frederick Tooth's Castle Brewery of Cambridge. As an aside, in 1835 John Tooth from Cranbrook, Kent formed a partnership with Charles Newnham to establish the Kent Brewery in Sydney, Australia. In the mid 1840s the original partners had retired and the brewery was leased to Robert and Edwin Tooth, sons of Robert a brewer of London. They were also joined by Frederick Tooth, possibly another brother. Around this time some of the Phillips family emigrated to Australia, later O Phillips was a director of Tooth & Co and other members of the family were also involved. Two years after the foundation of Sydney, Captain Arthur Phillips was growing crops at Castle Hill, Rosehill (now Parramatta) which included barley used to produce the first ale in Australia.
On 23 Feb 1910, Joseph Edward John died aged 67 and his son Joseph Harold John (b1879) became involved. On 24th October 1925 John V died at the age of 90. His sons: John Robert, Eric Charles Malcolm, Ian Montague Michael, Edwin Gray Monilaws.
In 1949 the business (F4357) was sold to Greens of Luton. The family directors were: Col Joseph Harold John Phillips – chairman, Col Eric Charles Malcolm Phillips, Major EGM Phillips MC, Lt Cmdr CEHJ Phillips, Lt Col Harold PJ Phillips. Harold and Edwin became directors of Greens. In 1951 J & JE Phillips was operated as Greens' wine & spirits subsidiary, with directors shown as Col ECM Phillips CB DSO DL JP and Lt Col HPJ Phillips.
Why they sold up to Greens has been a question of interest (at least to us anoraks). However, there are some links which can examined.
On 1st July 1854 Frederick Burr, a Luton brewer, married Charlotte, daughter of George Phillips, clerk of Sandon in Essex. Burrs's family was related by marriage to the Crabbs brewing in Great Baddow (see:- Baddow Brewery Co. Ltd), where his father William had been brewing. RH Crabb was born in Sandon Place, which might explain how they had met.
Frederick died in 1856 and in 1857 the Burr family sold the Luton brewery to Thomas Sworder of Hertford. Stuart Smith's excellent book on the Luton Brewers and pubs does not mention that in February 1874 the Brewers Journal gave details of the Luton Brewery Company, which was previously Sworders. The chairman was a William Phillips home The Lancrets (See also the entry for Thaxted). My understanding is that this was to finance the building of the new brewery.
In 1897 JW Green bought Sworders!