Nunneley & Eady
Nunneley & Eady, Little Bowden Brewery, Market Hrborough, Leicestershire.
In February 1799, John Smith was advertising his new brewery at Little Bowden, in the Leicester Journal. The advertisement mentioned his long experience in the business, presumably a reference to his brewing at Oundle (see Brewed In Northants). In 1804, another series of advertisements marked the transfer of the brewery to his son William. The Nunneley family had lived in the Kettering and Market Harborough area since the eighteenth century. In 1808, Joseph Nunneley of Humberstone Gate in Leicester was advertising for an apprentice for a liquor and grocery trade a few miles from Leicester. The following year he bought the wholesale grocers business of Samuel Bradley at the top of the High Street. At some point he bought a wholesale grocery in Harborough from John Byng. In 1835, a John Byng had been listed as a brewer at Kegworth.
In 1837 John Nunneley was listed as a grocer in the town (probably from around 1811) and in 1846 Joseph Nunneley was shown as a brewer on the High Street. The Smith’s brewery was on Northampton Road, where Nunneley owned property opposite and by 1848 the brewery was trading as Joseph Nunneley & Company. However, in 1855 Joseph Nunneley & Company were shown as grocers, bacon factors, wine & spirit merchants and brewers in the High Street. Around 1862-77 Joseph Nunneley’s location was also shown as Sheep Market, possibly his home address.
On 1st June 1865, Nunneley formed a partnership with Joseph Chamberlain Eady (born 1838 Leicester). In White’s 1877 directory the entry shows Nunneley and Eady as brewers in St Mary’s Road. However, there was also an entry for Joseph Nunneley showing 14½ Silver Street and Burton, with Joseph Gamble as the manager at the first address. The Joseph Nunneley who was brewing in Burton around this time was also from Leicester and they were at least related, if not even the same individual!
The brewery was transferred to JC Eady in 1880, with the Nunneley & Eady partnership dissolved in November 1881, In 1882, Eady formed a new partnership with James Dulley of the Wellingborough brewing family (see Dulley & Sons Ltd), running the business as Eady & Dulley (F3325). In 1888, J Nunneley & Company were still trading as wholesale grocers and wine merchants and in the same year, Little Bowden moved from Northamptonshire to Leicestershire as part of the boundary re-organisation. In 1895, Joseph C Eady Esq JP County Councillor 1888 was living in St Mary’s Road. The full story of the Little Bowden Brewery can be found in “Brewed in Northants”. Salt, William, Talbot, High Street.
In May 1810, the sale of William Salt’s possessions at the Talbot included both domestic and commercial brewing vessels. He was a bankrupt innholder at the time, so it seems likely that he was actually running the Talbot. The Talbot was then taken by Richard Fox, who moved there from the Queen’s Head. The latter, with brewhouse, was for sale, with details from Mr Ford on the premises.
The Talbot was an Eady & Dulley Ltd property included in the sale to Northampton Brewery Co. Ltd in 1929, and was still an NBC house in 1956.
It is still trading, but most of the outbuildings have been demolished.