Harrison and Sons
| Company type | Private Limited Company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Security printing |
| Founded | 1750 |
| Founder | Thomas Harrison |
| Defunct | 1997 |
| Fate | Sold toDe La Rue |
| Headquarters | , England |
| Products | Postage stamps, banknotes, passports and gift vouchers |
| Parent | Lonrho |
Harrison and Sonswas a major worldwide engraver and printer ofpostage stampsandbanknotes.
History
[edit]The company was established in 1750 by Thomas Harrison in Warwick Lane,London;in 1839 Thomas Richard Harrison entered into partnership with John William Parker, creatingHarrison and Co.It went through similar names and retained Harrison family ownership until 1979 when sold toLonrho.[1]
Harrison and Sons printed its first stamp, a 1dInland Revenue stampforMontserrat,in 1866. This seems to be the only stamp printed by the company during the 19th century.[2]
It obtained its firstPost Officecontract in 1881.[3]In 1910, a new factory opened inHayes.[4]The company won the contract to print the single colour United KingdomEdward VIIstamps in 1911 after the Post Office decided not to renew its contract withDe La Rue.Initially, using printing machines manufactured byTimsonsofKettering,it went on to produce most of the British stamps over the 60-year period from the 1930s until the 1990s, including the first UK stamp using thephotogravuremethod in 1934 and the first photogravure commemoratives in 1935 forSilver JubileeofKing George V.The first UK Christmas issue in 1966, on the specially designed Jumelle press, was also printed at Harrison and Sons. They printed their last British commemorative issue, referred to as "Queen’s Beasts’ issue",in 1998. The stamps were actually printed one year before they were issued to the public.[5]During the 1920s, Harrison & Son printedbanknotesfor theCommonwealth Bankin Australia.[6]In 1933, the factory moved toHigh Wycombe.[4]
The company (abbreviation H&S) also printed stamps, banknotes, passports and gift vouchers for over 100 other countries from 1881.[5]Some of its most famous publications wereThe London GazetteandBurke's Peerage.[1]
In 1979, the business was purchased byLonrho.In February 1997, it was sold toDe La Ruewith the High Wycombe plant refurbished.[7]The plant closed in 2003.[8]
Company names
[edit]- Harrison and Co (1839–1849)[1]
- Harrison and Son (1849–1854)[1]
- Harrison and Sons (1854–1920)[1]
- Harrison & Sons Limited (1920–1997)[1][9]
References
[edit]- ^abcdef"Harrison and Sons Limited, printers".National Archives.Retrieved4 March2015.
- ^Morgan, Glenn H. (June 2017). "Harrison and Sons 1866 Revenue Stamps of Montserrat".Gibbons Stamp Monthly.48(1).Ringwood:Stanley Gibbons Limited: 86–89.ISSN0954-8084.
- ^Sanders, Malcolm."Glossary H-M".King George VI - Great Britain.Archived fromthe originalon 27 September 2011.Retrieved23 September2014.
- ^abHarrison & Sons Ltd: A Timeline from King George II to King George VIStamp Printers
- ^abStamp Printers by CountryStamp Printers
- ^The Commonwealth Bank and the Note Issue 1920 - 1960Museum of the Reserve Bank of Australia
- ^"De La Rue to cut 400 jobs",The Independent,15 April 1997
-De La Rue to restructure banknote and security print businessDe La Rue 30 April 1997
-Our HistoryArchived9 May 2023 at theWayback Machine- De La Rue - ^"Up to 350 jobs to go at printing firm",Your Local Guardian,7 October 2002
-Security Products Manufacturing Review, Closure of High Wycombe Factory and Acquisition of House of Questa LtdDe La Rue 23 September 2002 - ^Companies House extract company no 168827Harrison & Sons Limited