held in
N James, July 1991
Historical Manuscripts Commission
All enquiries about access to the records in this report should be addressed to the Historical Manuscripts Commission.
The Squire family was established in south Staffordshire during the seventeenth century, and William Squire (c1690-1757) of Willenhall is known from his will to have been engaged in lockmaking in the middle of the eighteenth. His son Thomas (c1719-1804) is regarded as the founder of the family business which has been making locks continuously at New Invention since 1780. The original premises survived opposite the present factory until the 1980s when they were demolished for road widening. Further development of these premises seems to have occurred under James Squire (1779-1853), Thomas's grandson.
During the nineteenth century the firm specialised in cabinet locks for furniture. Henry Squire (1823-1892) achieved some local prominence for his championship of Wesleyan Methodism and his chairmanship of the Short Heath Board of Guardians. He is also found in local directories trading as an iron merchant. Under his son Henry Alldritt Squire (1867-1915), the business was incorporated as a private limited liability company in 1906.
During the inter-war period of the present century, the firm moved away from manufacturing cabinet locks as demand for them declined with the advent of plywood-based furniture and competition increased with wholesale dumping of rival products on the market by German lockmakers. Since then, the firm has concentrated on producing padlocks, for which there is an important overseas as well as a domestic market. In the period before the Second World War, there was also diversification into the making of can-openers and vegetable peelers, which has continued.
In 1967, the company reverted to unlimited liability status. The present chairman. Mr Gordon PJ Squire, represents the sixth generation of his family to carry on the business.
All records listed below are kept in the board room at the company's factory in Lichfield Road, New Invention, except where otherwise specified.
Bookshelf
General meeting minute book 1907-43
Directors' minute book 1906-43
Ledger B (customer accounts) c1931-48
Ledger C (customer accounts) 1930-49
Private ledger (nominal ledger no 2) including balance sheets, profit and loss accounts, etc c1930-44
Accounts (salaries, bank charges, expenses. etc) (1 bundle) c1931-35
Cash books (4) 1941-50, 1943-50, 1959-62, 1961-70
Expense account book (?of salesman or director) nd
Sales ledger no 1 c1931-50
Purchase journals (2) 1940-43, 1944-47
Stock book c1935-51
Salaries book including loose bundle of accounts with Martin's Bank 1944-46 1948-49
Printed catalogues of products late 20th century
Chubb filing cabinet (bottom drawer)
Company seals of Henry Squire Sons Ltd (1 box) 20th century
Debenture register (empty) including petrol coupons (1 bundle) and draft company accounts 1949 (1 envelope) 1940s
Bank books (10) in account with Lloyds Bank, Wolverhampton 1907-21
Rough specifications book (padlocks, can openers, vegetable peelers, etc) c1940
Pocket diaries (2) used as notebooks relating to metal fittings by Percy A Squire 1938, 1940
Papers relating to tender for new office block at Squire's factory (1 bundle) 1958-59
Miscellaneous mailing lists and circulars (4 envelopes) nd
Miscellaneous receipts, share certificates, etc of Henry A Squire and his family (8 envelopes and 5 loose items in cash box) c1914-1930s
Squire family Bible (with genealogical entries at front from 1786)
English dictionary of Thomas Squire, New Invention 1824
'Master Henry Squire's account book' (used as arithmetic exercise book) 1835
German exercise books (3) of PJA Squire 1930s
Book of Common Prayer, given to Muriel Squire by her husband Percy, 1949
Miscellaneous metal industry magazines 1937-38 and other printed volumes 20th century
Wooden cupboard
Miscellaneous invoices (1 box) from 1950s
Price lists for American sales trip (1 envelope) 1977
Printed publicity material 20th century
Cabinet in first floor office
Correspondence with customers at home and overseas including promotional literature and
Patent Office correspondence (1 drawer) from 1937
Promotional material sent to wholesalers and retailers of Squire products (2 drawers) 1953-71
Current sales and publicity material (not inspected) 1980s
Hat box (in Mr GPJ Squire's possession)
Family and business papers 19th-20th century, including the following items.
Wills and miscellaneous family papers:
Copy will of William Squire, locksmith 1757 (19th century copy)
Copy will of Mary Squire (afterwards Pedley) 1834
Will of Z Alldritt 1882
Notebook including miscellaneous notes on family members, handwriting exercises, etc (few entries only) c1805-09
James Squire:
Receipts issued to him for legacies discharged (3 items) 1806-07
Bills submitted for building work and materials, mainly by Samuel and William, Garner of Bloxwich (1 bundle, 2 items) 1807-14
Solicitors' bills (2 items) 1819, 1838
Receipt for payment to William Smith 1819
Bills, receipts, etc relating to his business (1 bundle) c1840-43
Bills for metal rods purchased and other goods supplied (3 items) 1853
Inland Revenue residuary account of personal estate of James
Squire, cabinet locksmith and iron dealer (1 item) October 1853
Henry Squire:
Pocket Bible (inscribed by him, 23 December 1832)
Family settlement relating to his purchase of his half brothers, and half sister's share in the Squire forge and iron warehouse 1853
Address on the establishment of Sunday morning adult class by Wesleyans post 1870
Return of tax defaulters by, him as collector of inhabited house duties 1871
Papers relating to Short Heath Board of Guardians including memorandum on board shools and the resulting effect on Christian education, and applications (c6 items) for the post of surveyor to the board 1872
Address relating to the former day (now board) school at Short Heath 1870s
Political and election addresses (2 items) 1880s
Letters to the press (copies) relating to astronomy, the land laws, etc and 'memoir' of Wesleyanism in Short Heath from the early 19th century (1 bundle) c1870s-1880s
Miscellaneous loose astronomical papers including notebook on the sun and papers relating to Biblical concepts of creation and scientific concepts of the stars nd
Solicitor's bill and covering letter (2 items in envelope) 1884
Bank pass book 1885-86
Insurance and life assurance policies and certificates (4 items) 1867, 1876-78, 1884
Trade mark registration certificate 1890
Miscellaneous loose correspondence and accounts of him and his family 1850s-1890s
Henry Squire's children:
Bank books of Miss Jane Squire (1 item) and Miss Florence Squire(1 item) 1885-87
Patent Office certificates for receipt of patent applications from James BA Squire (2 items in envelope) 1892, 1893
James BA Squire and Henry A Squire's lock patents (1 envelope) 1892-93
Solicitor's bill to executors of Mrs Selina Squire (1 item) 1896
In Mr GW Squire's possession
Photographs of original premises on Lichfield Road (1 bundle, 1 framed item) 1980s
Samples of Squire locks (1 leather case) 19th-20th century.
Corporate records
Agreement between Henry Squire and his family for him to buy out their interest in Squires,
forge and iron warehouse 1853 (Hat box)
Minutes (2 vols) 1906-43 (Board room bookshelf)
Draft company accounts 1949 (Chubb filing cabinet board room)
Company seals (1 box) 20th century
Accounting records
Miscellaneous bills and receipts of James Squire relating to his business (2
bundles, 5 items) 1807-14, c1840-43 (Hat box)
Ledgers (3 vols) c1930-49 (Board room bookshelf)
Accounts (1 bundle, 1 vol) c1931-35, nd
Cash books (4) 1941-50, 1959-70
Bank books (10) 1907-21 (Chubb filing cabinet board room)
Miscellaneous invoices from 1950s (1 box) (Wooden cupboard board room)
Sales and purchase records
Sales ledger c1931-50 (Board room bookshelf)
Purchase journals (2) 1940-47
Correspondence with customers, etc from 1937 (1 drawer) (1st floor office filing cabinet)
Production records
Stock book c1935-51 (Chubb filing cabinet board room)
Rough specifications book c1940
Pocket diaries (2) used as notebooks relating to metal fittings by Percy A Squire 1938, 1940
Patent records
Lock patents and related papers (2 envelopes) 1892-93 (Hat box)
Staff records
Salaries book 1948-49 including loose bundle of accounts with Martin's Bank 1944-46
(Board room bookshelf)
Premises records
Papers relating to tender for Board room new office block at Squire's factory (1 bundle) 1958-59
(Chubb filing cabinet)
Photographs of the firm's original premises on the Lichfield Road before demolition (1 bundle, 1 item) 1980s (In Mr GW Squire's possession)
Miscellaneous
Publicity and promotional material, price lists, etc 20th century (Board room/
first floor office filing cabinet)
Lock samples 19th-20th century (Leather case)
Squire family papers
Family papers early 19th-mid 20th century (1 box, 1 drawer) (Hat box/ Chubb filing
cabinet board room).