Rushden Research Group: John Cave & Sons intro

John Cave & Sons - Introduction

John Cave & Sons Ltd, Rushden pencil printed with
"Commonwealth", "Kyngzone" and "Worlds Best" tradenames


Razor blades & Clocking-in Tokens

Business
John Cave	Standard Rotary Machine Co
Factory Place	Employees' Supper 1910
Court Case 1872	Share Certificates 1912
Shop Warming 1877	Directory 1914
Fire in 1877	Complimentary Gifts
Inquest 1877	Biographical Directory 1916
John and Family	Mr Alfred Newell 1915
John & his sons 1887/89	Poem
Storm in 1891	Staff notes
Shoe Trade in 1895	Mr W E Capon
Expansion 1898	Obituary - Mr A E Marlow
Two adverts 1898	Obituary - Mr Amos Cave
Paul Cave in S'th Africa	Obituary - Mr Arthur Cave
Contract 1900	Obituary - Paul Cave 1908
Fire in 1901	Obituary - Mrs. Paul Cave
More on the 1901 Fire	1935
Plans in 1901	Workers 1915 & 1940s
Temporary Works 1901	Bomb killed 4 men 1940
Obituary 1904	Blue Plaque to bomb victims
The New Factory 1905	Copperwheat, C W - 1947
Inside the new factory 1905	Exports in 1948
Problems in 1906	1950s Retirement & Outing
Liquidation 1906	Centenary Programme
The Company in 1907	The Cottage
Choir 1908	Centenary News report
Exports in 1910	Education Trips
Catalogue of Deeds at NRO	Snippets

Extract from Memories of the 1890s by R E Bayes
Grandfather Skinner, a choir and band conductor, and the owner of a Sunday frock coat and silk hat, lived in Handel House, Queen Street, and was timekeeper in the Cave factory.

Rushden Echo, 1st January 1915, transcribed by Kay Collins

Mr Wilfred E Capon, secretary of Messrs John Cave and Sons Ltd., Rushden, has passed the Intermediate examination of the Chartered Institute of Secretaries.

1910 outside the College Street factory on a wet day - railway wagons with boxes for export to Ellet Kendall Shoe Co, Kansas City.
Photo by S Powell

Note: T. C. Ellet, president of the Ellet-Kendall Shoe Company, was born in California in 1855, founded the company in Mississippi in 1867, before moving to Kansas City around the 1890s.

To read about the crates being made see: Fred Dickens

Shoemaking was a reserved occupation and to prove they were in emloyment some of the men wore badges - issued by the company in 1915.

Leisure
Fishing 1907	Tennis	Choir
Benefit Society	Sports Club


Polish tin and an oversized shoe made for an exhibition.

A Wartime Advertising postcard

click here for two interactive presentations of the Cave's centenary booklet and demolition after Eaton's closed

choose the title - then click Run to view the album

Please note that because of the limitations of the software package used, it will at present only display on-line in Internet Explorer, other browsers will download the file to run locally