"Thomas Russell is first listed as a watch manufacturer in 1848 and he had premises at 20 Slater Street, Liverpool. At a later date, he moved to 30 Slater Street where the ‘Russell Time O’Day watches’ were manufactured. About 1859, Thomas appears to have handed over the control of the company to Thomas Robert Russell and Alfred Holgate Russell, and the firm changed it’s name to Thomas Russell and Son. By 1877 the company moved premises to Church Street, Liverpool. The partnership between Thomas Robert and Alfred ended in 1870. Thomas Russell & Son, after Queen Victoria’s death, signed their watches ‘Makers to Queen Victoria’ even though officially the warrant had ceased with the Queens death. This was tolerated for a time before it was removed from their watches.. Thomas Robert continued as the proprietor of the Russell Watch and Chronometer Manufactory at Cathedral Works, 18 Church Street, Liverpool with addresses in Piccadilly, London and Toronto, Canada. This became Russell’s Limited in 1894. From this date it seems that they continued as retail jewelers with branches in Liverpool and, by the early 1900’s, Manchester and Llandudno. Alfred Russell continued the company of Thomas Russell and Son (Alfred Russell & Co). This company was listed in 1880 as ‘watch and chronometer manufacturers and machine made keyless lever and jewelery merchants by appointment to Her majesty the Queen and HRM the Duke of Edinburgh and the Admiralty’. In 1881, they became importers of Swiss watches, music boxes etc. Eventually, the firm was converted to a limited company and by 1938 had become Thomas Russell & Son Watch Co Ltd. "
Tom
Posts: 5107 | Location: New Mexico in the USA | Registered: January 27, 2007
