| AdminHistory | The company operated from premises in Brewhouse Lane, Wapping, from around the mid-19th century. There is a Post Office entry, at that address, in 1843.
The company was well-established, when in 1881, four female workers testified before the Thames Magistrates Court, (following an inspection of factory premises), that the company often expected them to work beyond the normal ten-hour day. (1) Mr Lushington the Magistrate criticized the company's lack of 'due diligence in observing the provisions of the (Factory) Acts' and fined it £8.16s (worth approximately £1,014.65 in 2020: Bank of England Inflation Calculator).
Like many employers, Paton and Charles sought influence via local organisations. Proceedings of local Boards of Guardians (BOGS), reveal how Paton and Charles were often awarded the contract to provide soap to institutions run by BOGS(2/3). Someone with the surname 'Paton' is recorded as a member of Stepney BOGS (4) and the Limehouse Board of Works(5). The company also patronised charitable initiatives, among them the Seamen's Christian Friends Society (6) and the Hospital Saturday Fund (7).
Sources of information:
1. policemagistrates.blog
2. 'Stepney BOGS': p.3 in the East London Observer (ELO), Saturday 16th March 1889
3. 'Bethnal Green BOGS': p.6 in the ELO, Saturday 16th March 1907
4. 'Stepney BOGS' (Ibid)
5. 'Limehouse Board of Works': p.7 in the ELO, Saturday, 10th August 1889
6.'Seamen's Christian Friends Society ': p.6 in the ELO, Saturday, 14th May 1881
7. 'London Workshop Collection of The Hospital Saturday Fund': p.5 in the ELO, Saturday 24th September 1887
(References 2-7 : British Newspaper Archive) |