History of the Family Business, Kelsall and Kemp, 1800 to 1975

Introduction

The origins of Kelsall and Kemp lie in Rochdale in the early 1800s when Henry Kelsall started his own business selling cloth. Around 1845, George Tawke Kemp joined him. The firm became a major employer within the woollen industry in Rochdale and Tasmania.

Kelsall and Kemp were renowned for their uniquely branded flannel cloth, “The Doctor”.

Rochdale, Lancashire, c.1850

K & K, Rochdale operation, c.1900

K & K, ‘The Doctor Flannel’ brand, c.1920

The Origins

Henry Kelsall was an entrepreneur who, in the early 1800s, started his own small business in textile manufacturing based in Rochdale, Lancashire. He bought his own wool, sent it out to be scoured, carded, and spun, and then had most of it woven on handlooms in cottages in the surrounding areas, after which he sold the final product.

In the 1820s, he expanded and moved his business to Butts House in the centre of Rochdale. He joined forces with William Bartlemore, and between them, they focused on buying land in the Rochdale area; by the 1830s, they could buy their first mill and a second mill around 1850. They specialised in producing flannel, a lightweight woollen cloth with a napped (slightly raised and soft/fuzzy) surface, a product which Rochdale became renowned for in the mid-19th century.

Kelsall and Kemp, Rochdale

Around 1845, George Tawke Kemp (his son-in-law) joined the business, Kelsall and Kemp were formed, and a new managing partner was brought on board. Despite the textile industry suffering a decline, they continued to grow the business, working at total capacity when other mills were running a few days a week or had closed. The expansion included the acquisition of a fourth mill, which specialised in cotton bleaching and dye. The running of the business was put in jeopardy when George Kemp passed away, and the managing partner died of a sudden heart attack. Henry Kelsall's grandson, Robert Slack, took over the reins and was helped by Emily Kemp, the late George Kemp's sister.

In approximately 1890, the business became a private company. The backers were Robert Slack and George Kemp, the son of George Tawke Kemp, who invested £100,000. Over the next few years, Kelsall and Kemp became entangled in a protracted legal dispute over the business’s rights to water and disposal. The dispute eventually reached the House of Lords, which ruled in their favour.

First World War

As the First World War approached, the business supplied considerable amounts of cloth to the British and French armies. They continued to expand, including creating a subsidiary specialising in shell casings. Shortly after the war, the company offered an IPO. The chair of the business was now Lord Rochdale (George Kemp).

K & K, specialist weavers, c.1900

K & K, Butts Mill, c.1900

K & K, specialist harp winders, c.1900

Kelsall and Kemp, Tasmania

Under George Kemp's leadership, the firm founded a flannel mill business near Launceston, Tasmania, in the 1920s. Expertise from the UK helped with the set-up and production. Ten years later, the mill was on a sound financial footing and employed over three hundred people.

The mill's profitability became one of the highest in Australia, and in the 1960s, Kelsall and Kemp Ltd took it over and became a wholly owned subsidiary. There was then considerable investment in modern technology, and they were exporting to large parts of Asia. The firm's fortunes declined when new tariffs were implemented in 1973. The Tasmanian subsidiary was sold in 1976 and closed in 1977.

K & K, skilled specialist, Tasmania, c.1955

K & K, Tasmania, c.1940

K & K, Skilled specialist, Tasmania, c.1955

Between the World Wars

In peacetime, the firm’s products embrace every kind of domestic flannel, ranging from the materials for Ironworkers’ vests and Fishworkers’ shirts to the finest and softest baby flannels and sports flannels. Other firms were absorbed during the expansion of the business. The aim was to complete an end-to-end process, from purchasing the wool by its buyer in the Australian markets through all the manufacturing processes of scouring and carbonising, spinning, weaving, and dyeing to the final flannel product’s finishing and creation. The business also imported wool from New Zealand, South Africa, and the Falkland Islands.Another unique feature of the firm was to explore and invest in innovative technologies that increased the efficiency of the production process.

During the 1930s, the original Butts Mill made a shift from manufacturing to administrative use and during the 1950s, the Butts Mill property was sold.

Second World War

In the second World War II, Kelsall & Kemp went into full-capacity production to support the war effort and produced between 12,000 and 15,000 miles of flannel shirting for the armed forces.

Later Years

When it celebrated its 150th year in 1965, the firm had nine subsidiaries, each specialising in different aspects of cloth production. Subsequent years brought increasing pressures from synthetic fibers and extensive competition from East Asia. The company left family ownership and went through several mergers in the 1980s, finally being absorbed into Coats Viyella.