Records of Adlard Coles Ltd, publishers, Southampton, England

Scope and Content

Minutes 1944-1962

Administrative / Biographical History

Robert Ross & Co Ltd was incorporated as a limited liability company in c1934  with its registered offices in Fareham, Hampshire, England, and from 1945  at Southampton, England. The company's directors were Kainer Adlard Coles and his wife Lilian Mabel Coles. The company specialised in the publication of educational and nautical books.

In November 1952  , the company name was changed to Adlard Coles Ltd , and the following year the company acquired the Yachtsman Publishing Co Ltd .1953 also saw P J Madge being appointed a director and secretary to the company. In 1962, the London-based publishers Rupert Hart-Davis Ltd purchased the entire share capital of the company and it became a wholly owned subsidiary. The following year, Rupert Hart-Davis Ltd was acquired by Granada Group Ltd , media group, London. Granada merged the business of Rupert Hart-Davis Ltd with another of their publishing subsidiaries, MacGibbon & Kee Ltd , acquired in 1968, to form Hart-Davis, MacGibbon Ltd in 1972  . Granada sold its publishing interests to the Scottish publishers William Collins, Sons & Co Ltd , Glasgow, in 1983  .

From 1962, Adlard Coles Ltd remained a registered company until 1990  when its name was changed to William Collins G(XII) Ltd before being dissolved in 1993  .

Arrangement

The arrangement of this material reflects the original order in which it was received

Access Information

Open

Acquisition Information

Deposit : William Collins, Sons & Co Ltd via BACS : 1987

Other Finding Aids

Digital file level list available in searchroom

This collection forms part of the William Collins, Sons & Co Ltd finding aid (UGD 243) consisting of the records of that company and its related/subsidiary companies

Manual file level list available at the National Registers of Archives in Edinburgh (NRA(S)3040) and London (NRA31886)

Alternative Form Available

No known copies

Physical Characteristics and/or Technical Requirements

None which affect the use of this material

Conditions Governing Use

Applications for permission to quote should be sent to the Archivist.

Reproduction subject to usual conditions: educational use and condition of documents

Appraisal Information

This material has been appraised in line with standard GB 0248 procedures

Custodial History

Held by William Collins, Sons & Co Ltd, Glasgow

Accruals

None expected

Related Material

GB 0248 UGD 243/1 Records of William Collins, Sons & Co Ltd

GB 0248 UGD 243/13 Records of Rupert Hart-Davis Ltd

Material in other repositories: no material associated by provenance

Location of Originals

This material is original

Bibliography

No known publications using this material

Additional Information

Description compiled in line with the following international standards: International Council on Archives,ISAD(G) Second Edition, September 1999 and National Council on Archives,Rules for the construction of personal, place and corporate names

Scotland is the location of all place names in the administrative/biographical history element, unless otherwise stated.

Fonds level description compiled by David Powell, Hub Project Archivist, 22 April 2003. Lower level descriptions input by Emma Yan, Assistant Archivist (Cataloguing), 27 May 2008