According to the firm's stationery (see B9/X/1) in 1951 it had been established for over 100 years. It was established at 16 Market Place, Banbury, in the Post Office directory of 1877 but not shown at this address in a directory of 1873. At that time it was a sole proprietorship in the name of George John Robins, ironmonger. By 1907 it was known as Robins Brothers. By 1931 the business had expanded and occupied 12 Butcher's Row as well as 16 Market Place. By 1950 it had become a limited liability company, known as Robins Brothers Limited. In addition to ironmongery, Robins Brothers were seedsmen and calor gas agents, and carried out repairs to machinery. It was also involved in the purchase and selling of firearms and ammunition, at least in the 1950s (see B9/R/1). In 1951 the directors were listed as J L Robins, F B Howes and G N Robins. In 1974 the company appears to have contracted, operating only from 16 Market Place. Soon after this date it was taken over by Shergolds and later by J W Carpenter Ltd. (Some information from Kelly's directories).
This collection consists mainly of the firm's purchasing and sales accounting records - classic examples of double-entry booking keeping - which provide a good insight into the nature and scope of its business. Core records relating to the ownership and operation of the firm are missing.
The records were deposited in July 1978 as accession 1519
Catalogued by Chris Gilliam, Dec 2007.