Stone and Kemp, Silk Manufacturers

Pattern book containing woven silk samples for women's garments. Plains, stripes, checks and tartans.

Stone and Kemp was a silk weaving firm based in Spital Square, London. The firm was one of the leading producers of woven silk fabric for women's dresses during the mid ninenteenth century. There is a reference to a Samuel Stone, silk broker, trading at 11 Angel Court, Throgmorton Street in 1822. In 1826 Samuel Stone, silk manufacturer, was trading at 26 Spital Square, which was a centre for the silk industry in London. By 1837 the firm was known as Stone and Brooks, and then became Stone and Kemp in 1839 run by George Stone and George Tawke Kemp and by then had moved to no 35. In 1851 the firm displayed "a rich assortment of plain and fancy silks" at the Great Exhibition. This partnership was dissolved in 1853.

According to the London Gazette (5 March 1861) the partnership of Thomas, Henry, William and James Kemp was dissolved by mutual consent on 26 February 1861. Thomas Kemp and Sons continued trading and owned properties in Sudbury Suffolk for the outsourced production of silk. By this point the firm had moved to 20-21 Spital Square and remained at no 20 until 1894. On 11 May 1894 the Edinburgh Gazette reported the bankruptcy of William Kemp trading as Thomas Kemp and Sons.

The pattern book is available for consultation by appointment at the Scottish Borders Campus, Netherdale, Galashiels.

The pattern book was purchased by the Scottish College of Textiles at a Sotheby's auction of the records of textile manufacturers Warners in 1972. Presumably the firm had bought or acquired the volumes when the firm ceased trading.

Computerised finding aid is available on-line and in the search room.

Description created by Helen Taylor, Archivist, Heriot-Watt University November 2013.

4 pattern books. 29 silk samples and 1 scarf are at the Victoria and Albert Museum reference T392-397-1972