Crockett & Jones

Founded in 1879 in Northampton, at the heart of England's most famous shoemaking town, Crockett & Jones specialise in the manufacture of high quality Goodyear welted footwear. Since 1879 Crockett & Jones has produced some of the world's finest footwear from their factory in Northampton, the shoemaking capital of England. To this current day, the business is owned and managed by the founding family, who emphasise quality and timeless style above all else. Crockett & Jones was established in 1879 by two brother in laws, James Crockett & Charles Jones. James was raised by his grandfather Henry Marshall, who was a boot and shoe manufacturer in Northampton. James left school at the age of 10 to work as an errand boy before becoming an apprentice clicker. Charles, meanwhile, was from a long line (at least 3 generations) of respectable shoemakers in Northamptonshire, and was himself a clicker by trade. He married James' younger sister, Annie Marshall, a shoe fitter, in 1873. Six years after this marriage, James and Charles decided to go into business together but they lacked the necessary funds to open a factory. To overcome this, they applied for, and were granted, a sum of £100 each from the Thomas White Trust which was established to 'encourage young men of good character in the towns of Northampton and Coventry to set up business on their own'. By 1891 they had relocated to a new factory in Magee Street, where the company continues to produce footwear to this day. In 1910, a 5-storey factory expansion commenced that was the first steel structured building in Northampton. 1924 was a year of great pride for all at the company. Crockett & Jones was honoured with a visit from the future King George VI who paid great attention to the shoe making process on a tour around the factory, led by recently knighted Sir James Crockett. In April 2017 Crockett & Jones was proudly awarded a Royal Warrant by HRH The Prince of Wales. Five members of the same family, all direct descendants of Charles Jones, work together.

Quoted from crockettandjones.com, in Crockett & Jones's own words. We have not edited it and we do not vouch for it.