The cement-making families of Hilton, Anderson and Brooks
The firm of Hilton, Anderson, Brooks & Co. Ltd was, after John Bazley White's, the second most important constituent of APCM when it formed in 1900, and many members of their vast extended families continued for a while in the management of the new company. The family histories were fairly well described by Francis and this article summarises the salient points. All the participants were the descendants the agricultural yeomanry with little industrial experience.
Hilton, Anderson & Co.
This firm involved families that were intimately involved in the politics and industries of the small but ancient borough of Faversham in Kent. The story begins in North Kent with James Parker's use of Sheppey septaria to make his "Roman" cement. The product rapidly became popular, particularly for military construction. Similar septaria occur at various places in the London Clay outcrop in North Kent, and as soon as Parker's patent expired, a number of firms were set up to make the product. Among these was one set up by Samuel Shepherd (b 1776, Faversham, Kent: d 1842, Faversham) at Faversham in 1812. He was mayor of Faversham for the terms 1815-6, 1825-6 and 1832-3, and several other members of the family had multiple mayoral terms from 1733 onwards. Although a member of a brewing family, in the 1841 census (Note 1) Samuel Shepherd is described as a cement merchant. The business was carried on by his son Charles (b 13/4/1807, Faversham, Kent: d 10/9/1854, Tenterden, Kent). The main family business was brewing, under the name of Shepherd and Hilton (Note 2), the local Hilton family having been long associated with the Shepherds.
In 1844, Charles Jones Hilton (b 15/12/1809, Faversham, Kent: d 19/8/1866, Kensington, Middlesex), having married Anna Maria Shepherd, entered the brewing business as a partner. He had previously been farming at Selling, just south of Faversham. In 1849 he left it and took over the cement business. He was mayor of Faversham 1846-1847 and 1850-1851. He expanded the cement business and in 1852 commenced making Portland cement. The Faversham plant, like many other Roman cement plants, had no chalk on-site and had to buy a commercial supply. In 1858 he constructed the plant at Upnor, which had the advantage of on-site chalk. In the 1861 census (Note 3), he is described as a magistrate and cement manufacturer, employing 123 men and 8 boys (this probably meaning the Faversham plant alone).
Two sons of John Andrew Anderson, High Bailiff for the county courts of Faversham and Sittingbourne, were working as clerks for Hilton's firm at the time. They were John Andrew Anderson (b 30/12/1828, Greenwich, Kent: d 21/12/1912, Faversham, Kent) and William Curling Anderson (b 4/11/1832, Greenwich, Kent: d 25/3/1907, Sydenham, Kent). In 1864, C J Hilton formed a partnership with his son Philip Hilton (b 10/3/1840, Selling, Kent: d 26/5/1906, Kensington, Middlesex) and the Anderson brothers, and left the running of the cement business to them. J A Anderson took charge of the Faversham plant, Philip took charge of the Upnor plant, and W C Anderson ran the London sales office. Another son of C J Hilton, Ernest Frederick Hilton (b 9/1850, Faversham, Kent: d 18/2/1931, Croydon, Surrey) became a partner after his father's death.
The Upnor chalk quarry rapidly became unproductive, and a quarry at Halling was opened. The company expanded considerably in the 1870s, with the establishment of the Halling Manor lime and cement plants at the Halling quarry. These were managed by W C Anderson's son Herbert William Anderson (b 15/10/1858, Lewisham, Kent: d 8/12/1949, Folkestone, Kent).
J A Anderson was mayor of Faversham for the terms 1866-7, 1876-7 and 1882-3, and in 1889 became the town's county councillor and alderman.
Brooks, Shoobridge & Co.
Meanwhile, on the Essex side of the river, another comparatively large plant had been set up at Grays. Edmund Wright Brooks (b 29/9/1834, Melksham, Wiltshire: d 22/6/1928, Grays, Essex) was a member of a Quaker agricultural family that moved from Wiltshire to Sandown Farm, Esher, Surrey around 1850. In this year he was apprenticed with the locomotive firm of John Fowler & Co., Leeds. In 1860 he set up in business as a consultant engineer with an office in North Street, Guildford, in partnership with another Quaker - Frederick Hoffgaard Shoobridge (b 20/1/1834, Witham, Essex: d 7/12/1903, Bath, Somerset). Hired by Percy George Shadbolt to survey the Waldringfield plant, Brooks awoke to the possibilities of cement manufacture. Brooks and Shoobridge sold their engineering business and moved to Grays, setting up their plant in 1871. Shoobridge was a sleeping partner, but Brooks was joined in the partnership by a miller, Bedford Marsh (b 18/4/1832, Strood, Kent: d 4/5/1913, Kingston, Cambridgeshire), and landowner Harris Hills (b 21/9/1843, Earls Colne, Essex: d 25/7/1916, Clacton, Essex).
Only Brooks was actively involved in the business, and he eventually became a respected authority on cement manufacturing. His sons - Herbert Edmund Brooks (b 8/5/1860, Surbiton, Surrey: d 13/3/1931, Stifford, Essex), Alfred Brooks (b 2/11/1861, Guildford, Surrey: d 17/1/1952, Langdon Hills, Essex), and Howard Brooks (b 8/5/1868, Guildford, Surrey: d 11/6/1948, Langport, Somerset) also joined the business.
With the formation of Essex County Council in 1889, H E Brooks was councillor for Grays. He later became Lord Lieutenant of Essex. Alfred Brooks and his wife also became Rural District councillors.
Hilton, Anderson, Brooks & Co. Ltd
In 1893, the above two firms merged to form Hilton, Anderson, Brooks & Co. Ltd. W C Anderson became the company chairman. Other directors were J A Anderson, H W Anderson, E F Hilton, E W Brooks, H E Brooks, Alfred Brooks and another of W C Anderson's sons - Harold Hilton Drew Anderson (b 13/3/1867, Lewisham, Kent: d 7/12/1947, Folkestone, Kent). J A Anderson retired in 1899 and his directorship was taken over by his son George Knox Anderson (b 6/11/1854, Faversham, Kent: d 19/3/1941, Canterbury, Kent). The new firm was the second largest English cement firms, although decidedly backward. The younger Andersons were in favour of forming an industry-wide combination, and were discussing this with the Whites. A period of sluggish progress in negotiations was accelerated by the intervention of O'Hagan in 1899. This resulted in the amalgamation of many of the Thames and Medway firms to form APCM in July 1900.
The Associated and British Portland Cement Manufacturers
As launched, APCM's board of directors included a number of HAB directors. William Curling Anderson, now 67 years old, was vice-chairman (with Frederick Anthony White as chairman). Of the eleven managing directors, three were from HAB: George Knox Anderson (45), Edmund Wright Brooks (65) and Herbert Edmund Brooks (40). Among the thirteen ordinary directors were Alfred Brooks (38) and Ernest Frederick Hilton (49). Herbert William Anderson set up his own engineering consultancy, and participated in the committee developing the 1904 British Standard. In 1903, aged 70, William Curling Anderson resigned his place on the board, being replaced by H O O'Hagan.
On the formation of BPCM in 1911, a quarter of the directors were from APCM, and included Harold Hilton Drew Anderson among the managing directors and Herbert Edmund Brooks among the ordinary directors. With the unification of the two boards in 1919, Edmund Wright Brooks and Herbert Edmund Brooks were ousted. After the company reorganisation in 1924, the only remaining significant figure from HAB was Harold Hilton Drew Anderson, who was put in charge of sales as chairman of the Cement Marketing Co. and remained until his retirement in 1938.