| Administrative History | The business involved four siblings originally from Uttoxeter:
- Eliza West (1803-1888)
- Eli West (1806-1861)
- Ann West (1808-1887)
- Henry West (1812-1853)
Henry West was living in Derby by 1838, described in the 1841 census as a manufacturing chemist based at premises at William Street, Derby. His siblings reached Derby at some point after the census of June 1841. Eli West was involved by 1846 when for a time the business was known as "West, Hollingworth and West", until a partnership with Francis Hollingworth was ended. In 1848 an indenture gave legal substance to the formal involvement of Eliza West and Ann West. In 1852 Henry West emigrated to Boston, USA. (He was drowned in a boating accident in 1853.) In 1871 the business moved to premises in Parcel Terrace, Derby.
Three sons of Eli West held roles in the business: Joseph West (1836-1869), Eli West (1842-1927) and Thomas West (1847-1921).
The business was incorporated as a limited company in 1904. Subsequent generations of the West family remained in charge until 1974. |
| Administrative History Sources | - 'E & A West Ltd A Company History', Derbyshire Miscellany, Volume 7 part 5, Spring 1976, pp. 244-249. Note: this article has some possible inaccuracies about the parentage of Eliza, Ann, Eli and Henry West
- Census returns 1841-1911
- British Newspaper Archive
- Society of Friends Quarterly Meeting of Cheshire and Staffordshire Births registers
- Derby parish registers |
| Custodial History | These records were deposited with Derbyshire Record Office by a local resident in April 1976. A further item (D1629/5) was donated to Derbyshire Record Office by HM Revenue and Customs in July 2023. |