aboutus
Gawith Hoggarth & Co has been operating since 1887 but the family history of tobacco production goes back far longer to 1792. Several generations later it is still a traditional family company with the same core values. Now run by siblings, Chris and Rachel Gawith, you can read about the history of the company below.
The start of the Gawith family tobacco business and its association with Kendal starts with a man called Thomas Harrison, who will have been the Great-Great-Great-Great-Great Grandfather of Chris and Rachel. He became interested in the tobacco trade back in 1792 and he went to Glasgow, Scotland, to learn the trade, returning with some second hand mill machinery to grind tobacco. In 1805 he set up a tobacco manufacturer with a chemist called Thomas Brocklebank in Kendal – ‘'Harrison & Brocklebank tobacco manufacturers'’.
By the 18th Century Kendal had become an important trading own, especially for tobacco and snuff production. Tobacco from North America was brought into ports close to Kendal, such as Whitehaven, Workington and Maryport. Kendal already had a nationwide woolen trade as well as tanning, leather and shoe trade so the town had a good network of transport routes and facilities. Overtime much of the tobacco trade was lost to Glasgow but Kendal still had the distinct advantage of being on the pack horse route to England from Scotland and the town became a staging post. At one point Whitehaven was second only to London for quantity of tobacco imports.
Following Thomas Harrison’s death, his son of the same name took over and in around 1830 the family bought the premises at Lowther Street as a family home and factory. Thomas Harrison (II) had two daughters and Jane married Samuel Gawith. Following her father's death, Jane and her family moved into Lowther Street to work in the family trade, which became known as ‘'Brocklebank and Gawith, tobacco and snuff manufacturers’. When Mr Brocklebank died and Jane's sister Ann died, Jane and Samuel Gawith became the owners of the company.
Jane Gawith died in 1864 and the following year Samuel Gawith (I) died leaving 7 surviving children. The oldest boy, Samuel (II) was 22 at the time and already working in the business, as was a younger son, John Edward.
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The company was left to three trustees - Samuel Gawith (II), Henry Hoggarth, who was a friend of the senior Samuel Gawith and lived next door at number 29 Lowther Street and John Illingworth, who was a travelling sales representative for the company. In 1867, John Illingworth left to start his own tobacco firm, also in Kendal.
In reality the business was run by Samuel Gawith (II) and his brother, John Edward. The younger Gawith brother, William Henry and Henry Hoggarth's son (Henry Jr) also started to work for the firm in around 1870 after leaving school. The Gawith family lived at number 27 Lowther Street and the Hoggarth's next door at number 29. The partnership thrived for over 10 years as ‘'Samuel and John Edward Gawith, Tobacco and Snuff manufacturers” but in 1878, the two brothers decided to carve up the business and Samuel Gawith (II) took over the snuff mill at Meal Bank and the snuff machinery becoming a snuff manufacturer going on to build and found Kendal Brown House, with John Edward retaining the shop and tobacco business at Lowther Street.
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John Edward at first concentrated on producing Twist tobacco but soon decided to also produce snuff, acquiring a mill just south of Kendal. But this business expansion proved too much and his went bankrupt several years later with the business goodwill, trademarks and recipes being bought back by Samuel Gawith (II).
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In the meantime, the youngest Gawith son had been working as an apprentice in the tobacco firm, as had his friend from next door, Henry Hoggarth Junior. It is likely that following the split of the two older brothers, William Henry along with Henry Hoggarth Jr continued to work for John Edward Gawith until the collapse of that business, as William lived at the Lowther Street premises with his older brother and Henry next door.
But once Samuel Gawith (II) bought back the business side of the failed tobacco firm, the two men started to work for Samuel Gawith Company.
William Henry Gawith
But this did not last long and in 1887, William Henry Gawith and Henry Hoggarth took over the tobacco manufacturing business of Nobel and Wilson, a small time tobacconists with a snuff grinding mill on the edge of Kendal and a factory in the centre of Kendal. Within a year the Gawith & Hoggarth enterprise had leased Helsington mill.
There were now two Gawith tobacco companies in Kendal – Gawith & Hoggarth and Samuel Gawith.
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In 1890 William Henry married his partner's sister, Harriet Hoggarth. Just two years later, his older brother, John Edward died and William became the main owner of the property at Lowther Street. The Gawith and Hoggarth partnership had outgrown its premises in the centre of Kendal and thus moved the factory and offices into 27 Lowther Street.
Just 2 years later, at the age of 39, William died leaving a daughter and a son, Samuel Henry (IV) who was only 4 years old. In 1905 Samuel Henry left school at 14 and entered the family firm.
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In 1923 the partnership was incorporated and became a limited liability company with Samuel Henry Gawith (IV) and Henry Hoggarth Jr being the two directors. Henry Hoggarth Jr had also married and had three sons and two of these; Charles and Frank, also started to work at the company. In 1928 Henry Hoggarth Jr died and a few months later, Samuel Henry was appointed company chairman and managing director with both Charles and Frank Hoggarth also taking up roles as directors.
Lowther Street
Samuel Henry Gawith (IV) married Emily Ruth Nelson in 1917 and they had 4 children – Nancy, Donald, Geoffrey and Alan. It was the second son, Geoffrey that entered the family business at the age of 16 in 1938. In 1946 Geoffrey married Margaret Theressa Hodgson and they had 3 children – Alan, John and Helen.
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In 1941 Geoffrey joined the RAF as a pilot and was honoured with the Dutch Flying Cross. After the war in 1946, he became a director of the firm. Frank Hoggarth also carried out war time military service.
Samuel Henry Gawith (IV) retired in 1958, although remained on the board of directors. Charles Hoggarth became a managing director and was joined by Geoffrey in 1959. Frank Hoggarth retired in 1965. Following the death of his father, Samuel Gawith (IV) in 1966, Geoffrey was elected to succeed as chairman.
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Samuel Henry
Gawith (iv)
Geoffrey & Margo
In 1969 Charles Hoggarth suffered a serious car accident and was unable to return to work full time. Geoffrey was made sole managing director and his wife, Margaret, also became a director. In 1971 John Ruthven Gawith, son of Geoffrey was appointed a management trainee, as was Charles Hoggarth's son, David. In 1973 Charles Hoggarth retired fully.
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​In 1977 John Gawith was appointed manager and at the age of 28 in 1978, he became director and a board member, along with his parents. In 1979 David C Hoggarth resigned and he and his father sold their shares in the company to Geoffrey Gawith and his son John. In 1981, John's wife, Irene became a director and in 1989 both Geoffrey and Margaret (Margo) stepped down as directors. Geoffrey died in 2001. Margo remained a shareholder until her death in 2017.
Geoffrey, John
& Rachel
In 1977 John Gawith was appointed manager and at the age of 28 in 1978, he became director and a board member, along with his parents. In 1979 David C Hoggarth resigned and he and his father sold their shares in the company to Geoffrey Gawith and his son John. In 1981, John's wife, Irene became a director and in 1989 both Geoffrey and Margaret (Margo) stepped down as directors. Geoffrey died in 2001. Margo remained a shareholder until her death in 2017.
Production of tobacco and snuff continued at Lowther street right up until 1994, when Gawith Hoggarth & Co moved to into 3 more modern adjoining warehouses, on the edge of Kendal, in what was the old Creamery.
When the company moved to these premises, John Gawith invested in a small production unit from British American Tobacco, which enabled production to be ramped up significantly. But while this allows much greater quantities of tobacco leaf to be cut, much of the production is still done by hand and uses machinery well over 150 years old.
For a few years following the move, production of twist, some pipe tobacco and the packaging of snuff continued at Lowther Street, but once the twist machines could be moved to the new location, all work stopped at Lowther Street.
At its height, the Lowther Street factory employed some 30 or more people and there were 4 spinning machines for Twist with the ladies working all day spinning tobacco leaves into twist and packing snuff. Tobacco leaf would arrive mostly at Liverpool Docks and come first by train to the bonded warehouse, shared by all 3 tobacco firms and a local wine merchant, and then by horse and cart and later lorry to Lowther Street, where it was unloaded and hoisted using pulley systems.
The ground floor housed mostly the packing and dispatch facilities, along with the small office and the tobacco cutter, cold press and snuff production areas, while upstairs held the leaf store, the steam room, twist and pigtail spinning rooms and more storage.
​Eventually most of the machinery was moved to the new factory and Lowther Street lay dormant. Over the years various plans were occasionally put forward as to what to do with the old factory, but nothing ever came to fruition.
In 2019 the local Council approached the Gawith family to ask that something be done with the old building as it was falling into disrepair and as it is a historical landmark in Kendal's history and a Grade II listed building. After discussions with local heritage groups and the council, plans were draw up to renovate and restore the property and turn it into a small shop and museum about the Kendal tobacco industry, to house some offices and a function room for the current company and make two apartments above. Some of the old machinery, cogs and pulleys are still in situ and will be incorporated into the design, traditional features will be kept.
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Work has started with the roof being repaired and the building made structurally sound and soon further internal work will start on what will be a new chapter in the life of 'The Old Snuff Works' at Lowther Street.
John and Irene, had 2 children, Rachel and Christopher. John Gawith continued to run the company until his early death in 2014. There then followed an adjustment period and in 2018 Chris Gawith returned to take over the day to day running of the business and became director along with Irene Gawith. Rachel became more involved in the business in 2020 and in 2024 Rachel was appointed a director. The family continue to run Gawith Hoggarth & Co Ltd and will soon move to a new factory in Kendal.
In 2015 Gawith Hoggarth acquired Samuel Gawith's business, goodwill and trademarks and brands and a number of staff from Samuel Gawith's joined Gawith Hoggarth & Co and continue to make the Samuel Gawith blends, all under one roof. The two Gawith companies were once again united.
​The company currently employs around 35 people including a small dedicated sales team, a production team and a packing and dispatch team.
