INTRODUCTION

The Gawith family have been manufacturing tobacco since 1792 when the grandfather of Samuel Gawith set up a tobacco and snuff business in Kendal. Originally tobacco leaves were ground into snuff using a water powered mill just outside of Kendal, the fine powdered tobacco then taken back to a shop in Kendal, where it was flavoured, packed and sold. 

Over the last 230 years, the company has gone through various iterations, partnerships have fractured, new companies have been set up, families have been joined through marriage and now Gawith Hoggarth & Co has passed down through generations of the Gawith family and today is run by Rachel Gawith. 

Rachel is a direct descendant of the original Kendal snuff and tobacco maker and 7 generations and over 230 years later, Gawith Hoggarth & Co is the only remaining tobacco manufacturer in England and is still based in Kendal, on the edge of the Lake District; a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Gawith Hoggarth & Co still manufactures the finest tobaccos and using the highest quality raw ingredients available and in many instances, using the original machinery from the factory’s formative years and traditional techniques passed down through staff that have worked for the company for generations. 

For an in-depth history of both Gawith Hoggarth & Co and Samuel Gawith as well as the old snuff mill at Helsington Laithes and the old factory at Lowther Street please see the links above.