SOLVED: WTH # 272 - 1914 Ford w body by Messrs Stanger & Son of Spalding, UK

[Wendax]

Stevenson?

[sixtee5cuda]

Not Stevenson

[sixtee5cuda]

Strangely enough, these British coachbuilders are referred to as "Messrs".  Is this common?

[Allan L]

Strangely enough, these British coachbuilders are referred to as "Messrs".  Is this common?

Yes, in those days the habit of referring to companies named after their founders in that manner was still common.

Since Ford made the Model T in Trafford Park, Manchester,  perhaps it is a coachbuilder from that area.  Not that that's any help to me.

[pnegyesi]

Strachan?

[nicanary]

Strangely enough, these British coachbuilders are referred to as "Messrs".  Is this common?

Presumably it's a shortened form of "messieurs", the French plural of "monsieur". Is this because the ancient art of coachbuilding had heavy French influence? I suspect not, because other business enterprises in the UK also used the term in their title, and I can only assume that the use of a French word goes right back to Norman times. One for a social historian.

[sixtee5cuda]

Not Strachan, not from Manchester.

When I first saw the company name, I wondered if it was French in origin.  The name doesn't look particularly French, except for having "Messrs" in front.

Moving along.  The third letter is "a".

[Wendax]

Thomas Startin?

[sixtee5cuda]

Not Startin

[4popoid]

Starnes?

[sixtee5cuda]

Not Starnes.

(I'm going to have to look up all these names, assuming they were coachbuilders.)

[targhediferro]

Stainway?

[sixtee5cuda]

Not Stainway.

[sixtee5cuda]

The Messrs were based in Lincolnshire.  I'm guessing that is something like a county name, as I also have the name of a city where they were located.

[Allan L]

The Messrs were based in Lincolnshire.  I'm guessing that is something like a county name, as I also have the name of a city where they were located.

Yes Lincolnshire is a county name, but in those days it was divided into three ridings (Lindsay, Kesteven and Holland) which were often used in postal addresses.

Strangely enough, these British coachbuilders are referred to as "Messrs".  Is this common?

Yes, in those days the habit of referring to companies named after their founders in that manner was still common.

Strangely enough, these British coachbuilders are referred to as "Messrs".  Is this common?

Presumably it's a shortened form of "messieurs", the French plural of "monsieur". Is this because the ancient art of coachbuilding had heavy French influence? I suspect not, because other business enterprises in the UK also used the term in their title, and I can only assume that the use of a French word goes right back to Norman times. One for a social historian.

I think between us we have explained the insignificance and origin of the common "Messrs." prefix in early 20th century Britain.
I'm sure there would have been an equivalent in the USofA at that time.

[Carnut]

Yes Lincolnshire is a county name, but in those days it was divided into three ridings (Lindsay, Kesteven and Holland)

'Parts' I think rather than ridings, which is what Yorkshire was divided into.  So you got Parts of Lindsay, Parts of Kesteven etc..

I think between us we have explained the insignificance and origin of the common "Messrs." prefix in early 20th century Britain.
I'm sure there would have been an equivalent in the USofA at that time.

In business, when writing to another company (as opposed to an individual) the letter would always be addressed to (for example) "Messrs Smith & Jones Ltd", then starting the letter with "Dear Sirs,".  It was, as already stated, a shortening of the French Messieurs but why a French word was used is lost in the mists of time.

[Wendax]

The Messrs were based in Lincolnshire.  I'm guessing that is something like a county name, as I also have the name of a city where they were located.

Was the city Scunthorpe?

[Tom_I]

As far as I know, the only place in Lincolnshire with the status of a city is Lincoln.

[sixtee5cuda]

City, town, village, all the same to me.  It's in some foreign country. 

Not Scunthorpe.

[Carnut]

City, town, village, all the same to me.  It's in some foreign country. 

Not Scunthorpe.

This isn't a foreign country, it's Britain!!

(as far as my Grandad was concerned there were only 2 nationalities in the world: British and Foreign!)

And incidentally Scunthorpe is the only place in Britain which regularly stops emails going through if it's included in the text...!

[Tom_I]

City, town, village, all the same to me.  It's in some foreign country. 

I take it it wasn't made in Lincoln then?

There are not that many towns of any size in Lincolnshire. Going in descending order of population, the first to try would be Grimsby.

[sixtee5cuda]

Not Grimsby.  South of Boston

[Allan L]

Not Grimsby.  South of Boston

That'd be Spalding then?

[nicanary]

Stamford?

[Carnut]

I seem to remember there being a garage in Holbeach which used to do some coachbuilding..?
It actually belonged to a friend of mine's family.