Antique Randall’s Boots Are The Best Advertising Steel Button Hook

For sale is an Antique Randall’s Boots Are The Best Advertising Steel Button Hook Decorated In Floral Motifs. 

This is in good condition and measures 15cm in length x 1.1cm width. 

Sir Henry Randall was born on 27th December, 1847, the son of a draper in Bridge-street, Northampton. He went to the (very dilapidated) Northampton Grammar School, then to a private school at Coventry. After school, he was apprenticed to his uncle, Mr. W. Jones, a shoe manufacturer, whose factory was in Newland. After serving his apprenticeship he entered into partnership with fellow apprentice Mr. Thomas Wickes, and they started business in a small warehouse in St. Andrew’s-square in November, 1869. Business boomed and they moved to larger premises in Lady’s-lane in 1880. In 1887, the partnership between Mr. Randall and Mr. Wickes was dissolved by mutual consent, the business being carried on solely by Mr. Randall. His factory was destroyed by fire, and he lost heavily, not being sufficiently insured, but the business was soon up and running again in temporary buildings, where it was continued until the present [1930] factory was completed. At the opening of the new factory, Sir Henry was presented by his employees with his portrait in oils, painted by Mr. Harris Brown, the Northampton artist. The factory very considerably enlarged in the following years.

Sir Henry Randall was one of the first boot manufacturers to open retail establishments, and as by the late 1880s he already had twelve shops in London. His inventive capacity was illustrated by the “Tenacious” tennis shoe, which he patented in 1882. Before that time the rubber soles were often became detached, causing loss and annoyance to retailers, and by introducing a process of stitching Sir Henry produced an important improvement in tennis footwear. In 1884, he was granted a US patent for his method of bonding India-rubber soles to tennis- and cricket-shoes to improve durability. Up until 1896 Sir Henry remained a sole trader, but in that year he transferred his business into a limited liability company of which he was managing director. By the time of his death, Messrs. H. E. Randall, Ltd., sold their products in 58 retail shops.

Messrs. Randall, Ltd., were among the most versatile boot manufacturers in Britain, their products ranged from the stoutest sporting boots to the most delicate of ladies’ footwear, and during the First World War they turned out a large share of Army boots. Sir Henry’s Army connection resulted in Northampton receiving an order for half-a-million pairs of boots for the French Army, the order to be completed in six weeks. Sir Henry was also loyal to his business partners, for example when he started in business he opened account with the late Mr. John Phipps. That account, now with Mr. Charles Phipps (John Phipps’ successor), was still in place at the time of Sir Henry’s death.

He was knighted in 1905, and in 1909 he became High Sheriff of the county. An account of Sir Henry Randall's career appeared in The Northampton Independent, Dec. 13th, 1919. On his 50th birthday he received many gifts of appreciation from those connected with his business, including an oil painting of himself by Arthur Hacker. He received a cheque from the shareholders, and being a philanthropist, he used this to set up a fund for impoverished ladies of Northampton. This fund became the Sir Henry and Lady Randall Annuity Fund.

Sir Henry Randall died age 83 after period of poor health. In early July 1930 he was taken ill and his health deteriorated until it became evident that he would not recover. His obituary reported that his interests were not confined to his successful shoe manufacturing business. He had also served on the Town Council, and served twice was Mayor of the Borough. He was a strong Conservative, and until Mr. Chamberlain’s Tariff Reform crusade of 25 years early, he had been one of the leaders of the party in Northampton. He remained a Free Trader, and largely lost touch with politics, but he remained Conservative. He was a keen sportsman (especially athletics, croquet and golf) and owned racehorses (his son, Herbert, became a professional jockey); he was a philanthropist, a lover of music, an educationalist, and an active church-going Christian. His obituary appeared in the Northampton Mercury of 25th July, 1930.

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