Z723

Records of Alfred Ginn, forage contractor, Potton. History & Records: Alfred Ginn is listed in the commercial section of the Kelly's directories from 1890 to 1910 (but not in 1885 and 1914). In 1890 Ginn was a hay and straw dealer and corn factor in Blackbird Street, Potton. By 1894 the business appears to have expanded for he is described as a "forage contractor, wholesale and retail corn merchant & factor". Comparatively few of the firms books have survived, and those that do (ref: Z723/1-4) are all post-1905, so we have to rely on the vouchers and correspondence (ref: Z723/100-112) and the accounts and carriage bills for a picture of the business before this period. The chief value of the papers lies in the information they provide concerning the vagaries of the forage and market garden trade, in particular the influence of transport costs, bad weather, fluctuations of demand and complaints from customers and agents about poor quality goods. In the 1890s Ginn dealt mainly in hay and straw but by the 1900s potatoes, carrots and greenstuff appear to have been the mainstay of his business. Interspersed among the business correspondence are letters and bills of a more personal nature. In 1898 Ginn wanted a new bicycle from Dan Albone of Biggleswade (ref: Z723/103/19) and in 1903 new houses were built for him in Potton which he let to tenants (ref: Z723/108/10, 27, 29). The records cover the period 1895-1909, so there is consequently no information about the start of the business prior to 1890, and its eventual slide into bankruptcy (?) shortly before the First World War. Appraisal Information The records presented the problem of bulk allied to relatively low informational content. The following appraisal was carried out: Classes completely destroyed 1.Large quantity of postcards to A. Ginn containing brief business messages. 2.Telegraph message out-books and telegraph forms containing brief messages on very poor quality paper. Classes 'weeded' 1.The bundles of receipted bills and business correspondence, which were in complete disorder, (ref: Z723/100-112) were 'weeded' of all short letters acknowledging cheques and routine memoranda. This reduced the bulk by at least 50%. I N D E X Z 723/1-4, Business books, 1905-1909 Z 723/5-10, London accounts, 1895-1898 Z 723/11-21, London North Western Railway carriage bills, 1895-1897 Z 723/22, Great Northern Railway and London North Western Railway, Summary accounts, 1897 Z 723/23-80, Great Northern Railway carriage bills, 1904-1908 Z 723/81-99, Kew Bridge Depot Weight clearances, 1896-1900 Z 723/100-112, Receipted bills and business correspondence, 1895-1907 Z 723/113-114, Miscellaneous, n.d.[c1905]

1895-1908

From: 1895 To: 1908

Amalgamation of accession numbers 6863, 6938

The records of Alfred Ginn, forage contractor of Potton, were discovered by Mr. D. Curson, 4 Clifton Road, Henlow, when demolishing Ginn's former offices in Blackbird St., Potton prior to redevelopment of the site. The records were discovered in the roof space. An unknown quantity of the records were destroyed but the remainder were given to his uncle Mr. R. Skinner of Biggleswade History Society. The remaining archives were artificially divided into three parts which were eventually presented to the Records Office as follows; Mr. R. Skinner, Biggleswade, (mostly Biggleswade documents, 14th March 1991), Mr. N. Parry, Potton (Potton documents, 18th April 1991) and Mr. G. Howe, Potton (railway documents, 17th July 1991). The records were reunited and accepted as a donation from Potton History Society (Mr. N. Parry, Chairman).

fonds

forage merchant, POTTON