BSG.BS.00238 — Seed Merchants, WARD & COMPANY Seal

Found near St Austell, Cornwall, 18mm/20mm.

WARD & COMPANY and five pellets WHOLESALE SEED MERCHANTS single pellet BRISTOL across the middle.

From Andy King, Senior Collections Officer, Industrial & Maritime History & Working Exhibits M Shed, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery:- "The Ward seal could be any time from about 1870 to 1940 - Ward's were seed merchants throughout that period."

The first located use of the company name is in 1868, “Ward & Co. seed merchants, 2 Bridge parade” [Slater's Directory of Glos, Herefs, Mon, Shrops & Wales, 1868, p.59 (Bristol section)]. At least some of their Bristol premises were destroyed in the bombing raids of 1940 – 41 [The Bombing Of Bristol - Pictures of Streets And Buildings Damaged In The Raids of 1940 – 1941, 2016, Read Books Limited]