Our Company History
The Batten family have been bootmakers for many generations.
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Edwin James Batten Third Generation |
Horace Batten Fourth Generation |
Horace Lampard Batten Fifth Generation |
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Timothy Lampard Batten Sixth Generation |
In the 17th and 18th centuries the Batten name and bootmaking were associated with the town of Illminster in Somerset. In 1804 William Batten moved to Gloucester with his new wife, both just 21 years old. William's grandson wrote that he remembered visiting his grandfather in 1844, who was then working cross- legged on his bench in Saint John’s Street, Gloucester. This was before machines, of any type, were available and thus all work was done by hand.
William died in late 1844. At that time all his children were involved in boot making. After his father's death, Edwin, William's second son, moved to Dudley in the West Midlands for a short time and thence to North East London where he continued to ply his trade His son, James, continued the tradition but obviously had a wanderlust as he worked as a bootmaker in Paris,Toronto,Chicago and New York, eventually returning to London with his Canadian, wife settling down with his new family in the North East London area of Hackney/Homerton.
In 1880 Horace was born and by the age of 21 he had become one of the best bootmakers in London and as such obtained the position as Works Manager of the Cooks Boot Factory in Long Buckby Northamptonshire. After the First World War he moved to Northampton and set up business in his own name, Horace Batten Bootmakers.
In 1912, with an eye to the future,he named his first, and only son Horace who continued the tradition of working as a bootmaker under the family name. Horace moved the current workshop to Ravensthorpe, Northamptonshire in the 1960's where it continues to thrive. His only son Timothy was born in 1945 and he continued to run the business while his only daughter Emma trained with her Grandfather, Horace Batten, for many years. Horace Lampard Batten died at the age of 102 on the 7th of December 2014. Sadly Timothy Lampard Batten passed away on the 2nd June 2018.
Horace's Granddaughter and Timothy's daughter Emma continues to run the business. Emma being the seventh generation of Batten bootmakers.
Many changes have taken place since William Batten left Illminster in 1804, though the same methods and principles still govern our work . We retain our determination to preserve the continuity of bootmaking over these 200 years by maintaining our high standards and making a quality product backed by a genuine wish to offer total customer satisfaction.
We hope to persevere for a few more years and have a young, eighth generation in the family, who, we hope,will take the business into the future.