Cox and Son
Foundation date: 1838
Active: 1838 - 1881
Function: Church decorators, silversmiths, bronze foundry
History or description: Cox & Sons was founded as a clerical tailoring business in 1838 by Thomas Cox, 18 February 1816-2 June 1873 (born in Brompton, London and died in Reigate Surrey). Over the following four decades the firm became one of the leading church furnishing companies.
The firm supplied all the needs of the church from silver to vestments and tomb rails. There was a shop on the Strand and a manufactory in Lambeth. By 1870 a catalogue of Cox & Son claimed to be able to supply 800 designs of furniture, Gothic metalwork, carpets and hangings by 'eminent church designers'.
Cox & Son's are said to have acquired much of the stock of furniture and designs by E.W. Pugin for the Granville Hotel and working drawings from the Society of Decorative Art, of Great Marlborough Street. The firm was also very active in commissioning designs for furniture, metalwork, stained glass and ceramic designs from a number of leading designers. These included B.J. Talbert, S.J. Nicholls, G. Goldie, J. Moyr Smith, O.W. Davis, C. Rossiter and E.W. Godwin.
Cox and Son were represented at international exhibitions in London in 1862, 1871, 1872 1873 Paris in 1867; and Philadelphia in 1876; as well as later at the Arts & Crafts Exhibition Society. They employed several hundred workers at their works in London and on his death, Thomas Cox left an estate valued at about £30,000.
Thomas Cox's sons Edward Young (or Harry) Cox (11 April 1840-15 November 1935, born in Westminster London, died in Tunbridge Wells) and Thomas Cox Junior (born c.1846) joined the company and ran it after their father's death until about 1881. In that year the firm merged with Buckley & Co. and continued as Cox, Son, Buckley and Co.
There are fifteen trade catalogues for Cox and Son dating between 1862 and 1875 in the National Art Library.
Employees, Students & Members
Numbers: 100
Period Start: 1861
Numbers: 300
Period Start: 1871
Numbers: 190
Period Start: 1871
Works
Dates are usually the year a work was exhibited so may differ from date of production.
New entries have been made each time a work was exhibited due to a lack of evidence about the state, medium or edition shown.
Created Oak reredos, carved oak altar table and carved oak eagle lectern
1865
Exhibited Oak reredos, carved oak altar table and carved oak eagle lectern
Exhibited Oak reredos, carved oak altar table and carved oak eagle lectern
Locations
Business located at 28 Southampton Street The Strand London | View on map
1865
Church Decorators
Exhibitions, Courses, Meetings and other Events
Exhibited at International Exhibition of Arts and Manufactures, Dublin, 1865
1865
Church Decorators
Section XXVII: Antiquities - Medieval Furniture and Metalwork. [located in]Medieval Court. p.29, no. 755: 'Oak Reredos, carved by machinery; carved oak altar table,carved oak eagle lectern, polished brass corona, wrought iron altar rail standards, church carpets, hangings ,etc...'
Institutional and Business Connections
Forerunner of A.B. Burton
1880
Cox and Son founded the foundry at Thames Ditton in 1874.
Precursor to Buckley, Cox, Sons & Co.
1880 (Circa)
Cox and Son merged with Buckley and Co
Descriptions of Business or Institution
Listed in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1861
Church Furniture Manufacturer Employing 100 Men in London'
Listed in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1851
'Robe Maker in London'
Listed in Census Returns of England and Wales, 1871
Under the entry for Thomas Cox Senior: 'Church Furniture Manufacturer Employing about 300 Men'. Under the entry for Edward Y. Cox: 'Church Furniture Maker Employing 170 Men & 20 Boys'
Sources
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1851
2004
Class: HO107; Piece: 1614; Folio: 187; Page: 23; GSU roll: 193515
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1861
2004
RG09 piece 456 folio 120 page 15
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1871
2004
Class: RG10; Piece: 835; Folio: 82; Page: 1; GSU roll: 827751 (for Thomas Cox Senior)
Census Returns of England and Wales, 1871
2004
RG10 piece 861 folio 6 page 3 (for Edward Y. Cox)
England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966
2010
Name: Thomas Cox
Probate Date: 16 Aug 1873
Death Date: 2 Jun 1873
Death Place: Surrey, England
Registry: Principal Registry
Official Catalogue of Dublin International Exhibition of Arts and Manufactures 1865
1865
Section XXVII: Antiquities - Medieval Furniture and Metalwork. [located in]Medieval Court. p.29, no. 755: 'Oak Reredos, carved by machinery; carved oak altar table,carved oak eagle lectern, polished brass corona, wrought iron altar rail standards, church carpets, hangings ,etc...'
Citing this record
'Cox and Son', Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951, University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, online database 2011 [http://sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/organization.php?id=msib3_1218441946, accessed 28 Sep 2021]
