The Boot and Shoe Trades in London and Paris in the Long Eighteenth Century

in London. Their partnership was not successful, and was declared bankrupt in
June 1839.90 However, it provides an interesting case because from their
accounts it appears how production was carried out both in London and in
to
Northampton. This is testifiedby a complexl' of credit and debit relationships.
The Penn brothers owed £210 to George Rands, a Northampton currier, £54 to
Matthew Hale, a Northamptonshire tanner and £135 to Joseph Palmer, another
Northampton curries. In London they owed £58 to William Mayson, a leather
manufacturer in Western Street, £43 to Alfred Rymer, a currier in Soho, £37 to
Cuthbert Colling, another currier in Smithfield, as well as to George Lutuydre,
shoe factor and leather dresser in Skinner Street and Robert Metthews, a tanner
in Bermondsey (table 5.7). The main creditor was Edward Cotton a prominent
Northampton currier to whom the Penn brothers owed £791. Production was
clearly carried out in both towns and shoes could find their way in both
directions.
Table 5.7 - John Denton Penn and Edwin Penn's trade debts in 1839
London
Northampton
North of England
Yorkshire
Manchester
Not specified
Total
Number of creditors
No.
11
8
3
2
1
3
28
%
39.5
28.0
11.0
7.0
3.5
11.0
100.0
Value of Debts
£ %
223 12.1
1,206 65.5
46 2.5
40 2.2
111 6.0
214 11.6
1,840 100.0
Source: PRO B 3/4129: 'Bankruptcy of John Denton Penn and Edwin Penn, Northampton and
Fleet Street, London' (3 June 1839).
The scale of such a relationship between London and the provinces, and in
particular with Northampton, can be fully appreciated if we consider the
geographical distribution of the debts of London shoemakers. The sample is
89 P. Sharpe, Working women in the English economy, cit., p. 63.
PRO, B 3/4 129: 'Bankruptcy of John Denton Penn and Edwin Penn, Northampton and Fleet
Street, London' (3th June 1839).
237