GB 427 OSA Oldham and Son Ltd Archive Updated on: 22 May 2017 OSA Oldham and Son Ltd Archive 1891-1965 Â׸£ÀûƬ 5 boxes Oldham and Son Ltd, battery manufacturers English

Oldham and Son was founded in 1865 as a general engineering firm in Denton, Manchester, making machinery for the hatting and mining industries. Oldham lamps were well known in the mining industry, and it was dissatisfaction with the quality of batteries supplied for them that led the firm to move into the battery business. The company remained within the Oldham family until 1972, when it was taken over by Carlton Industries.

Order books, Cash book, register of members and share ledger, foreign correspondence, product manuals and internal publications.

Access by appointment only. Please see our Visit the Archives page for contact information.

 OSA/1 Order Books 1891-1916 1 box

Details of each order placed with the company. At least one volume, covering the period from the end of November 1907 to the middle of June 1915, is missing from this sequence.

 OSA/1/1 Order Book 17 February 1891-5 April 1901 OSA/1/2 Order Book 6 April 1901-28 November 1907 OSA/1/3 Order Book 16 June 1915-22 July 1916 OSA/2 Cash Book 1895-1902 1 volume

Expenses incurred by the company, detailed on a week by week basis

 OSA/2/1 Cash Book 23 September 1895-3 May 1902 OSA/3 Register of members and share ledger 1920-1938 1 volume

Volume contains details of the Directors and other members of the company, and information about the shares they each owned.

 OSA/3/1 Register of members and share ledger 1 December 1920-29 June 1938 OSA/4 Foreign Correspondence 1909-1911 1 volume

Copies of letters sent to overseas customers, some of which were apparently translated into foreign langauages by A.J. Lange Translation Bureau.

 OSA/4/1 Foreign correspondence volume 8 7 December 1909-11 October 1911

Volume is water damaged and some of the wording is now illegible

 OSA/5 Product manuals c1930s 3 boxes

Manuals featuring descriptions of the equipment made by the company, including photographs

 OSA/5/1 Colliery equipment manual volume 1 c1930s OSA/5/2 Bus battery manual volume 1 c1930s OSA/5/3 Colliery lamp manual volume 1 c1930s OSA/5/4 Government battery manual volume 1 c1930s OSA/5/5 Government battery manual volume 2 c1930s OSA/5/6 Government lamp manual volume 1 c1930s OSA/5/7 Government miscellaneous manual volume 1 c1930s OSA/5/8 Lamp manual volume 1 c1930s OSA/5/9 Lamp manual volume 2 c1930s OSA/5/10 Lamp manual volume 3 c1930s OSA/5/11 Starter battery manual volume 1 c1930s OSA/5/12 Lamp cell manual volume 1 c1930s OSA/5/13 Wireless battery manual volume 1 c1930s OSA/5/14 Illustrated method of manufacture of flexible intercell traction battery connectors c1930s OSA/5/15 Untitled manual c1930s OSA/6 Company Publications 1948-1965 1 volume

Internally produced publications, including a published history of the company and special editions of the house magazine

 OSA/6/1 The Story of an Enterprise: 1865-1948 1948 OSA/6/2 Vintage: centenary issue of The Grid house magazine 1965 OSA/6/3 Mr John: special issue of The Grid house magazine 1965