Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
- Ben Johnson; 1841-present
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
Ben Johnson was originally formed in 1841, when Hull printer William Goddard and businessman John William Lancaster joined forces and set up shop in Bridge Street, York. Seven years later, the partnership was dissolved, but John Lancaster kept the premises. He then employed Ben Johnson, who had served as an apprentice to an engraver in Huddersfield, to take control of his printing and stationery business. By 1880, Johnson was the sole owner and the firm took his name. A factory had been built in Micklegate and was expanded until, in 1907, it covered 75,000 sq ft.
After his death in 1901, Ben's sons, Cecil and Gilbert, took control of the business. In 1932, fire destroyed the mainly wooden factory and new premises were built in Boroughbridge Road.
American firm RR Donnelley's took over the factory in the early 80s, and a ten-year contract began to produce millions of telephone directories for British Telecom.
Places
Legal status
Functions, occupations and activities
Printers in York, supplying printed materials to various local and national clients.
Mandates/sources of authority
Internal structures/genealogy
General context
Ben Johnson was originally formed in 1841, when Hull printer William Goddard and businessman John William Lancaster joined forces and set up shop in Bridge Street, York. Seven years later, the partnership was dissolved, but John Lancaster kept the premises. He then employed Ben Johnson, who had served as an apprentice to an engraver in Huddersfield, to take control of his printing and stationery business. By 1880, Johnson was the sole owner and the firm took his name. A factory had been built in Micklegate and was expanded until, in 1907, it covered 75,000 sq ft.\n\nAfter his death in 1901, Ben's sons, Cecil and Gilbert, took control of the business. In 1932, fire destroyed the mainly wooden factory and new premises were built in Boroughbridge Road. \n\nAmerican firm RR Donnelley's took over the factory in the early 80s, and a ten-year contract began to produce millions of telephone directories for British Telecom.
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Authority record identifier
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Rules and/or conventions used
International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) - Ottawa