Suttons Seeds is a long established supplier of

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiosper ...

bulb In botany, a bulb is structurally a short stem with fleshy leaves or leaf basesBell, A.D. 1997. ''Plant form: an illustrated guide to flowering plant morphology''. Oxford University Press, Oxford, U.K. that function as food storage organs du ...

s, and other horticultural products. Today based in the English town of

Paignton Paignton ( ) is a seaside town on the coast of Tor Bay in Devon, England. Together with Torquay and Brixham it forms the borough of Torbay which was created in 1998. The Torbay area is a holiday destination known as the English Riviera. Paign ...

, the company supplies its products worldwide, and until 2014 was part of the Vilmorin Clause & Compagnie group of companies.

History

Founding

Suttons Seeds were founded in the

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Be ...

town of

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

in 1806 by John Sutton (1777-1863). Originally the company traded as corn merchants and were known as the 'House of Sutton'. In 1832 John Sutton was joined in the business by his sons, Martin Hope Sutton (1815-1901) and Alfred Sutton (died 1897). In 1837, the business moved to Reading's Market Place, where the sons persuaded their father to expand into the flower and vegetable seed trade. From this time on the firm progressed and expanded rapidly, earning a reputation for supplying pure, unadulterated seed. The Market Place shop occupied a prominent position overlooking the Saturday vegetable and general market. Martin Hope acquired nursery grounds in Queens Road along with a greenhouse. By mid-1838 he began selling greenhouse plants, many of the bulbs coming from local nurseries, but some from the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. In 1836 Martin Hope, aged 21 years, became a partner and the 'House of Sutton' became Sutton & Son. Suttons established their own laboratory to test seeds for germination and purity in 1840. In the same year, the company became one of the first to take advantage of the opening of the

Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 mill ...

through Reading. The railway was responsible both for bringing in large consignments of seeds and bulbs, and for carrying outgoing mail orders to all parts of the country. A branch was established in

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comm ...

, India in 1912, making it one of earliest seed companies in India after Pune based Pestonjee P. Pocha & Sons stablished in 1884.

Royal patronage

Suttons received royal patronage in 1858, when

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...

requested Martin Hope Sutton to supply seeds to the royal household. Suttons Seeds have held a

Royal Warrant A royal warrant is a document issued by a monarch which confers rights or privileges on the recipient, or has the effect of law. Royal warrant may refer to: * Royal warrant of appointment, warrant to tradespeople who supply goods or services to a r ...

ever since, and are currently suppliers to

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022 ...

. In 1873, extensive new offices and warehouses replaced the original premises, albeit still fronting Market Place. These occupied a considerable part of central Reading, stretching back apremises included offices, different store rooms for various seeds and bulbs, an exhibition department, stables and even a works fire station. During the 1880s the company funded a Mission Room in Albert Road Reading and presumably employed a Mission Woman, Susan Warwick. (Census 1881)

20th century

In 1911, the company donated money towards the setting up of a new hall at the then University College Reading (later to become the

University of Reading The University of Reading is a public university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as University College, Reading, a University of Oxford extension college. The institution received the power to grant its own degrees in 192 ...

), providing half the funds for Wessex Hall (Brown, 2006). In 1962, Suttons moved again to new show grounds and premises on the then main A4 road just to the east of Reading. In 1965, Suttons were the first company to offer foil packets to the amateur gardener in the UK. The company relocated from Reading to

Torquay Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignt ...

in the county of

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

in 1976 and in 1998 moved again to brand new premises in the nearby town of Paignton. In December 2014, the company was taken over by a management buyout. The

Museum of English Rural Life The Museum of English Rural Life, also known as The MERL, is a museum, library and archive dedicated to recording the changing face of farming and the countryside in England. The museum is run by the University of Reading, and is situated in Red ...

holds records for the company including accounts, administrative and commercial records, publications and advertising, international photographic records, records of exhibitions and personal records plus over 100 objects used and made by Suttons, including sacks, signs and seeds.

References and sources

;References ;Sources *Suttons Seeds (2005)
Suttons Seeds - History
Retrieved August 12, 2005. *Brown, C. (2006). Four Score & More. Reading: The University of Reading Press *Family Tree of Frederick Chater-Jac

*Family Tree of Frederick Chater-Jac

External links

* {{Authority control Horticultural companies of the United Kingdom Seed companies Companies based in Reading, Berkshire History of Berkshire Companies based in Devon British Royal Warrant holders Paignton 1806 establishments in England British companies established in 1806