Thrale history

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Ralph Thrale M.P.

Anchor Brewery was run and eventually wholly owned by Ralph Thrale from 1729 to 1758 as Thrale & Co.

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Other proprietors: James Monger • James Monger (Jr) • James Child • Edmund Halsey • Ralph Thrale • Henry Thrale • Barclay and Perkins • Courage

1711 apprenticeship

Ralph Thrale by Thomas Hudson, 1748.

When public affairs and other interests were taking up much time, Edmund Halsey having no sons to follow him, brought into the business his young nephew Ralph Thrale (1698-1758), the only son of Edmunds sister Anne Halsey (view relationship).

Ralph Thrale came to London to work in his uncle’s brewhouse probably after his father died in 1711, aged around 13. He was described as…

A goodlooking fellow and as industrious as he was comely.

Ralph learnt the business and did very well but managed to put his uncle’s nose out of joint domestically. When Ralph took a wife in the early 1720s, he chose Mary Dabbins whom his uncle was contemplating as a second Mrs Halsey. The uncle seems to have accepted the situation without complaint at the time.

1729 Halsey’s death

On Edmund Halsey’s death in 1729, eighteen years after Ralph Thrale started at the brewery, there was no mention of Ralph Thrale in his will.

The brewery was inherited by Halsey’s son-in-law, Viscount Cobham. A peer of the realm could not be connected with a brewery, so Cobham had to sell.

1729 purchase by Ralph Thrale

The sale proved difficult, so it was suggested that the brewery be transferred to Ralph Thrale, known as being a sensible, active and honest man. Ralph bough Anchor Brewery for £30,000 and provided a mortgage on the property - giving the sellers security of payment. In contrast to the value of £30,000 in 1729, it had been sold for just £400 in 1670.

Eleven years after buying the Anchor Brewhouse, Ralph had repaid the loan and was making a large fortune.

Dr. Samuel Johnson later wrote that Ralph Thrale …

Worked at six shillings a week for twenty years in the great brewery which afterwards was his own.

Expansion

Ralph expanded the business and by 1750 production rose to 46,100 barrels, equalling the other great London brewery - Truman. The same year the net assets were £72,000, however at the time of his death eight years later the net assets fell to £56,000 and brewing was just 32,622 barrels - half that of Truman (60,000 barrels) or Whitbread (64,588 barrels).

Ralph Thrale continued the expansion of the brewhouse and purchased several plots of nearby land, including a plot at Bankend. upon which he built a waterworks to supply the business. Later these works were purchased by ‘The Borough Water Works’ a company which replaced the machinery worked by horses with a steam engine cicra 1770.

1747 theft

In 1747 William Hindley was convicted at the Old Bailey of stealing two Butts from Ralph Thrale. Hindley’s punishment on 25 February 1747 was deportation.

Public life

Ralph Thrale was

• Member of Parliament for Southwark between 25 June 1741 and 1747;
• High Sheriff of Surrey; and
• Master of the Brewers’ Company in 1748.

Family

He had three daughters and a son Henry. Henry’s allowance from his father was splendid, at least a thousand pounds a year. Ralph gave his four children the best education. Baron Cobham’s esteem for Ralph gave him much attention, and his children associated with “men of first rank”. Ralph used to say of his son Henry…

If this young dog does not find so much after I am gone as he expects, let him remember that he had a great deal in my own time.

1758 death

Ralph Thrale died on 9 April 1758.

Testimonials

On the 9th of April died Ralph Thrale, esq. Member of Parliament for Southwark, and one of the chief magistrates of the city of London. He was a gentleman of great integrity and honour, and had acquired a large fortune by his industry in the brewing trade. He was a true friend to the poor, and a great benefactor to the city of Southwark. He was sincerely lamented by all who knew him.

The Gentleman’s Magazine

On the 9th of April died Ralph Thrale, esq. one of the greatest brewers in England. He was a gentleman of great abilities, and had acquired a very large fortune by his industry and honesty. He was a true friend to the poor, and a great benefactor to the city of Southwark. He was sincerely lamented by all who knew him.

The London Magazine

On the 9th of April died Ralph Thrale, esq. one of the most eminent brewers in London. He was a gentleman of great integrity and honour, and had acquired a large fortune by his industry in the brewing trade. He was a true friend to the poor, and a great benefactor to the city of Southwark. He was sincerely lamented by all who knew him.

The Universal Magazine:

Information about the brewery's location, ownership chronology, Brewery House, production levels, images and important documents is given here.