Eastern Counties’ Leather and Parchment Company, London Road, Pampisford

History of Eastern Counties leather

The factory was actually in the parish of Pampisford even though its address was given as Sawston. There was already a leather works in the vicinity. on London Road. This works had been inherited by Thomas Sutton Evans in 1850 when he was aged 23. He soon became notorious, not least for eloping with the daughter of Rev Edwin Daniel, vicar of Sawston. Daniel’s son, Edwin Swann Daniel succeeded to his father post as vicar in 1855 but became dominated by his brother in law, Evans. Evans took control over the church finances as church warden and made sure that his favourite employees benefitted financially, rather than the poor of the parish.

When the next vicar protested, Rev Josph Malpas, Thomas Evans retaliated by locking up the organ and ordering his employees not to attend the church. When one employee, Charles Bailey, objected, he lost his job.,

Evans built a brewery at the leather factory which supplied four pubs he owned in the village. All his employees, even teetotallers, had to buy a quart of beer before they could collect their pay. When a Co-op was set up in Sawston, Evans ordered his employees to boycott it and buy only from his own shops.

It was the Congregationalist ministers, McClune Uffen and Alderman William Bond (of Hallack and Bond in Cambridge) who started a rival leather business. Helped by other wealthy liberals and non-conformists land was bought from William Parker-Hamond of Pampisford Hall, Eastern Counties Leather was set up in 1879.

(source Old Pampisford by O C Mayo)