| Admin History | A.C. Gill Ltd, the lace manufacturing firm, was founded by Albert Charles Gill sometime between 1897 and 1900. He had formerly been a partner of Gill and Bass, a lace manufacturing firm set up in about 1890. Both companies operated from premises in Stoney Street, Nottingham but by 1920, A.C. Gill Ltd had moved to Warser Gate, Nottingham and the firm remained there during the period covered by this collection through to the present day. The company acquired the lace making firm of William Hurst and Sons in 1922 and its premises in George Street (Moorgate Street), Nottingham.
The papers in this collection were accumulated by Mr J.G. McMeeking. He was probably managing director at the time and represented the company on a number of trade bodies, many of which are represented amongst these papers. Mr McMeeking presented a Government Report on education in 1959 ('The McMeeking Report') and was Chairman of the Local Employment Committee. He was made a C.B.E. He was also a prominent Elder of St Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Nottingham, and acted as the church's Treasurer (see the St Andrew's collection, AU). |
| Custodial History | The collection forms part of what would have been the company's archive. This small body of material was acquired by The University of Nottingham's Department of Manuscripts and Special Collections in January 1990. |
| Description | The collection comprises:
Correspondence, November 1939-January 1943 (BGL 1-3).
Printed papers, August 1939-January 1943 (BGL 4).
Typescript notes and reports, undated (BGL 5).
Printed items, 1940-1941 (BGL 6).
Manuscript notes, undated (BGL 7).
Newspaper cuttings, undated-c.1941 (BGL 8).
The collection comprises correspondence and printed circulars concerning the reorganisation of the lace industry in Nottingham during the second world war. These items were received or generated by representatives of A.C. Gill Ltd and correspondents are predominantly regional lace trade associations, the Lace Export Group, and Nottingham Chamber of Commerce. The collection does not contain the operational business records of A.C. Gill Ltd but provides valuable information into the restructuring of the industry during the second world war. The records focus on attempts to concentrate lace production in order to improve efficiency and touch on other contemporary issues such as labour shortages, employment of women and the marketing of British lace overseas. |