Scale Frame Stretcher c1870

This cast iron stretcher was used to join together the two sides of the wooden frame of an industrial scale, as shown in the drawing on the right.

The design was that used by Henry Wood, as depicted in his catalogue and Thomas Herbert continued to use this pattern after he bought the business in December 1867. However these designs of industrial scales are identical, or nearly identical, to many of the Medhurst ones, and it is believed that Medhurst either supplied complete products or licenced his designs to Henry Wood and subsequently Thomas Herbert. Herberts finally bought the Medhurst business in 1881.

The business name shown on the stretcher is "Herbert & Son”, a designation that was only used for a few years. Thomas Herbert brought his second son George in as a partner in the firm in December 1863, three months after his eldest son Thomas Benjamin had left the country and enlisted in the Union Army to fight in the American Civil War. He brought his third son William into the business shortly after the purchase of the Wood business in 1867, so this stretcher must date between 1868 and c1870.

The stretcher also carries the Royal Coat of Arms, a device use by both Henry Wood and Thomas Medhurst, but banned in the mid 1880s. The address is shown as "London EC”, the London Postal District system having been introduced during 1857.

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