E. H. Bentall & Co.

E. H. Bentall & Co. was a long-established British engineering company based at Heybridge in Essex. Its principal business was the design and manufacture of agricultural machinery, but it is also remembered for a short-lived automobile operation that produced approximately 100 cars between 1906 and 1912. The company’s later history was dominated by agricultural equipment, industrial machinery, corporate restructuring, and eventual absorption into larger engineering groups. The business originated with William Bentall, a farmer associated with Goldhanger, Essex. He developed the Goldhanger, or Essex, plough, which entered the market in 1797. In 1805 he established a manufacturing company on the south bank of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation at Heybridge. His son, Edward Hammond Bentall, joined the firm in 1836 and incorporated it as E. H. Bentall & Co. in 1839. Edward continued the company’s emphasis on practical agricultural innovation, patenting an improved Goldhanger plough and developing equipment such as cultivators, oil-cake mills, and root pulpers. Awards at the Great Exhibition and Royal Agricultural Society events helped establish the company’s reputation and supported export sales. By the late nineteenth century the business had become a substantial employer and manufacturer of farm equipment. Its products included feed cutters, stationary engines, valves, and other implements. The company also built housing for workers at Heybridge, reflecting its importance to the local industrial community. Edmund Ernest Bentall, Edward’s son, was managing the business by 1889 and later provided the impetus for the company’s automotive experiment. Bentall’s vehicle project developed from Edmund’s interest in petrol engines and motor cars. He first designed an engine intended for agricultural machinery, emphasizing economical operation and the use of common components. Around 1904 he constructed two experimental cars using purchased parts. The company then developed more formal prototypes in 1905, initially using Crypto chassis frames and Lemoine axles before moving toward proprietary chassis and engines. The first production design was displayed at the 1906 Olympia Show. Bentall made the chassis and engine, while bodies were supplied by Mannions of Chelmsford and Adams of Colchester. Sales were handled in London by Acre Autocar Co. and in Essex by Glovers of Witham. The cars were relatively expensive, and production ended in 1912 after roughly 100 vehicles had been built. The project appears not to have recovered its tooling and development costs. Only two Bentall cars are believed to survive. The main agricultural business continued to expand. It employed more than 600 people by the First World War and made shell casings during the conflict. In 1919 the company joined Agricultural & General Engineers Ltd., a large but ultimately unstable engineering combine. During the 1920s Bentall was a major exporter of feed cutters, but the group’s financial collapse in the early 1930s placed the company into administration. Edward Bentall acquired the business from the administrators, and his son Charles led a rebuilding effort. During the Second World War, Bentall continued agricultural production while also manufacturing components and assemblies for military aircraft, including work associated with Handley Page and the Halifax bomber. Charles Bentall took the company public in 1946. It acquired Tamkin Brothers in 1949 and J. W. Woolley & Co. in the late 1950s, consolidating production at Heybridge. After a difficult period following Charles Bentall’s death in 1955, chairman Godfrey Owtram reorganized the company and returned it to profitability. Acrow acquired Bentalls in 1961. Under Acrow, the business broadened its industrial activities and acquired the greenhouse manufacturer Simplex from GEC in 1981. The two operations were combined as Bentall Simplex. Acrow entered receivership in 1984, after which Bentall Simplex was sold to TB Group. TB Group closed the Heybridge factory and concentrated production at Scunthorpe. The former Maldon operation was sold in 1985 to Chief Industries of Grand Island, Nebraska. Thus the original Bentall manufacturing presence in Essex ended, although elements of its industrial product heritage continued under successor ownership.

E. H. Bentall & Co. developed from William Bentall’s agricultural-engineering enterprise at Heybridge, Essex. William’s Goldhanger plough entered commercial production in 1797, and he established the manufacturing business in 1805. Edward Hammond Bentall joined in 1836, incorporated the firm in 1839, and expanded its reputation through patented agricultural machinery and success at national exhibitions. The business became an important exporter and employer, producing implements, engines, valves, feed machinery, and other equipment. Edmund Ernest Bentall, who was involved in management by 1889, introduced the company to automobile production. After experimenting with petrol engines and prototype cars, Bentall displayed a production design at the 1906 Olympia Show. The cars used Bentall engines and chassis, with bodies supplied by outside coachbuilders. They were sold through distributors in London and Essex but remained expensive and achieved limited volume. Production ceased in 1912 after approximately 100 cars had been made. Agricultural machinery remained the company’s central business. During the First World War, part of the Heybridge factory produced shell casings. In 1919 Bentall joined Agricultural & General Engineers, whose later financial collapse forced the business into administration. The Bentall family recovered the company, and Charles Bentall rebuilt it during the 1930s. Wartime production later included aircraft components and assemblies as well as farm machinery. The company became public in 1946 and acquired other engineering businesses, including Tamkin Brothers and J. W. Woolley & Co. A difficult period after Charles Bentall’s death was followed by reorganization under chairman Godfrey Owtram. Acrow acquired Bentalls in 1961. In 1981, Acrow combined Bentalls with the greenhouse-equipment maker Simplex, creating Bentall Simplex. Acrow’s 1984 receivership led to another sale, this time to TB Group. The Heybridge works were closed, production was concentrated at Scunthorpe, and the Maldon operation was sold to Chief Industries in 1985. The original Heybridge manufacturing enterprise therefore ceased to operate as an independent company, while its agricultural-equipment activities continued in successor businesses.

• 1985

  Maldon operation sold

  [1]E. H. Bentall & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  The Maldon operation was sold to Chief Industries, while the Heybridge factory had already been closed.

• 1981

  Bentall Simplex created

  [1]E. H. Bentall & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  Acrow combined Bentalls with Simplex after acquiring the greenhouse manufacturer from GEC.

• 1961

  Acquired by Acrow

  [1]E. H. Bentall & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  The Acrow group acquired Bentalls.

• 1946

  Company becomes public

  [1]E. H. Bentall & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  Charles Bentall took the company public.

• 1919

  Joins Agricultural & General Engineers

  [1]E. H. Bentall & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  Bentall became part of the Agricultural & General Engineers group.

• 1912

  Car production ends

  [1]E. H. Bentall & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  Automobile production stopped after approximately 100 Bentall cars were built.

• 1906

  Automobile displayed at Olympia

  [1]E. H. Bentall & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  Bentall showed its automobile at the Olympia Show, beginning its brief commercial vehicle venture.

• 1851

  Broad Share Cultivator wins Great Exhibition gold medal

  [1]E. H. Bentall & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  The company received a gold medal for Edward Bentall’s Broad Share Cultivator.

• 1839

  E. H. Bentall & Co. incorporated

  [1]E. H. Bentall & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  Edward Hammond Bentall formally incorporated the business under the E. H. Bentall & Co. name.

• 1805

  Heybridge manufacturing business founded

  [1]E. H. Bentall & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  William Bentall established an agricultural-equipment manufacturing business at Heybridge, Essex.

• 1797

  Goldhanger plough enters the market

  [1]E. H. Bentall & Co.en.wikipedia.org

  William Bentall’s Goldhanger, also known as the Essex, plough was commercially introduced.

A British engineering and agricultural-equipment manufacturer positioned around practical farm mechanization, patented machinery, export capability, and later industrial processing systems. Its automobile venture was a brief diversification rather than the company’s core identity.

• Agricultural implement · 1797

  Goldhanger plough

  The Goldhanger, or Essex, plough was developed by William Bentall and became the foundational product associated with the company. It was placed on the market in 1797 and established Bentall’s early reputation for practical agricultural engineering.

• Agricultural implement

  Broad Share Cultivator

  Edward Hammond Bentall’s Broad Share Cultivator was one of the company’s notable nineteenth-century inventions. Its patented design won a gold medal at the Great Exhibition and contributed to the company’s standing among British agricultural-equipment makers.

• Passenger automobiles · 1906

  Bentall motor cars

  Bentall produced a small range of petrol cars from 1906 to 1912. The company made its own chassis and engines, while local coachbuilders supplied bodies. Models included two-seater and landaulette configurations, and total production is estimated at approximately 100 cars.

• Agricultural and industrial machinery

  Feed cutters and processing equipment

  Feed cutters were among Bentall’s major agricultural products and were exported to several European, African, and Scandinavian markets. Later industrial activities included equipment for feed processing, cereal factories, grain storage, and the coffee industry.

• 1981

  Combine Bentalls with SimplexM&A

  Background

  Acrow sought to integrate Bentalls with the greenhouse-equipment manufacturer Simplex, acquired from GEC.

  Action taken

  The businesses were merged as Bentall Simplex.

  Aftermath

  Following Acrow’s 1984 receivership, the combined business was sold to TB Group and the Heybridge factory was closed.

  Source

• 1961

  Accept acquisition by AcrowM&A

  Background

  Bentalls pursued a broader industrial structure after its postwar public-company period.

  Action taken

  Acrow acquired Bentalls.

  Aftermath

  The company operated within Acrow and was later combined with Simplex to form Bentall Simplex.

  Acquisition price. £460,000 (1961)

  Source

• 1919

  Join Agricultural & General EngineersM&A

  Background

  The company was persuaded to join a newly formed engineering group intended to combine agricultural-equipment businesses.

  Action taken

  Bentall became part of Agricultural & General Engineers Ltd.

  Aftermath

  The group collapsed in the early 1930s after unsuccessful investments, and the Bentall family bought the company from administrators.

  Source

• 1905

  Proceed with commercial automobile developmentProduct launch

  Background

  After Edmund Ernest Bentall’s experimental cars and engine work, the company treated automobiles as a possible extension of its engineering business.

  Action taken

  Bentall developed production prototypes, moving from purchased Crypto chassis frames and Lemoine axles toward proprietary chassis and engines.

  Aftermath

  The resulting cars appeared publicly in 1906, but production ended in 1912 after only about 100 vehicles.

  Source

1. 1E. H. Bentall & Co.en.wikipedia.org