Confectionary Industry
York has a strong connection to the confectionary industry. From Cravens to Tukes, and Terrys to Rowntrees, the industry has shaped the city’s economic, social and cultural life for more than 200 years. The library and archive collections chart the rise and fall of the confectionery industry of York and its impact on Britain and the wider world.
Researching confectionary
The Borthwick Institute for Archives offers an unparalleled resource for researchers exploring the global confectionery industry, specifically centered on York’s rich manufacturing history. Our holdings include the world's largest collection of Rowntree archives, documenting the family's pioneering social research, philanthropy, and industrial welfare practices, alongside the records of M.A. Craven & Son Ltd, which offer a unique look at female entrepreneurship through the formidable leadership of Mary Ann Craven. These collections provide rich primary data for studies in business history, social reform, and Quakerism, featuring materials ranging from 19th-century recipes and marketing scrapbooks to diaries and detailed poverty surveys. Whether investigating the development of iconic chocolate brands, the creation of model villages like New Earswick, or the logistics of international trade to North America, these archives serve as a cornerstone for multidisciplinary research into the industrial and social fabric of modern Britain.
Notable collections and collectors
The library and archive collections cover all aspects of confectionery production and distribution, as well as the lives of the families and individuals who dominated the industry. This includes the company archives of H.I. Rowntree & Co, Rowntree & Co, Terry’s of York and Cravens of York, and the family archives of the Rowntree and Tuke families, and the archives of the Rowntree Trusts.
Complementing these are library holdings exploring the development of the chocolate industry in York and in Britain, as well as the important links between cocoa production, colonisation and empire.
How to access these collections
Many of the titles relating to confectionary industry are held in the Borthwick. They can be consulted in the Borthwick Reading Room and copies can be made subject to copyright and condition. These materials cannot be loaned outside the University of York without the permission of the owners. Books in the Rare Books Collection and may also be consulted at the Borthwick Institute for Archives.