Milborne Yeovil Button

[EnvoyToTheMolePeople]

I found this small brass button on a rock pile in New Jersey. It seems to say "Milborne Yeovil" with a little six-pointed star. The button has some kind of black coating. Does anybody know what this means. According to google, they are both towns in England, but I d3on't know if that is relevant at all.

 

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[lairmo]

Could it possibly say Scovil?

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

What you found is a two-hole pants button, likely dating to the mid to late 19thc.
As Lairmo mentioned, it's more than likely made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company, the other name on the button would have been the company who retailed it.

"The Scovill Company is founded in Waterbury, CT in 1802 as a button and sewing hardware factory. The Company developed the United States’ first gilt buttons, closely followed by the invention of new brass-making methods. In 1812, The Company gained government contracts for US Army and Navy pewter shank uniform buttons which adorned the uniforms of soldiers in the War of 1812. In 1850, The Company incorporated as Scovill Manufacturing Company to reflect the expansion into product lines such as brass lamps, munitions, fuses for artillery, some of the earliest cameras and plates as well as coin blanks for the US Mint."

Nice find,
Dave

 

[EnvoyToTheMolePeople]

Although "Scoville" would make sense, I checked the button again just to be sure, and it definitely says "Yeovil".

 

[Hawks88]

Interesting old button find. Congrats

 

[DCMatt]

What you found is a two-hole pants button,

Agree. 19th C pants button.

The button definitely says Yeovil which, as the OP points out, is a town in England.

The word 'pants' in the UK during the 19th C refers to undergarments. I think that's what you have - an underwear button.

I looked but didn't find any button industry in Yeovil or Milborne.

 

[Yak1366]

Nice find, congrats!!!

 

[A2coins]

I must agree cool find!!!!!!

 

[A2coins]

Welcome to tnet from MI Tommy

 

[Red-Coat]

Old thread again, but @EnvoyToTheMolePeople is still around, and I can shed a little light on his find.

Milborne (strictly speaking it’s called Milborne Port) is a small village in Somerset, for which the Parish also includes the even smaller Milborne Wick. Yeovil is a larger town about 10 miles away.

However, I’m sure the ‘Milborne’ referred to on the button is for the Milborne family, for which the town of Yeovil had five generations of drapers/tailors with that name spanning about 100 years.


John Milborne (b.1755-d.1827), already operating as a tailor before he moved to Yeovil sometime after 1804.

As above, possibly with and without one or more of John’s sons: John (b.1776); Robert (b.1780); or William (b.1793-d.1863).

William Milborne (as above) solo, listed as a tailor at Vicarage Street, Yeovil in 1830.

William’s son John Milborne (b.1815-d.1877), listed as a tailor in Cattle Market, Yeovil (later renamed Princes Street) in 1840 and then by 1841 on the main road into town known as ‘Kingston’. In the 1851 census his occupation was given as "Tailor & Woollen Draper employing 8 men and 4 boys". He’s then listed in the 1852 directory as a tailor and draper at Hendford (also later becoming part of what is now Princes Street) in Yeovil. The 1866 directory lists him as a tailor and merchant in Princes Street and the 1871 census gave his occupation as “Woolen Draper, Master, employing 15 men and 1 boy".

John’s son James Alfred Milborne (b.1854) was listed in the 1871 census as living with him in accommodation above the premises with his occupation given as “hosier and domestic servant”. He seems to have briefly operated with his father as ‘John Milborne & Son’ in Princes Street from around 1875 and continued the name as ‘Milborne & Son’ after John died in 1877.

It seems that James Alfred Milborne had other interests and was not fully committed to the family business. By 1890, his older brother William Bidder Milborne was advertising under his own name from another address on Princes Street. In 1903 ‘Milborne & Son’ was listed as “Tailors and Breeches Makers” at that address until the termination as a family business with the death of William Bidder Milborne in 1907.

I would think this is a middle-ish 1800s breeches button made for, not by, Milborne. Breeches were worn both as undergarments and outer garments.


Various advertisements, with dates:

1878 (Milborne & Son / James Alfred)

1890 (James Alfred)

1890 (William Bidder)

 

[EnvoyToTheMolePeople]

Old thread again, but @EnvoyToTheMolePeople is still around, and I can shed a little light on his find.

Milborne (strictly speaking it’s called Milborne Port) is a small village in Somerset, for which the Parish also includes the even smaller Milborne Wick. Yeovil is a larger town about 10 miles away.

However, I’m sure the ‘Milborne’ referred to on the button is for the Milborne family, for which the town of Yeovil had five generations of drapers/tailors with that name spanning about 100 years.


John Milborne (b.1755-d.1827), already operating as a tailor before he moved to Yeovil sometime after 1804.

As above, possibly with and without one or more of John’s sons: John (b.1776); Robert (b.1780); or William (b.1793-d.1863).

William Milborne (as above) solo, listed as a tailor at Vicarage Street, Yeovil in 1830.

William’s son John Milborne (b.1815-d.1877), listed as a tailor in Cattle Market, Yeovil (later renamed Princes Street) in 1840 and then by 1841 on the main road into town known as ‘Kingston’. In the 1851 census his occupation was given as "Tailor & Woollen Draper employing 8 men and 4 boys". He’s then listed in the 1852 directory as a tailor and draper at Hendford (also later becoming part of what is now Princes Street) in Yeovil. The 1866 directory lists him as a tailor and merchant in Princes Street and the 1871 census gave his occupation as “Woolen Draper, Master, employing 15 men and 1 boy".

John’s son James Alfred Milborne (b.1854) was listed in the 1871 census as living with him in accommodation above the premises with his occupation given as “hosier and domestic servant”. He seems to have briefly operated with his father as ‘John Milborne & Son’ in Princes Street from around 1875 and continued the name as ‘Milborne & Son’ after John died in 1877.

It seems that James Alfred Milborne had other interests and was not fully committed to the family business. By 1890, his older brother William Bidder Milborne was advertising under his own name from another address on Princes Street. In 1903 ‘Milborne & Son’ was listed as “Tailors and Breeches Makers” at that address until the termination as a family business with the death of William Bidder Milborne in 1907.

I would think this is a middle-ish 1800s breeches button made for, not by, Milborne. Breeches were worn both as undergarments and outer garments.


Various advertisements, with dates:

1878 (Milborne & Son / James Alfred)
View attachment 2086371

1890 (James Alfred)
View attachment 2086372

1890 (William Bidder)
View attachment 2086373

This must have been one of my first posts on T-Net, as I believe I started here in October 2018. You are, as always, incredibly knowledgeable. Thank you for performing a little necromancy to give me a full update. I remember finding this button, it was in an area that had several other late 1800s-early 1900s items, mostly IHPs. I believe the location was the site of a house erected for nearby mill workers.