Asser and Sherwin - Games Maker

Game Maker Notes Name Asser and Sherwin Brief Description Thomas Sherwin 67 Great Queen St. in 1843 publishing Agon (invented A Peacock). Later Asser & Sherwin, 81 Strand, London. Rules of Badminton "as played in India" registered January 1874 and American Contest (a Jaques game?) Oct 1862. Principal Maker Y Copyright Registrations in this name 5 Other Registrations 1 registrations c1877 Annexation Trademark Adverts 6 adverts 1862 The American Contest 1862 As You Like It 1863 Bagatelle Boards 1863 Puff and Dart, or Drawing Room Archery Pictures copyright restricted 1870 Asser and Sherwin Games Pictures copyright restricted 1876 Christmas Presents from Asser and Sherwin Examples 6 examples c1875 Finesse c1870 Stock Exchange c1865 As You Like It c1862 The American Contest c1860 Race (The Game of the) c1870 Race (The game of the) Sep 2009: Dick Sherwin, descendent of the game maker Sherwins provided the following information. Thomas Sherwin (1776-1863) who was originally a bookbinder but became a backgammon table and chess board manufacturer in about 1820. He had premises in London at 67 Great Queen Street, Lincolns Inn from c1820 - c1858, when he moved to 527 Oxford Street. He also had premises in the Burlington Arcade and the Western Exchange, Bond Street. Thomas Sherwin appears regularly in the small advertisements in the Times, for such games as Rigolette, Targetta, Imperial Conquest, The Crusade and Squails, as well as chess and backgammon. In 1832 he advertised in the Times that he was the only manufacturer of the game of Paunchee (or Twenty Five). This is the game of Pachisi - the British Library contains his rules and instructions for the game, published in 1825 [though Hargrave speculates he may be printer not author]. Thomas's eldest son, also Thomas Sherwin (1802-1881), was also a dealer in games, at Great Queen Street and Oxford Street. Thomas (the elder) had at least two grandchildren engaged in the games industry - William Thomas Bullen (c1837-1880) gives his occupation in the 1861 census as 'inventor and manufacturer of games' at 3 Adelaide Terrace, Islington, and my 2x great grandfather Charles Sheppard Sherwin (1833-1872) who in 1860 formed a partnership with his cousin James Asser (1836-1924) - 'Asser and Sherwin'. They traded until 1882 (despite the death of Charles Sherwin in 1872) at premises at Strand and Oxford Street, selling travel goods, 'fancies', games and sporting equipment. Charles death certificate describes him as a Bagatelle Board Maker. On the closure of the company James Asser went on to found Turnbull and Asser the Jermyn Street shirtmakers.