National Tea Day is observed in the United Kingdom every year on 21st of April to celebrate the drinking of tea. The North East Wales Archives (NEWA), Hawarden, holds this advertisement for Ishmael Roberts, Miller, Tea Dealer and Grocer from Lane End in Buckley, mid-19th Century.
With over 30 potteries, brickworks and an abundant supply of coal from of over 30 collieries in the area Buckley, Flintshire, prospered as an industrial powerhouse, with Lane End being at the epicentre of activity. This industrial prosperity supported other, ancillary industries, like Ishmael’s business dealing in tea and milling flour. A search of our collections does not reveal any more details of Ishmael Roberts, however, if you want to research this further you could do a more general search of Trade Directories and the Census to build up a picture of him and his family.
Initially imported from China and only available to the wealthy, as new imports from India became cheaper, tea became more affordable and was marketed as a healthy beverage, becoming part of the British way of life and the ‘nation’s favourite drink’!
The exact date of this advertisement is not known but calling himself a ‘Tea Dealer’ implies the high value of Ishmael’s commodity. Enjoy your cuppa today on #NationalTeaDay!
Bridget Thomas, Archive Assistant,
North East Wales Archives
