Margaret Lewis, curator of Honiton Museum writes for the Herald.

Following the successful launch of the Culm Valley Dairy, a butter factory in Hemyock, the farmers in the Honiton area decided to get together and follow suit and establish a butter factory in Honiton.

In 1886 there was a large meeting held in the Dolphin Hotel and chaired by Sir John Kennaway.

In the late 1880s over 14 million pounds worth of butter had been imported from Holland. Except it was not butter at all. It was a mixture of oleomargarine which was imported from America and blended with real butter and traded in the UK.

It was extremely difficult to be able to tell the difference between that and pure butter, it was cheaper than butter at 8d a pound - and was marketed as real butter.

In April 1887 the East Devon Butter Factory at Littletown, Honiton was opened and the milk from 150 cows had been promised.

The council voted 13/6 that all the vehicles going to or returning from the factory with milk or cream could pass through the toll gates free on condition that the company paid £5 per annum. Mr Harris asked that the same privilege be extended to bakers.

By December despite the county suffering a severe drought throughout the year, the factory was dealing with the produce from fifteen dairies, supplying many markets and established another factory in Wilmington. By 1892 they started another branch in Stockland.

That year, Henry Walter Mead and Frederick Carslake, both 14 were in court charged with stealing cream. They were sent to prison for eleven days and then transferred to the Reformatory School at Bramford Speke.

In the following year Henry’s father George was ordered by the court to pay eleven shillings costs and 1/6d a week maintenance for Walter and Frederick’s father Pharoah had to pay 6d a week maintenance and eleven shillings costs.

The factory was summoned under the Factory and Workshops Act for neglecting to report an accident in 1907 and a fine of 10 shillings was imposed.

In April 1918 Mr. A. J. Dunning, solicitor of Honiton, presented a petition to the Exeter County Court for the winding-up of the East Devon Dairy Supply Co Ltd.

The shareholders had voted to cease trading as it was insolvent and unable to continue