LONG

Joseph Long

Joseph Long first appeared in the London trade directories as a hydrometer maker in 1822. His address was 20 Little Tower Street. Until his bankruptcy in 1820, this address had belonged to Thomas Gill, hydrometer maker. Also in 1822, Joseph Long published a pamphlet with tables for determining the strength of alcoholic spirits using a Sykes hydrometer and claiming to that it is “by Authority of Parliament”. He described himself as “manufacturer of the patent hydrometer, and successor to the late Dicas & Co”. The frequent protests published by the daughters of the late John Dicas of Liverpool from 1817 onwards suggest that this might not have been entirely true. In 1822, Long was describing himself as selling hydrometers, saccharometers, thermometers and all instruments required by brewers. By the 1840s, the company was being styled as manufacturers of mathematical and philosophical instruments, scientific instruments and appliances. In 1919, optical instruments also appeared on their letterhead. In 1885 the business moved to 43 Eastcheap, where it remained until 1936.