Briton Motor Company
A Wolverhampton automobile manufacturer that built small and medium-sized cars from 1909 to 1919 and again from 1922 to 1929.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Briton Motor Company was an early British automobile manufacturer based in Wolverhampton, an important centre of engineering and vehicle production in the English Midlands. The company operated in two principal periods: from 1909 to 1919 and, after a reorganisation, from 1922 to 1929. Its cars generally occupied the small and lower-medium segments of the market, with advertised outputs ranging from approximately 7 to 16 horsepower. The business emerged after Star Engineering Company took over the Star Cycle Company in 1909. The earlier Starling and Stuart car lines were discontinued, and a new range of vehicles was developed under the Briton name. Edward Lisle Junior, the son of Star founder Edward Lisle, managed the enterprise. Briton initially used Star's Stewart Street Works and retained much of the existing workforce. Its first product was the two-cylinder 7 hp Little Briton, followed by larger 10 hp and 12 hp variants and subsequently four-cylinder cars rated between 12 and 16 hp. In 1912 a new corporate entity, Briton Motor Company (1912) Limited, was formed. The company moved in 1913 to premises on Lower Walsall Street, the former Shrubbery Iron Works site. During 1912 and 1913 Briton participated in reliability and performance trials at venues including Brooklands, Saltburn and Manchester, receiving gold and silver medals. These events helped the manufacturer demonstrate the durability of its relatively modestly powered cars in a competitive market. Briton continued automobile production during the First World War, but also made shell cases and other war-related products. It became the British agent for the American Scripps-Booth automobile, although that arrangement did not succeed. New two- and four-seater cars, including models using a revised deluxe chassis, appeared in 1914 and 1915. By 1917 and 1918, output had narrowed primarily to small commercial vehicles and ambulances. Difficulties meeting government contracts led to demands for compensation and contributed to a substantial call for additional share capital. After the war, Briton resumed passenger-car production with a 10/12 hp four-cylinder model in 1919 and produced additional 14/16 hp cars. The company raised further capital and designed several new models in 1920, including a sports-car project intended to use a Chapuis-Dornier engine, but these designs did not reach production. Output reached 170 cars in 1920 before falling sharply as mass-production manufacturers such as Austin and Morris gained cost advantages that a smaller, more labour-intensive producer could not match. Financial pressure intensified in 1920 and 1921. The Midland Bank took company stock against outstanding debts, receivers were appointed in December 1921, and the business entered liquidation the following month. The original Wolverhampton works were sold to AJS in 1923. Charles A. Weight subsequently continued the Briton name from a new site at Chillington Fields, relocating remaining machinery, components and some former employees. Car production continued until 1929, with approximately 600 cars made during this later phase. The business ultimately became Tractor Spares Limited in 1940. Briton is therefore remembered primarily as a regional, independent manufacturer whose history illustrates the competitive pressure placed on small British car makers by postwar industrial consolidation and mass production.
History
Briton Motor Company formed in Wolverhampton in 1909 during a restructuring of the local Star business. Star Engineering Company's takeover of the Star Cycle Company ended production of the Starling and Stuart cars, creating an opportunity for a replacement marque. The new Briton cars were produced using Star's Stewart Street Works and much of its established workforce. Edward Lisle Junior, a member of the family associated with Star's foundation, managed the operation. The first Briton was the Little Briton, a two-cylinder 7 hp car. Its range expanded with 10 hp and 12 hp versions, followed by four-cylinder models rated from 12 to 16 hp. In 1912, the enterprise was reorganised as Briton Motor Company (1912) Limited. The following year it moved to a new Wolverhampton site on Lower Walsall Street, formerly occupied by Shrubbery Iron Works. The company promoted its cars through participation in reliability and motoring trials, earning gold and silver medals at events held at Brooklands, Saltburn and Manchester in 1912 and 1913. The First World War altered the company's output but did not immediately end car production. Briton manufactured shell cases for the war effort and also became the United Kingdom agent for the American Scripps-Booth marque. The agency venture failed, while Briton's own range developed through new two-seater and four-seater cars and a revised deluxe chassis introduced in 1914 and 1915. In 1917 and 1918, production was largely restricted to small commercial vehicles and ambulances. The company's difficulty in fulfilling government contracts resulted in demands for compensation and a call for £50,000 of share capital. Passenger-car production resumed after the war. Briton introduced a four-cylinder 10/12 hp car in 1919 and also built 14/16 hp cars. In 1920 it designed three new models, including a sports car planned around a Chapuis-Dornier engine, but none entered production. The company produced 170 vehicles in 1920, most of them 10/12 hp cars, but output fell to 65 cars in 1921. The wider British industry was moving toward mass production, allowing firms such as Austin and Morris to sell at prices that a smaller manufacturer could not readily match. Debt problems led the Midland Bank to take £50,000 of company stock in December 1920. Receivers were appointed in December 1921, and the company entered liquidation in January 1922. Its original works were later sold to AJS for £7,000 in October 1923. The Briton name nevertheless survived under Charles A. Weight, who moved remaining machinery and components to Chillington Fields and employed some former Briton workers. Cars were produced there until 1929, when manufacturing costs became unsustainable. Around 600 cars were made during this later continuation. In 1940 the business became Tractor Spares Limited, marking the end of the Briton automobile identity. The former factory site attracted renewed public attention after a major fire in 2022.
- 2022
Fire at former factory site
[1]A large fire affected the former Horseley Fields factory site in Wolverhampton.
- 1940
Business becomes Tractor Spares Limited
[1]The continuing business adopted the name Tractor Spares Limited.
- 1929
Automobile production ends
[1]Car production at the Chillington Fields site ended as manufacturing costs became too high.
- 1923
Original works sold to AJS
[1]The former Briton works were sold to fellow Wolverhampton manufacturer AJS.
- 1922
Business enters liquidation
[1]Briton entered liquidation in January, although the name and residual operations were subsequently continued by Charles A. Weight.
- 1921
Receivers appointed
[1]The company's financial difficulties culminated in the appointment of receivers in December.
- 1919
Postwar passenger-car production resumes
[1]Briton returned to passenger cars with a four-cylinder 10/12 hp model and continued producing larger 14/16 hp cars.
- 1917
Output shifts toward commercial and emergency vehicles
[1]Production was narrowed mainly to small commercial vehicles and ambulances during the later war years.
- 1913
Move to Lower Walsall Street works
[1]The company relocated to a site previously occupied by Shrubbery Iron Works in Wolverhampton.
- 1912
New company incorporated
[1]Briton Motor Company (1912) Limited was formed as the business expanded its automobile operations.
Products and positioning
A regional British manufacturer of compact and medium-sized cars, positioned around relatively simple, modestly powered vehicles rather than the high-volume production model adopted by larger companies.
Passenger automobile · 1909
Little Briton
The Little Briton was the marque's first known car. It used a two-cylinder engine rated at 7 horsepower and represented Briton's entry into the small-car market. The range was later expanded with higher-powered 10 hp and 12 hp versions, establishing the basic model family from which the company developed larger four-cylinder cars.
Passenger automobile · 1919
Briton 10/12 hp
The 10/12 hp was a central Briton model during the company's postwar revival. A four-cylinder version was introduced in 1919, and the model accounted for most of the company's output in 1920. It was intended as a practical small-to-medium car, but its production economics became increasingly difficult to sustain against mass-produced competitors.
Passenger automobile · 1919
Briton 14/16 hp
The 14/16 hp cars were larger four-cylinder Briton automobiles produced alongside the 10/12 hp range after the First World War. The company built several hundred examples of its 14/16 hp cars during the postwar period, but the line remained a low-volume product in an increasingly price-sensitive market.
Commercial and emergency vehicles · 1917
Briton commercial vehicles and ambulances
During 1917 and 1918, Briton's production was concentrated on small commercial vehicles and ambulances. These vehicles formed part of the company's wartime output while civilian passenger-car production was substantially curtailed.
Brand decisions
1922
Continuation under Charles A. WeightOtherBackground
Liquidation ended the original operating structure, but machinery, components and the Briton name remained available.
Action taken
Charles A. Weight took over the residual business, moved equipment and components to Chillington Fields, and continued car production with some former employees.
Aftermath
The revived operation produced cars until 1929 before ultimately becoming Tractor Spares Limited in 1940.
1917
Wartime production shiftStrategyBackground
The First World War changed demand and imposed government-related production obligations.
Action taken
Briton concentrated its output on small commercial vehicles and ambulances while also contributing to shell-case manufacture.
Aftermath
The company later faced government claims connected with unmet contractual obligations and needed additional capital.
1912
Corporate reorganisation and factory relocationStrategyBackground
Briton was expanding beyond its initial Star-associated production arrangements and required a distinct corporate and manufacturing structure.
Action taken
Briton Motor Company (1912) Limited was formed, followed by a move to the former Shrubbery Iron Works site on Lower Walsall Street in 1913.
Aftermath
The new structure supported continued model development and participation in motoring trials before wartime production changes.
Recent events
- 2022
Fire breaks out at former Briton factory site in Wolverhampton[1]
Other
A major fire broke out on 5 December 2022 at the former factory site in Horseley Fields, Wolverhampton. More than 100 firefighters attended, with police and other emergency resources deployed because of the site's proximity to railway infrastructure, Wolverhampton station and a British Oxygen Company facility storing pressurised gas cylinders. Nearby roads were closed, and the cause was reported as under investigation.
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