Reckitt and Sons
Historic British household-products manufacturer whose starch, laundry, polish and disinfectant businesses helped form the corporate lineage of modern Reckitt.
Last updated August 21, 2026
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Overview
Reckitt and Sons was a major British manufacturer of household products based in Kingston upon Hull. Isaac Reckitt began the business there in 1840 after renting a starch works in Dansom Lane. The company initially produced soluble starch from farina and sago, then broadened its range during the nineteenth century into laundry blue made with ultramarine, black lead and household polish. These products became the commercial foundation of the business and established its reputation in everyday household care. The enterprise developed from a family partnership into a formal corporate organization. Isaac Reckitt died in 1862, after which his sons George, Francis and James continued the business. In 1879 it was incorporated as Reckitt and Sons Ltd with capital of £150,000, and in 1888 it became a public company with capital increased to £450,000. Expansion included a synthetic-ultramarine factory at Stoneferry, new starch and polish facilities, scientific laboratory work and a growing network of overseas operations. The company also developed employee welfare initiatives, including a pension fund, educational activities and the Garden Village workers’ housing estate opened in Hull in 1908. Reckitt’s growth was driven by both product development and acquisition. Brands and product lines associated with the company included Robin starch, Zebra black lead, Brasso metal polish, Zebo grate polish, Windo or Windolene window cleaner, Karpol car-body wash and Reckitt’s Bath Cubes. It also acquired or absorbed competing polish and cleaning businesses, including Harpic, and expanded into related raw-material and packaging activities. Dettol disinfectant was developed in the late 1920s and launched around 1932, becoming one of the most important products in the later Reckitt corporate heritage. The company maintained a long-running relationship with J. & J. Colman, another important British starch manufacturer. Negotiations over cooperation and amalgamation began in the early twentieth century, followed by pooling arrangements and eventually an agreement in 1937. Reckitt and Colman was formed in 1938, with Sir Philip Reckitt as chairman and Sir Jeremiah Colman as vice-chairman. The two businesses retained separate London Stock Exchange listings until 1954, when they were fully combined as Reckitt & Colman Holdings Ltd. The Colman food interests were later separated from the household-products operations. In 1999, the remaining Reckitt & Colman business merged with Benckiser to create Reckitt Benckiser, now known as Reckitt. Reckitt and Sons therefore no longer operates as an independent company, but its former products, manufacturing sites and corporate traditions remain part of the historical lineage of the modern consumer-health and household-products group. The original Dansom Lane site in Hull continued to be used for manufacturing as of 2021.
History
Isaac Reckitt’s commercial career began before the Hull enterprise. In 1818 he and his brother Thomas established a milling business in Boston, Lincolnshire, building Maud Foster Mill in 1819. The partnership later expanded into cement and bone milling, but Isaac left in 1833. After an unsuccessful corn-factor business in Nottingham, he moved to Kingston upon Hull in 1840 and rented Charles Middleton’s starch works in Dansom Lane. The Hull business produced soluble starch from farina and sago. It became profitable by 1847 and began using advertising more extensively during the following decade. In the 1850s the company added laundry blue based on ultramarine and black lead, creating a portfolio centered on starch, whitening products and household cleaning. A biscuit operation was started in 1857, but its factory burned in 1866 and the business was not restarted; its goodwill was sold to Peak, Frean and Co. After Isaac Reckitt’s death in 1862, his sons George, Francis and James became partners. The business was reorganized as a private joint-stock company in 1879 under the name Reckitt and Sons Ltd. A synthetic-ultramarine factory was built at Morley Street, Stoneferry, in 1882, with production beginning in 1884. The company became public in 1888, expanded its Hull facilities and increased its capacity in ultramarine and graphite. During the 1890s, Reckitt combined industrial research with product branding. It introduced Robin Starch and Zebra black lead, hired qualified chemists and developed laboratory capabilities that initially focused on testing and quality control before extending to new products and manufacturing improvements. International trade expanded into Australia, other parts of the British Empire, South America, the United States and Europe. The company also established employee-support measures, including a pension fund, evening classes and social activities. Garden Village, a model workers’ housing estate, opened in Hull in 1908. The early twentieth century brought further diversification. Brasso metal polish appeared in 1905, and Reckitt acquired several competing polish and blue manufacturers, including businesses associated with Bluebell, Shinio and Mepo. It also acquired related suppliers such as Wilson’s Canister Works and carbon-black manufacturers. A first Irish branch opened in 1910, while the Chiswick Polish Company was formed as a joint venture in 1913. Employment rose substantially during this expansionary period. During the First World War, the Quaker-owned company produced non-combatant supplies such as petrol tins and purchased certain German-owned businesses through the Custodian of Enemy Property. It also increased ultramarine production after German suppliers were disrupted. The company’s social-club hall was used as a Voluntary Aid Detachment hospital. In the 1920s, Reckitt launched or developed products including Zebo liquid grate polish, Windo, later known as Windolene, window cleaner, Karpol car-body wash and Reckitt’s Bath Cubes. It acquired the Hull black-lead works of Hargreaves and, in 1926, the Belgian ultramarine manufacturer S.A. des Usines Destrée, whose factories included sites at Haren, Melle and Comines. In the same decade, Reckitt and Colman jointly acquired the American mustard company French’s. The company’s move into health and hygiene became particularly important in the interwar period. A former Jeyes scientist joined Reckitt in 1929 and developed Dettol disinfectant, which was launched around 1932. Reckitt also acquired the Harpic lavatory-cleaner business in 1932. Cooperation with J. & J. Colman had been discussed since 1909. The companies considered asset exchanges, pooling arrangements and a complete merger over several decades. An amalgamation agreement was reached in 1937, and Reckitt and Colman was formed in 1938. The companies kept separate stock-market listings until 1954, when a full merger created Reckitt & Colman Holdings Ltd. The later divestment of Colman’s food activities and the 1999 merger with Benckiser produced Reckitt Benckiser, the modern corporate successor. Although Reckitt and Sons ceased to exist as an independent company, the Dansom Lane site in Hull remained associated with manufacturing as of 2021.
- 1999
Reckitt and Benckiser combine
[1]The later Reckitt & Colman business merged with Benckiser, creating Reckitt Benckiser and extending the corporate lineage of Reckitt and Sons.
- 1954
The Reckitt–Colman merger is completed
[1]The two companies completed their full merger as Reckitt & Colman Holdings Ltd.
- 1938
Reckitt and Colman is formed
[1]Reckitt and J. & J. Colman combined to create Reckitt and Colman, while initially retaining separate stock-market listings.
- 1932
Dettol launches and Harpic is acquired
[1]Dettol was launched around this period, and Reckitt acquired the Harpic lavatory-cleaner business.
- 1929
Dettol development begins
[1]A scientist formerly associated with Jeyes joined Reckitt and developed the disinfectant that became Dettol.
- 1926
The Belgian ultramarine business is acquired
[1]Reckitt acquired S.A. des Usines Destrée, adding factories in Belgium to its ultramarine operations.
- 1908
Garden Village opens in Hull
[1]Reckitt opened a model workers’ housing estate as part of its employee-welfare program.
- 1905
Brasso is introduced
[1]The company introduced Brasso metal polish and established additional manufacturing capacity for the product.
- 1888
The company becomes public
[1]Reckitt and Sons was converted into a public company and increased its capital to £450,000.
- 1879
Reckitt and Sons Ltd is incorporated
[1]The family business became a private joint-stock company with capital of £150,000.
Products and positioning
Mass-market household maintenance and hygiene products, supported by manufacturing scale, practical innovation, brand advertising and international distribution.
Laundry care · 1840
Laundry starch
The original commercial foundation of the Hull business. Reckitt produced soluble starch from farina and sago, later developing branded starch products such as Robin Starch. Starch remained central to the company’s identity and was one of the reasons for its long-running commercial relationship with J. & J. Colman.
Laundry care and pigments · 1850
Laundry blue and ultramarine
Reckitt expanded from starch into laundry blue during the 1850s, using ultramarine to improve the appearance of white fabrics. Synthetic-ultramarine manufacturing became an important industrial capability, supported by a Stoneferry factory opened in the 1880s and later international acquisitions.
Household polish · 1850
Black lead and Zebra
Black lead was one of Reckitt’s principal nineteenth-century household products, used for stove and grate care. The company later marketed the product under the Zebra name and expanded through acquisitions in the black-lead and polish sectors.
Metal polish · 1905
Brasso
Introduced in 1905, Brasso extended Reckitt’s household-care expertise into metal maintenance. A dedicated manufacturing facility was established at Dansom Lane, and the product became one of the company’s best-known polish brands.
Surface and window cleaner · 1920
Windolene
Originally introduced as Windo in the 1920s and later known as Windolene, this product represented Reckitt’s move into liquid surface and window-cleaning formulations.
Disinfectant and hygiene · 1932
Dettol
Developed by a former Jeyes scientist who joined Reckitt in 1929 and launched around 1932, Dettol marked a significant expansion into branded hygiene and disinfectant products. It later became a major brand within the broader Reckitt corporate portfolio.
Toilet cleaner · 1932
Harpic
Reckitt acquired the Harpic lavatory-cleaner business in 1932. The acquisition strengthened the company’s position in specialized household sanitation and connected the historic company to a brand still associated with the modern Reckitt portfolio.
Bath and personal care · 1920
Reckitt’s Bath Cubes
Introduced during the 1920s, Reckitt’s Bath Cubes broadened the company’s offering beyond cleaning and polishing into consumer bath products.
Brand decisions
1999
Merge the successor business with BenckiserM&ABackground
After the Colman food interests were separated, the remaining consumer-products business pursued a combination with Benckiser.
Action taken
The businesses merged to form Reckitt Benckiser.
Aftermath
Reckitt and Sons became part of the historical corporate lineage of a global consumer-health and household-products group rather than an independent operating company.
1954
Complete the Reckitt–Colman mergerM&ABackground
Reckitt and Colman had operated as a combined group since 1938 but continued to maintain separate listings.
Action taken
The companies completed their full merger to form Reckitt & Colman Holdings Ltd.
Aftermath
The transaction created the principal corporate successor through which the Reckitt household-products business later developed.
1938
Combine with J. & J. ColmanM&ABackground
Reckitt and J. & J. Colman had discussed cooperation and amalgamation since 1909, including asset exchanges and worldwide pooling arrangements. Their overlapping position in starch and related household products created a basis for consolidation.
Action taken
The companies formed Reckitt and Colman, led by Sir Philip Reckitt as chairman and Sir Jeremiah Colman as vice-chairman.
Aftermath
The businesses initially retained separate London Stock Exchange listings, with full legal consolidation completed in 1954.
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