Thresher & Glenny
A historic British tailor, shirt maker and outfitter with roots in eighteenth-century London.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Thresher & Glenny is a historic British tailoring and outfitting business founded in London in 1755. It is regarded as one of the oldest surviving firms in the tailoring, shirt-making and outfitting trades. The company developed from a business serving the Strand and the Inns of Court, and over more than two and a half centuries expanded its activities across bespoke clothing, ready-made gentlemen’s garments, shirts, ties, hosiery, military apparel, luggage and court dress. The firm’s history is closely associated with London’s Strand district. An earlier hosier named Thomas Street traded near St Mary-le-Strand in the eighteenth century, while John Thresher was advertising from premises at the Peacock next to Somerset House by 1749. The business later appeared under several names, including Newham and Binham and Newham and Thresher, before Richard Thresher took control in the 1780s. In 1790 the firm became an official hosier to George III, establishing a relationship with the Royal Household that continued through later generations and contributed to the company’s reputation. During the nineteenth century, the business combined hosiery and mercery with outfitting and ready-made linen goods. It served aristocratic, legal, military, naval and colonial customers, particularly officers whose professional and overseas duties required specialized garments and durable travel equipment. The company supplied clothing and equipment connected with British military campaigns, including garments for personnel serving in the Crimea, Afghanistan, Egypt, Sudan and South Africa. It also developed products for long-distance travel, such as overland trunks for journeys to India and custom luggage designed for the cabins of P&O steamships operating to Malta, Alexandria and India. Thresher & Glenny became associated with several specialist products. Its range included Indian gauze waistcoats, military uniforms, hosiery, shirts and luggage. The company also claims an important role in the development or production of the trench coat used by British officers during the First World War, although a similar origin claim is associated with Aquascutum. According to the historical account of the business, Thresher & Glenny produced more than 28,000 trench coats during the war and retained records of many early purchasers and their regiments. The names Thresher and Glenny became connected through marriage across several generations, with the Glenny name eventually becoming dominant in the firm’s public identity. By the early twentieth century the company operated under the name Henry John Glenny, describing itself as an Indian and Colonial Outfitter. Its London presence extended at different times to Clifford Street, Savile Row, Conduit Street, Mayfair and Gracechurch Street. The last family member directly involved in the business, Henry Glenny, died in 1936. The firm has also maintained a long association with formal and ceremonial clothing. It holds a Royal Warrant as shirt maker to the Royal Household and possesses records of Royal Warrants dating back to the reign of George III. Its activities have included the manufacture of court attire and legal wigs. In the early twenty-first century, the company continued to make barristers’ wigs by hand from horsehair, reflecting its position at the intersection of traditional tailoring, formal dress and specialist professional equipment. Today, Thresher & Glenny trades from a retail outlet at 1 Middle Temple Lane in London. Its surviving business is centered on bespoke and ready-to-wear gentlemen’s clothing, shirts, ties, court dress and related outfitting. The brand’s identity rests on longevity, craftsmanship, Royal Household association and its connection with the legal and ceremonial institutions of London.
History
Thresher & Glenny traces its origins to London in 1755, when an early form of the business operated as a bodice-making and outfitting concern near the Strand and the Inns of Court. The firm’s wider background is connected with the long-established retail and mercery activity around St Mary-le-Strand and Somerset House. John Thresher was advertising from the Peacock next to Somerset House by 1749, and the enterprise later traded under names including Newham and Binham and Newham and Thresher of 152 the Strand. Richard Thresher took over the business by 1784. In 1790 the firm became official hosier to George III, beginning a Royal association that became central to its identity. Richard remained a partner until 1805, after which George Thresher succeeded him; John Thresher later took over the business in 1817. During the 1820s and 1830s John Thresher traded from Panton Street in the Haymarket as a hosier, mercer and masquerade maker, also describing himself as a hosier, glover and flannel draper to the King. By the early Victorian period, advertisements presented the company as Thresher Son and Glenny, hosiers to the Queen, outfitters and a ready-made linen warehouse at 152 Strand. The Thresher and Glenny families became connected through marriage over several generations, and the Glenny name gradually assumed greater prominence. By 1901 the enterprise was trading as Henry John Glenny, an Indian and Colonial Outfitter. The company’s commercial scope broadened considerably during the nineteenth century. Military, naval and colonial officers formed an important part of its clientele, and the firm supplied clothing for people serving throughout the British Empire. Its historical records refer to uniforms and other goods supplied in connection with the Crimean War, the Indian Mutiny, the Afghan War, campaigns in Egypt and Sudan, and the South African War. The business developed specialist items such as Indian gauze waistcoats and produced equipment suitable for overseas travel. Luggage became a substantial part of the company’s trade. Thresher & Glenny produced overland trunks for travel to India and customized trunks designed to fit the cabins of P&O steamships serving routes to Malta, Alexandria and India. Contemporary P&O material reportedly identified the company’s trunks as meeting the line’s requirements. The business also acquired or drew on the trade of Nicholas Ager Hoskins, a trunk maker and dealer in brass and portable furniture. The company is associated with the production of military outerwear, including trench coats used by British officers during the First World War. The historical record attributes more than 28,000 wartime trench coats to Thresher & Glenny, while acknowledging that Aquascutum also makes a claim connected with the garment’s development. The firm retained a list of many early purchasers and their regiments into the 1930s. Thresher & Glenny expanded its London operations at different points to locations including Clifford Street, Savile Row, Conduit Street, Mayfair and Gracechurch Street. Henry Glenny, the last family member involved in the enterprise, died in 1936. The brand nevertheless continued as a specialist outfitter, retaining its links with formal clothing, court dress and professional attire. The company’s Royal connections extend beyond its eighteenth-century appointment as a royal hosier. It holds a Royal Warrant as shirt maker to the Royal Household and has historical warrants dating back to George III. It also remained involved in the manufacture of legal wigs. A 2003 account of the debate over ceremonial wigs in English courts described the firm taking approximately a week to make three barristers’ wigs from horsehair imported from Argentina. In the present day, the business operates from 1 Middle Temple Lane in London. Its offering includes bespoke and ready-made gentlemen’s clothing, shirts, ties, court attire and other specialist outfitting products. Its heritage is defined by continuity, formal craftsmanship and service to Royal, legal, military and professional customers.
- 1936
Death of Henry Glenny
[1]Henry Glenny, the last family member directly involved in the business, died.
- 1901
Trading as Henry John Glenny
[1]The company was recorded as Henry John Glenny, Indian and Colonial Outfitter.
- 1878
Goods supplied for the Afghan campaign
[1]The firm supplied canvas shoes dyed with ink for officers embarking for the Afghan War.
- 1854
Crimean War outpost
[1]The company established an outpost at Kadikoi to support the delivery and custody of parcels for troops in the Crimea.
- 1790
Appointment as royal hosier
[1]The firm became official hosier to George III.
- 1784
Richard Thresher takes over
[1]Richard Thresher assumed control of the business.
- 1783
Early Royal Warrant record
[1]The company’s surviving Royal Warrant tradition reaches back to the reign of George III.
- 1777
Newham and Thresher at 152 Strand
[1]The firm was known as Newham and Thresher of 152 the Strand.
- 1768
Trading as Newham and Binham
[1]The business was recorded under the name Newham and Binham during its early development.
- 1755
Foundation of the business
[1]An early Thresher-associated outfitting and bodice-making business was established near London’s Strand and the Inns of Court.
Products and positioning
A heritage British outfitter positioned around bespoke craftsmanship, formal dress, professional clothing and historically continuous service to Royal, legal, military and colonial-era clientele.
Tailoring
Bespoke tailoring
The firm makes bespoke gentlemen’s garments, including suits and jackets. This offering represents the company’s traditional tailoring activity and its emphasis on individually fitted formal clothing.
Shirt making
Shirts
Shirt making is a core part of the brand’s historic identity. Thresher & Glenny currently holds a Royal Warrant as shirt maker to the Royal Household and also produces shirts for private customers.
Ceremonial clothing
Court attire
The company supplies formal court attire and related ceremonial garments. This line reflects its long-standing relationship with British institutional and Royal dress requirements.
Legal dress
Barristers’ wigs
Thresher & Glenny has made traditional legal wigs from horsehair for barristers. The product connects the business with the professional clothing requirements of the English legal system.
Uniforms and outerwear
Military clothing
Military and colonial outfitting was historically a major part of the business. The company supplied uniforms and specialist garments, including military outerwear and products designed for service overseas.
Travel equipment
Travel trunks and luggage
The firm produced durable luggage, overland trunks for travel to India and custom trunks designed for the cabins of P&O steamships. Travel equipment was an important part of the nineteenth- and early twentieth-century business.
Sources1 sources
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