Thomas Brigg & Sons, said to have been founded in 1836, were makers of umbrellas and canes in London. They merged with the London firm of Swaine & Adeney to form Swaine, Adeney, Brigg & Sons Ltd in 1943. History An insurance record from 1809 provides early evidence that Charles Brigg, a plumassier or feather-maker, was working as a maker and supplier of plumes for the military at 3 Little Warwick Street (now Warwick House Street) off Charing Cross. An advertisement in the Morning Chronicle indicates that by 5 December 1817 he had moved to 63 Charing Cross, where he would work to the end of his career. In 1828, Charles Brigg's son, Thomas Edward, opened a separate outlet at 23 St James's Street, London. An advertisement in the Morning Post of 21 May 1828 shows that he had added the sale and repair of parasols to his line of business. He was ordered before the Bankruptcy Commissioners in 1829 but it appears that the creditors were placated, for he and his father were able to carry on trading. The year 1836, said to be that of the firm's foundation, does not seem to have been characterized by a landmark event according to known documentary evidence of the company. However, that very year, John Tallis published a pictorial plan of St James's Street on which No. 23 was labelled "Brigg – Umbrella, Cane & Whip Maker". By 1852 the firm was trading as Thomas Brigg & Son, reflecting the fact that Thomas's son Edward had joined the family business. When Edward's brother (another Thomas) went into partnership with him, the firm began trading as Thomas Brigg & Sons. The 1861 census listed Thomas Brigg as an umbrella-maker with five employees. In 1879, the silversmith Charles Henry Dumenil (1853–1921) registered his mark CD at the Goldsmiths' Company. In 1894, jointly with William Henry Brigg, he patented "Improvements in the Combination of Pencils and the like with Walking Sticks and the like". One such walking stick (in full-bark Malacca) with concealed pencil was owned by the artist Augustus John. The 1881 census listed Thomas Brigg Jr with fifteen employees. In December 1884, Thomas Brigg & Sons were awarded their first royal warrant as umbrella-makers to Queen Victoria. in 1899, the firm entered the continental market by opening a showroom at 33 avenue de l'Opéra, Paris, a splendid corner site at the junction