London Gazette 1855-Dissolution of Partnership

[Greenland]

I have come upon the dissolution of a trading partnership between two brothers whose business was on Fenchurch Street, London.  This was published during April 1855 in The London Gazette.
Can anyone direct me to further resources either online or at an archive where I may be able to further research the company name under which the brothers traded, i.e., documentation to do with its formation and dissolution which might provide personal address details, dates of birth or ages of the partners.  I am hoping such personal information might confirm whether these two brothers are members of my family.
I had wondered about the Sun Fire Office papers held by the LMA but it is impossible for me to access those as I am not London based.
Thank you for any help you are able to give me.

[Andy J2022]

Unfortunately a large percentage of the incorporation and dissolution records for nineteenth century companies were destroyed and the National Archives only holds a small percentage. There's a TNA Guide here. That's assuming the partnership was registered in the first place, of course. I think that local archives such as LMA and since the company was trading in the City, the Guildhall Library, will be better places to search. Do you know what the company was trading in? Possibly they may have been members of one of the City Guilds, and if so, more information may have survived about the individuals in the Guild rolls. Also, for some trades there were dedicated directories (eg Graces Guide). And lastly, check the newspapers for any mentions of hiring staff, and especially adverts for whatever they dealt in.

[ShaunJ]

Is it William & Edward James, wine merchants (W&E James) ?

[Andy J2022]

If Shaun is right, try the Worshipful Company of Vintners: https://www.vintnershall.co.uk/

[Greenland]

Thank you Andy J2022 and Shaun J for taking the time to respond.  Yes Shaun, the company at 35 Fenchurch Street was W. and E. James, (Gazette) wine and spirit merchant, or Wm & Edw James (P.O. Directories).
I conducted research at the Guildhall Library many years ago and found the father, Thomas, and three of his sons, William, Edward and John Hall James, in the Guild Rolls but at no point was there mention of a company name.  In fact all three brothers were bankers clerks in the censuses so if the Fenchurch Street business does relate to them, I am not sure who ran it!  In one of the Quarterage books in which fees paid to the Guild were entered, a personal residential address connected one of the brothers to his residential address for one of the censuses so I felt confident that these Guild members were my relatives but I am unsure how to prove that the Fenchurch address and business was theirs except by company documentation or perhaps fire insurance policies.
Thank you again for your interest.

[ShaunJ]

The firm W&E James was in business at 35 Fenchurch Street from the 1830s. 

There is only one Edward James, wine merchant, in the 1851 census. He was born in London circa 1800/01

There are two x William James, wine merchant, in the 1851 census, one born Mile End 1798/9, the other born London circa 1808/9.

William prosecuted a Thomas Francis James (a relative ?) in 1840 https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/print.jsp?div=t18400406#:~:text=1093.%20THOMAS%20FRANCIS,for%20Seven%20Years.

[Greenland]

Thank you again for your input Shaun.

The brothers were bankers' clerks with a Lombard Street address (in Guildhall docs) when they were admitted to the Vintners' Guild. If the wine merchant's business was indeed operating from the 1830's, I wonder whether this was their father Thomas's business in which they had an interest but continued to work in banking.  When their father became too old to continue working, William and Edward may have taken a more active part (he died in 1841 before the census was taken).

My interest in connecting these James names with W. and E. James is for the very proceeding you mention at the Old Bailey.  Father Thomas's will includes all of his six children - among them Thomas, William and Edward - children from his second marriage and any grandchildren too, one of whom was a Thomas Francis James, son of Thomas!  Hence my interest in connecting W. and E. James in Fenchurch Street with these Vintner's Guild Jameses - but I know not how!!

Thank you for your interest Shaun.