Keevil and Keevil

Keevil and Keevil are butchers, and are the oldest company still operating from London's Smithfield Market.

Nicholas de Kevilly is the first name in the records of this old Wiltshire family. He was recorded as living in Camelay in Somerset in 1260. The de Kevilly’s were yeoman farmers, and they all lived within a 20-mile radius for nearly 600 years. Gradually the name was Anglicised and changed to Keevil.

Job Keevil was born in 1830, and was one of 14 children. As they had trouble finding work for the whole family in their local area, he left Somerset to come to London, and founded the wholesale provision firm Keevil & Best, in Cowcross Street, near Smithfield Market. His brother Peter, who had been born in 1837, came to London soon after, and he also started a provisions company, Peter Keevil and Sons. When Job died 3 years later, Peter bought Keevil & Best and it became part of his company.

Peter’s youngest brother Clement (b. 1850) followed his older siblings to London in 1866, and sought his brother’s permission to begin a business. They agreed that Peter would keep to selling provisions, and Clement would only sell meat and poultry – so that the two would not be in direct competition. Clement opened his first shop in Brixton in 1872. His friend Frederick Dean already had a shop in Smithfield, which had previously been at Newgate Market since 1794. Frederick asked Clement to go into partnership with him. Clement kept the shop in Brixton as well, but it was run by his shop manager Tom Weston.

He shared his time between the two companies and his Shire Horse business – in which he had a keen interest. In his time he sold horses to many high-profile buyers, including King Edward VII. In the London Cart Horse Show of 1882, Clement was Highly Commended for his stallion Britons Glory. Clement was one of the founders of the Van Horse Parade in Regent's Park, which begun in 1904 and still takes place every Easter Sunday, although now known as The London Harness Horse Parade.

Frederick Dean left the Smithfield business after only a few months and Tom Weston came over from Brixton to run it as a partnership. The name was changed to Keevil & Weston, and they traded as such for 25 years. Weston died very suddenly in 1908, leaving Clement to run the business on his own – something he was unprepared for, especially with the amount of time he liked to spend with his horses.

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