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James and Elizabeth Musk founded Musk’s in 1884, Elizabeth 10 years James’s senior was already a butcher and our 137 year old recipes is almost certainly much older! Having lived in the nearby Stechworth they moved o Newmarket and opened Musk’s. They started to sell their own brand of sausages that were made with a secret range of spices and it still remains a closely guarded today. Elizabeth Musk initially mixed the ingredients in their Stetchworth farmhouse on her kitchen work-top which was then rushed to Newmarket to be made into sausages.
The reputation of these Newmarket sausages spread and the Musk’s shop became a successful butcher, moving in 1905 from Market Street to a prime location on Newmarket High Street.
At the start of the 19th century our sausages were so highly sort after that Musk’s, then managed by Louis Frederick Drake, received our first Royal Warrant in 1907 granted by George (Prince of Wales later to be King George V.)It was converted to the King’s Warrant in 1911 as suppliers of Pork Products. The villagers of Stetchworth claimed that both pork and sausages were regularly shipped to Buckingham Palace and Balmoral Castle by train.
The business was then inherited by Louis Frederick's son Louis Gilbert Drake and he received further Royal Warrants in 1929 from Edward, Prince of Wales (later the Duke of Windsor), and 1965 from the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother .
The Musk’s shop finally shut it’s doors on 26 May 1979 and the secret recipe was sold to Amanda Clarke who, with her manager Mrs Waddilove, established a new delicatessen in The Rookery. This shop in turn was sold in the early 1990’s to Lord Ronaldshay, who must be given credit for building the present factory. He split the factory from the shop selling the latter to George Vesty. When Lord Ronaldshay moved back to Yorkshire the recipe was sold on to Chris Sheen, who still produces Newmarket sausages to the original recipe from a modern factory on the north side of town. A further Royal Warrant was granted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2005 with deliveries being made to Sandringham in Norfolk over Christmas each year.
James Musk born in Stetchworth, s. Robert Musk (d.1891) & Lucy Henson Musk (d.1902)
James Musk marries Mrs Elizabeth Drake (neé Cooper). Trades from Market Street, Newmarket
The shop moves to Newmarket High Street
James Musk dies of pneumonia (13.12.05) – buried Dullingham church
Royal Warrant granted by George (Prince of Wales later to be King George V)
Royal Warrant converted to King George V
Royal Warrant granted by Edward, Prince of Wales
Royal Warrant granted by Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother
Shop in High Street closes. Recipe purchased by Amanda Clarke
Jane Waddilove receives Royal Warrant from Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
The shop moves to Newmarket High Street
The Earl of Ronaldshay buys the company
Factory unit opens in Goodwin Business Park. Delicatessen sold to George Vesty
Company bought by Chris Sheen as a stand alone brand
H.M.Queen Elizabeth II grants her Royal Warrant.
Newmarket sausage granted Protected Geographical Indicator status (PGI).
Introduced new packaging highlighting Musk's quality, PGI status and of course the royal warrant.
Move to a bigger modern production facility at 7 Acorn Business Centre, Newmarket
New reduced packaging with better sustainability credentials and enhanced instore visibility and fully recyclable tray.
7 Acorn Business Centre
Newmarket
Suffolk
CB8 7SY
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