There were many Dewhursts in Lancashire and the origins of J H Dewhurst is by no means clear. Whether the first John Henry Dewhurst was from Southport, Liverpool or elsewhere, by the time a branch opened on Stamford High Street the business had been swallowed up by Vesteys.
This company was founded by two brothers in Liverpool in the late 19th century to import refrigerated meat, first from South America and then from the USA and New Zealand.
Amalgamation with several other companies meant that, by 1925, they were the world’s largest meat company with more cold storage and butcher’s shops than anyone else.
The name J H Dewhurst (later Dewhurst) was gradually applied to all their shops and they developed their own brand image.
They installed plate glass shop fronts and shelves with decorative tiles on the walls.

Up to the 1970s the business thrived but in the 1980s they were not immune from changes in shopping and the impact of the supermarkets resulted in shops being closed.
The shop in Stamford had already closed before Dewhursts finally went into receivership in 1995.