We had thought that our roots began in 1834, however recently discovered documents show that we have been part of the legal life of Sunderland for considerably longer.

Two years after the Battle of Waterloo one Robert Side “ Ship Carpenter” of “Sunderland near the Sea” was a party to a Deed of Release of Mortgage dated 16th July 1817, his signature was witnessed by Joseph John Wright. The Will of Isabella Taylor dated 24th February 1835 describes Joseph John Wright as “Attorney at Law”. It seems likely that Mr Wright was practising as a Lawyer for some years prior to Wellington’s famous victory and perhaps even when Nelson dealt the French fleet its deathblow in 1805.

The talents of Joseph Wright were obviously well regarded and Law was in the family blood because he and his descendants continued under the style of “Wright and Sons” until 12th March 1947. On that day Charles Henry Wright and Cosmo William Wright (Wright and Sons) merged with Philip Dalla Mann (Longden Mann and Hodnett) to become Longden Mann and Wright.

The contents of a Statutory Declaration referring to the disastrous fire at 21 Fawcett Street on the 25th October 1888 (the same year that the football league was founded), when all of the contents of the premises of Moore Longden and Mann were destroyed, appears to indicate that the history of the Firm of Longden Mann and Hodnett extends back to 1820, at least. The Firm practised under its various guises of Moore, Longden and Mann; Mann, Longden and Mann; Longden, Mann and Longden and finally Longden, Mann and Hodnett. The name changes reflected the varying partners in what was, essentially, the Mann family firm. We might speculate that legal members of the Wright and Mann families jointly celebrated Napoleon’s downfall and a Sunderland A.F.C. home win!

Ultimately on the 1st May 1970 Longden Mann and Wright amalgamated with C.R.Walker and Renney (whose history is another story) to become the finished product of Longden Walker and Renney which has continued to prosper ever since.