A PIE shop owner is likely to have been the inspiration behind the name of one of York's most famous exports, historians have suggested.

To celebrate the 80th anniversary of the KitKat, Nestle has revealed evidence which shows the chocolate and wafer bar created by Rowntree in York was named after Londoner Chirstopher Catling.

The confectionary giant also believes there is only one painting in existence of Mr Catling, who was more commonly known as Kit, but its whereabouts is unknown.

They are now appealing to the public to check their lofts and family chests in case they are unwitting owners of an important piece of British history.

KitKats were originally launched in 1935 by Rowntree’s of York but the name was first registered in 1911 and used on a box of chocolates in the 1920s.

The pre-war image on the box of chocolates shows a cartoon imagining of the famous 17th century pie maker Mr Catling, his London pie shop, and a reference to the Kit Cat Club which was named after him.

The club had strong political ties and often met at the Trumpet Tavern in London.

Alex Hutchinson, Nestle archivist, said: “This is the first time that we’ve released clear evidence showing that Rowntree’s knew about the club and its cook and wanted to celebrate all of that in their products.

"It would be fascinating to see what this man looked like if we could track down a painting of him.”

Historian and Kit Cat Club biographer Ophelia Field found evidence of the alleged Catling painting while researching her book about the club.

At just 30.5 x 25.5 inches, the painting is slightly smaller than those of the Kit Cat Club members, which are part of the collection of the National Portrait Gallery.

The portrait shows a man with a handkerchief on his head and a glass of wine in his left hand and was last seen as part of the 1867 Kensington Portrait Exhibition in the possession of Mrs H. W. Hutton.