Lynne About Loughborough: March 2024

Sunday, 31 March 2024

Finding more Loughborough connections in London

If you visited the blog last week you will have seen the post about connections I found between Loughborough and London when I recently paid a visit to the capital. There were lots and lots of these connections, and this week I’m sharing the people connections I found!

Most of the people with connections are big people, by which, I don’t mean in size, I really mean that they’re pretty famous!!

I was lucky enough to visit the Charles Dickens Museum, which was in the house in which the family lived before poverty struck. It was fascinating to read the story of his life, his writings, and his friendships. Dickens is known to have visited Loughborough, and stayed in the Bull’s Head Hotel which used to be on High Street. It was around 1855, when he stopped off on his way to Mount St Bernard Abbey, and he wrote about his experience in a weekly journal called ‘All the Year Round’. The actual article, called ‘Out of the world’, was published in the very early days of the journal which Dickens edited – Vol.1 issue 4, to be precise – and Dickens loosely disguised Loughborough by calling it Buffborough!

The Dickens Museum in London

I spotted Phillip Larkin, the poet, in the National Portrait Gallery! Larkin used to be a regular visitor to our lovely town, when his mother, and sister, used to live on York Road. I've written about Mrs Larkin in a number of blogposts: here's an example.

Nelson’s Column was as tall as I remembered it! The man who won the competition to design a monument to commemorate Nelson, was William Railton, an architect who was responsible for the Bavarian Arch, and several lodges on the Garendon Estate, as well as some Leicestershire village churches, like St Paul’s at Woodhouse Eaves. I’ve written extensively about Railton on this blog!

Richard Cobden was a radical politician who was jointly responsible for creating the Anti-Corn Law League, which was about abolishing the laws that taxed imported wheat, making products like bread more expensive for people to buy. In Loughborough we have a school and a road named after Richard Cobden.

Lord Macaulay used to live at Rothley Court, and a few years ago a plaque was unveiled on the building: I was honoured to be invited to attend the unveiling and wrote about it on an earlier post. The first picture below was in the Dickens Museum, as lord Macaulay was a friend of the author, while the second picture was in the National Portrait Gallery.

Charles Booth did lots of surveys of the poor in London, and at one time lived at Grace Dieu Manor house, which was a building that had been designed by William Railton for the de Lisle family. Mrs Ada Coltman visited Mr and Mrs Booth at Grace Dieu, and Booth's wife was the daughter of Lord Macaulay. I admit to sometimes confusing Charles with William Booth he started the Salvation Army, and who once lived in Sneinton, Nottingham, and who is celebrated with a statue in London.

Charles Booth

William Booth

The Blacksmith’s Arms is currently being refurbished again. This building was built in 1931, and replaced an older building which had once been called the Blackboy. You can read about my theory behind that former name, and its connection to the Burnaby family on an older blogpost. The picture below is simply a man with the surname Burnaby!

And so to another famous person – Handel! Not a direct connection to Loughborough really, but he used to stay at Gopsall Hall, where he wrote the Messiah to words by Jennens. I’ve written about this before, so I won’t repeat myself!

Copy of Handel's Messiah

Jennens

And there I must leave connections with London!

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Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

_______________________________________________

Thank you for reading this blog.

Copyright:

Dyer, Lynne (2024). Finding more Loughborough connections in London. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2024/03/finding-more-loughborough-connections.html [Accessed 31 March 2024]

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Sunday, 24 March 2024

Finding Loughborough connections in London!

Last weekend I was very lucky indeed, as I spent a few days wondering around London, something I hadn't done for a very long time. I was thrilled to happen upon some direct Loughborough connections, like products made in Loughborough, and some less direct ones, of course!!

Super to see that Loughborough is trendy! There were numerous buildings in London that were being renovated and refurbished, and it seems a covering with a building facade photographed onto it is the new way to hide what's going on, and to look appealing rather than having the traditional hoarding. You can see this in Loughborough town centre, surrounding the HSBC in Market Place. Since the blog post about changes in the town centre was written, the base of the surrounding of our HSBC is now painted with leaves!

Like all cities, towns, villages, and probably hamlets, London has a selection of telephone kiosks dotted around the city. Many are still operating as telephones, some are a little unloved, one which had a perforated, rather than a solid gold crown on the top (below, bottom right), and, of course, those in the city of London are painted black rather than red! You can read about Loughborough's Grade II listed K6 kiosk in an earlier blogpost.

Likewise, it comes as no surprise to find that London has letter boxes! We passed very many of these, and there were an amazing number of double ones. I've written loads of posts about Loughborough's letter boxes, which you can find at Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Burton Street box; and Unusual and unreal boxes!

I must admit I was hugely surprised by the number of clocks I saw in London, mostly on the sides or fronts of buildings! One of these reminded me so much of our town hall clock!

On a related topic, in the London Transport Museum, I spotted rather lovely pocket watch - sorry, the photo really doesn't do it justice - which reminded me about one of Loughborough's watch and clock makers - Frederick Stubbs.

As you'd expect, there were all types of vehicles in the transport museum - like sedan chairs, stagecoaches, trams, trolleybuses, buses, underground trains, steam trains, charabancs - but surprisingly, I couldn't find a single Brush body!

In another museum, there was a poster from the time of the First World War, which helped the person on the street to identify specific aircraft. One of these was the Zeppelin, and I was reminded about the attack on Loughborough on the night of January 31st 1916, about which I've written numerous blogposts, and shared a virtual walk.

I've only written briefly on this blog about the Freemasons Hall in Loughborough, which is on Orchard Street, in a building that used to be a congregational chapel. It is quite, quite different from the one in London (which although you can't see it in the photograph, does actually have a clock above the entrance).

As in Loughborough, drain covers bearing the name of their makers were also in evidence in London! This is just one example of the hundreds we saw, and examples of ones in Loughborough are on this blogpost.

Goodness me, it's already time to share this post with you, and all I've managed to do so far is share some of the more generic things with you! Pop back to the blog next week, for some direct Loughborough connections - books, bricks, perfumes, and pharmaceuticals!

____________________________________

Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

_______________________________________________

Thank you for reading this blog.

Copyright:

Dyer, Lynne (2024). Finding Loughborough connections in London. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2024/03/finding-loughborough-connections-in.html [Accessed 24 March 2024]

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Lynne

Sunday, 17 March 2024

The Day The Clock Stopped

If you walk into Loughborough town centre today, and you look up to the town hall clock, you will be confused: is it really 10 minutes past 5 o’clock? Well, no, and here’s the reason why …

On Wednesday 15th March 2023, at around 3-3.30pm, the HSBC branch in Loughborough Market Place, caught fire, and a substantial portion of the building collapsed. The fire spread to the Town Hall which is next door to the bank, and damage was done to certain areas. I’m assuming that this was when the Town Hall clock stopped - a couple of hours after the fire started. But, of course, this wasn’t the first time the beautiful timepiece had stopped …

Although the Town Hall had been built as the Corn Exchange in 1855, it was later extended, and became the Town Hall. The clock was commissioned in 1879 following a bequest from Basil Edward Farnham of Quorn, for which he left £200, the clock being for the use of the inhabitants, farmers and others, in recognition of the kindness shown to him for the many years he represented them as member of parliament for the northern division of the county of Leicester.

The clock was to be illuminated, but there was much discussion about the ownership of the clock, and who would pay to light it up! The clock was owned by the Town Hall Company, but it was the Loughborough Local Board who had been requested to pay for the gas to light up the clock.

The clock was made by George and Francis Cope who started a clockmaking business near Canning Circus in Nottingham in 1845. They – and the later generations of the family - made many types of clocks, some of which can still be seen today, like the tower clocks, a courtoom clock for the Galleries of justice, a large grandfather clock which is possibly still in Yate’s Wine Lodge in Nottingham, a wall-mounted clock in an auctioneers in Radford, the clock on the Nottingham University’s Trent Building, one on West Bridgford Grammar School building, as well as the one on the impressive council buildings in the centre of Nottingham, which was constructed in 1928. Incidentally, the bells for the latter were cast at none other than Taylors, Loughborough’s own bellfoundry. Nowadays, the firm of clockmakers is trading as a jewellers.

So, in the week leading up to 28th February 1880, Loughborough’s Town Hall clock was installed and set to work. The clock is described thus, in the ‘Hinckley News’ of 28th February 1880:

“The main wheel is 14 inches in diameter, and all the others correspond. It is fitted with Sir E. Beckett’s new double three-legged gravity escapement, and has a compensated pendulum and maintaining power to keep it going while it is being wound up. The pendulum weighs over a hundredweight, and the distinctive features of the escapement is that the pendulum does part of the work itself, and is not embraced as other escapements are by a crutch or a fork, but hangs independently, and the power to propel it is obtained by the falling to the centre of the gravity arms. Each arm after it has been discharged by the pendulum, falls with the pendulum to the centre, and after it has lifted the other arm, the train then lifts it ready to be discharged by the pendulum, which is a second and a quarter one.

The whole of the wheels are made of the best brass. The striking part has a main wheel, 14 inches in diameter, and the barrels for the cord to be wound on are made of iron. The hammer weighs 28lbs, and is lifted six inches high from cams. Wire ropes and iron pulleys are used and all the clock works are mounted in strong cast iron frames, which are cast solid, and are so arranged that any wheel may be taken out and dismantled without disturbing the rest. The dials are over 5ft 6in in diameter, and are fitted at an angle, one side facing to the Market Place, and the other to Ward’s End.

The outer circle is filled in with white opal glass, and the centre is of half-inch plate glass ground on one side. The hands are made of copper and gilt. Provision has also been made for illuminating the clock with gas, and a mechanical arrangement for lighting the same has been added.”

The article goes on to describe the bell:

“The bell, which is hung in a small turret above the clock has been cast by our eminent local firm of bell founders, Messrs. John Taylor and Co., and possess a very clear and mellow tone, the note struck by it being C. It is 2ft 8in in diameter and weighs 6cwt. 3aqrs. 3lbs. Besides the name of the founder, and the year in which it was cast, the bell bears the following inscription: ‘This bell and clock the gift of the late E. B. Farnham, of Quorndon House, M.P. for North Leicestershire, 1837 to 1859.’ The bell has been struck several times during the past few days, and its sound can be heard at a considerable distance.”

Interestingly, in later years, Miss Ada Annie Stubbs, daughter of Frederick Stubbs, jeweller and watch and clockmaker of Loughborough, regularly winds the Town Hall clock, and checks its accuracy every morning at 7am when she listens to the news broadcast. In the summer of 1956, the clock was overhauled by a Nottingham Company (I do not know if it was the same company as had made the clock originally), but on 26th January 1957, Miss Stubbs was worried that the clock had fallen silent, so she rushed to the Town Hall from her home on Leicester Road, to set if going again. Apparently, the clock had stopped just before 11pm the night before, but Miss Stubbs was only able to get it working again for about 30 minutes. The Nottingham company was called out again to sort it out. Miss Stubbs died in 1968, and more recently the clock’s mechanism was replaced so it no longer needs to be wound up to work.

Since that time, the clock has undergone further refurbishment, for example in 1980, and again in 2012 it stopped working. This time, it was out of action for six years, finally ringing out again in 2018, which it had continued to do until that fateful day last March. Here’s hoping it will once again be repaired and ring out across the town centre.

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Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

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Thank you for reading this blog.

Copyright:

Dyer, Lynne (2024). The Day the Clock Stopped. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-day-clock-stopped.html [Accessed 17 March 2023]

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Lynne

Sunday, 10 March 2024

The Victoria Pub

A very long time ago, 2013, to be precise, Bill Wells and I got together to talk about the pubs of Loughborough, just after his book, ‘Billy’s Book of Loughborough Boozers’ was published, a new edition of his earlier work. We were both familiar with the work of Eric Swift, who wrote a book entitled ‘Inns of Leicestershire’ which was published in Leicester in 1975, which covered many of the pubs in Loughborough.

Swift’s opening words in his chapter on Loughborough inns begins (I’ve split this long paragraph into a couple of shorter ones to make it easier to read on a blog):

“Loughborough owed much of its prosperity at the end of the 18th century to the canal which gave access to the [River] Trent, and later through Leicester to The Grand Junction and so to London. Several canal-side pubs are left. All can be reached from the towing path, many have a post or hitching ring, to which the bargee can attach his horse while having a drink inside.

The Albion, on the towing path as you enter Loughborough from the North, and named after a famous British battleship, is typical. The Boat, not so old, is near the bridge on Meadow Lane, and The Victoria on the bankside where Nottingham Road passes over the canal, is long delicensed: but painted on the wall it says, ‘Family and Commercial Hotel’, though I suspect the narrow boats brought a good many customers.”

If you want to find out more about life on the canal, there is an exhibition on now down at the Local and Famiyl History Centre in the Loughborough public library.

Anyway, The Boat is still there, where Swift says it is, although the houses that were attached to it on the left have been demolished. The Albion closed a few years ago, around 2015, if I remember rightly, and has been converted.

Also, as Swift says, The Victoria is still a standing building, but hasn’t been a pub for many, many years. Bill and I discussed which of the buildings “on the bankside where Nottingham Road passes over the canal” it might possibly have been, and came to the conclusion it was the one that most recently has been a car body repair shop. Although it doesn’t actually sit on the canalside, it does have the appearance from the front of looking like a pub, but we could be wrong!

Anyway, what is amazing is that this particular property on Nottingham Road has been in need of a little tlc for quite some time, so imagine my surprise when a couple of weeks ago I happened to pass by while a glazier was replacing the wooden window frames with upvc. This has given the building a bit of a facelift, and a new lease of life! Hopefully, Swift would approve!

Heading towards the railway station

Heading towards town

The former Victoria? Pictured in July 2022

Pictured in January 2024

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Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

_______________________________________________

Thank you for reading this blog.

Copyright:

Dyer, Lynne (2024). The Victoria Pub. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-victoria-pub.html [Accessed 10 March 2024]

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Lynne

Friday, 8 March 2024

Royal Victoria Order of Druidesses

For International Women's Day I have previously written about individuals, or family groups - like Gertrude Mary Hutton, and Avery and Ida Woodward - but for IWD 2024, I'm writing about a Loughborough women's group from the mid-1800s!

On 13th June 1842, the Loughborough Druidesses group was created. The event was reported in the ‘Leicestershire Mercury’ of 18th June 1842, and explains what the purpose of the group was:

“United Ancient Order of Druids. A Society of Druidesses was formed on Monday evening, at a private room at Mr Remington’s Mundy Arms [2], Loughborough, called the Victoria Lodge, under the superintendence of Lodge 116 of the above ancient order, when nearly 90 members enrolled, ‘with every prospect (says a correspondent) of becoming a very extensive and respectable lodge, whose study will be to promote the happiness, and better the condition of their fellow curates by strictly adhering to the principles of friendship and benevolence. The [women] were very much enamoured with those new and modernised system of social [interaction] and separated with full spirits in anticipation of ‘A feast of reason and flow of soul’ over a good dish of tea in their lodge room, to commemorate the opening of so laudable an institution.’”

The Mundy Arms, now Fat Sam's, was demolished and rebuilt in 1935. Pictured here in 2021

On 26th June 1843 the Royal Victoria Lodge of Druidesses, held their first anniversary meeting at Remington’s Mundy Arms. The ‘Nottingham Review’, of June 30th, 1843 had this to say:

“A goodly number of the fair members partook of tea together, after which, they tripped it on the light fantastic toe, and were highly entertained by the performances of the Loughborough band. The joyous hilarity of the evening was prolonged to a very late hour, and the company separated highly gratified. The lodge now consists of about 120 members.”

Sadly, by 3rd September 1843, Mary Brand, one of the members of the Druidesses, had died, and members of the lodge processed to her funeral, as reported in the ‘Nottingham Review’ of September 8th, 1843:

“… about forty members of the ‘Royal Victoria Order of Druidesses’ Lodge, which has recently been opened at Mrs Remington’s the Mundy Arms, Loughborough, attended the funeral of a deceased member, Mary Brand. The procession had a very solemn and imposing appearance, and was beheld by a large concourse of spectators.”

On 24th June 1844, 150 members of the Royal Victoria Lodge of Druidesses had a tea meeting at the house of host Remington’s Mundy Arms, where everything was of the best quality.

Although quoted as the fourth-anniversary meeting, the meeting which took place on 23rd June 1845, was actually the third-anniversary meeting. This is what the ‘Leicester Journal and Midland Counties General Advertiser’ of 27th June 1845 reported:

“LOUGHBOROUGH – On Monday evening last, the fourth anniversary [i.e. the third] meeting of the Loyal [Royal] Victoria Lodge of Druidesses was held at the lodge house, the Mundy Arms Inn, Loughborough, when, after the usual routine business was concluded, upwards of 70 sat down to tea. The lodge now numbers 153 members, and under the judicious management of the President, Mr E. Wilkinson, (Vice-President, Mr J. Goode, and Secretary, Mr A. W. Clarke [2] the funds are rapidly increasing. The members, to testify their respect for, and a due appreciation of, that gentleman’s services, presented to him a handsome teapot, and massive but glass cream jug, and a similar present to Mr Goode in due form. This, the most interesting part of the ceremony of the evening, having been concluded, music and dancing lent their charms till chanticleer proclaimed the dawn of the day. The members, we understand, have voluntarily subscribed a sufficient sum, to make a similar present to those made to the President and Vice-President, to the Secretary.”

The anniversary meeting which took place on 23rd June 1846 was also held in the Mundy Arms, although the establishment is now run by Mr Kennington. The ‘Leicester Journal’ on June 26th, 1846, reported as follows:

“The members took tea together in the afternoon, and in the evening the annual business was transacted. The President, Vice-President, and Secretary, Messrs. Wilkinsons, Goode, and A. M. Clarke [3], continue to conduct the affairs of the lodge, in the most economical and creditable manner, and an increased number of members, and flourishing state of the funds is the result. The present number of members is 166. After the business was transacted, the younger members commenced dancing, and kept it up until a late hour.”

The lodge reached its 12th anniversary on 13th June 1854, but they have moved away from the Mundy Arms. Here’s the report from the ‘Leicester Journal’ of 16th June 1854:

“DRUIDESSES’ ANNIVERSARY The twelfth anniversary of the Royal Victoria Lodge of the Druidesses was held in a room in Moira Street, Loughborough … An excellent tea was provided on the occasion, to which upwards of ninety of the sisterhood sat down. After tea the younger members repaired to the Black Boy public house [4] where they ‘tripped it on the light fantastic toe’ for several hours. Before tea, several alterations were made in the rules, which it is hoped will prove beneficial to the lodge, which numbers 125 members, and which there is reason to believe has not been conducted so ably as it might have been, as the funds in hand do not amount to £70.”

The Black Boy pub was demolished and rebuilt in 1931. The Blacksmiths pictured in 2021

The Druidesses were still going strong another twelve years later, and it was reported in the ‘Leicester Journal’ of 16th June, 1865, that the Druidesses had celebrated their anniversary by taking tea together in the Odd Fellows’ Hall [5], at which there was a good attendance.

Of course, there was also a lodge of Druids, and members of the Hand and Heart Lodge, No. 116 of the United Ancient Order of Druids celebrated their anniversary at the Cross Keys Inn [6], run by Mr Woodward. The ‘Leicester Journal’ of 21st July 1871 reported thus:

“After the usual loyal and other toasts had been disposed of, the following were given and duly honoured: ‘Success to the Hand and Heart Lodge’, ‘The Ladies and Druidesses’” – and many more!

Not surprisingly, the Loughborough lodge was not the only one in the area, and there was a lodge formed around a similar time in Castle Donnington, which met at the Bricklayer’s Arms Inn, which in 1845 was run by Mr John Cresswell. There was also a lodge at Walton-on-the-Wolds, called the ‘Temple of Friendship’, which on its anniversary in 1857 had over 80 members. That anniversary was celebrated by the members taking tea together, and concluding with a merry dance that went off in a very satisfactory manner.

In 1859 in Barrow-on-Soar, the members of the Star of Friendship Lodge, 2,110, Manchester Unity [of Oddfellows] held an anniversary dinner at the Hammer and Pincers, run by Mr Swaines. The Loughborough Brass Band attended the event, and:

“The members attended by the band walked in procession to church, escorting the members of the Druidesses Lodge … after which they returned in the same order, and conducted the Druidesses to the Royal Oak Inn, where a substantial dinner was provided for them by host Barsby. This lodge bears the singular title of the ‘Royal Ichthyosaurus’ out of respect, it is supposed, to Mr Lee, whose geological museum is rich with fossil specimens of the amphibious animal [7]. The lodge, though small, is progressing favourably, numbering about 30 members, and is patrionised by some of the principal inhabitants. After dinner they beguiled an hour or two in the orchard at the back of the inn, and took tea together about six o’clock, being joined by a few … [men] … who had received special invitations. The day’s enjoyment was wound up by a merry dance.” – as reported to the ‘Leicester Journal’ 24th June 1859.

We also find that in 1881 there is a lodge of Druidesses in Sileby, which meets periodically in the Undenominational School, which is also where they held their anniversary dinner – a tea of beef and ham - in 1882.

Sadly, I have been unable to establish when the Druidesses ceased to exist, and in reality I have found little information about the group, other than the occasions of their annual meetings. More information about the pubs mentioned can be found in 'Loughborough Pubs'.

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Notes

[1] The United Ancient Order of Druids was probably the biggest and most successful of the Druid orders in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It was formed in 1833 as a breakaway group from the Ancient Order of Druids, which had itself been formed in London, as early as 1781, and had a similar ethos to that of the Oddfellows - amongst other things, to take subscriptions from all members, which would be used to help members in times of hardship.

[2] Now Fat Sam's

[3] This is probably Augustus William Clarke (1802-1878), who was a grocer and angola hosiery warehouseman.

[4] Now The Blacksmiths

[5] This was on Sparrow Hill, and is now an International Supermarket

[6] Now The Phantom

[7] Some information can be found on the Barrow local history website

____________________________________

Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

_______________________________________________

Thank you for reading this blog.

Copyright:

Dyer, Lynne (2024). Royal Victoria Order of Druidesses. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2024/03/royal-victoria-order-of-druidesses.html [Accessed 8 March 2024]

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site: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/ “Radmoor House”

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Thank you for reading this blog.

Lynne

Sunday, 3 March 2024

Bricks, brickyards, and grocers!

Over the past few months I’ve been thinking a lot about Loughborough’s industry, some of its companies, and the families behind them. Trying to get my head around 19th and early 20th century Loughborough has at times been quite puzzling, while at other times quite exciting! My research has seen me journey out of Loughborough, but always brings me back safely to our lovely town.

Here's an example of something I found really quite amazing! This article from the Hinckley News, 28 February 1880 - to do with bricks …

So, who was J.S. Brown, Jun.?

I tracked him down as one Joseph Stanely Brown, son of Joseph Stanley Brown, snr., if you will, born in 1849, in Leicester!

Joseph Stanley Brown snr. had been born around 1817 in Sileby, and around the time of his son’s birth he was the innkeeper at the Pelican Inn on Gallowtree Gate, Leicester. He had married Mary Mee, the daughter of William and his wife Ann (nee Sharpe) on 1st May 1837, and Joseph was their 6th child. By 1861, the family had moved to Belgrave Gate, where Joseph Stanley snr. was the licensed victualler of the Crown and Anchor pub. I haven’t managed to find Joseph Stanley jnr. on the 1871 census return, but his father, mother and some of his siblings are still living at the Crown and Anchor, but as well as being the licensed victualler, Joseph Stanley snr. is also a cattle dealer.

By 1874, Joseph Stanley Brown jnr. is in the grocery business on Loughborough High Street, along with William Wright Jarratt, son of Jabez Jarratt, and brother of … Jabez Jarratt. On 25th May 1874, Joseph jnr. marries William Jarratt’s older sister, Sarah Ann. Sadly, Sarah died in 1878, and in 1880 widower Joseph marries another of William’s older sisters, Harriett Elizabeth.

Now, quite where the brickworks come into all this I haven’t quite worked out! Suffice to say that once they were offloaded, Joseph and wife Harriett move to Leicester, where Joseph is listed on the 1881 census return as a provisions dealer at 36 Belgrave Gate. Meanwhile, father, Joseph has moved to Stanely Villas on Humberstone Gate, and he is listed on the census return as being a farmer of 174 acres, and employing 4 men and 2 boys, and 10 years later, he is still on Humberstone Gate, but is living on his own means, and it is here that he dies in 1894.

I don’t know how long Joseph jnr. stayed at Belgrave Gate, but by the time of the 1891 census he has moved to 109 Overton Road, Leicester, but is still a provisions dealer. He seemingly can’t settle anywhere, so the 1901 census return shows that he has moved to Victoria Road East in Leicester, but he is still a provisions dealer. Continuing to live at Victoria Road East, and continuing in the trade of provision dealer, in 1921 Joseph Stanley, living with his wife and a couple of visitors, appears to be now calling himself Stanley. He remains at this address until at least 1924, but then the trail runs cold. I’ve been unable to trace the death of Joseph Stanley Brown, jnr., also his wife, Harriett Elizabeth Brown (nee Jarratt).

As this post started on the topic of bricks and brickyards, we should perhaps finish where we began. As I hope I’ve shown, Joseph Stanley Brown jnr., of Leicester, son of a licensed victualler, turned farmer, Joseph Stanley Bronw snr., went into partnership with William Wright Jarratt of Loughborough and together they had a grocer’s shop on Loughborough High Street. In 1874, Brown married Jarratt’s older sister, Sarah Ann, who sadly died in 1878, and in 1880 Brown married Jarratt’s other older sister, Harriett – at which point, Brown’s interest in the Far Park Lane brickmaking business is wound up, hence the sale.

Brown moves to Leicester and seems to have a successful grocery business for the remainder of his life. Meanwhile, Jarratt continues in the grocery business until his death in 1905, but curiously, his brother’s son, Edwin Arthur Jarratt (clerk to the School Board, and Registrar of Births and Deaths) is in 1901 living next door to William Trueman Tucker, eponymous brick manufacturer and employer, at Southernhay on Charnwood Road!

Parkside, home of William Trueman Tucker (left) Southernhay, home of Edwin Arthur Jarratt (right)

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Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

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Copyright:

Dyer, Lynne (2024). Bricks, brickyards, and grocers. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2024/03/bricks-brickyards-and-grocers.html [Accessed 4 March 2024]

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