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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