William Avery & Son (aka W. Avery & Son): History

 

The Company

According to at least two sources, an advertisement from 1875[1] and the 1899[2] obituary of one of the owners, the firm known as W. Avery & Son originated in 1785.  The words “Established 1782”[3]  also appear on several pasteboard needle cases produced for the business during the latter half of the 19th century.  Text, letter Description automatically generatedAdditionally, an article written about the company in 1875[4] indicates it was approximately 100 years old at that time. At first glance, when this information is combined with genealogical evidence regarding the Avery family, it seems most likely that the firm was founded by William Avery who was born in 1758 and who would have been 27 years old in 1785.   However, it is highly unlikely the business was established sometime in the 1780’s because William Avery did not have a son at that time and, it seems doubtful he would name a company W. Avery & Son if he did not have a son.   William’s only son John was born in 1807 which could mean William was simply a needle maker and only later became a needle manufacturer after his son was born and joined him in the business.  It was not uncommon during the Victorian period for a company to claim they were founded years earlier simply based on the fact that one of the firm’s relatives was a needle maker.  Another possible explanation is that the William Avery born in 1758 had a father with the same name who established the firm when Avery came of age in the 1780’s.  Regardless of who founded the company, it was passed down through three generations of the Avery family and was occasionally listed as W. Avery & Sons[5].

   

Very few records exist regarding the early history of W. Avery & Son.  The only documentation specifically mentioning a William Avery prior to 1820 was a court record indicating a man named William Avery, a Redditch needle maker, went bankrupt in 1793[6].  This could be the William Avery who is the subject of this narrative or it could be another person with the same name.  It seems most likely that the William Avery born in 1758 founded the firm in the early 1820’s after his son John came of age and was taught the art of needle making.  The first directory of companies in the Redditch area was published in 1820[7] and the only Avery recorded that year was a William Avery who was a smith.  Two years later in an 1822[8] directory, William Avery & Son was listed as one of the areas “needle making firms and factors”.  Then in 1823[9], when needle manufacturers were finally listed as a separate category, seventeen companies were recorded, but Wm. Avery & Son was not one of them.  Instead they were listed that year as one of the “needle factors and makers” in the area.  And what was the difference between a needle manufacturer, a needle maker and a needle factor?  One assumes a manufacturer was someone making needles on a large-scale using machinery in a factory setting with workers onsite, whereas a needle maker was an individual or family operation where needles were made on a smaller scale in the person’s home.  And a needle factor? Perhaps a needle factor was someone who coordinated the work of individuals who labored from their homes and performed a single step in the needle making process.  For example, one person cut the wire into the appropriate size, another stamped the eyes, another created the point and another packaged the needles, etc.  Maybe the needle factor[10] made the arrangements with these people, transported the needles between individuals and then was responsible for selling them.  William Avery & Son was finally listed as a needle and fish-hook manufacturer in 1828/29[11] and continued to be listed[12] as such until the 20th century began. 

 

Clearly William Avery and his son John became partners in the firm sometime in the 1820’s because court records indicate the partnership of William Avery & Son involving “William Avery and John Avery, late of Studley, Warwick, but now of Redditch, Worcestershire, needle and fish-hook manufacturers”, was dissolved in 1831[13].  Studley is a small village a couple of miles east of Redditch, which was located in the parish of Alcester in Warwick County during parts of the Victorian Era.  It appears that the partnership was dissolved because William retired after the death of his wife Lucy and their son John, who was only 24 years old, took over the business keeping the company name of W. Avery & Son.  Less than ten years later William died in 1840 and John assumed total control of the family’s needle business as his own sons were only a few years old at the time.  John was listed in 1840[14] as one of fifty-seven needle manufacturers from the Redditch area who signed a memorandum presented to the House of Commons Board of Trade.  This memorandum questioned the practice of placing a duty on needles imported into France because the needle manufacturers knew it would negatively impact their ability to trade with France.  At some point between 1839[15] and 1842[16] the Avery needle manufacturing business moved to Headless Cross, a village about two miles south of the Redditch town center.  John had moved to Headless Cross earlier[17], presumably not long after his marriage in 1829 to Catharine Johnson, who was originally from Headless Cross and whose father owned several properties there.  In fact, by 1841[18] John’s father-in-law was living with the Avery family where he remained for at least another ten years.  At the time Headless Cross was located in the civil parish of Feckenham and the Redditch area included the Worcester County parishes of Feckenham, Tardebigge and Ipsley.  John continued to successfully manage the business with the assistance of his three sons: William, Charles and Joseph, for another twenty-five years. After his father-in-law passed away in 1851[19], John inherited additional land in Headless Cross.  Then when John died in 1865 at the relatively young age of 58, his eldest son William, who was 33 years old that year, took over the Avery needle business. 

 

Under the leadership of William Avery, who was born in 1832, the Avery needle manufacturing business became quite successful.  Perhaps this was due to the fact that William received an excellent education.  Or maybe it was because he worked for his father for a period of time before assuming responsibility for the firm and learned the ins and outs of business from him.  It could be he acquired additional business knowledge from his maternal grandfather who lived with the Avery family for at least ten years during William’s teenage years.  Another possibility is that William was born with a creative spirit, perhaps one he inherited from his paternal grandfather, the man who established the family’s needle business and who shared his name.  Much of the company’s success was most likely due to the fact that William capitalized on the idea of needle Calendar Description automatically generatedcases as a way to sell more needles.  Under William’s direction W. Avery & Son patented over one hundred brass needle cases between 1868 and 1890[20].  Because of the restrictive Victorian culture, William knew middle class ladies spent a great deal of their time at home often stitching.  Therefore, he decided to create something decorative that would not only appeal to these ladies, but would also be useful, giving them an interesting place to store their needles.  This was the perfect time to introduce the fancy brass figural needle case because middle class families created by the industrial revolution had more disposable income and could afford to purchase something purely for decorative purposes.  For a period of time, having an interesting or unique needle case to show off apparently became quite popular with the ladies.  William Avery revolutionized the design of brass needle cases, hence the reason his name is used today to refer to all fancy brass needle cases produced in the UK during the last four decades of the 19th century.

 

At first Avery licensed[21] many of his early designs to other needle manufacturers in the Redditch area, perhaps hoping to profit by selling needle cases in addition to needles.  However, once his competitors had their names stamped on Avery’s beautiful needle cases, surely, they placed their own needles inside, not Avery’s.  As a small needle manufacturer, Avery needed a way to reach a broader audience so he could compete with his larger rivals, therefore around 1872 he stopped this practice.  Licensing needle cases to large organizations such as drapers, warehousemen, wholesalers and the like in places like London and New York, businesses with a broad market who were not competitors, was a win-win for both parties.  The licensees were able to place their names on a beautiful item so their customers would remember them and Avery was able to fill them with his needles, the result being increased sales of Avery needles.  In a way these licensees were actually selling Avery’s needles for him.  This increase in sales greatly expanded the firm’s business which meant they needed a larger factory in order to make enough needles to meet the new demand.  Therefore, Avery built a large three-story factory on Birchfield Road in Headless Cross next to his residence sometime during the early 1880’s[22].  Presumably this was done because the firm needed the extra space as they were employing at least 40 workers by 1881[23].

 

Map Description automatically generatedWhen W. Avery & Son first began creating needle cases the firm patented or registered the needle case designs themselves, but after a few years they entered a new phase.   Many of their needle cases produced after 1874 where stamped with Avery’s name but were patented or registered by different companies, all from Birmingham, a major industrial city only 15 miles north of the Redditch area.  It seems most likely that Avery never actually manufactured any of the needle cases himself, but rather worked with Birmingham contractors all along.  How do we know this?  The 1883[24] floor plan of Avery’s factory in Headless Cross has been preserved and all of the rooms referenced are specific to needle manufacturing.  Also, Avery is only listed in Redditch area city and trade directories as a needle and fish hook manufacturer, never as a needle case manufacturer, although needle case manufacturers were represented.  Avery had a business named W. Avery & Co. at 192 Great Hampton Row[25] in Birmingham’s Jewelry Quarter from as early as 1878[26]  until at least 1883[27] where the firm made pins according to that city’s directory.  In all likelihood, Birmingham die-sinkers took Avery’s ideas and designs and turned them into dies and molds, and then Birmingham stampers used these dies to stamp the designs onto sheet brass to create the individual needle cases.  Perhaps, after doing this for a few years, Avery found it was less expensive to work with specific companies who handled all of the manufacturing processes in one place, rather than having to make the arrangements himself.  Another possibility is that all along Avery was using Birmingham die-sinkers and stampers to create his designs but only later did some of these firms want the designs registered in their names.

 

Around the time Avery started licensing his designs to others outside the Redditch area and outside the needle industry, he discovered another venue for reaching new customers.  Between 1873 and 1889, W. Avery & Son participated in at least ten international exhibitions, and because of the quality of their needles and the uniqueness of their needle cases, they received many awards and publicity during these events.  By 1873 they had created at least thirty-five figural needle case designs which were displayed at the London (1873)[28], Vienna (1873)[29], and Paris (1875)[30] exhibitions.  In 1875[31] the company was highly praised not only for their quality and workmanship, but also for the artistic appeal of their needle cases which were mentioned in exhibition reports sent to the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce.  Several years later in 1878[32], William Avery & Son appeared in the Paris exhibition catalogue as needle and pin manufacturers and inventors from Headless Cross and Birmingham, who displayed needles, needle cases and pins in their booth.  They also attended exhibitions in Amsterdam (1883)[33] and in Antwerp (1885)[34].  By the time the Liverpool Exhibition opened in 1886[35], the firm had added another twenty-seven to forty-five[36] designs to their repertoire, including a souvenir Quadruple Casket needle case with a drawing of the exhibition hall embossed on its exterior (detail pictured here).  During the Royal Jubilee Exhibition in Manchester in 1887[37] their booth was noted for another invention, a machine that could stick pins in rows upon paper.  A year later the firm won a gold medal for their participation in the 1888[38] World’s Fair in Brussels.

 

One of the highlights of William Avery’s career must have been the 1889[39] Exposition Universelle in Paris.  This fair was considered one of the world’s most famous because it included the unveiling of a structure so tall that it reached a height equivalent to an 81-story building, instantly making it the tallest building in the world, a record it held for another 41 years.  Although there was much consternation during its construction and many groups disliked its appearance, it went on to become an amazing success and its silhouette has become the enduring symbol of a nation.  There were 61,722 exhibitors and over 32 million visitors to the fair.  The W. Avery & Son booth[40] displayed needles, pins and fancy pin and needle cases, as well as the machinery for sticking pins into paper.  Also, for sale in their booth was an exact scale replica of the exhibition’s main attraction, the architectural masterpiece of French structural engineer Gustave Eiffel. 

 

The Eiffel Tower Needle Case, a miraculous engineering feat in miniature, stood five-and-a-half inches tall.  Its tower was constructed of four separate pieces of finely cut-out brass to resemble the iron lattice work of the original, held in place at key positions by a series of tiny tabs inserted into opposing notches.  The tower sat on a two-and-a-half-inch square base with “Eiffel Tower” engraved under its front arch, and it included a tiny drawer with two packets of Avery needles.  It was simply breathtaking.  Obviously, Mr. Avery was impressed with Monsieur Eiffel’s design, which was made public throughout the world after Eiffel won the prestigious pre-exhibition contest in 1887[41].  What Avery foresaw was an opportunity to make something that could be manufactured and transported relatively easily and could be sold for a reasonable price, thereby ensuring a large number of sales and substantial profits.  Offering the public a small memento they could take home, that would always remind them of their experience at the fair, was certain to be a success.  After reviewing Eiffel’s designs, W. Avery & Son created their needle case, which was registered on May 2, 1888[42] and manufactured in time for the fair which opened a year later in May 1889.  It was a bit of a risk since the real Eiffel Tower underwent serious construction delays and was barely completed in time for the exhibition.  Needless to say, it was surely a popular souvenir from the fair and proof that W. Avery & Son continued to create needle cases up until the late 1880s.  It was one of the last needle case designs the firm registered.

 

William Avery continued to manage W. Avery & Son with either his two brothers, Charles and Joseph, or his two sons, Benjamin and Charles, assisting him depending upon what year it was.  After William’s death in 1899 his sons inherited the business and the company participated in the 1900[43] Paris exhibition where they were awarded a silver medal.  However, the last decade of the 19th century was a difficult time for many small and medium sized needle manufacturers in the Redditch area.  Many firms began to merge or amalgamate to form larger organizations who could be more competitive.  Although W. Avery & Son had a relatively large factory on Birchfield Road in Headless Cross, William Avery’s sons were not particularly interested in continuing the business.  By 1901 both sons had moved to Hammersmith in the London area where they lived next to each other.  That year Benjamin was living on his own means at age 38 and his brother Charles, who was 33, was an author.  In fact, the brothers sold the Avery family’s home and needle business to John English & Son Limited in 1900[44] and within a year had moved out of the Redditch area permanently.  Thirteen years later in 1913, J. English & Son Limited sold the business to  Heath Spring & Notion Co. Limited.

 

Not much exists today in the Redditch area related to W. Avery & Son.  Their needle factory on Birchfield Road in Headless Cross, which was sold to Heath Spring & Notion Co. Limited, was demolished in the 1970’s.  A retirement community of one-story bungalows, known as Stonehouse Close, was built in its place.  The graves of William Avery, his wife Maria and his parents can be found at the Plymouth Road cemetery.  One thing that keeps the memory of W. Avery & Son alive is a special display at the Forge Mill Needle Museum[45] which includes fourteen brass needle cases and two fancy brass crochet hooks.  This museum is an excellent place to visit because it provides visitors with an in-depth understanding of the needle manufacturing industry which during the Victorian Period made Redditch the city it is.

 

The Owners[46]

William Avery was born c1758 in the Redditch area, possibly in the neighboring village of Studley, Warwickshire located about four miles southeast of Redditch.  Although it is unknown who his parents were, he had at least one sister, Charlotte, who was born c1771.  In 1781 William married Lucy Chatterley at the St. Bartholomew church in neighboring Tardebigge and his sister married Joseph Blundell at the same church eight years later in 1789.  At the time this was the main church in the Redditch area.  Whereas the sister and her husband, who was a corn miller, moved to the Manchester region, William and Lucy remained in the Redditch area eventually moving a few miles east of the Tardebigge church to the village of Headless Cross.  William and Lucy had at least two children: Sarah and John.  Their first child, Sarah, was born only four months after their marriage possibly causing William to settle down and become a needle maker that year. This could be the reason his grandson claimed the firm of W. Avery & Son was founded in the 1780’s.  It is unclear why William and Lucy had no additional children recorded until 25 years later when John was born in 1807.  Perhaps the family lived outside the Redditch area for a period of time and additional births were recorded in another place.  On the other hand, that sounds improbable since Redditch was the center for needle making and if that was Avery’s chosen career, he certainly would have wanted to stay in the area.  Another possible reason for the length of time between the two children could be some type of illness that prevented offspring or caused miscarriage until it was resolved.  This seems likely since there is a record of a Sarah Avery who died somewhere in Worcestershire in 1782 which could be William’s daughter who was born a month earlier.  Although at the time it was highly unusual for a woman to have one child at age 21 and the second at age 45, it was not impossible.  According to church records there was only one Avery family in the area at the time with a father named William and a mother named Lucy and only two children were christened there with parents having those names.  The only other explanation would be that the son, John, was adopted, however no records have been found to support this.

 

Prior to the introduction of official governmental record keeping regarding births, marriages and deaths in 1837 and the UK census in 1841, historical records consisted mainly of church registers of baptisms, marriages and burials, city and town business directories and court records.  Other than church records, the only documentation specifically mentioning William Avery prior to 1823 is a court document indicating a man named William Avery, a Redditch needle maker, went bankrupt in 1793.  In 1830 Lucy died at age 69 and was buried from St. Stephen’s church in Redditch.  Within a year of her death, William apparently retired and his needle business was taken over by his son John.  Ten years later in 1840 William Avery died of “paralysis” and was also buried from St. Stephen's.  His death was listed in at least two newspapers.  In the Worcestershire Chronical he was listed as a death “At Headless Cross, near Redditch, Mr. William Avery, aged 82 years” and in The Leeds Times “On Monday last, at Redditch, Worcestershire, age 85, Mr. William Avery, of the firm of Avery and Son, needle manufacturers, and uncle to Mr. Robert Blundell, of this town”.  And who was Robert Blundell?  Blundell’s mother was William Avery’s sister Charlotte.  Although there is a discrepancy in William’s age between the two newspaper accounts, the information from these two newspapers place William Avery in Headless Cross in 1840 and also tie him to the only Avery & Son needle manufacturing firm in that village at the time.  Since there was only one Avery family in Headless Cross in the 1841 census, headed by John Avery who was born, according to that census in 1808, this is pretty convincing evidence that the William who died the year before was John’s father.  Additional proof comes from William’s death certificate, where he is listed as a needle manufacturer, and which lists Mary Ann Chambers of Feckenham as the informant who was present at his death.  Feckenham is the name of the district in which Headless Cross was located during this time period.  Mary Chambers was also listed in the 1841 and 1851 censuses as a niece and member of John Avery’s family.

 

John Avery[47] was born c1807 in the Redditch area, possibly in neighboring Studley.  Presumably when he came of age, he joined his father in the needle making business and they appear to have established a partnership at some point.  In 1829 at age 22 John married Catharine Johnson, the daughter of Joseph Johnson, who owned a farm as well as other properties in the Headless Cross area and who was listed as a gentleman when he died 22 years later.  Evidently by the time of John’s marriage, the Avery family had established themselves firmly in the middle class or he probably would not have married the daughter of a landowner and gentleman.  John and Catharine had six children: John, William, Charles, Benjamin, Joseph and Catherine.  Their eldest son John died when he was only a year old, which meant William was the oldest surviving son.  In 1831 at age 24 John became the head of the Avery needle business presumably after the partnership with his father was dissolved because his father retired at age 73.  When John’s son William was born a year later in 1832, John was listed as a needle manufacturer on the son’s baptismal record.  From at least 1841 until 1851, John’s father-in-law, Joseph Johnson, lived with the Avery family.  When Mr. Johnson died of dropsy at age 79 in 1851, he was listed with at least seven tenements or dwelling places that he bequeathed to his children and other relatives.  The three households where he lived with his daughter, Catherine Avery[48], were given to her and an additional four acres was given to his son-in-law, John Avery.  Also, in 1851 while John and his son Charles spent some time in Southampton either on business or simply enjoying a vacation together, Catharine and their son William managed the needle manufacturing business back in Redditch which at that time employed six people.  Additional family members listed with Catharine that year included a son Joseph and a daughter Catherine, who were scholars, and two nieces from Birmingham, who were needle makers. 

 

John was consistently listed as a needle manufacturer throughout his life and surely by the time of his death at age 58 of ‘natural decay’ in 1865, had established a considerable needle manufacturing business.  John’s estate was valued at around £450 which would be equivalent to approximately £26,608[49] today.  Although that might not sound like much at present, back then one could purchase 30 horses or 84 cows or 681 stones of wool or 223 quarters of wheat or 2,250 days of skilled tradesman wages with it[50].   In his will he was listed as a ‘yeoman’ which in English history meant a free man holding a small landed estate or someone from the class intermediate between the gentry and the labourers[51].  John’s personal estate, which included all of his household furniture and goods, was given to his wife, Catherine.  The part of his estate that he inherited from his father-in-law in 1851, now known as Cox’s Meadow, was divided into eastern and western portions and bequeathed to his sons, William and Charles.  William received an additional four tenements or dwelling places and Joseph received eight adjoining cottages located in Webheath.  In addition, William and Charles were to hold in trust an additional four adjoining tenements located at Warwick Place in Redditch for their sister Catherine or her children.  In the event that the sister died or did not have any children who reached the age of 21, her inheritance would then be divided in equal shares between her brothers.  The son William received his inheritance immediately, whereas his brothers had to wait to receive theirs until after their mother’s death.  At the time, William was 33 years old, his brother Charles was 31, his brother Joseph was 26 and his sister Catherine was 23.  John Avery’s obituary[52] reads as follows:

 

“DECEASE OF MR. AVERY. - On Sunday morning last, about 10 o’clock, departed this life, one of those marked characters happily to be found in almost all communities, great and small, who are the principle agents in all the good movements of the special district in which they dwell.  Such was Mr. John Avery, in the locality of Headless Cross.  He was ever ready to give, not only financial aid, but more important, his enthusiastic personal services to any cause, either public or private, which was good.  His memorandum book, pencil, and persuasive appeals were not restricted to chapel and school wants; when affliction fell on a poor parishioner, efficient aide to tide over the difficulty happily was often rendered and collected by Mr. Avery; for he rarely asked in vain.  The latter fact may be explained by what was said in our hearing a day or two since, by one of the trade, viz:  That his course through life, in business or otherwise, had been such as to win the entire respect of all who knew him.”   

 

John Avery’s wife Catharine survived her husband by 23 years and died in 1888 in Headless Cross of ‘senile decay’ at age 83.  Her will divided her estate valued at £263 into four equal parts with a fourth given to each of her three sons: William, Charles and Joseph.  The final portion was for her deceased daughter Catherine’s children, Mrs. Avery’s grandchildren: Mary Hancock, Helen Hancock, Charles Owen Hancock and John James Hancock.  Both John and Catharine were buried at the Plymouth Road Cemetery in Redditch.  Catharine’s obituary[53] reads:

 

“THE LATE MRS. AVERY. -  It is with feelings of the deepest regret that we have to record in our obituary the death of Mrs. Catherine Avery.  Throughout a long life – one exceeding by many years the allotted span – this estimable lady has fulfilled the divine injunction to go about doing good.  To her poorer neighbors especially her loss will be well nigh irreparable: to them she was ever a considerate friend, a wise counsellor, and a generous benefactor, and long will her memory be revered by the many recipients of her truly Christian and unostentatious charity.  In her family circle, she was loved with an intensity almost beyond expression; and the very large attendance at the internment on Tuesday last, together with the large number of floral offerings which were contributed, evinced most unmistakably the deep and earnest sympathy which was felt for the members of the family in their bereavement.”  

 

Before moving on to William Avery, the son who took over the management of the Avery needle business and created Avery needle cases, a quick look at his three siblings is necessary in order to better understand his degree of success especially considering his two brothers contributed to it.  The first is Charles Avery who was born c1834 in Headless Cross.  Charles married Elizabeth Welsbourne in 1861 in Redditch.  Throughout his lifetime Charles was always listed as a needle manufacturer presumable working for his father at first, and later his older brother, in the W. Avery & Son firm.  It is unclear whether Charles and Elizabeth had any children.  They may have had a daughter named Fanny[54] although there is very little evidence to support this.  There was a niece named Fanny Boote, who was living with them in 1871, whom they may have adopted at some point[55].  Charles died in 1911 at age 77 of “congestion of the lungs and exhaustion” and left an estate valued at £702 to his wife and to Henry Greaves Shingler who appears to have married both a Fanny Avery and a Fanny Boote[56].  Shortly after Charles’s death, Elizabeth moved to Tunbridge Wells in Kent where she remained until her death there in 1921 at age 87.  It seems most likely that Elizabeth moved to Kent to be near her possible grandson who lived in that area.  The informant on her death certificate was listed as Charles Avery Shingler, a grandson, who lived in the Tunbridge Wells area in 1911.  He was the son of Fanny Boote and Henry Greaves Shingler.   Charles Avery’s obituary[57] states:

 

“DEATH OF MR. CHARLES AVERY. - The death occurred on Tuesday, at his residence, Headless Cross, of Mr. Charles Avery, an old and respected inhabitant of the district.  Mr. Avery, who was in his 77th year, had been ill for a short time only, but owing to his advanced age and consequent failing powers little hope was entertained that he would recover from his illness.  Mr. Avery was a keen sportsman, and took a warm interest in sport until the last.  He was a younger brother of the late Mr. William Avery, and a few years older than Mr. Joseph Avery.  The latter gentleman is the only surviving member of the family, and to him will be extended general sympathy in his bereavement, and also to Mrs. Charles Avery, who survives her husband.  The funeral took place at Redditch Cemetery this (Friday) afternoon, and was attended by members of the family and friends”.

 

William Avery’s second brother was Joseph Avery[58] who was born in 1839 in Headless Cross.  Joseph never married and lived with his parents until 1865 when his father passed away and then with his mother until she passed away in 1888.   He spent most of his adult life as a needle manufacturer in Headless Cross and in the neighboring village of Webheath.  Detailed information about Joseph’s life comes from his lengthy obituary which is listed below.  Joseph died of “heart failure” at age 76 in 1915 and left an estate valued at £2,293 to the children of his deceased sister.  His obituary[59] reads: 

 

“THE LATE MR. JOSEPH AVERY. - A very large number in Redditch and neighbourhood - and many outside the bounds of the district - who can claim no blood relationship, will feel and sincerely mourn the loss of Mr. Joseph Avery.  By his kindly disposition, his ready sympathy and help in all good and charitable work, and the unselfish devotion of his great gifts and powers to the public service, he had earned and held the gratitude and affection of all.  His circle of friends was a large and wide one, for it comprehended all who knew him.  His death is the removal of another link from the chain connecting the new with the old Redditch, for the record of his life-work carries us back a decade beyond the middle of the past century, when Redditch had no railway service and very little of anything else but factories and workshops.  He grew with the town, helped in the fostering of its oldest industry, assisted in the development of its religious, social, educational and charitable institutions, and did as much as anyone of his age in encouraging the love and practice of those arts which at once brighten and ennoble life, and raise the moral tone of communities.  He was an English gentleman in the best and truest meaning of the term.  His highly cultivated musical gifts made him in great demand, and his services in this direction were always readily given in the cause of charity.  Many now living remember with pleasure, the fine series of concerts for the poor, held at Headless Cross schools thirty to forty years ago, promoted by Messrs. Joseph and William Avery.  Those concerts were not only invariably successful in a financial sense; they provided rare musical treats, for among the performers were, at various times, the foremost musical artists of Birmingham and the Midlands.”

 

“Musical and Educational Work.  In the early sixties, when Redditch was not so closely connected with the Midland Metropolis as is now case, and was thrown much upon its own resources for its entertainment, Mr. Avery was largely instrumental in promoting the successful series of Saturday evening entertainments at the old Red Lion Assembly Room.  He did more than help in their promotion; he figured prominently upon the programmes, as a few still living can testify who remember his fine rendering of such songs as Tom Hood’s “Song of the Shirt” – which helped towards the bringing about of an important industrial reform – “The Dessert,” “The ship on fire,” “The death of Nelson,” and other songs deservedly popular at that period.  Coming down to more recent times, it would be difficult to overstate the value of the work done by Mr. Avery in connection with education.  For many years before the passing of the Education Act of 1902 he was a member of the old Feckenham School Board, and has been chairman of the managers of the Crabbs Cross Council schools since the Act came into operation.  It is only about a month since he retired from the Redditch District Education Committee.  His love of children was one of his most marked characteristics, and because of this he was an ideal school manager.  He took what amounted to a parental interest in the Crabbs Cross schools, which he regularly visited three or four times a week, and he was in great demand as musical coach when the children were preparing entertainments.  In earlier life he took part in the highest class Midland concerts – oratorios, opera, and ballad – and many who have made a name in music largely owe their success to his sound advice and kindly encouragement.  He cannot be replaced; but the result of his good work remains and will serve to keep his memory fresh and green.”

 

“DEATH OF MR. JOSEPH AVERY. - With deep regret, which we know will be shared by every resident in the town and district, we record the death of Mr. Joseph Avery, who passed away very suddenly at his residence, Birchfield Road, Headless Cross, on Tuesday afternoon.  Mr. Avery, who was in his seventy-sixth year, appeared in his usual health on Tuesday morning, and walked to Redditch and back.  After luncheon, he lay down upon a couch for his customary rest, and later in the afternoon was found by his housekeeper, dead.  He had evidently passed away in his sleep, the life-spark having flickered out without causing a moments pain.  When we speak of Mr. Avery being in his “usual health” on Tuesday morning, it must be understood that the terms apply to the conditions of the past two years of so.  About that time he met with two rather serious accidents, having, within a space of a few months, been twice knocked down by cyclists.  It was apparent to all his friends that he never fully recovered from the shock thus caused, although there was no reason to anticipate an immediate fatal issue.”

 

“In the first numbing shock of that news which has cast a gloom over the whole town, it is as difficult to give expression to the feeling of sorrow as it is to adequately express appreciation of the work and qualities of the one who is lost, and of the sense of that loss.  It is within a few weeks of sixteen years ago since, in writing of the death of Mr. William Avery, we said: “In recording its appreciation of a life honourably and usefully spent, and work well and bravely done, the world does no more than have justice.  It is right that at the close of such a life the community which has been cheered and brightened by its radiating glow, and improved by its influence should give some expression of its gratitude and we believe we are voicing the feelings and wishes of the whole of the townspeople when we offer a last tribute of respect to the memory of him who has just laid down his burden and passed peacefully into the valley of the shadow - a shadow, however, without any terrors, merely the drawing down of the darkness at eventide, marking the close of life’s busy day and the time of rest and sleep . . .  We can recall the cheery presence and impressive personality, the wit and humour which, however, never displayed itself at the cost of a wound to the most sensitive feelings; his thoroughness and unresting activity and the spirit with which he entered into whatever work he undertook, the exuberant vitality and large heartedness, which made him as keenly susceptible to the sorrowful plaint of a troubled child as he was keenly appreciative of mirth and the song of happiness.”  These words apply as aptly to Mr. Joseph Avery as they applied to his brother, Mr. William Avery.  It is a simple truth – and all who were privileged to know him will know that it is free of hyperbole – to say that Mr. Joseph Avery’s life was spent in good and useful work.  We may take to ourselves the consolation offered in the assurance and knowledge that of such good lives “their work follows them,” but in the “rest from their labours” they pass from human ken, and the loss is keenly felt.  Tolerant and sympathetic, as broad of view as kindly of nature, his rare qualities of heart were combined with artistic gifts and intellectual powers of a high order.  To all of the younger generation he was “Uncle Joe.”  The phrase betokened – less familiarity than affectionate regard, for to the end of his life he retained the youthful spirit which is compounded of faith and hope, his genial companionship with young people being the more valuable, because with the fresh spirit of youth he brought the ripe experience of age.”

 

“To attempt to compress into a few inches of newspaper space even the barest epitome of the life of one who for much more than a half century has been not only prominently but actively and usefully engaged in public work, is no light undertaking, and one likely to prove, in the result, as little satisfactory to the reader as the writer.  The difficulty is not what to write, but what, in considering the exigencies of space, may be left unwritten without spoiling the story.  However, strong may be the determination, and however clear the necessity, to generalise and take comprehensive sweeps in moving from one end of the long time span to the other, the temptation to linger at certain spots in the journey, to dwell lovingly here and there upon details - a particularly interesting incident at a concert, may be or little personal matters connected with musical “stars” of four or five decades ago - is almost irresistible.  For fully sixty years Mr. Joseph Avery gave to the public service the fruit of intellectual and artistic gifts of a high order and gave them without hope of expectation of any other reward than the pleasure the artist always brings to himself, and the knowledge of having bought pleasure and brightness into the lives of others.  In attempting even a rough sketch of a life so filled and employed, interesting incidents and details crowd to one’s mind in embarrassing profusion.”

 

“Mr. Avery was born at Headless Cross in 1839, in the house built by his father, the late Mr. John Avery.  Seventy-five years ago Redditch and Headless Cross were vastly different places to what they are now, not only in appearance but also in regard to industrial and social conditions.  Mr. Avery’s first recollection of anything connected with music was associated with the old Wesleyan Chapel.  As a little boy he was taken to help in the choir, and so young and so small was he then that it was found necessary for him to stand on the seat, in order that he might be able to see over the board in front.  Among his colleagues in the choir at that distant time was the mother of Mrs. O. Slater, the mother of Mr. G. Rollins.  The chapel had no organ at that time, the accompaniments to the hymns and other musical parts of the service being supplied by flutes, violins, a double bass, and other orchestral instruments.  When of school age, Mr. Avery first went to Tunstall school and after that, when twelve years of age, to Queen’s College, Taunton.  Whatever the natural musical bend of the subject of our notice, there can be little doubt that it was fostered and encouraged during this stay at Taunton, for at the College, was John Pridham, composer of the “Battle of Delhi” and other descriptive pieces.  Pridham, who was a sound and gifted musician, gave the then young Joseph Avery much valuable help in his musical practice and studies.  At all musical functions he was chosen to take some part or other, and occasionally he was allowed to act as organist.  At 14 years of age Joseph Avery returned home.  By that time a harmonium had been procured for the chapel and in playing for the services Mr. Joseph Avery assisted his brother, the late Mr. William Avery.  The two brothers shared the work, first as “harmoniumists,” and later as organists, until about twenty years ago, when the younger brother took upon himself the full duties as organist and choirmaster, which he continued until a few years ago.   In the old days the Headless Cross Wesleyan chapel boasted a really fine choir, among the members being Mr. J. Rollins and Mr. Spiers, while of the Avery family the choir contained five representatives – Mr. Avery’s father, with three sons and daughter.  The late Mr. Henry Hill and Mr. J. Hunt were also members, the latter having an unusually rich bass voice.  That Mr. J. Avery did good services in connection with the chapel is shown by the fact that in addition to his work as organist and choirmaster, he went through the Sunday school from the bottom class to the top, was secretary of the school for thirty years and treasurer for about forty-five years.  He held the latter position until quite recently.”

 

“After leaving college, Mr. Avery was at home for some time.  He was then apprenticed to Messrs. Samuel Booth and Company, now Collings and Wallace, merchants.  At that time Mr. Jesse Collings, one of the firm, was a personal friend of Mr. Avery’s, and among other friends he counted Mr. Joel Cadbury who was also apprenticed with him.  Mr. Avery was in Birmingham until he was 22 years of age, but he came very regularly each week-end, for Sunday school work.  At first it was a coach ride for the whole of the journey, but for the latter part of the time it was possible to take train as far as Barnt Green.  While in Birmingham Mr. Avery was actively connected with the Birmingham Mutual Improvement Society held in Claredon Chambers, Temple Street, among his associates in the society being Alderman Sam Edwards, Mr. Frank Schradhorst, and other well-known Birmingham men.  Mr. Avery always confessed to being a trifle stage struck at the time; but the puritanical feeling was much stronger then than now, and the influence of relatives and friends prevailed over an inclination which, had it been followed, might have added another and a local name to the historical fame roll.”

 

“During the period of his residence in Birmingham Mr. Avery was a member of the leading musical organizations - the Birmingham Clef Club, the Kyrle Society, etc. – and in that capacity became associated with the foremost Midland musicians.  He himself was, as we have said, and as all in the district know, an artist of a high order.  He was a skilled instrumentalist – pianoforte and organ – and possessed a baritone voice of fine quality and range, and sang and played with skill, taste and feeling.  His Birmingham musical connections – among whom may be mentioned Mr. and Mrs. Cortez Pereira (violin), Mr. French Davis (harp), and Mr. Mathews (flute) – brought much good to Redditch and district.  Mr. Avery himself was in great demand for oratoria, opera and ballad concerts, and in local concerts he usually secured the services also of some of his numerous artistic friends.”

 

“After leaving Birmingham, Mr. Avery joined the well-known needle manufacturing firm of William Avery and Sons, of which his brother William was principle.  In connection with the firm’s business affairs Mr. Avery made many journeys to Spain and other continental countries his experiences while on those journeys and especially of bull fights in Spain - being made the subject of many interesting lectures.”

 

“Although so gifted and so prominent in musical matters, music actually took but a small part of Mr. Avery’s spare time activities.  He was associated with the work of almost every educational and charitable organization in the district.  In attempting to enumerate them there is a fear and likelihood of some of them being overlooked.  To mention the few that come first to one’s mind; Mr. Avery was one of the members of the Redditch Literary and Scientific Institute since its foundation more than half a century ago, and never severed his connections with it until his death at which time he was chairman of the committee of management.  He was keenly interested in educational matters, and his work in this connection was the more valuable in its results from the fact of his love of and popularity among children.  He was a member of the Redditch District Education Committee until a few weeks ago, and was, from 1903 until the time of his death, chairman of the managers of the Crabbs Cross Council school.  Prior to the passing of the Education Act, 1902, Mr. Avery was for many years a member of the Feckenham School Board.  In the early sixties of the past century, Mr. Avery took a very prominent part in the promotion and management of the successful series of entertainments known as the Redditch Saturday evening entertainments held at the old Red Lion Inn Assembly Room.  In this work he was associated with the late Colonel V. Milward, Messrs. William Avery, William Conie (?), W. T. Heming, J. M. Woodward, Rev. J. Sculthorpe (vicar of Beoley) Watton, etc.  He was for some years a member of the old Redditch Volunteers, and held, we believe, the rank of sergeant.  He was one of the most active and useful members of the old Redditch Amateur Dramatic Society, and also took a prominent part in the work of the Redditch Amateur Operatic Society, and of the Redditch Philharmonic and Choral Societies. In sport he displayed most partiality for cricket.  In former years he did useful service with the bat as a member of the old Redditch Windsor Cricket Club, and, after he ceased playing continued his interest in the game by attending the county and local matches.  He took a warm interest in the work of the Headless Cross Nursing Association, was a regular attendant at and helper in the poor’s treats of the town and district and, in fact was connected in one way or other with every educational and charitable organization in the town and neighbourhood.”

 

“Mr. Avery took more than a sentimental interest in journalism.  He was a facile and able writer upon musical and dramatic topics, as was his brother, Mr. William Avery.  The literary aptitude and taste of the family is continued in Mr. Avery’s nephew, Mr. Harold Avery the popular writer of boys’ school stories.  He was an assiduous collector and collator of musical and dramatic records and notes as well as of local historical matters, and it is much to be hoped his collection may be secured for public reference and use.”

 

“Ten years ago a desire was expressed that practical expression should be given to the local appreciation of Mr. Avery’s life-long public services.  A fund was opened to which subscriptions came promptly and liberally and at a largely attended meeting held on August 16th, 1913, at Temperance Hall, Redditch, at which Mr. George Lewis presided, Mr. Avery was presented with a purse of gold and an illuminated address.”

 

“Mr. Avery, who was a bachelor, retired from his old business about twenty years ago, since about which time he has been the local agent to the trustees of the Sir Josiah Mason Orphanage, who own considerable land and other property in this district.”

 

“This notice, from one who was privileged to call himself a friend, is necessarily brief, and incomplete.  It is but a small tribute to one who passed a good and useful life, and who did much to brighten and cheer and clear the path for others.  In such space as it at our command it would be impossible to do justice to the qualities or the work of the one who has now gone to well-earned rest – one whom all will keenly miss, and whose loss we all mourn.”

 

William Avery’s sister, Catharine Avery, was born in 1842 in Headless Cross and she married Edmund Owen Hancox, a miller from Great Alne, in Headless Cross in 1867.  After their marriage they returned to Great Alne, which is about 9 miles southeast of Redditch, where several of their children were born before settling in Evesham, a town located about 19 miles south of Redditch.  Catharine and Edmund had five children: Mary, Helen, Charles Owen, John James and Joseph Avery.  Catherine died unexpectedly at age 33 of typhoid fever in 1875 and her youngest child died a few months after her.  Edmund married his second wife two years later in 1877 and had six additional children with her.

 

William Avery:  The Brass Needle Case Creator[60]

The oldest surviving son of John and Catharine Avery was William Avery who is best known as the creator of over one hundred elaborately stamped brass needle cases now recognized as Avery needle cases.  William was born in 1832 in Headless Cross and was baptized that year at St. Stephens, a branch of the Church of England, located in the center of Redditch.  In 1841[61] the Headless Cross district where the Avery family lived contained 35 households with a total of 166 people, of whom 98 were male and 68 were female.  Of the 84 individuals that were listed with an occupation, 38 (or 45%), including William’s father, were listed as needle makers.  Forty-three people (33 males and 10 females), or 51%, were in the needle/fish hook trades.  Of the 12 children listed with an occupation, 80% were making needles, fish hooks or fishing tackle.  It appears as though the William born in 1832 was named after his grandfather who established the needle business known as W. Avery & Son.  This grandfather may have started out as the “soft worker” described in a book William wrote years later in 1887 entitled Old Redditch Being an Early History of the Town from 1800-1850.  A soft worker was someone who made needles up to the point where they were to be hardened.  In writing this book William tried to capture what life was like for a young boy, perhaps his own father during the early 1800’s, the time period in which William’s grandfather was making needles.  Perhaps William wrote this story based on recollections his father shared with him about his grandfather.  Part of the book focuses on a man in Redditch who did not find needle making particularly challenging, a man who constantly invented different things to make his life easier and more interesting but who was unable to finish many of the projects he started.  As was common in those days, this man’s son was pulled out of school at an early age to help the family make needles.  What follows is part of the story told from the young boy’s point of view:

 

“My father was by trade, or rather profession (for it went but little further than this), a “soft worker”, and on account of his utter disregard of the application necessary to the completion of his work, we found the soft working a very hard way of getting our bread.  My father was by no means a man who might be called indolent, for he had always some scheme in his head and some work in his hand; but because his brains worked faster than his fingers he never completed any of the many inventions he commenced, and which would have been of lasting benefit to the place and have put us in comfortable circumstances.  Round about us were strewn unfinished models of point machines, stamps and presses, hook-bearding and bending tools, and even a machine for sewing, but all wanting some last touch to complete them, and the shop became like a haunted room – haunted with the helpless, nameless ghosts of infants that died at their birth - the ghosts of vain and fruitless projects.  Often when we were pressed for money he would so infuse his spirit into the creditor that he had no heart to press him, believing that in a short time the machine and fortune would be made together.” 

 

“I was taken away from school just when I began to learn, for we must all work, and I was introduced into my father’s trade.  The shop was in the back room of the house and was filled with windows, which seemed like eyes, through which the room was staring with all its might to see where the next meal was coming from.  Most of the work was done away from the factories and was fetched by us a packet at a time, in points, cut through. The wire was all made from common steel (for the best cast steel was not then invented) and gave great trouble in working up; for where there was a flaw the wire split up when the needle was made.  The points were first cut through and the top part flattened.  Then a punch was used for “first eyeing”, which was merely making the impression of the eye, the wire being laid during this process on a piece of lead.  The second operation consisted of another and sharper punch, which fitted the square indentation, being driven through to form the eye.  This was repeated from the other side.  The “gutters” were next made with a jagged saw-like knife in the form of a cleaver.  When this was done, the head was filed round, and the needle was made.  They then went through the process of straightening, which was merely rolling them on a stone with a bent iron bar till they have rolled themselves out straight”.

 

“A man and his wife could make about 5,000 needles a day for which about 5 shillings was paid, but as soon as the children were about eight or nine years of age, they were brought into the shops, where they worked at the “cammou”, so that a man having a quiver full of youngsters was happy indeed.  No Factory Inspectors or Acts had been invented, and the foundation of many a sickly constitution was laid, for many of the “soft workers” liked their beer, as well as their children, and what were children intended for if not to work.”

 

Although William Avery[62] attended public school on Evesham Street in Redditch, he was also introduced to his father’s trade, the art and craft of needle making, at a relatively early age.  He was musically gifted, sang in the church choir and played the organ there for many years becoming known in the area as an exceptionally good musician.  When he was about 15 years old, he was sent for a year to Wesleyan College (later known as Queen’s College) in Taunton, which was located about 125 miles southwest of Redditch.  When William was 17 years old in 1850, the English author Charles Dickens visited Redditch.  Perhaps William knew of the visit and gained inspiration from it.  In addition to providing information on the history of needle making, Dickens visited the Victoria Works needle factory and actually saw how needles were manufactured at the time.  Shortly thereafter Dickens’ observations were published in “Household Words A Weekly Journal” [63] and are now an excellent source for understanding what it was like to live in the Redditch area during the middle of the 19th century. 

 

In 1855, William married Maria Proctor Dingley (1832-1895) at the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel in Sherborne, Dorset. Maria was the daughter of the Sherborne silk mercer and draper, William Dingley (1801-1883), and Grace Pearse (1801-after 1851).  A silk mercer (aka ‘merchant’) sold silk cloth whereas a draper was a dealer in fabrics and sewing goods.  Sherborne was located about 150 miles southwest of Redditch.  How they met is unknown, perhaps through Maria’s older brother, Edward, who was also a mercer and draper employing eight hands in Sherborne.  Maria was living with him in 1851.  It seems highly likely that Mr. Avery met the Dingley family through some type of business contact, possibly he was trying to persuade the Dingley’s to purchase needles for their store from him.  Or they may have met through the church, as Maria came from one of the best-known Methodist families in the area; both her father and brother were local preachers.  Shortly after their marriage William and Maria returned to Headless Cross and by 1861, they were living only five houses distant from his parents and brothers, all of the men being listed as needle manufacturers.  Both Avery families now employed a domestic servant; in fact, William had two servants that year, including one named Ann Shakespeare!  A visiting Wesleyan Minister was also residing in William’s household as William and his wife were very active in the church.  In 1865 William joined the Redditch Rifle Corp as an Ensign and by 1867 was promoted to Lieutenant[64].

 

William Avery’s home was called Sherborne Cottage, presumably named after Maria’s hometown.  William and Maria had four children: Helen Grace (1856-1860), William John (1859-1869), Benjamin Ricardo (1862-1947) and Charles Harold (1867-1943).  Unfortunately, their first two died in childhood.   In 1881 their son Charles was attending boarding school at Compton Place Road New College in Eastbourne, Sussex.  Mr. Avery was well known in the Redditch area not only for his commercial success as the head of the W. Avery & Son firm but also for his philanthropy.  Soon after his marriage, he and his wife established a fund for the poor of Headless Cross.  Together they organized musical concerts which, because of William’s reputation as a musician[65], attracted large influential audiences that added to the organization’s coffers.  The Averys also created a clothing club so they could literally “feed the hungry” and “cloth the naked”.  William helped to establish the Redditch Literary and Scientific Institute and the local School of Art and in 1882 contributed to the Shakespeare Memorial in Stratford-on-Avon[66] where he was listed as an Esquire.  He served on the Feckenham district school board and was a staunch supporter of public elementary education.  He delivered a series of lectures on Old Redditch to enthusiastic crowds, lectures which were eventually published in 1887[67].  In politics he was a liberal.  Later in life William was appointed as a Justice of the Peace for Worcestershire and sat for a short time on the bench at Redditch, though he had to retire due to his increased deafness.  He was an active member of the Wesleyan Church where he played the organ for 50 years, taught Sunday school for 40 years and attended numerous Wesleyan meetings and conferences.  He was a prominent citizen in all aspects of life in the area in which he lived, being known and loved by friends and neighbors alike for his sincerity, integrity, humor and wit. 

 

William’s sons Benjamin and Charles remained in William’s household as needle manufacturer assistants until at least 1891.  In March 1895[68] a gale destroyed the Wesleyan Methodist church in Headless Cross and three months later William’s wife Maria died of “carcinoma ulcers” at age 63.  Because William was a prominent member of this church, he worked with others in the community to raise funds to build another church.  During the reconstruction process in 1896 four memorial stones where placed in the new church’s foundation including one for Mrs. Wm. Avery. 

 

It seems most likely that Mr. Avery’s final journey outside of Headless Cross and Redditch occurred in the spring of 1898 when he traveled to Launceston in Cornwall to attend the wedding of his son Charles to Winifred Allen, the daughter of a Wesleyan minister.  The couple was married at the Wesleyan Church there.  Apparently, Cornwall had some significance to the Avery family as Maria had visited there with her sisters in 1891.   Perhaps relatives, in addition to Winifred’s family, lived in the area.  After suffering from deafness and heart problems for many years, William died of heart disease at age 68 in 1899 in Headless Cross.   He passed away suddenly but peacefully while sitting in the garden at his residence.  He was buried next to Maria in brick grave #14R, in unconsecrated ground at the Plymouth Road Cemetery in Redditch.  William had purchased the plot for 2 pounds 2 shillings in 1895, in order to bury his wife.  His will, which was written in 1896 and witnessed by his brother, Joseph, was proved shortly after his death.  He left his entire estate valued at £11,884, or £928,998[69] today, to his two sons.  In 1899 one could purchase 432 horses or 1,226 cows or 22,007 stones of wool or 9,284 quarters of wheat or 36,012 days of skilled tradesman wages with that amount of money[70].  A special memorial service was held a month and a half after his death at the Wesleyan Church in Headless Cross.  A 21-page pamphlet entitled “In Memoriam William Avery, J.P. of Headless Cross, Redditch” was published by the local newspaper and was distributed at the service.  It included the drawing of William from 1885 seen here and sold for three pence for the benefit of the Unsectarian Benevolent Society of the Poor of Headless Cross which was founded by Mr. and Mrs. Avery in 1856.  A total of 5 pounds 12 shillings were collected for the poor as a result.   William Avery’s memorial pamphlet[71] reads as follows:

 

“Another of the very few remaining links connecting Redditch of the present day with “Old Redditch” of fifty or sixty years ago has been removed in the person of Mr. William Avery, of Headless Cross, who passed suddenly but peacefully away (from vascular disease of the heart, of many years standing), while sitting on a garden seat in the grounds of his residence, on Monday afternoon, the 31st ult., in the sixty-eighth year of his age.  He leaves two sons, Harold and Richardo, and two brothers.  It is, of course, impossible to do justice to the life-record and memory of such a man as Mr. William Avery, who for sixty years has taken a prominent part in the public, social, and religious life of the town and neighbourhood, on the spur of the moment.  A record worthy of such a theme must be relegated to the future, but subjoined is a brief outline, from which an idea may be gathered of the diversity and extent of his life’s work and interests.”

 

“William Avery was born, near his late residence, at Headless Cross, on May 1st, 1832.  He received his early education at what were then the two chief scholastic establishments in the town of Redditch, both situated in Evesham Street.  After leaving these he went to the Wesleyan College (now Queen’s College) Taunton for a year.  At a relatively early age he was initiated by his father into the “art and craft” of needle making, in the firm of William Avery and Sons, which had been established in 1785, and from this, in his turn, William Avery built up, by unremitting attention, his widely-known commercial success; indeed, with the exception of the breaks caused lately by declining health, until within a few hours of the death, he did not forsake his post as head of the firm.  But to the local public the interest in the life-work and fame of William Avery lie not in commercial success, but falls under three chief divisions – musical, social, and religious.”

 

“From infancy he evinced distinct musical talent, which rapidly developed, until by the time he had arrived at earliest manhood it had attained a high degree of excellence, which secured his fame throughout the neighbourhood as an exceptionally good musician, which reputation he maintained to the end of his life.  In 1837, when Mr. Avery was only four years old, he became leader, he told us, in the choir of the first Wesleyan Chapel in Headless Cross, and through all the vicissitudes of that body in the village he maintained an official connection with them for 62 years.  In 1843 he opened the organ erected in the then new Wesleyan Chapel at Bates Hill, Redditch.  In 1844, he informed us, he was appointed organist at the “Old Chapel on the Green,” Redditch, and was the first to have a regular salary allocated to him (£30 per annum) for his services, but “he never received” the money.  So great was his enthusiasm for music, so highly was his musical ability recognised, and his services in request, that early in his life it could be said that there was not a church or chapel in the neighbourhood, the organ of which he had not played upon.  He was also in his younger days a great supporter of athletic games.  At one time he could hold his own with the bat, and was one of the team chosen to play against the All England Eleven when it visited Redditch.  In latter years he was President of the Redditch Football Club, and of the Headless Cross Football Club for many years.  In October, 1849, he was the chief of those who originated the movement which eventuated in the establishment of the Redditch Library and Scientific Institute.  He was librarian for several years; for eight years was a member of the Committee, and for thirty years has been one of its vice-presidents.  To this institution all along he has from time to time rendered very valuable and attractive service.”

 

“On September 18th, 1855, he was married at the Wesleyan Chapel, Sherborne. Mrs. Avery predeceased him on June 14th, 1895.  Soon after their marriage they established a “Poor’s Fund” for the village of Headless Cross, and a great feature in its aid was the annual “concert for the poor,” at which, on account of Mr. Avery’s wide reputation as a musician, many professionals from time to time assisted.  These concerts attained a high reputation throughout the neighbourhood, attracted large and influential audiences, and brought substantial aid to the fund.  They were continued until about 1885, when, owing mainly to advancing years, Mr. and Mrs. Avery felt unable to continue them.  These musical treats are even now remembered by many with great pleasure.  About 1858 Mr. Avery took an active part in promoting the success of the old “Saturday evening entertainments,” which had a very successful career.  According to the local press of that period, Mr. Avery originated “the first Penny Readings ever held in the country.”  In 1860 he took a prominent position in the establishment of the local rifle corps, and advanced to the position of captain, which he held for about twenty years.  In 1865, having taken much interest in the matter of the provision of cottage hospitals, and having had considerable correspondence on the matter with Mr. Albert Napper, the founder of village hospitals, he in a letter to the Indicator dated October 30th, suggested the establishment of such a hospital for “Redditch; he believed it was quite practicable and would be a great benefit to the town and neighbourhood.”

 

“In 1876 he became a member of the Local Board, and was in favour of the scheme of sewage disposal adopted by the majority of the Board, and subsequently approved by the Local Government Board and ultimately carried out.  This brought him into sharp conflict for the time being, with several of his public contemporaries and friends.  He retired from the Board with his colleagues about 1880, when the majority, through the action of the Ratepayers’ Protection Association, had been reduced to a minority.  About 1871 he became a member of the first School Board for Feckenham district, including Ashwood Bank and Crabbs Cross, and for several years rendered important services in connection therewith, but he retired on account of advancing years and inability to hear well.  Mr. Avery was always strongly in favour of unsectarian public elementary education.  He was also a member for some years of the Alcester Board of Guardians.  In the winter of 1886 Mr. Avery delivered a series of lectures, in connection with the Institute, entitled “Old Redditch,” compiled from notes and personal reminiscences.  He covered the period between 1800 to 1848.  Delivered with characteristic wit and humour, and being full of local names and events, they delighted large audiences.  Subsequently, through the efforts of Dr. Page, the hon. Secretary of the Institute, they were published in pamphlet form.  In 1872 Mr. Avery took an active part in the establishment of the School of Art, at Bates Hill, and was an active member of its committee for many years.  He was elected President of the Liberal Association for 1890.  He took great interest in the Redditch Building Society in its early days (established 1859) and on one occasion rendered it signal service, it is recorded by an address.  One of its Vice-presidents from 1875 to its incorporation in 1877.”

 

“In the winter of 1892 he commenced a series of lectures, in connection with the Institute, on “Music and Musicians of Old Redditch,” the last of the series being delivered on Dec. 1st, 1896.  Like his lectures on “Old Redditch,” they are important contributions concerning local persons and events of the past.  They were illustrated with typical music, rendered by a select choir, and, being upon his favourite subject, were delivered in characteristic style and con amore.  Large audiences were attracted to these lectures, which must always remain as pleasant recollections.  Until comparatively recent years, Mr. Avery frequently travelled on the Continent, and brought home rich memories and souvenirs of his visits to be utilised at some time for the public weal.  On December 15th, 1891, Mr. Avery, who by an unusual coincidence had been present, together with Mrs. Avery, at three representations, gave, in connection with the Institute, a lecture on “The Passion Play at Oberammergau,” illustrated with numerous and beautiful lantern slides.  Mr. Avery explained that at the first representation he was present he had some feelings of misgiving, as he thought the subject too sacred for dramatic representation, but the history of the unique septennial representation, the simplicity of the people, and their manifest reverence dispelled his natural repugnance to the representation, and he hoped the modern facilities for traveling would not vitiate these conditions.  On December 2nd, 1894, the Organ Jubilee at the chapel was celebrated, Mr. Avery performing on the instrument, he having acted as organist for 50 years.  In 1887 he was appointed a J. P. for Worcestershire, and sat for a short time on the Bench at Redditch, but owing to increasing deafness he was unable to continue to attend the sittings.  He was the second Nonconformist magistrate appointed on the local Bench.”

 

“In February, 1895, Mr. Avery lectured on the old “Saturday Evening Entertainments,” and in the reproduction, at request, of a then celebrated tableau, “The Death of Nelson,” as usual scored a great success.  In March, 1895, he was much affected by the destruction of the Wesleyan Chapel at Headless Cross by a gale, as he had laboured hard in extinguishing the debt upon the building, and which had but just been accomplished.  On May 25th, 1895, he took part in the opening ceremonies of the Smallwood Hospital, and recounted his own efforts in 1865.  On July 15th, 1896 he was present at the opening of the new (present) Wesleyan Church at Headless Cross, and took a part in the proceedings.  Subsequently he had executed a series of coloured drawings and photographs showing the various chapels the Wesleyan denomination has occupied in Headless Cross from 1820 to 1896, these he presented to the chapel authorities, and they are placed in the vestibule of the present building.  On November 18th and 20th, 1897, he had the satisfaction of opening the new commemoration organ which had been specially subscribed for and placed in the new Wesleyan Chapel at Headless Cross to replace the one destroyed by the gale in 1895.  How thankful he was to be present on that occasion, and how delighted he was to handle his beloved instrument again, notwithstanding his infirmities of age and deafness, can only be appreciated by those who were present.”

 

“In politics he was a staunch Liberal, in religious views a staunch Wesleyan, but no bigot.  For forty years he was superintendent of the Sunday schools at Headless Cross, his classes being large (500) and very popular.  He established a clothing club in connection with the schools, so that with the poor’s fund and this club he (in conjunction with his wife) literally “fed the hungry,” and “clothed the naked.”  He was the oldest local preacher in the circuit and acted as circuit steward for thirty years.  He twice represented the district at the Wesleyan Conference.  Of late years, owing to declining health and vigour, he was been unable to do much personally.  In him local Wesleyanism has lost a foremost exponent and an able and untiring worker, whose equal it cannot hope to find for years to come.  He seldom wrote to the public press, but when he did, it was on some important subject he could help to elucidate or contribute something to.  His letters were always to the point, and extremely interesting. Mr. Avery had also for many years made a collection of newspaper-cuttings and of MS notes, chiefly of personal reminiscences and events of the past, and as these are necessarily of much local interest and value, it is hoped they will be permitted to be available at some future time for the completion of his notes on “Old Redditch,” or otherwise utilised in the record of local history.”

 

“The writer of this brief biography enjoyed the confidence and friendship of Mr. Avery for twenty-five years, and while he knows he would deprecate anything like laudation, feels it only just to recount his good works and virtues.  William Avery was distinguished by generous sympathy, which showed itself in a willingness to render ready help to all, transparent simplicity, sincerity, integrity, and unostentatiousness; by charity, love of fairness, and invariable wit and good humour.  These secured the affectionate esteem of all who knew him, or who were brought into contact with him.  He has gone to his reward; his loss will be sorely felt on all hands; but his example and the remembrance of his work and name will ever survive in local fame and history.”

 

In 1900 shortly after his death, Mr. Avery’s sons sold the needle business and Sherborne Cottage to John English & Son Limited, another Redditch area needle manufacturer.  On the sale documents both Benjamin and Charles were listed as gentlemen[72].  Sherborne Cottage was later described in detail in a 1911 sale catalogue as follows:  

 

“The Freehold Family Residence, approached by Carriage Sweep from Birchfield Road, belted with Timber, Trees and Shrubs, known as “Sherbourne Cottage” containing six Bedrooms, two Dressing Rooms, W.C., Vestibule, Hall, Dining and Drawing Rooms of good proportions with Verandah, Small Library, two Kitchens, Pantry and Cellar, two Paved Yards, W.C. and usual outbuildings, together with Greenhouse, tastefully laid out Lawn, Gardens and Pleasure Grounds, well stocked with Fruit Trees and choice Shrubs, containing in the whole 6,239 square yards (note: 18,717 square feet).  Special attention is called to this valuable property and the large quantity of land, near an acre-and-half, which would make a very nice building estate.”

 

By 1901 the sons, Benjamin and Charles and Charles’s wife Winifred, had moved to London where they were living together on their own means indicating a certain degree of wealth.  Within a few years they returned to Worcestershire, and Charles and Winifred settled in the town of Malvern, approximately 33 miles southwest of Redditch, where they established an estate named Wyndcliffe.  Their son, William Harold Avery, was born there in 1907.  In 1911, Benjamin and Charles were living in or visiting Eastbourne in Sussex, although Winifred was not with them since she and her son were staying with her sisters in Cornwall.  Shortly thereafter Charles returned to Wyndcliffe where he remained until at least 1922.  Charles, who wrote under the pseudonym, Harold Avery, became the author of over 50 children’s books[73].  His wife Winifred passed away in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1938.  At some point Charles, his son William, and his brother, Benjamin moved to Evesham, a small town 18 miles south of Redditch, where they lived together.  Charles died there in 1943 of “cerebral hemorrhage” at age 76, although his publisher created a biography after his death, which appears to be total fiction, stating that he died in Brazil[74].  In 1943 Benjamin wrote his last will and testament which named his nephew as executor.  Four years later at age 84[75] Benjamin died of heart failure in 1947 in Evesham where he lived with his nephew who by then was a bank clerk.  Benjamin’s obituary[76] provides additional information about his life:

 

“MR. B. R. AVERY - After only a week’s confinement to his bed Mr. Benjamin Ricardo Avery, passed away at his home, 87 Elm-Road, Evesham, after a short illness.  Mr. Avery, who was 87 years-of-age, was the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. William Avery.  Born at Headless Cross, near Redditch, he had led a roving life, Ceylon, Jamaica, Italy, France, Australia and New Zealand being included among his various travels.”

 

“For a number of years he was a tea planter in Ceylon, and he was in Kingston, Jamaica, at the time of the great earthquake early in 1900.  In 1914 he volunteered for the Army and served throughout the campaign some of the time being spent in Salonika.  Prior to coming to Evesham in 1942 he lived at Stratford-on-Avon.  He is survived by one nephew, Mr. William H. Avery.”

 

“The funeral takes place this (Friday) afternoon at Bengeworth Cemetery following a short service at St. Peter’s Church.  Messrs. R. A. White are in charge of funeral arrangements.”

 

William Harold Avery eventually moved away from the Evesham area and died of a stroke in 1971at age 64 at the hospital in Torquay, Devonshire, not far from Launceston, Cornwall.  His last residence was at a place called Windycliffe in the neighboring town of Totnes.  He appears to be the only grandchild of Mr. William Avery to carry on the Avery surname, although his father’s cousin, John James Hancox, had a son he named Avery Stallard Hancox who was born in 1904 in Great Alne.  Needless to say, the Avery line appears to end here as there is no evidence that William Harold Avery ever married or had children.

 

Although born into what appears to have been a lower middle class family in 1832, by 1871 all four of the Avery families living in the Headless Cross area had achieved relative wealth: William and Maria, his brother Charles and wife Elizabeth, his brother Joseph who resided with their mother Catherine and his sister Catherine and her husband Edmund Hancox (who were living in neighboring Evesham) all had domestic servants to help with the household chores.  In the 33 years from the time William was born to the time his father died, his father must have expanded the W. Avery & Son firm significantly in order to accomplish such an improvement in their status.  The Avery families were well established in the middle class by the time the son, William Avery, began to use needle cases to promote his needles.  This venture added significantly to the family’s success because by the beginning of the 20th century his brothers were able to retire and his sons were able to live independently without having to work.

 

The Industrial Revolution created opportunities that had not existed earlier in the predominately agricultural societies in which it took root.  Creative people who were in the right place at the right time could use their unique skills to take advantage of these opportunities.  It was during this era that the middle class was created in England by merchants, business men, industrialists and the like.  Under different circumstances William Avery could have spent his entire life working on a farm or in a factory from dawn until dusk, earning barely enough to eke out a living without ever having a chance to develop his potential as an inventor.  He inherited his creativity and entrepreneurial spirit from his ancestors, possibly from a grandfather he never knew, one whose name he shared and one who never saw the success the grandson achieved.  If William Avery had been born in a different time or place, one that had nothing to do with needles, he would not have created needle cases and we would not have them to enjoy today.

 

19th Century Descriptions of W. Avery & Son Needle Cases

 

Perry & Co.'s Illustrated Price Current - October 5, 1874[77]:  Windmill Needle-Case

We are not aware that among the variety of needle-cases which the Messrs. Avery & Son’s have issued, invention has conceived a form of greater novelty than in this little gilt windmill.  Its use is, of course, to hold needles, pins, or such small articles, but the spirited conception of the idea renders it ornamental.  The windmill, of light gild metal, is architecturally complete to the sails or fans, tower, windows, doorway, steps, and pedestal, making a really useful domestic article almost artistic instead of common-place.  It has, then, the merit to the trade of being out of the ordinary run of needle-cases, and worthy of a place among a lady’s nic-nacks.

 

The Reliquary - July 1875[78]:  Messr. W. Avery and Sons’ Ornamental Cases

There are some articles of daily and hourly use, and which are essential accompaniments of every household and of every female in those households, to which none of the principles of art can be applied.  They remain plain and unadorned, and so will remain to the end of time. “Beauty,” we know, “when unadorned is adorned the most,” and that the intrinsic value of beauty is its excellence; therefore the beauty of the articles we allude to consists in their simplicity of form, their excellence of temper, their strength, and the ease with which they may be plied.  But although the articles themselves cannot be adorned by art, their surroundings, and the cases in which they are contained, may be; and thus art comes to be applied to the commonest and simplest articles of one’s every-day handling.  Needles and pins are not the most attractive of articles to an artist’s eye, and the man who set about decorating them, so as still to preserve their usefulness, would indeed have a task before him of no little magnitude.  Messrs. Avery and Son, who are among the very best of manufacturers of these delicate little implements, and produce them by the million, have hit upon the happy idea of wedding them to art in a peculiar and wonderfully appropriate manner, by the production of elegant cases of admirable design and of excellent mechanical arrangement, and it is to some of these that we purpose to call attention in our present chapter.  The cases are among the most elegant adjuncts of the work-table, the drawing-room, or the toilet, which have come under our notice, and we predict that they will become almost as general as pins and needles themselves. 

 

These cases are produced in large variety by their introducers, Messrs. W. Avery and Son, who appear to make some sixty or seventy varieties - all excellent in their way, and some presenting features of extreme beauty and of considerable ingenuity.  One of these is a clever model of Shakespeare’s house at Stratford-on-Avon, three inches in height, in which all its external features are accurately represented.  The roof of this house lifts up, and opens back with hinges, the front falls down, and the whole discloses an elegant cabinet arrangement of three drawers, the one filled with an assortment of needles, and the others with hooks and eyes, and pins, respectively; while on the top of the drawers are an enamelled thimble, and a reel of cotton, held in their places by a clever mechanical arrangement, the thread from the latter passing through the chimney top for drawing off.  This “Ladies’ Companion” is strongly made enough to last a life time.  Its every detail is beautifully modelled and finished both inside and out, and the whole is electro-gilt.  It is, without exception, one of the most elegant and acceptable of presents.  Another is a beautifully-formed golden wheelbarrow, admirably modelled in every part, and evidently filled to the top with a load of flowers.  These flowers, which form the lid, lift up and disclose in the inside a goodly stock of pins and some packets of needles.  It is elegant as an ornament, and useful as a toilet companion.  Another is a boat, about four inches and-a-half long, charmingly modelled, and massively electro-gilt, which, opening in one part, is found to contain a cargo of pins, and in another to be freighted with those necessary adjuncts of the toilet-table, hair-pins.

 

One of the cleverest in mechanical arrangement, as well as most elegant as an ornament, is a tiny gold windmill, of faultless execution, whose roof, opening with hinges, displays an assemblage of packets of needles, these, by turning around the sails, are lifted up as if by magic, so as to be brought ready for the fair fingers of the owner.  The arrangement by which the needles are lifted is a clever but simple piece of mechanism.  Another needle case is a pair of scallop shells, and by turning the hinge a plate slides out from the inside, on which the packets of needles are ranged ready for use.  Another is a horse shoe and hoof, beautifully modelled; another a butterfly — true to the life in form and position — carrying needles beneath its wings.

 

  http://www.coulthart.com/avery/images/gallery/needlecases/scallop-shell1.jpg

 

A strikingly novel design is a shield bordered with gold, bearing a stag’s head of silver, on an azure ground.  In this the stag’s head lifts up, the azure cloth is removed, and discloses a selection of needles, in charming little packets, ready for use.  This is one of the prettiest of all the pretty designs issued by this firm.  Another chef-d’ouvre of simple mechanical skill wedded to pure art, is the “Quadruple Golden Casket,” in which by a touch only, the needles are raised up to the hand without the slightest trouble.  It is a charming arrangement.

 

It is not necessary, however, to enumerate or describe more.  Those we have named are but a tithe of what Messrs. Avery, in their never ending desire to put elegant novelties into the hands of our fair countrywomen, have produced, and they are all manufactured with equal care, and with faultless finish even in their minutest detail.  Messrs. Avery deserve the highest praise for their efforts — their successful efforts — to apply the true principles of artistic design, and of mechanical appliance to these articles of hourly use.  They are one and all good; and, so far from being simply flimsy toys, they are made for use, and for wear as well as for ornament.  Messrs. W. Avery and Son are among the oldest of needle makers in the kingdom, their works dating back to nearly a century, and it is much to their credit that they should now become the pioneers in the department of art-cases, as they have hitherto been in the articles which those cases are intended to hold.  We quote the following from the reports of the Vienna and Paris Exhibitions to the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce: —

 

“The nearest approximation to the lightness of small ornamental work in metal, as made in Austria, Germany, and France, will be found in the brilliant little needle-cases sent by a needle manufacturer at Redditch (Mess. W. Avery and Son).  They present a very considerable approximation to the light, elegant sparkling things which foreigners are so successful in producing, but the dies in which these are produced, it is evident, are very superior in sharpness, the fitting better, the finish very brilliant, and the ‘Cam,’ or other motion which on opening the case elevates the needles, is in such cheap work exceedingly ingenious and well worked, better than such work would be if produced by Continental workmen."

 

“At the Paris Exhibition it was demonstrated beyond all dispute, that for needles combining quality of material, clearly pierced, and well-fashioned eyes, elasticity of temper, points, etc., the productions of this country are unequalled.  Satisfied with their triumph on that occasion, attention appears to have been given by one Redditch firm (Mess. W. Avery and Son) to the creation and development of a new feature in connection with the needles, viz., the construction of elaborate, ingenious, and ornamental pin cases.  The stall of this firm in the Exhibition looked more like a gilt jewellery depot than anything else.  The idea carried out by them is capable of extensive application to other trades, though all the credit is due to them in its application to their own trade.  We are all familiar with the ordinary papers in which needles are wrapped, packed, and sent away; how to open a packet was probably the preliminary to scattering them on the floor!  Now by some twenty-seven different contrivances, patents, and registered designs, Mess. W. Avery and Son have created a new industry in the Midland district, and added to the ladies’ work-table an elegant and useful object.  These cases are strong, in addition to being ornamental; they demonstrate the feasibility of an article of commerce being made, and that extensively, as a covering or case for something in universal use, of little cost in itself, while the case will be, perhaps, double or treble the price of the article it contains.  The idea was a happy one, and has succeeded, doubtless, beyond all expectation.”

 

The ingenious cases, with easy motion for raising the needles, or shutting them up again, are simply beautiful in their action, but are so numerous and varied that a description of their various ‘actions’ would read like a book of the specifications of patents.  The novelties are now so well-known that to enumerate them is sufficient.  The ‘Hedgehog’ pin-case costs a thousand per cent, more than the pins it contains, a gilt ornament to represent the animal, the pins stuck in perforations left in the back.  The ‘Butterfly,’ with needles concealed under the wing, and there are about twenty-five other varieties, all differing from each other.”

 

The Reliquary - January 1876[79]:  Messrs. W. Avery and Sons’ “Easel” Needle Case

In a former article we wrote at some length upon the very artistic and beautifully designed needle cases of Messrs. W. Avery and Sons, of Redditch.  Since then this energetic firm, with its usual good taste, has produced a new and very tasteful design, which they have kindly forwarded to us.  It takes the form of an artist’s easel, upon which rests a charmingly modelled portfolio. The front of this on being unfastened at the top, falls down and displays, in place of sketches, a selection of packets of needles, such as will delight the eyes and employ the busy fingers of our fair friends for many a month to come.  The easel and its useful load are beautifully ornamented, and being finely and substantially made, and trebly gilt, will last for years, and always be a pleasing object for the work table, drawing room, dressing table, or elsewhere.  Messrs. Avery are imbued with a right spirit in all their Art-productions; and all their “cases” are characterized with good taste, strict utility, and faultless workmanship.

 

 

The Reliquary - July 1878[80]:  Messrs. Avery’s Needle Cases

Messrs. Avery & Son, of Redditch, to some of whose beautiful Art-productions we have already in these columns, on more than one occasion referred, have recently produced some entirely new and perfectly original designs in Metal-work Needle Cases, which merit more than a passing notice   One of these is the “Cleopatra’s Needle;” and both from name “Needle," and from form, nothing could well be more appropriate for the purpose than this obelisk.  By a clever little arrangement of hinges, on raising the top, the four sides fall down in form of a cross and discover the packets of needles inside.  It is a pleasing and clever, as well as elegant article.  Another pretty trifle is the "Stile Needle " - a rustic stile with mile-stone at the side, which opens and contains a goodly supply of needles.  Another is an exquisitely formed covered hand-cart, which runs as evenly on its wheels as if made by the Queen's coach builders and is as nattily ornamented as if designed by their chief painter; it holds a liberal supply of needles and pins, and forms a charming little receptacle for any knick-knacks.  Another is a pretty little Camp Kettle, of excellent proportion, and delicately fluted over its principal surface; and the next is a miniature Coal Scuttle, charmingly arranged so that the lids lift up automatically and disclose the inward treasures with which it is stored.  The whole of these are splendidly and thickly gilt, and richly decorated.  They are among the most elegant of trifles, and form the prettiest and most acceptable of gifts.

 

The British Trade Journal - June 1, 1885[81]:  The Antwerp International Exhibition - Messrs. Avery & Co., Redditch

A prominent position is occupied by this firm, who exhibit a collection of needles and pins and needle-cases in new and attractive designs.  Messrs. Avery have a needle-factory at Redditch, and another, where they manufacture cases, at Banbury[82].  They hold numerous patents for the invention of cases.  Among their latest novelties are needle-cases in the form of valentines, others in the shape of horseshoes, and others again represent the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, and the leaning tower of Pisa.  Many of these form useful and permanent ornaments, not less remarkable for the ingenuity with which they are conceived than for the skill and artistic treatment with which they have been worked out.  Messrs. Avery & Co. are well known as manufacturers of needles possessing all the high qualities which have made this class of British manufactures celebrated throughout the world.

 

Pictorial Record of the Royal Jubilee Exposition:  Manchester 1887[83] - Handicrafts

Near to this exhibit was a little machine, at the needle and pin stall of W. Avery and Son, of Headless Cross, Redditch, which had a special attraction for the ladies.  This curious little apparatus, upon which no small ingenuity had been expended, was engaged all day long in sticking pins in rows upon paper; the operation being not a little puzzling until one had an opportunity of inspecting the interior works.  Thousands of pins were poured into a hopper at the top, the attendant rapidly getting them straight and in order with a small brush; they then slid down a series of grooves in a perpendicular position, a blade came down and separated a row, and the machine stuck them into the paper.  The whole was done very rapidly, and saved an immense amount of labour.

 

 

William Avery & Son (W. Avery & Son):  Images

 

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Reconstructed drawing of the 1883 W. Avery & Son needle factory ground floor based on the original drawing found at the Worcestershire Archives.  Created by Roberta Russo.

 

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1923 drawing of the Heaths Springs factory in Headless Cross which was originally the W. Avery & Son needle factory (S=The Redditch and District Illustrated Business Review, 1923, copy obtained from Raymond McLaren).

 

 

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1968 photograph of the factory on the south side of Birchfield Road from the east (S=Peter Harris, Redditch area historian).

 

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Photograph of the factory during demolition in the 1970’s (S=Peter Harris, Redditch historian).

 

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Aerial view of the Heaths Springs/Avery factory probably taken in the 1970’s (S=Forge Mill Needle Museum archives).

 

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1968 photograph of the factory on the south side of Birchfield Road from the west (S=Peter Harris, Redditch area historian).

 

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Birchfield Road sign in Headess Cross at the intersection with Evesham Road, 2018.

 

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Stonehouse Close, on the south side of Birchfield Road, was built after the Avery factory was demolished, 2012.

 

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View of Stonehouse Close from the street side, 2018.

 

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Row houses being built on the original Wesleyan Methodist Church site on Evesham Road in Headless, 2017

 

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This retirement complex consists of 38 one- and two-bedroom bungalows which were built in 1989 (S=Internet search), 2012.

 

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View of Stonehouse Close from the back side, 2018.

 

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The church’s 1896 memorial stones in the construction site, before being moved to the Forge Mill Needle Museum, 2017.

 

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Early painting of the Forge Mill needle factory in Redditch, 2017 (S=Forge Mill Needle Museum).

 

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The scouring mill display at the Forge Mill Needle Museum shows how needles were polished during the Victorian Era, 2012.

 

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The original Letters Patent #2007 issued to William Avery in 1867, 2019 (S=Forge Mill Needle Museum).

 

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Avery display at the Forge Mill Needle Museum, 2017.

 

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The fly stamp press display at the Forge Mill Needle Museum shows how the eyes in needles were once made, 2012.

 

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The medal which was attached to the Avery Letters Patent, 2019 (S=Forge Mill Needle Museum).

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Intersection of Great Hampton Street, Great Hampton Row (right side) and Constitution Hill in Birmingham, UK, 2017.

 

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View of the west side of Great Hampton Row looking to the south, 2012.

 

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The building on the right is 190 Great Hampton Row, the approximate location of Avery’s pin manufacturing business, 2019.

 

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Great Hampton Row Street sign, 2012.

 

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View of west side of Great Hampton Row looking to the north, 2012.

 

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The area between the two buildings on Great Hampton Row in Birmingham in 2012.

 

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The area between the two buildings on Great Hampton Row in Birmingham seven years later in 2019.

 

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Pasteboard needle case marked William Avery & Sons, established 1782.

 

 

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Detail of John Avery’s grave at the Plymouth Road Cemetery in Redditch, 2018 (thank you Raymond McLaren for finding these graves).  

 

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Envelope showing that Avery manufactured safety pins (S=Chris Jackson, a Redditch area stamp collector).

 

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Original pasteboard box that contained Avery’s hook and eyes which were probably manufactured in Birmingham.

 

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Detail of William Avery’s grave at the Plymouth Road Cemetery in Redditch, 2018.

William Avery & Son (aka W. Avery & Son):  Genealogy

 

Parents unknown

·       Children:

1.     William Avery (c1758-1840) - see Generation 1.

2.     Charlotte Avery (c1771-1854).

o   Born: c1771 (S8d).

o   Married: Joseph Blundell April 12, 1789 St. Bartholomew, Tardebigg (S1m).  Listed as Charlotti Avery.

o   1841 Census: Paradiser Court, McDonald Lane, Manchester (S4).  Listed as Charlotte Blundell age 71 not born in the county living with William Blundell age 42 an engraver not born in the county and Amelia and 4 children.

o   1851 Census: 10 Meadow Lane, Leeds (S4).  Listed as Charlotte Blundell mother a widow age 80 born in Redditch living with son Robert Blundell age 50 a small wares dealer born in Macclesfield, Cheshire and his wife Jane.

o   Death: October 25, 1854 Leeds, York at age 83 (S8d).  Listed as Charlotte Blundell the widow of Joseph Blundell a corn miller, who died at 10 Meadow Lane in Leeds South East of gastritis exhaustion with Edward Blundell of Armley present at her death.

o   Burial: October 29, 1854 Leeds at age 84 (Slburial). Listed as Charlotte Blundell.

 

Generation 1:  William Avery (c1758-1840) and Lucy Chatterley (c1761-1830)

·       Born: c1758 (S8d).

·       Parents: unknown.

·       Married: Lucy Chatterley September 11,1781 St. Bartholomew, Tardebigge (S1m).  Listed as William Avery.

·       Wife’s Birth: c1761 (S1burial).

·       Occupation:  needle manufacturer who founded the firm W. Avery & Son.

·       Wife’s Burial: January 25, 1830 Redditch at age 69 (S1burial).  Listed as Lucy Avery.

·       Death:  December 21, 1840 Feckenham, Alcester at age 82 (S8d).  Listed as William Avery a needle manufacturer who died in Feckenham of paralysis with Mary Ann Chambers present at his death.

·       Burial: December 25, 1840 Feckenham at age 82 (S1burial).  Listed as William Avery.

·       Death Notice: Worcestershire Chronical newspaper dated January 6, 1841.  Lists the death of William Avery age 82 of Headless Cross (S=findmypast.co.uk).  The Leeds Times newspaper dated December 26, 1840, page 8 column 5 (S=britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk).  Lists the death at Redditch of William Avery age 85 of the firm Avery and Son, needle manufacturers, and uncle of Mr. Robert Blundell of this town.

·       Probate: not found.

·       Children:

1.      Sarah Avery (c1782-??).  Baptized January 7, 1782 Redditch (S1c).  Listed as Sarah Avery with parents William Avery and Lucy.

2.     John Avery (c1807-1865) - see Generation 2.

 

Generation 2:  John Avery (c1807-1865) and Catharine Johnson (c1805-1888)

·       Baptized: July 5, 1807 Redditch (S1c).  Listed as John Avery with parents William Avery and Lucy. (Note: There is only one other John Avery born in Redditch between 1797 and 1817 and he was John Augustus Avery who was baptized March 11, 1810 (S1c) with parents John Avery and Hannah.  This John is listed in the 1841, 1851 and 1861 (S4) censuses as a fish hook hardener with wife Martha and daughter Grace.  He died 4th QTR 1866 Bromsgrove (S5d) and does not appear to be related to the Avery families list here).

·       Married: Catharine Johnson August 4, 1829 Worcester (S1m).  Listed as John Avery.  (Note: the Worcester listed here probably refers to the county not the town.  Other records (S4) indicate Catharine Johnson was the daughter of Joseph Johnson.

·       Father-in-law: Joseph Johnson.

o   Born: c1772 (S8d) Feckenham (S4) (S8d).

o   Married Possibly: Hannah Jackson February 1797 St. Phillip, Birmingham (S1m).  Listed as Joseph Johnson.

o   1841 Census: with daughter’s family (S4).  Listed as Joseph Johnson age 70 occupation undecipherable not born in the county.  Living with the John and Catharine Avery family in Headless Cross.

o   1851 Census: with daughter’s family (S4).  Listed as Joseph Johnson father a widower age 79 formerly a farmer born in Feckenham.  Living with the Catharine Avery family in Headless Cross.

o   Occupation: farmer.

o   Death: June 2, 1851 Feckenham, Alcester at age 79 (S8d).  Listed as Joseph Johnson a farmer who died in Headless Cross of dropsy with Mary Chambers present at his death.

o   Probate: September 20, 1851 Prerogative Court of Canterbury (S6).  Will written August 18, 1847 lists Joseph Johnson as a gentleman from Headless Cross with 2 sons George and William and 1 daughter Catherina Avery, the wife of John Avery needle maker, a relative Michael Chambers a blacksmith and a son-in-law John Avery.  (Note: the will index incorrectly lists the residence as Fakenham on ancestry.com).

·       Wife’s Baptized: May 26, 1805 Feckenham (S1c) with parents Joseph Johnson and Hannah.

·       1841 Census: Headless Cross, Feckenham (S4).  Listed as John Avery age 33 a needle m born in the county with wife Catharine age 34 and 4 children all born in the county: William, Charles, Benjamin, and Joseph.  Also listed with this family was Joseph Johnson age 70 not born in the country and Mary Chambers age 19 a needle m not born in the county.

·       1851 Census: 11 High Street, Southampton (S4).  Listed as John Avery a visitor married age 42 a needle manufacturer born in Redditch with 1 child: Charles.

·       1851 Census: 78 Bromsgrove Road, Headless Cross, Feckenham (S4).  Listed as Chatharine Avery head married age 45 a needle manufacturer employing 6 persons born in Feckenham with father Joseph Jonson a widower age 79 formerly a farmer born in Feckenham and 3 children all born in Feckenham: William, Joseph and Catharine and 2 nieces Mary Chambers age 28 a needle maker and Hannah Hughes age 14 a needle maker.

·       1861 Census: 45 Headless Cross, Feckenham (S4).  Listed as John Avery age 53 a needle manufacturer born in Redditch with wife Catharine age 55 born in Headless Cross and 3 children all born in Headless Cross: Charles, Joseph and Catharine.

·       Occupation: needle maker and needle manufacturer.

·       Death: June 25, 1865, Feckenham, Alcester at age 58 (S8d).  Listed as John Avery a needle manufacturer who died at Headless Cross of natural decay with Charles Avery present at his death.

·       Obituary: Redditch Indicator newspaper dated July 1, 1865 (S=copy obtained from Vanessa Morgan a Redditch area genealogist hired in 2011-2012 to located this record).

·       Will: Listed as John Avery of Headless Cross a yeoman written March 18, 1865, proved September 22, 1865 lists his wife Catharine and 4 children: William, Charles, Joseph and Catherine.  (S=copy obtained from Vanessa Morgan a Redditch area genealogist hired in 2011-2012 to located this record).

·       Probate: September 22, 1865 Worcester (S6).  Listed as John Avery of Headless Cross a yeoman who died June 25, 1865 in Headless Cross proved by the oath of Catharine Avery of Headless Cross widow.  Effects: under £450.

·       Grave: Plymouth Road Cemetery in Redditch which lists both John Avery who died in 1865 and his wife Catharine Avery who died in 1888 (S=personal visit to the cemetery in 2017, 2018 and 2019).

·       1871 Census: 151 Headless Cross, Feckenham (S4).  Listed as Catharine Avery a widow age 65 born in Feckenham with 1 child: Joseph.

·       1881 Census: 131 Harris Lane, Headless Cross, Feckenham (S4).  Listed as Catharine Avery a widow age 75 a retire needle manufacturer born in Feckenham with 1 child: Joseph.

·       Wife’s Death: June 16, 1888 Feckenham, Alcester at age 83 (S8d).  Listed as Catharine Avery, the widow of John Avery a needle manufacturer, who died in Headless Cross of senile decay with the son William Avery present at her death.

·       Wife’s Obituary: Redditch Indicator newspaper dated about June 23, 1888.  (S=copy obtained from Vanessa Morgan a Redditch area genealogist hired in 2011-2012 to located this record).

·       Wife’s Will: Listed as Catharine Avery of Webheath written February 18, 1879, proved July 24, 1888 lists 3 children: William, Charles and Joseph and 4 children of her deceased daughter Catherine Hancox: Mary Hancox, Helen Hancox, Charles Owen Hancox and John James Hancox. (S=copy obtained from Vanessa Morgan a Redditch area genealogist hired in 2011-2012 to located this record).

·       Wife’s Probate: July 24, 1888 Worcester (S6).  Listed as Catharine Avery of Headless Cross widow who died June 16, 1888 proved by her sons William Avery and Charles Avery both of Headless Cross needle manufacturers.  Effects: £263.

·       Children:

1.     John Avery (c1830-1832)

o   Baptized: November 11, 1830 Ipsley (S1c).  Listed as John Avery with parents John Avery and Catharine.

o   Burial: February 10, 1832 Redditch (S1burial).  Listed as John Avery age 1.

2.     William Avery (1832-1899) - see Generation 3.

3.     Charles Avery (c1834-1911) and Elizabeth Welsbourne (c1834-1921)

o   Baptized: August 17, 1834 Redditch (S1c).  Listed as Charles Avery with parents John Avery and Catharine.

o   1841 Census: with parents (S4).  Listed as Charles Avery age 7 born in the county.

o   1851 Census: with father in Southampton (S4).  Listed as Charles Avery age 16 born in Redditch.

o   1861 Census: with parents (S4).  Listed as Charles Avery age 26 a needle manufacturer born in Headless Cross.

o   Married: April 9, 1861 Redditch, Bromsgrove (S8m).  Listed as Charles Avery age 26 a needle manufacturer from Headless Cross with father John Avery a needle manufacturer.  Elizabeth listed as age 26 from Redditch with father John Welsbourne a butcher.

o   Wife’s Baptism: August 3, 1834 Redditch (S1c) with parents listed as John Wellsborne and Susannah.

o   1871 Census: 150 Headless Cross, Feckenham (S4).  Listed as Charles Avery age 36 a needle manufacturer born in Feckenham with wife Elizabeth age 36 born in Redditch and Fanny Boote a niece age 6 born in North Wales.  Charles was living next door to his mother.

o   1881 Census: 130 Harris Lane, Headless Cross, Feckenham (S4).  Listed as Charles Avery age 46 a needle manufacturer born in Feckenham with wife Elizabeth age 46 born in Redditch.  Charles was living next door to his mother.

o   1891 Census: 124 Feckenham Road, Headless Cross, Feckenham (S4).  Listed as Charles Avery age 56 a needle manufacturer employer born in Feckenham with wife Elizabeth age 56 born in Redditch.

o   1901 Census: 8 Tower Street, Castlegate, York (S4).  Listed as Charles Avery a boarder married age 66 a retired needle manufacturer owner born in Redditch with wife Elizabeth age 69 born in Redditch.

o   Death: February 7, 1911 Headless Cross, Feckenham, Alcester at age 76 (S8d).  Listed as Charles Avery a retired needle manufacturer who died in Headless Cross of congestion of the lungs and exhaustion with Joseph Avery a brother in attendance at his death.

o   Occupation: needle manufacturer.

o   Obituary: Redditch Indicator newspaper dated February 11, 1911. (S=copy obtained from Vanessa Morgan a Redditch area genealogist hired in 2011-2012 to located this record).

o   Probate: May 17, 1911 London (S6).  Listed as Charles Avery of Headless Cross who died February 7, 1911 to Elizabeth Avery widow and Henry Greaves Shingler advertising manager,  Effects: £702.

o   1911 Census: 19 Monson Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent (S4).  Listed as Elizabeth Avery a boarder age 76 a widow with no occupation born in Redditch.   She is listed as having been married 42 years with 1 child who was still living although this appears to have been crossed out on the census.

o   Wife’s Death: April 29, 1921 Tonbridge, Kent at age 86 (S8d).  Listed as Elizabeth Avery, the widow of Charles Avery a needle manufacturer, who died at 27 Monson Road in Tunbridge Wells of heart disease with the informant listed as Cha. A Shingler a grandson from 195 Marla Vale, London.

o   Wife’s Probate: September 20, 1921 London (S6).  Listed as Elizabeth Avery of 27 Monson Terrance, Tunbridge Wells a widow who died April 29, 1921 to Henry Greaves Shingler a gentleman.  Effects: £240.

o   Possible Child or Niece or Possibly Two Separate Individuals: Fanny Avery (c1864-1939) or Fanny Boote (1864-1939) and Henry Greaves Shingler

·       Birth: June 29, 1864 Wrexham (S8b).  Listed as Fanny Susannah Boote with parents Joseph Boote and Mary Ann Boote formerly Wellsbourne from the town of Ruabon, Wrexham, Wales.  Mary Ann appears to be the sister of Charles Avery’s wife Elizabeth.

·       1871 Census: with Charles and Elizabeth Avery in Headless Cross (S4).  Listed as Fanny Boote a niece age 6 a scholar born in North Wales.

·       1881 Census: 45 Abberly House, Upton Warren, Droitwich (S4).  Listed as Fanny Avery a pupil age 16 a scholar born in Redditch.

·       Marriage: October 30, 1885 St. Saviour Southwark, Surrey (S8m).  Listed as Fanny Avery and Henry Greaves Shingler both who were living on Falmouth Road.  Henry was listed as a bachelor who was a clerk and whose father was Edward Shingler a traveler.  Fanny’s was listed as a spinster whose father was Charles Avery also a traveler.  February 10, 1887 Headless Cross, Alcester (S8m).  Listed as Fanny Boote and Henry Greaves Shingler.  Henry was listed as a bachelor who was a newspaper editor from Rotherham and whose father was Edward J. Shingler a commercial traveler.  Fanny’s was listed as a spinster from Headless Cross whose father was Joseph Boote a draper.

·       Children:

1.     Charles Avery Shingler (1889-1941)

o   Born:   March 7, 1889 Alcester (S8b).  Listed as Charles born in Headless Cross, Feckenham with parents Henry Greaves Shingler, newspaper proprietor and Fanny Shingler formerly Boote with registrar listed as Joseph Johnson.  Baptismal Name if added after Registration of Birth: Charles Avery (on certificate of naming).

o   1891 Censes: with parents (S4).  Listed as Charles Shingler age 2 born in Redditch. (Note: Charles is incorrectly listed in the census index as age 8).

o   1901 Census: Piermont College, Broadstairs, Kent.  Listed as Charles A. Shingler age 12 a pupil born in Redditch.

o   1911 Census: 35 York Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent (S4).  Listed as Charles Avery Shingler a boarder age 22 single a branch manager of the Junior Army & Navy Stores worker born in Redditch.

o   1915 Military Service: May 20, 1915 (S=London, England, Freedom of the City Admission Papers, 1681-1930 available at ancestry.com).  Listed as Charles Avery Shingler of Tunbridge Wells who was born March 7, 1889 in Headless Cross, the son of Henry Greaves Shingler, was serving as a private in the Ninth Btn Royal West Kent Regiment.

o   1939 Register: Whateley, Newton Abbott, Devon (S9). Listed as Charles A. Shingler who was born March 7, 1889 living on private means.

o   Death: 4th QTR 1941 Newton Abbott, Devon at age 56 (S5d).  Listed as Charles A. Shingler

o   Probate: March 24, 1942 Llandudno (S6).  Listed as Charles Avery Shingler of Whately Teigmouth Road Bishopsteignton, Devonshire who died November 13, 1941 to Hugh Hallifax Wells a solicitor.  Effects: £5,590.

·       1891 Census: 280 Enville, Balsall Heath, Kings Norton (S4).  Listed as Henry Greaves Shingler age 26 newspaper managing director employer born in Handsworth, Staffordshire with wife Fanny age 26 born in Redditch and 1 child: Charles age 2 born in Redditch.

·       1901 Census:  79 St. George Hanover Square, Westminster, London (S4).  Listed as Harry G. Shingler age 37 advertising canvasser born in Handsworth, Staffordshire with wife Fanny age 37 born Redditch.

·       1911 Census: 97 Twyford Avenue, West Action, Middlesex (S4).  Listed as Henry Greaves Shingler visitor age 44 an advertising manager born in Handsworth, Staffordshire with wife Fanny a visitor age 44 born in Clirk, Derbyshire.  Indicated they were married 24 years with 2 children 1 still living. (Note: the birth place of Fanny seems to be an error).

·       Husband’s Probate:  August 19, 1936 London.  Listed as Henry Greaves Shingler of 89 Whitechurch Gardens Edgware, Middlesex who died June 25, 1936 to Charles Avery Shingler an insurance agent and William Godfrey Scott-Hart a solicitor.  Effects: £9,571.

·       Death: December 25, 1937 Hendon (S8d).  Listed as Fanny Shingler age 73 of Edgware, Middlesex widow of Henry Greaves Shingler with informant listed as Chas. A. Shingler son.

4.      Benjamin Martin Avery (c1836-1846)

o   Baptized: June 8, 1836 Redditch (S1c).  Listed as Benjamin Avery with parents John Avery and Catharine.

o   1841 Census: with parents (S4). Listed as Benjamin age 5 born in the county.

o   Death: May 9, 1846 Feckenham, Alcester at age 10 (S8d).  Listed as Benjamin Martin Avery the son of John Avery a needle maker who died in Feckenham of inflammation of the brain with Joseph Johnson present at his death. 

5.     Joseph Avery (1839-1915)

o   Born: January 21, 1839 Feckenham, Alcester (S8b).  Listed as Joseph born in Feckenham with parents John Avery a needle manufacturer and Catherine Avery formerly Johnson.

o   1841 Census: with parents (S4).  Listed as Joseph Avery age 2 born in the country.

o   1851 Census: with mother (S4).  Listed as Joseph Avery age 12 a scholar born in Feckenham.

o   1861 Census: with parents (S4).  Listed as Joseph Avery age 22 a needle manufacturer born in Headless Cross.

o   1871 Census: with mother (S4).  Listed as Joseph Avery age 32 a needle manufacturer born in Feckenham.  Living next door to his brother Charles.

o   1881 Census: with mother (S4).  Listed as Joseph Avery age 41 a factor general born in Feckenham.  Living next door to his brother Charles.

o   1891 Census: 140 Evesham Road, Headless Cross, Feckenham (S4).  Listed as Joseph Avery a boarder unmarried age 52 living on own means born in Headless Cross.

o   1901 Census: 120 Birchfield Road, Headless Cross, Feckenham (S4).  Listed as Joseph Avery head unmarried age 62 a retired needle manufacturer born in Headless Cross.

o   1911 Census: Headless Cross, Redditch, Feckenham (S4).  Listed as Joseph Avery single age 72 an estate agent for Josiah Masons orphanage worker born in Headless Cross.

o   Married: never married.

o   Occupation: needle manufacturer.

o   Death: June 29, 1915 Feckenham, Alcester at age 76 (S8d).  Listed as Joseph Avery a retired needle manufacturer who died in Webheath of heart failure with the informant listed as Jane Tilley a cousin.

o   Obituary: Redditch Indicator newspaper dated July 2, 1915. (S=copy obtained from Vanessa Morgan a Redditch area genealogist hired in 2011-2012 to located this record).

o   Will: Listed as Joseph Avery of Headless Cross written September 17, 1908, proved September 24, 1915 by John James Hancox. (S=copy obtained from Vanessa Morgan a Redditch area genealogist hired in 2011-2012 to located this record).

o   Probate September 24, 1915 London (S6).  Listed as Joseph Avery of Birchfield Road Headless Cross who died June 29, 1915 to John James Hancox miller.  Effects £2,293.

6.     Catherine Avery (1842-1875) and Edmund Owen Hancox (1840-1904)

o   Born: April 22, 1842 Feckenham, Alcester (S8b).  Listed as Catharine born in Feckenham with parents John Avery a needle maker and Catharine Avery formerly Johnson.

o   1851 Census: with parents (S4). Listed as Catharine Avery age 8 a scholar born in Feckenham.

o   1861 Census: with parents (S4). Listed as Catharine Avery age 18 born in Headless Cross.

o   Married: Edmund Owen Hancox July 2, 1867 Headless Cross, Feckenham, Alcester (S8m).  Listed as Catherine Avery age 25 of Headless Cross whose father was John Avery a deceased needle manufacturer.  Edmund listed as age 26 a miller from Great Alne whose father was James Hancox a gentleman.

o   Husband’s Baptism: December 16, 1840 Stratford upon Avon (S1c).  Listed as Edmund Owen Hancox with parents James Hancox and Harriet.

o   1871 Census: 167 High Street, Evesham, Worcester (S4).  Listed as Edmund O. Hancox age 30 a flour miller employing 9 men born in Stratford on Avon with wife Catherina age 28 born in Headless Cross and 3 children: Mary, Helen and Charles Owen.

o   Death: August 11, 1875 Evesham, Worcester/Gloucester at age 33 (S8d).  Listed as Catherine Hancox, the wife of Edmund Owen Hancox a miller, who died in Evesham of typhoid fever with Edmund Owen Hancox the widower of the deceased present at her death.

o   Husband’s 2nd Marriage: Anne Fowler 2nd QTR 1877 Evesham (S5m).  Listed as Edmund Owen Hancox.

o   1881 Census: 38 Mill Street, Evesham, Worcester (S4).  Listed as Edwin C. Hancox age 40 a corn miller employing 2 clerks and 15 men born in Stratford with wife Ann age 32 born in Evesham and 5 children: Mary, Helen, John J., William H., and Edmund C.  (Note: the census lists the forename as Edwin which was probably a census error).

o   1891 Census: 40 Mill Head, Evesham, Worcester (S4).  Listed as Edmund O. Hancox age 50 a managing director of flour mill employer born in Stratford on Avon with wife Ann age 41 born in Evesham and 6 children: John J., Edmund O., Charles A., Ernest A., Catherine N. and Nancy E.

o   1901 Census:  94 Aeswent House, Warminster, Wiltshire (S4).  Listed as Edwin O. Hancox age 60 living on own means a retired miller born in Stratford on Avon with wife Anne age 52 born in Evesham and 4 children: Edmund O., Charles A., Catherine D. and Nancy E. (Note: the census lists the forename as Edwin which was probably a census error).

o   Husband’s Death: April 27, 1904 Stapleton, Bristol at age 63 (S8d).  Listed as Edmund Owen Hancox formerly a miller who died at 370 Fishponds Round in Stapleton of diabetes with Frances Bebb a niece present at his death.

o   Husband’s Probate: December 15, 1904 Bristol (S6).  Listed as Edmund Owen Hancox of 370 Fishponds Road, Bristol a miller who died April 27, 1904 to William Spencer a miller and Geoffrey New a solicitor.  Effects: £3,163.

o   Hancox, J. J.  Family Notes, Great Alne, Warwickshire, 1947.  This Hancox family history was written by John James Hancock (1872-1953) and includes information about the Avery family (pages 14-20).  According to this document, the details regarding the births in the John Avery (1807-1865) family were provided to the author by his cousin, Charles Harold Avery (1867-1943) from the Avery family bible.  This family history was obtained through email correspondence in 2016 with Mr. Hancox's grandson, John Avery Hancox of Cirencester, UK. 

o   Children: Catherine had three children according to her brother Joseph Avery’s will (they are also listed in 1871 and 1881 censuses).

1.     Mary Hancox (c1869-after1915).  Born: c1869 (S4).  Listed as the niece Mary Smith in her uncle Joseph Avery’s 1915 will.

2.     Helen Hancox (c1870-after 1915). Born: c1870 (S4) and c1870 (S8m). Married: Montague Joseph Cotton Davis April 12, 1894 (S8m).  Listed as Helen Hancox age 24 residing at Avon Mill House in Evesham whose father was Edmund Owen Hancox a miller master. Listed as the niece Helen Davis in her uncle Joseph Avery’s 1915 will.

3.     Charles Owen Hancox (1871-1880). Born: 1st QTR 1871 Evesham (S5b).  Died 4th QTR 1880 Evesham at age 9 (S5d).

4.     John James Hancox (1872-after 1915). Born: November 11, 1872 Evesham, Worcester/Gloucester (S8b).  Listed as John James born in Evesham with parents John Owen Hancox a miller and Catherine Hancox formerly Avery.   Married:  Kate Stephens June 23, 1903 Winchcombe, Gloucester (S8m).  Listed as John James Hancox age 30 a miller residing in Great Alne whose father was Edmund Owen Hancox a miller.  Listed as the nephew John James Hancox in his uncle Joseph Avery’s 1915 will.

o   Avery Stallard Hancox (1904-after 1915).  Born: 3rd QTR 1904 Alcester (S5b).  Listed as Avery Stallard Hancox.  Baptized: December 24, 1904 Winchcombe (S1c).  Listed as Avery Stallard Hancox with parents John James Hancox and Katie.  Marriage: Daphne Stow September 30, 1938 Fenny Compton, Warwick (S8m). Listed as Avery Stallard Hancox age 34 a miller residing at Great Alne whose father was John James Hancox a miller.  Died: September 1993 Bristol at age 89 (S5d).  Listed as Avery Stallard Hancox.

5.     Joseph Avery Hancox (1874-1875). Born: December 31, 1874 Evesham, Gloucester/Worcester (S8b).  Listed as Joseph Avery Hancox born in Evesham with parents Edmund Owen Hancox and Catherine Hancox formerly Avery.  Died: 3rd QTR 1875 Evesham at less than 1 year old.  Listed as Joseph Avery Hancox.

 

Generation 3:  William Avery (1832-1899) and Maria Proctor Dingley (1832-1895)

·       Born: May 1, 1832 in Headless Cross/Feckenham (S=obituary).

·       Baptized: May 13, 1832 Redditch (S1c) and (S=copy of original record obtained from Vanessa Morgan a Redditch area genealogist hired in 2011-2012 to located this record).   Listed as William Avery with parents John Avery and Katharine from Feckenham with occupation needle manufacturer.

·       1841 Census: with parents (S4). Listed as William Avery age 9 born in the county.

·       1851 Census: with mother (S4).  Listed as William Avery age 18 a needle manufacturer born in Feckenham.

·       Married: Maria Proctor Dingley September 18, 1855 Sherborne, Dorset (S8m).  Listed as William Avery age 23 a needle manufacturer from Headless Cross whose father was John Avery a needle manufacturer.  Maria was age 22 from Sherborne whose father was William Dingley a silk mercer.

·       Wife’s Birth: Maria Proctor Dingley was born October 24, 1832 in Sherborne, Dorset and baptized November 25, 1832 (S1c).  Listed as Maria Proctor Dingley with parents William Dingley and Grace Pearse.

·       Maria Proctor Dingley background:

o   1841 Census: Auman Street, Sherborne, Dorset (S4).  Listed as William Dingley age 40 a draper not born in the county with Grace age 40 not born in the county and 4 children all born in the county: William age 12, Alfred age 10, Maria age 8 and Emma age 6.

o   1851 Census: 40 Halfman Street, Sherborne, Dorset (S4).  Listed as Maria Dingle sister age 18 born in Sherborne living with her brother Edward Dingle age 24 a mercer and draper employing 8 hands born in Sherborne.

o   1851 Census:  160 Acreman Street, Sherborne, Dorset (S4).  Listed as William Dingley age 53 mercer and draper born in Cornwall with wife Grace age 54 born in Launceston, Cornwall and 2 children born Sherborne: Mary Ann age 25 and Alfred age 20.  (Note:  Alfred is incorrectly listed in the census index as 11 years old).

o   Brother’s Birth: January 2, 1827 Sherborne, Dorset and baptized February 4, 1827 with parents listed as William Dingley and Grace Pearse (S1c).  Listed as Edward Broadlick Dingley.

o   Father’s Probate: February 26, 1884 Blandford (S6).  Listed as William Dingley of Sherborne gentleman who died December 13, 1883 proved by Edward Broadlake Dingley of Sherborne a draper the son and Edward Pethybridge of Launceston, Cornwall a banker.  Effects: £5,078.

o   Sister’s Birth: Born November 19, 1835 Sherborne, Dorset and baptized December 20, 1835 (S1c).  Listed as Emma Dingley with parents William Dingley and Grace Pearse.

o   Sister’s Marriage:  May 13, 1862 Sherborne, Dorset (S8m).   Listed as Emma Dingley and Edward Pethybridge.  Emma’s was listed as from Sherborne and her father was listed as William Dingley a gentleman.  Edward was listed as from Launceston in Cornwall

o   Another Sister’s Marriage: July 18, 1854 Sherborne (S8m).  Listed as Mary Ann Dingley of Sherborne age 29 the daughter of William Dingley a silk mercer and Andrew Hingston.

·       1861 Census: 50 Sherborne Cottage, Headless Cross, Feckenham (S4).  Listed as William Avery age 28 a needle manufacturer born in Feckenham with wife Maria Proctor age 28 born in Sherborne, Dorset with 1 child: William John.

·       1871 Census: 108 Headless Cross, Feckenham (S4).  Listed as William Avery age 38 a needle manufacturer born in Feckenham with wife Maria P. age 38 born in Sherborne, Dorset with 2 children: Benjamin R. and Harold.

·       1881 Census: 136 Bromsgrove Road, Sherborne House, Headless Cross, Feckenham (S4).  Listed as William Avery age 48 a needle manufacturer born in Feckenham with wife Maria P. age 48 born in Sherborne, Dorset and 1 child: Ricardo.

·       1887 Booklet:  Old Redditch Being an Early History of the Town 1800-1850 written by William Avery.  Reprinted and edited by Anne Bradford in 1999.

·       1891 Census: 128 Birchfield Road, Headless Cross, Feckenham (S4).  Listed as William Avery age 58 married a needle manufacturer employer born in Feckenham with wife Maria P. age 48 born in Sherborne, Dorset and 2 children: Benjamin R. and Charles H.

·       1891 Census: 177 West Looe, Cornwall (S4).  Listed as Maria Proctor Avery a visitor married age 58 born in Sherborne, Dorset with Emma Pethybridge visitor married age 55 born in Sherborne, Dorset and Mary Ann Hingston a visitor age 66 married born in Sherborne.  These three women appear to be sisters.

·       Occupation: Needle manufacturer and figural brass needle case inventor.

·       Wife’s Death: June 14, 1895 Feckenham, Alcester at age 63 (S8d).  Listed as Maria Proctor Avery, the wife of William Avery a needle manufacturer, who died in Headless Cross of carcinoma ulcers with William Avery the widower of the deceased in attendance at her death.

·       Wife’s Obituary: not found.

·       Grave: Plymouth Road Cemetery, Redditch which lists both Maria Proctor Avery’s death in 1895 and William Avery’s death in 1899 (S=personal visit to the cemetery in 2017, 2018 and 2019).

·       Wife’s Probate: not found.

·       Death: July 31, 1899 Feckenham, Alcester at age 67 (S8d).  Listed as William Avery a needle manufacturer who died in Headless Cross of morbus cordis with Charles Avery his brother in attendance at his death. 

·       Buried: William Avery August 2, 1899 in unconsecrated ground at the Plymouth Road Cemetery in Redditch in brick grave 14R which he purchased for 2 pounds 2 shillings on June 17, 1895 in order to bury his wife (S=Worcester Family History Centre on Trinity Street in Worcester:  information obtained from Vanessa Morgan a Redditch area genealogist hired in 2011-2012 to located this record).

·       Obituary: Redditch Indicator newspaper dated August 5, 1899 (S=copy obtained from Vanessa Morgan a Redditch area genealogist hired in 2011-2012 to located this record).

·       Will: Listed as William Avery a needle manufacturer of Headless Cross written July 30, 1896 and proved September 29, 1899 left his estate to his two sons Benjamin Ricardo Avery and Charles Harold Avery.   (S=copy obtained from Vanessa Morgan a Redditch area genealogist hired in 2011-2012 to located this record).

·       Probate:  September 29, 1899 Worcester (S6).  Listed as William Avery of Headless Cross a needle manufacturer who died July 31, 1899 to Benjamin Ricardo Avery and Charles Harold Avery gentleman.  Effects: £11,884.

·       Memorial Booklet 1899:  In Memoriam William Avery, J. P. of Headless Cross, Redditch.  Born 1832.  Died 1899.  (S=copy obtained from Vanessa Morgan a Redditch area genealogist hired in 2011-2012 to located this record.   Per “The Hive” in Worcester, UK website, this item is listed in their online catalogue as available at the Redditch Library).   

·       Children:

1.     Helen Grace Avery (1856-1860)

o   Born: June 24, 1856 Feckenham, Alcester (S8b).  Listed as Helen Grace born in Headless Cross with parents listed as William Avery a needle manufacturer and Maria Proctor Avery formerly Dingley.

o   Death: not found (Note: because she is not listed in the 1861 census and is not listed with the family at other times, it seems most likely that she died sometime between 1856 and 1861).

o   Grave Reference: #37, Wesleyan, Sherborne, Dorset.  Listed as Helen Grace Avery age 4 born in 1856 and died June 23, 1860 daughter of William Avery. (S=Dorset Monumental Inscriptions available at findmypast.co.uk).

o   Obituary: Worcestershire Chronical newspaper dated July 4, 1860.  Lists the death of Ellen Grace June 23, 1860 at Sherborne, aged 4 years, daughter of William Avery of Headless Cross.  (S=findmypast.co.uk).

2.     William John Avery (1859-1869)

o   Born: August 13, 1859 Feckenham. Alcester (S8b) Listed as William John born in Headless Cross with parents listed as William Avery a needle manufacturer and Maria Proctor Avery formerly Dingley.

o   1861 Census: with parents (S4). With parent’s(S4).  Listed as Willm Jno age 1 born in Feckenham.

o   Death: September 12, 1869 Sherborne, Dorset at age 10 (S8d).  Listed as William Avery, the son of William Avery a needle manufacturer, who died in Sherborne of diabetes with Alfred Dingley in attendance at his death.

3.     Benjamin Ricardo Avery (1862-1947)

o   Born: May 4, 1862 Feckenham, Alcester (S8b).  Listed as Benjamin Ricardo born in Headless Cross with parents William Avery a needle manufacturer and Maria Proctor Avery formerly Dingley.

o   1871 Census: with parents (S4).  Listed as Benjamin R. Avery age 8 scholar born in Feckenham.

o   1881 Census: with parents (S4).  Listed as Ricardo Avery age 18 born in Feckenham.

o   1891 Census: with parents (S4).  Listed as Benjamin R. Avery age 28 a needle manufacturer assistant employed born in Feckenham.

o   1901 Census: 18 Madison Rd. Hammersmith, London (S4).  Listed as Ricardo Avery a boarder age 38 living on own means born in Headless Cross.  He is listed next to his brother and sister-in-law Charles Avery and Winifred.

o   1911 Census: 59 Pevensey Road, Eastbourne (S4).   Listed as Benjamin Ricardo Avery a board age 45 single retired tea planter born in Redditch.  Listed next to his brother Charles Avery.

o   Married: never married.

o   Occupation: usually listed in censuses as a Headless Cross needle manufacturer or a tea planter.

o   Death: February 4, 1947 Evesham, Worcester at age 84 (S8d).  Listed as Benjamin Ricardo Avery with no occupation who died at 87 Ela Road in Evesham of myocardial failure with W. H. Avery a nephew listed as the informant.

o   Obituary: The Evesham Standard and West Midland Observer newspaper dated February 8, 1947, page 4 column 6.  (S=britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk).

o   Will: Listed as Benjamin Ricardo Avery of Evesham written June 3, 1943 and amended January 9, 1945, proved March 21, 1947 by William Harold Avery.  Lists the author Charles Harold Avery as a witness at the same address as Benjamin Ricardo and William Harold Avery.  Lists William Harold Avery as a bank clerk. (S=copy obtained from Vanessa Morgan a Redditch area genealogist hired in 2011-2012 to located this record).

o   Probate: March 21, 1947 Birmingham (S6).  Listed as Benjamin Ricardo Avery of 87 Elm Road Evesham who died February 4, 1947 to William Harold Avery a bank clerk.  Effects: £611.

o   Misc: listed in father’s obituary as Richardo Avery

4.     Charles Harold Avery (1867-1943) and Winifred Allen (1869-1938)

o   Born: April 13, 1867 Feckenham. Alcester (S8b).  Listed as Charles Harold born in Headless Cross with parents William Avery a needle manufacturer and Maria Proctor Avery formerly Dingley.

o   1871 Census: with parents (S4).  Listed as Harold Avery age 3 born in Feckenham.

o   1881 Census: Compton Place Rd, New College, Eastbourne (S4).  Listed as Charles H. Avery age 13 a scholar born in Redditch.

o   1891 Census: with parents (S4).  Listed as Charles H. Avery age 23 a needle manufacturer assistant employed born in Feckenham.

o   Married: Winifred Allen April 26, 1898 Launceston, Cornwall (S8m).  Listed as Charles Harold Avery age 30 an author residing at 3 Ridgegrove Villas, St. Stephen’s by Launceston whose father was William Avery a needle manufacturer.  Winifred was listed as age 29 residing at North Hall in Launceston whose father was George Lupton Allen a Wesleyan minister.

o   Wife’s Birth:  March 25, 1869 Bangor, Wales (S8b).  Listed as Winifred Allen born in Upper Banger with parents George Lupton Allen a Wesleyan minister and Mary Jane Allen formerly Pethybridge.

o   1901 Census: 18 Madison Rd. Hammersmith, London (S4).  Listed as Chas Hd Avery boarder age 33 an author born in Headless Cross with wife Winifred age 31 born in Bangor, Wales and Ricardo Avery age 38 living on own means born in Headless Cross.

o   1911 Census: 59 Pevensey Road, Eastbourne (S4).   Listed as Charles Harold Avery a boarder age 43 married an author in Redditch.  Also indicated he was married 3 years and had no children.  Listed next to his brother Benjamin Avery.  (Note: it is unclear why Charles indicates he had no children when his wife Winifred lists 1 child in her 1911 census, perhaps only females included that information).

o   1911 Census:  Dunheved Rd, Launceston, Cornwall. Listed as Winifred Avery a sister age 42 married born in Bangor, Wales with William Harold Avery a nephew age 3 born in Malvern living with Margaret Mary Allen head.  Winifred is listed as having been married 12 years with 1 child still living. (Note: William is the nephew of the head and the son of Winifred).

o   1922 Letter:  Address on a letter dated December 15, 1922 written by Harold Avery of Wyndcliffe, Horneyold Road, Malvern (S=copy obtained from Vanessa Morgan a Redditch area genealogist hired in 2011-2012 help research the Avery family).

o   Wife’s Death: December 19, 1938 Stratford-on-Avon, Warwick at age 69 (S8d).  Listed as Winifred Avery, the wife of Charles Harold Avery an author, who died at 47 Hathaway Lane in Old Stratford of hemiplegia and cerebral thrombosis with W. H. Avery a son listed as the informant.

o   Wife’s Obituary: Stratford-upon-Avon Herald newspaper dated December 23, 1938, page 12, col. 6. (S=email communication with the British Library Newspapers, London July 11, 2011).

o   Occupation: author.

o   Death: September 25, 1943 Evesham, Worcester at age 76 (S8d).  Listed as Charles Harold Avery an author who died at 87 Elm Road in Evesham of cerebral hemorrhage with W. H. Avery a son listed as the informant.

o   Probate: not found.

o   Obituary: not found.

o   Misc: listed in father’s obituary as Harold Avery and in uncle Joseph Avery’s obituary as the author Harold Avery.

o   Children:

1.     William Harold Avery (1907-1971).  Born: October 10, 1907 Malvern, Upton on Severn, Worcester (S8b).  Listed as William Harold born at Wyndcliffe, Horneyold Road, Malvern with parents Charles Harold Avery an author and Winifred Avery formerly Allen. 1911 Census:   Death: December 11, 1971 Torbay, Devon (S8d).  Listed as William Harold Avery who was born in 1907 and died of a cerebral vascular accident.  He was listed as a retired bank manager with the address of Windycliffe, 6 Spring Hill Road, Totnes. Obituary:  Herald Express Torquay, newspaper dated Monday December 13-Sunday December 18, 1971 (S=email communication with the Torquay Reference Library June 23, 2011).

S=Note 1: 

I believe Fanny Avery and Fanny Boote are the same person because, other than the two separate marriage records, only one of them can be found at a given time.  I found a birth record in 1864 for Fanny Boote in Denbighshire, Wales, listing her mother’s maiden name as Wellsbourne, the same maiden name as Charles Avery’s wife Elizabeth, meaning Fanny Boote was probably their niece.  I could find no record of the birth of a Fanny Avery with parents listed as Charles and Elizabeth Avery anytime between 1860-1870 in the counties of Worcestershire and Warwickshire.  Also, although I could find no Fanny Avery in the 1871 census of that area, I did find a Fanny Boote age 6 listed as born in Wales living with Charles and Elizabeth Avery in Headless Cross.  I could find no Fanny Boote in the 1881 census, however I did find a Fanny Avery age 16 listed as born in Redditch living as a scholar at a school in a town near Redditch.  Then I found a Fanny Avery (listed as born in 1864 with a father named Charles Avery) who married a Henry Greaves Shingler in Surry in 1885 and a Fanny Boote (with a father listed as Joseph Boote) who married a Henry Greaves Shingler in Headless Cross in 1887.  In both cases Henry was listed as a bachelor with a father named Edward Shingler, a traveler.  If Henry had married two different women named Fanny at two different times, I would expect to find the death of his first wife, Fanny Shingler, sometime after the first marriage but before the second marriage, but no death record was found.  In 1889 I found the birth record of Charles Avery Shingler who was born in Redditch with parents listed as Henry Greaves Shingler and Fanny Boote.  In the 1891, 1901 and 1911 censuses there was only one Henry Greaves Shingler (aka Harry Greaves Shingler) with a wife named Fanny.  In 1891 they are living in Kings Norton (Birmingham area) and Fanny was listed as age 26 born in Redditch and Henry age 26 born in Handsworth with a son Charles age 2 born in Redditch.  In 1901 they are living in Westminster, Middlesex (London area) and Fanny was listed as age 37 born in Redditch and Henry age 37 born in Handsworth.  In 1911 they were living in West Action, Middlesex (London area) and Fanny was listed as age 44 born in Denbighshire and Henry age 44 born in Handsworth.  They were listed that year as having been married 24 years (1887) with two children one still living.  Additionally, there was only one Henry Greaves Shingler born in Staffordshire between 1860-1870 with a father named Edward who was a traveler.  Henry was actually born in 1864 and this birth year matches within a few years with all of the census records 1871-1911.  In 1911, when Charles Avery died, he left part of his estate to Henry Greaves Shingler.   Then when Elizabeth Avery died in 1921, Charles Avery Shingler was listed as a grandson and the informant on her death record and he was also listed in her probate record.

 

Based on this evidence, I believe a niece named Fanny Boote went to live with Charles and Elizabeth Avery as a child and was adopted by them possible after her birth mother died.  Then Fanny assumed the surname Avery which she used for a number of years.  She used Avery as her maiden name when she married Henry Greaves Shingler in 1885 in Southward, St. Saviour, Surrey (London area) at the Registry Office where they possibly eloped.  A little over a year later in 1887 they married again at the church rectory in Headless Cross and this time she gave her birth surname and birth father’s name for the marriage record.  Why did they marry a second time?  Possibly because their first marriage was in the Registry Office and they and/or other family members didn’t feel it was an official marriage because it didn’t take place in the church.  Or maybe they didn’t feel the 1885 marriage was legitimate because she used her adopted father’s name and surname.  A couple of years later when her first child was born, she named him after the man she felt was like a father to her, Charles Avery.  During various census years, 1881, 1891 and 1901 she or the person giving the census taker the information claimed she was born in Redditch.  Only in 1871 and again in the 1911 census did Fanny’s actual birth place get recorded correctly.  Additionally, in 1911 Elizabeth Avery told the census taker she had one child who was still living because to her Fanny was her daughter.  This would explain why Fanny’s son, Charles Avery Shingler who lived in the London area, was listed as a grandson on Elizabeth Avery’s 1921 death record, because he considered her his grandmother.  

 

 

Avery Style Needle Cases Patented/Registered by Avery or Signed by Avery

·       Details regarding the 221 Avery style needle case designs uncovered to date, including over 120 created by Avery, can be found in the book entitled “A Guide to Collecting Avery Needle Cases”  by Terry Meinke, first edition published in 2017 and second edition published in 2020.

 

  


Endnotes

 

[1] The advertisement seen on this page is from Hints on Haberdashery & Drapery, Etc., by J. W. Hayes, Third Edition, 1875.  Listed in the unnumbered advertisement section at the end, approximately page 69.  (S=books.google.com).

[2] Redditch Indicator newspaper dated August 5, 1899.  (S=available on microfilm at the Redditch Library).

[3] One of these pasteboard needle cases is in my possession and a photograph of it is in the Images section of this chapter.  Another example is in the possession of Lynda Herrod of Brisbane, Australia and can be seen on my website at http://www.coulthart.com/avery/other-items.html.

[4] The Reliquary, Quarterly Archeological Journal and Review. A Depository of Precious Relics Vol. XVI 1875-1876.  July 1875, pages 53 and 54 contain information about W. Avery & Son’s fancy needle cases that were displayed at the Vienna and Paris exhibitions and includes a paragraph which says “Messrs. W. Avery and Son are among the oldest needle makers in the kingdom their works dating back to nearly a century”.   (S=books.google.com).

[5] As of March 2020, the only place I have found where the company name is listed as W. Avery & Sons or William Avery & Sons is on several pasteboard needle cases and in two exhibition references: Vienna 1873 and Antwerp (1885) which appear to be errors.

[6] The Universal Magazine of Knowledge and Pleasure; Containing … and Other Arts and Sciences, Vol. XCII, 1793, by W. Bent.   Pages 316-317 list Bankrupts including William Avery on April 9, 1793. (S=books.google.com).

[7] S. Lewis Worcestershire General and Commercial Directory for 1820.  (S=complied copies available from fellow researcher Raymond McLaren and on the internet at https://www.parishmouse.co.uk/worcestershire/redditch-lewis-worcestershire-directory-1820/).

[8] “A History and Directory of Redditch including Headless Cross” dated July 1822 prepared by F. M. (F. Milward) was included as a reference in a document printed after 1877.  (S= photocopy of the original obtained from Raymond McLaren).

[9] Redditch A Century Ago from a Directory of Redditch compiled by T. Mence post master in 1823.  Probably published in 1923.  (S=photocopy of the original obtained from Raymond McLaren).

[10] The definition of factor from the Merriam -Webster dictionary is “one who acts or transacts business for another”.

[11] Pigot and Co.’s National Commercial Directory for 1828-29.  Listed in the Redditch section of the directory, page 872.  This directory included a Feckenham section on page 866, but Avery was not listed there. (S=books.google.com).

[12] For more details regarding later directories, see the Needle Manufacturer and City and Trade Directory section of the Introduction to this book.

[13] The Law Advertiser for the Year 1831. Vol. IX, No. 31 Thursday, August 4, 1831.  Page 279 dated March 11, 1831 lists a Partnership Dissolution for William Avery and Son.  (S=books.google.com).

[14] Accounts and Papers: Nineteen Volumes. (14) Trade: Corn: Post Office: Postage. Session 26 January – 22 June 1841, Vol. XXVI, 1841.  Needles and Fish-Hooks section includes John Avery as one of 57 needle manufacturers from the Redditch area who signed the memorial in 1840. (S=books.google.com).

[15] Robinson’s Birmingham & Sheffield Directory, 1839.   Listed as W. Avery & Son a needle and fish hook manufacturer or maker in Redditch on pages 505 and 507.  In this directory there are other companies in the Redditch section with the words “Headless Cross” next to them but Avery does not which appears to mean the Avery needle business was located in Redditch at this time and not in Headless Cross. (S= www.historicaldirectories.org). 

[16] Pigot and Co’s Royal National and Commercial Directory and Topography of the Counties of . . . Worcestershire, 1842.  This is the first time William Avery & Son is listed in the Feckenham section of the directory on page 20, but is not listed in the Redditch section on page 29.  In Pigot’s 1835 directory, William Avery and Son were listed in the Redditch section of the directory on page 651 but not in the Feckenham section on page 643. (S=books.google.com).

[17] We know the family was living in Headless Cross by 1832 because John and Catharine’s son William Avery was born there that year.

[18] Per 1841 and 1851 censuses.

[19] For source information regarding Joseph Johnson’s will see the Genealogy section of this chapter.

[20] The list of Avery pin and needle cases on this page is from the Forge Mill Needle Museum archives.   For detailed information about the needle case designs created by W. Avery & Son and their history see my book A Guide to Collecting Avery Needle Cases, 2017 and/or my website “The Avery Needle Case Resource Center” on the internet at www.coulthart.com/avery.

[21] The information in the next couple of paragraphs is based on data I collected over a period of 20 years regarding the names stamped on these needle cases and when the designs were patented or registered.  Copies of patents were obtained from the British Library Business and Intellectual Property Centre in London and design registrations from The National Archives in Kew.  Detailed information is available in my book A Guide to Collecting Avery Needle Cases, 2017 and at my website “The Avery Needle Case Resource Center” on the internet at www.coulthart.com/avery.

[22] Documents at the Worcestershire Archives include a floor plan of the factory which was drawn by an architect in 1883 which implies the building was made around that time.  Worcestershire Record Office - 705:414/8189/34/ii 1883-1913.  Documents related to sale of Sherborne Cottage to J. English & Son Ltd and - 705:414/8779/11/iv/5-11 1861-1914.  Deeds, covenants, copy correspondence and list of documents related to the purchase by J. English and Son Ltd. of Redditch of the business of needle, pin and fish hook manufacture and dealing in small wares of William Avery and Son of Headless Cross, Redditch (S=personal visit to the Worcestershire Record Office at The Hive in Worcester, UK in 2017).  Also, according to Family Notes, a family history written by J. J. Hancox in 1947, he remembers the Avery factory being built around 1880.  John James Hancox, the nephew of William Avery (1832-1899) was born in 1872.  (S=from Family Notes page 16, a copy was obtained from John Avery Hancox, the grandson of the author who lives in Cirencester, UK).

[23] The 1881 census for William Avery indicates he was a needle manufacturer employing what appears to be 40 persons, however that number could be 70 as it is very hard to read because of the hand writing.

[24] This drawing of the factory floor plan is from the Worcestershire Record Office - 705:414/8189/34/ii 1883-1913.  Documents related to sale of Sherborne Cottage to J. English & Son Ltd and - 705:414/8779/11/iv/5-11 1861-1914.  Deeds, covenants, copy correspondence and list of documents related to the purchase by J. English and Son Ltd. of Redditch of the business of needle, pin and fish hook manufacture and dealing in small wares of William Avery and Son of Headless Cross, Redditch (S=personal visit to the Worcestershire Record Office at The Hive in Worcester, UK in 2017).

[25] The photograph on the next page is of the intersection of Great Hampton Street, Great Hampton Row and Constitution Hill in Birmingham taken in 2017.

[26] The Post Office Directory of Birmingham with its Suburbs for 1878, by E. R. Kelly.  Pages 68, 259, 451 and 527 list W. Avery & Co. as pin manufacturers and Avery Bros. as pearl button manufacturers at the same address.  (S= books.google.com).  Also, in the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1878 Official Catalogue of the British Section. Part I, 1878.   Class 43 page 143 lists William Avery & Son, Redditch: Needle and pin manufacturers, inventors from Headless Cross, Redditch and 192 Great Hampton Row, Birmingham - Needles, Needle Cases, and Pins. (S=books.google.com).  Francis White & Co’s Commercial & Trades Directory of Birmingham, Vol. II, 1875.  Wm. Avery & Son is only listed on page 1140 as a needle and fish hook maker in Headless Cross in the Redditch section. This implies that the pin factory in Birmingham was established sometime between 1875 and 1878. (S=books.google.com).

[27] Listed as W. Avery & Co located at 192 Great Hampton Row as a pin manufacturer in the following directories: The Post Office Directory of Birmingham with its Suburbs for 1879, by E. R. Kelly, pages 69, 273 and 554.  (S= books.google.com).  Kelly’s Directory of Birmingham Commercial, Trade and Official, 1880, page 286.  Houghton and Co. Birmingham Post Office Directory Part 2, 1882 page 714.  Kelly’s Directory of Birmingham Commercial and Trades Section, 1883, page 673.  The 1880, 1882 and 1883 directories (S=Library of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK).

[28] London International Exhibition, 1873 - Popular Edition of the Official Catalogue.  Fine Art and Industrial Departments In One Volume.  Page 140 lists W. Avery and Son, Redditch, needles in metal cases. (S= books.google.com).

[29] Reports on the Vienna Universal Exhibition, 1873, Part 1.  Listed as W. Avery & Sons, Redditch on page 30, W. Avery & Son: Needles on page 58 and W. Avery & Son: Pins, hairpins, hooks & eyes, &c on page 59. (S=books.google.com).  Also mentioned in the Sheffield and Rotherham Independent newspaper August 28, 1873, page 4, column 4 which lists W. Avery and Sons receiving an honourable mention award at the Vienna Exhibition of 1873 (S=britishnewspaperarachive.com).

[30]The Reliquary, Quarterly Archeological Journal and Review. A Depository of Precious Relics Vol. XVI 1875-1876.  July 1875 pages 53, 54 and 169 include information about W. Avery & Son fancy needle cases that were displayed at the Vienna and Paris exhibitions.  (S=books.google.com). 

[31] The Reliquary, Quarterly Archeological Journal and Review, A Depository of Precious Relics Vol. XVI 1875-1876.  July 1875 pages 53, 54 and 169 include information about W. Avery & Son fancy needle cases that were displayed at the Vienna and Paris exhibitions.  (S=books.google.com). 

[32] Paris Universal Exhibition of 1878 Official Catalogue of the British Section Part I, 1878.   Lists William Avery & Son, Redditch: Needle and pin manufacturers, inventors from Headless Cross, Redditch and 192 Great Hampton Row, Birmingham - Needles, Needle Cases, and Pins on pages: Index except Fine Arts and Live Stock page 13, Class 43 page 143 and Subject Index page 348. (S=books.google.com).

[33] Leeds Mercury newspaper dated September 17, 1883, page 8, column 3.   Lists Avery and Son of Redditch as receiving a silver medal at the Amsterdam Exhibition of 1883. (S=britishnewspaperarhvies.com).

[34] The British Trade Journal, Vol XXIII, No.270, June 1, 1885.  The Antwerp International Exhibition.  Page 372 contains a brief article about Messrs. Avery & Co, Redditch which indicates Avery had a needle factory in Redditch and another where they manufactured cases at Banbury.  (S= books.google.com).  Further research was done regarding Avery operating in Banbury and I was unable to find any additional information, perhaps this was an error.   Also in The Engineer, August 28, 1885.  Page 169 mentioned W. Avery & Sons, Redditch as winners of an award at the Antwerp Exhibition.  (S=books.google.com).

[35] Although no catalog of participants at this exhibition has been found, an example of Avery’s needle case with the exhibition building and the words “Liverpool Exhibition 1886” is in the author’s collection.

[36]Based on the author’s research, 27 needle case designs were registered by W. Avery & Son from 1874-1886 and an additional 18 needle case designs were registered by others from 1874-1886, but have been seen with the W. Avery & Son name stamped on them.

[37] The Pictorial Record of the Royal Jubilee Exhibition Manchester 1887.  Page 93 describes the machine in the stall of W. Avery that sticks pins in rows upon paper.  (S=books.google.com). 

[38] Birmingham Daily Post newspaper dated October 15, 1888, page 8, column 5.  Lists William Avery and Co. of Redditch as receiving a gold medal for needles, pins and machine at the Brussels Exhibition of 1888. (S=www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk).

[39] Much of the information about the exhibition in this paragraph comes from the internet “Exposition Universelle (1889)” at (S=Wikipedia) and the book Eiffel’s Tower and the World’s Fair where Buffalo Bill Beguiled Paris, the Artists Quarreled, and Thomas Edison became a Count, 2009, by Jill Jonnes.   

[40] Paris Universal Exhibition 1889 - Official Catalogue of the British Section, 1889.  Lists William Avery & Son, Headless Cross: various kinds of needles, pins, fancy pin and needle cases, machinery for sticking pins in paper on page 50 and 140.  (S=books.google.com). 

[41] “Exposition Universelle (1889)” at (S=Wikipedia) and the book Eiffel’s Tower and the World’s Fair where Buffalo Bill Beguiled Paris, the Artists Quarreled, and Thomas Edison became a Count, 2009, by Jill Jonnes.

[42] Design Registration # Rd99201 registered May 2, 1888. (S=The National Archives, Kew).

[43] Report of His Majesty’s Commissioners for the Paris International Exhibition 1900 Vol. II, 1901.  Page 285 lists William Avery & Son, Headless Cross as the winner of a silver medal. (S= books.google.com).  Also found on a memorandum dated October 6, 1902 on William Avery & Son of Headless Cross letterhead which contains the words “Silver medal Paris 1900 (S=copy obtained from Vanessa Morgan, a Redditch area genealogical researcher in 2011).

[44] Worcestershire Record Office - 705:414/8189/34/ii 1883-1913.  Documents related to sale of Sherborne Cottage to J. English & Son Ltd and - 705:414/8779/11/iv/5-11 1861-1914.  Deeds, covenants, copy correspondence and list of documents related to the purchase by J. English and Son Ltd. of Redditch of the business of needle, pin and fish hook manufacture and dealing in small wares of William Avery and Son of Headless Cross, Redditch (S=personal visit to the Worcestershire Record Office at The Hive in Worcester, UK in 2017).

[45] This photograph of the Forge Mill Needle Museum was taken in 2017.

[46] Detailed sources for the genealogical information mentioned here can be found in the Genealogy section of this chapter.

[47] This painting of John Avery on the next page is in the possession of John Avery Hancox of Cirencester, UK who is a descendant of John’s daughter Catharine who married Edmund Hancox.  This photograph was taken during my 2017 visit with Mr. Hancox at his home in Cirencester.

[48] This painting of Catharine Avery is in the possession of John Avery Hancox of Cirencester, UK who is a descendant of John’s daughter Catharine who married Edmund Hancox.  This photograph was taken during my 2017 visit with Mr. Hancox at his home in Cirencester.

[49] Based on the currency converter at The National Archives website at  http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/currency-converter/.

[50] Based on the currency converter at The National Archives website at  http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/currency-converter/.

[51] Definition from Google.com.

[52] Redditch Indicator newspaper dated July 1, 1865 (see Genealogy section for source details).

[53] Redditch Indicator newspaper dated June 23, 1888 (see Genealogy section for source details).

[54] For details see S=Note 1 in the Genealogy section of this chapter.

[55] For details see S=Note 1 in the Genealogy section of this chapter.

[56] For details see S=Note 1 in the Genealogy section of this chapter.

[57] Redditch Indicator newspaper dated February 11, 1911 (see Genealogy section for source details).

[58] This photograph of Joseph Avery is from the Forge Mill Needle Museum archives.

[59] Redditch Indicator newspaper dated June 2, 1915 (see Genealogy section for source details).

[60] Some of the history of this William Avery comes from his 1899 obituary as well as the 21-page pamphlet distributed at his funeral entitled “In Memoriam William Avery, J. P. of Headless Cross, Redditch.  Born 1832.  Died 1899”.  See the Genealogy section of this chapter for more details.

[61] From my review and analysis of the entire 1841 census of the Headless Cross area.

[62] This painting on the next page of William Avery in his youth is in the possession of John Avery Hancox of Cirencester, UK who is a descendant of John’s daughter Catharine who married Edmund Hancox.  This photograph was taken during my 2017 visit with Mr. Hancox at his home in Cirencester.

[63] Dickens, Charles.  Household Words A Weekly Journal Vol.  IV, 1852, pages 540-546. (S=books.google.com).

[64] The Auxiliary Forces List: Being a List of the Officers of the Militia, Yeomanry, and Volunteers, the Present Number Containing – Staffordshire - Warwickshire – Worcestershire.  Pages 71 and 75 lists William Avery of Sherborne House, Headless Cross, Redditch as a Lieutenant with the 17th Headquarters, Redditch.  He was an Ensign on July 23, 1865 and a lieutenant on June 13, 1867.  (S=books.google.com). Also listed in Noake’s Guide to Worcestershire, 1868.  Page 307 lists Mr. W. Avery as a Lieutenant with the Redditch Best Rifle Corps.  (S=books.google.com).   

[65] The Musical Standard Vol. V July 1 to December 31, 1866, No. III - Vol. V. London, Saturday, September 15, 1866.  Page 161 lists the performance of Mr. W. Avery at the pianoforte at the Feckenham Church during the Worcester Festival.  (S=books.google.com). 

[66] A History of the Shakespeare Memorial Stratford-on-Avon Second Edition, 1882.  Page 34 lists W. Avery, Esq., Redditch as a contributor.  (S=books.google.com).   He is also listed as esquire in The English Illustrated Magazine 1889-1890.  Between pages 298 and 299 is an unnumbered section that lists William Avery, Esq, Headless Cross, Redditch indicating his son had a stammer and how Mr. Beasley provided treatment.  (S=books.google.com). 

[67] Old Redditch Being an Early History of the Town from 1800-1850, 1887, by William Avery.  Reprinted and edited by Anne Bradford in 1999.      

[68] From research I did with assistance from Peter Harris, a historian in the Redditch area which is available on the internet at http://www.coulthart.com/avery/history-pages/wesleyan-church-history.html.

[69] Based on the currency converter at The National Archives website at  http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/currency-converter/.

[70] Based on the currency converter at The National Archives website at  http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/currency-converter/.

[71] See the Genealogy section for source details.

[72] Worcestershire Record Office - 705:414/8189/34/ii 1883-1913.  Documents related to sale of Sherborne Cottage to J. English & Son Ltd and - 705:414/8779/11/iv/5-11 1861-1914.  Deeds, covenants, copy correspondence and list of documents related to the purchase by J. English and Son Ltd. of Redditch of the business of needle, pin and fish hook manufacture and dealing in small wares of William Avery and Son of Headless Cross, Redditch (S=personal visit to the Worcestershire Record Office at The Hive in Worcester, UK in 2017).

[73] Harold Avery biography (S=Wikipedia).

[74] Harold Avery biography (S=Wikipedia).

[75] Benjamin Avery’s age on his death certificate is 84, however, his obituary incorrectly lists his age as 87 presumable an error because his address started with 87.   Additional, handwritten numbers 7 and 4 were very hard to read on his death certificate.  

[76] The Evesham Standard and West Midland Observer newspaper dated February 8, 1947 (see Genealogy section for source details).

[77] Perry & Co.’s Monthly Illustrated Price Current, October 5, 1874, page 6 (S=books.google.com).

[78] The Reliquary, Quarterly Archeological Journal and Review. A Depository of Precious Relics Vol. XVI 1875-1876.  July 1875 pages 53 and 54. (S=books.google.com). 

[79] The Reliquary, Quarterly Archeological Journal and Review. A Depository of Precious Relics Vol. XVI 1875-1876. July 1875 page 169.  (S=books.google.com). 

[80] The Reliquary, Quarterly Archeological Journal and Review. A Depository of Precious Relics Vol. XIX 1878-1879.  Page 51.  (S=books.google.com). 

[81] The British Trade Journal, Vol XXIII, No. 270, June 1, 1885.  The Antwerp International Exhibition.  Page 372 contains a brief article about Messrs. Avery & Co, Redditch which indicted Avery had a needle factory in Redditch and another where they manufactured cases at Banbury.  (S=books.google.com)

[82] The statement that Avery manufactured needle cases in Banbury appears to be an error and it seems most likely that the writer of this article meant Birmingham.  A search for an Avery business in Banbury was undertaken and no evidence was found to support the statement that Avery manufactured needle cases in Banbury.  In fact, in the 1885 Banbury listing there were no die-sinkers, piercers or stampers listed who would have been necessary in order to manufacture Avery needle cases.  The following trade directories were reviewed: 1) Harrods & Co.’s Directory of Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire…, 1876 and 2) Rusher’s Banbury List & Directory, Part 1: 1882-1889 which contained a separate list for each year (S=http://specialcollections.le.ac.uk/digital/collection/p16445coll4).

[83] The Pictorial Record of the Royal Jubilee Exhibition, Manchester, 1887.  Handicrafts Section, page 93.  (S=books.google.com)

 

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