Chapter 6: OLIVER HANCOCKS JUN.(b.1787), ANOTHER VICTUALLER

Chapter 6: OLIVER HANCOCKS JUN.(b.1787), ANOTHER VICTUALLER

Following the death of his father in 1820 Oliver took over as publican at the 'Wagon and Horses'. He had a number of rooms to let. In 1841 he was playing host to eight lodgers; a labourer, a servant, two plasterers, a wool spinner and two French basket dealers. Oliver was reasonably successful in business for by the aforementioned date he was also running a grocery business, Hancocks and Jackson, at 41 Suffolk Street.

Birmingham's industrial expansion received a great boost from the building of its canals. These waterways provided valuable links to Birmingham's sources of coal and iron in the Black Country. Such was value of these nearby sources of energy and raw materials that during the Industrial Revolution of the late 1700's and early 1800's, Birmingham became one of Britain's greatest industrial centres. From the 1830's onwards, the growth of the railways reinforced Birmingham's position as a producer of high-grade metal goods. This was the period when 'Birmingham Made' stamped on to manufactured goods was synonymous with quality workmanship and durability.

The job opportunities offered by the new industries attracted many people to the city. The population rose more than ten fold in 100 hundred years, from 70,000 in 1801 to more than 800,000 by the early 1900's.

Oliver had married Northfield born Lucy Connop (Chapter 7) in St Peters in Birmingham in 1813. Like her mother-in-law before her, Lucy took a full part in her husbands business. For a short time she held a victuallers licence in her own right after Oliver's death in the late 1840's.

At least seven children were born to Oliver and Lucy. Their first child, Elizabeth, married Henry Tailby, by whom she had at least three children, Mary, Henry and Ruth. Henry was a butcher. He came from a long line of butchers for his father was a butcher, as were three of his brothers. His remaining brother was a victualler. One of his sisters married a butcher. Elizabeth and Henry lived most of their married life at 111 Suffolk Street. Eventually they moved one or two doors down to number 108, the 'Rising Sun' which, following her husbands demise in about 1850, Elizabeth went on to manage before her brother Job Hancocks (Chapter 8) took over. The 'Rising Sun' was only three streets away from their parent’s inn. In 1851 Elizabeth's younger sister Lucy was living in, as was Mary Philpots, her house servant. Elizabeth's two surviving children were staying with her sister Sarah (Darwin nee' Hancocks) in 1861, at which time the oldest, Henry, was a butcher.

Sarah was a teacher who married Thomas Darwin or Darwen, a sadler, in 1835. Thomas was the first of four children born to John and Margaret nee' Harvey. Sarah also had four children, at least three of whom she initially educated at home. One son, William, then became a boarder at St Philip's School on Temple Row. On leaving school he became a commercial clerk. He was living back at home in 1861 and was still there ten years later. By 1881 however he had married, started a family and was managing a metal mill. Sarah's middle child followed in her mother’s footsteps and became a teacher. Sarah's youngest child was living with her Uncle Job Hancocks at the 'Rising Sun' in 1861.

Initially Sarah Darwin’s home was at 148 Darwin Street! The coincidence of name appears to be just that - coincidence. Darwin Street is only half a mile away from Edgbaston Street. In Sarah's time it was lined with quite modest properties, many of which had small workshops behind them. This is no doubt where her husband worked as sadler, but in April 1851 he was staying an inn on Penfold Street.

In 1871 Sarah, who was by then widowed, was host to her niece Ruth (Elizabeth's daughter), and Ruth's son Albert or Alfred Henry who was born two years previously in Liverpool. Ruth appears to have been separated from her husband for in 1881, under her maiden surname, she was living-in and working as a housekeeper at the Baham Concert Hall on Coleshill Street. Sarah moved to 19 New Meeting Street in the 1870's. This was obviously a large house for in 1881 Albert Henry was still with her, as was her daughter and son-in-law, Lucy Charlotte and James (known as Jim) Owen, plus three more lodgers and a servant.

Two more of Oliver and Lucy's daughters married. One son appears to have died young. Their other two sons, Oliver (Chapter 9) and Job (Chapter 8) both took up the victualling trade, Oliver taking over his fathers business and Job taking up his own licensed premises.

OLIVER HANCOCKS bp.1787 d.c.1845-48 m.LUCY CONNOP(Chapter 7)

…..ELIZABETH HANCOCKS b.1813 d.>1838 m.HENRY TAILBY

……….MARY TAILBY b.1839 d.<1851

……….HENRY TAILBY b.c1842 d.>1861

……….RUTH TAILBY b.c1844 d.>1881 m.- COOPER

……………ALBERT/ALFRED HENRY COOPER b.c1869 d.>1881

…..SARAH HANCOCKS b.1815 d.>1881 m.THOMAS DARWEN/DARWIN

……….THOMAS DARWEN b.1840 d.?<1851

……….WILLIAM DARWEN/DARWIN b.c1841 d.>1881 m.MARY A.

……………ADA A. b.c1874 d.>1881

……………WILLIAM J. b.c1877 d.>1881

……………THOMAS J. b.c1880 d.>1881