Chapter 9: OLIVER HANCOCKS (b.1817), BUTCHER AND VICTUALLER
Oliver married Martha Jones, the daughter of John Jones pork butcher of Dale End, on 29 October 1843 in St Philips. As Birmingham grew new parishes were formed to cater for the religious needs of the burgeoning population. The parish of St Philips was created in the High Town area, to the north west of St Martins, in 1708. The new church was consecrated in 1715 and enlarged in 1884. In 1905 it was designated as the Cathedral.
Oliver returned to his families first recorded profession, that of butcher. He practiced his trade whilst still living with his parents at the 'Wagon and Horses' on Edgbaston Street, and running a pork butchers shop at 41 Horsefair. This latter highway was a short extension to Suffolk Street, where Oliver's brother Job had his tavern.
Butchery was only a stopgap trade for Oliver, for on his father’s death in the late 1840's he took over his fathers victualling licence and the running of the 'Wagon and Horses'. His mother retired to live with her daughter Sarah.
Whereas his parents had several lodgers in 1841, in 1851 Oliver had three lodgers plus a visitor, a nurse to look after his children, two general servants and a butler who doubled as an osler i.e. he tended to Oliver's horses. Two of the lodgers were relatives, his cousin (wife’s sisters son) John Moss, who was a horse breaker, and his wife Eliza. Ten years later their five lodgers consisted of two tailors, a jeweller, a French bucket dealer, and a stockholder. Domestic staff had been reduced to a single general servant and a waiter. The presence of the French bucket dealer makes an interesting comparison with the two French basket dealers lodging twenty years earlier in Oliver's father’s day.
Central Birmingham 1841 - locations mentioned in text
Large families with an increasing survival rate were a feature of the Victorian period. Seven daughters and three sons were born to Oliver and Martha. Only one child, Lucy, is known to have died in infancy.
Elizabeth married William Newman in St Martins, the Hancocks family church.
Mary Martha (known as Martha) married Thomas Hawley. Thomas was a bone brush manufacturer who was obviously successful in business as is son Oliver Hancocks Hawley and adopted grandson Stanley Assinder Hawley both became company directors. Oliver Hancocks Hawley had two brothers, Arthur and Harry, both of whom married. The former, at least, had a family of his own.
Nothing is known of the fates of Sarah Louise (known as Louisa) or Ellen Mary, other than they were both still school children living at home in 1881. Oliver junior married. He followed in his father’s alternative trade and became a butcher in partnership with his sister Lavinia Ann (known as Annie) at 43 Digbeth. The partnership employed one assistant and a domestic servant in Birmingham in the early 1880's. By 1891 Oliver had moved to Brunswick Square, Tormoham, Newton Abbot, Devon. He had married Eda Mary Beuse by that time. Later he moved to Union Street in Torquay.
John (Chapter 10) married and became a painter and decorator. His younger brother Henry (known as Harry) witnessed John’s marriage to Julia Crofts in 1875. Henry was a piano maker who, as a bachelor, lodged with Harriet Bagshaw in Aston. Later he made wood-working tools. He retired to 32 Clevedon Road, Balsall Heath, where he died on 6 March 1927, leaving only a modest estate. His widow, Ellen Elizabeth died at the same address, six years later. Her estate, which was administered by her sister Sarah Bastock, was valued at nearly £150.
OLIVER HANCOCKS b.1817 m.MARTHA JONES
…..ELIZABETH HANCOCKS b.1844 d.>1864 m.WILLIAM NEWMAN
…..MARY MARTHA HANCOCKS bp.1845 d.>1881 m.THOMAS HAWLEY
……….OLIVER HANCOCKS HAWLEY b.c1875 d.>1881 m.HILDA ELIZABETH -
……………STANLEY ASSINDER HAWLEY (adpt) - d.>1953
……….ARTHUR HAWLEY b.c1877 @ BIRMINGHAM;WAR d.>1881
……………male & female children - -
……….HARRY HAWLEY b.c1879 d.>1953 m.LAURA -
…..LUCY HANCOCKS bp.1847 <1851
…..SARAH LOUISE HANCOCKS bp.1848 d.-
…..OLIVER HANCOCKS bp.1849 d.1925 m.EDA MARY BEUSE
…..LUCY ALICE HANCOCKS bp.1851 d.-
…..ELLEN MARY HANCOCKS bp.1853 d.-
…..JOHN HANCOCKS b.1854 d.1918 (Chapter 10)
…..LAVINIA ANN(ANNIE) HANCOCKS bp.1856 d.>1881
…..HENRY(HARRY) HANCOCKS bp.1858 d.1927 m. ELLEN ELIZABETH -
A copy of the complete HANCOCKS FAMILY TREE is available here
This chapter updated 6 May 2007
