Charles Jolly is my maternal grandmother’s grandfather.  He was the eleventh of twelve children born to Henry Jolly and Mary Havers in Eye, Suffolk. These twelve children were born between 1827 and 1847. I have not been able to locate precise details of Charles birth and the only Charles Jolly born in the relevant period has different parents.

We have visited Eye in the last few years and the picture below shows the church that was there in 1846.

In the census return from 1851 Henry was an Agricultural Labourer aged 49 and he and Mary were living with eight of their children. Two of Henry’s older sons, Robert aged 24 and John aged 20, two of Charles older brothers, were also Agricultural Workers.

Ten years later, at the time of the 1861 census, Charles was no longer living with his parents but in Castle Street in Eye as a servant for Thomas French who was aged 75, a magistrate, alderman and solicitor. Thomas also had a butler, John Creasy, and two other servants, Ann Hunt and Charlotte Rayson, so Charles was now part of a well to do household. Charles’s father, Henry, was now living alone with just his thirteen old daughter Hannah as his wife died in 1852.

Charles married Harriet Tindale on 13 December 1863 and they had six children Frederick, born in 1864, Catherine, born 19 October 1868, my Great Grandmother, Alice M, born 1871, Annie J, born 1873, David, born 1875, and Herbert, born in 1878.

By the time their first daughter was born Charles and Harriet had moved to Birmingham and were living at 5 Farquhar Road in Moseley. Charles’s occupation was a gardener although we can see below that his brush making business was established in 1868. By 1871 the family lived at 1 back of 48, Edgbaston Street, St Martin, Birmingham.  Charles had taken up the trade of Feather Brush Maker.  Ten years later, with all his children born, Charles and Harriet and their six children had moved to 2 Bishop Street in Birmingham where Charles continues his trade.

By the 1891 census we can see that Charles and Harriet have moved from Bishop Street to School Lane in Edgbaston.  Frederick, born in 1864, is no longer with them but there is a new child, Frederick Charles aged 3.  Is this really a child of Charles and Harriet as recorded on the census? The birth certificate of Frederick reveals that this is the son of Frederick Jolly, born 1864, and his wife Jane nee Hollick who were married in 1886 Q4 in Kings Norton, Birmingham.

By 1901, Charles is living with two of his daughters, Catherine and Annie, and Catherine’s daughter, Doris, my grandmother. Much credit must be given to Charles who cares for his granddaughter in the absence of her father. They are now living at 2, Oak Mount, Tyndall Street, Kings Norton. Although I do not have a photo of Charles, below are three generations of his descendants.

My grandmother remembers her grandfather owning a factory in Bishop Street, manufacturing feather brushes and it is likely that this is why the family moved to School Lane.  Doris also remembered the pleasure of throwing feathers out of an upstairs window in Bishop Street and watching them float to the ground. I have consulted a number of Kelly’s Directories of Birmingham and confirmed that the factory was in Bishop Street for a number of years.  43 Bishop Street (1896 p.38), (1900 p.47), (1904 p.49), (1908 p.50) and (1912 p.66).  The business then transferred to 30 Bishop Street (1916 p.67) with no entry at all for No. 43 and several surrounding properties.  Damaged during the war or demolished for other building?  Although Charles died in 1909 his business survived for many years at No. 30 as recorded in Kelly’s (1920 p.69), (1925 p.76) and (1928 p.78).  By 1932, Kelly’s p.77, the business at No. 30 is being run by Arthur Edward Brownlee, perhaps a relative of Henry Archibald Brownlee who married Charles and Harriet’s third daughter Annie Jolly.  Henry and Annie were the two witnesses at my grandmother’s wedding Doris Kate Jolly and Percy Harper Corbett on 26 January 1924.

I have not been able to trace a date of death for Harriet. Charles died in Q2 of 1909.

Although Charles died in 1909 his name still appeared on the headings of bills of sale in the 1930s, see adjacent bill of sale.  This shows that the business was established in 1868 was still going in the 1930s under the brand name “The Reliable”, with ostrich feather dusters as their speciality.