Family Tree Family Group Sheet
Charles was born in Great Grimsby, Lincolnshire on 30 May 1823. Why he was born in Great Grimsby when his parents were married in Louth and were still living there at the time of the 1841 census is not known. Perhaps Sophie's parents were living in Great Grimsby at the time?
Unusually, he was baptized in the Parish Church the next day. Perhaps there had been a previous child who died shortly after it was born?
The next time he appears in the official records is in the 1841 census, where he is described as a Shoemaker's Apprentice of between 15 and 19 years. (He was in fact nearly 18.)
On 19th April 1844, when he was almost 21, he married Eliza Wood in the Louth Parish Church. She came from the nearby village of Great Carlton in Lincolnshire. They had six children, the eldest being Charles William who was born 7 months after they were married, and who was my mother's paternal grandfather.
At the time of the 1851 census, Charles was still living in Louth and was described as a Shoemaker employing one man. His father, William, had died in 1842 and his mother Sophia and brother Edwin, who was 11 years younger than Charles, were both living with him. He and Eliza had three children, who are listed in the census as William, Edward and Jane. Presumably, William is Charles William and Edward is Edwin, perhaps called that because Charles's brother Edwin is living with them.
Some time in the next 10 years, a major change in Charles's occupation and lifestyle took place. According to the 1861 census, Charles is described as an Asphalte Manufacturer employing 4 men and living in Portsea, Hants. By this time his family of six children is complete. We don't know how he got into asphalting or exactly when he moved south, but one of his children, Susannah, died in Southsea in 1859, so it must have been before then.
Also by the time of the 1861 census, Charles's brother, Edwin, had married Ann Needham. Ann came from nearby Tetney and she and Edwin were married in Louth on 13th July, 1857. However, by the time of the census, they too had travelled south to Portsea. Their first child, Eliza Ann, was born in Southsea in 1860.
In January 1862 Eliza died of what was described on her death certificate as being Hypertrophy, a disease of the heart, but on 29 September of the same year Charles remarried, this time to Jane Jarvis who came from Salcombe in Devon. They were married in St Jude's Church, Portsea. With 6 children aged from 3 to 16, Charles must have been pretty desperate! Although his mother Sophia lived with them she was in her sixties and may not have been in the best of health as she died in 1865. Charles and Jane had one child, Sophia, who was born in 1863.
Edwin's wife, Ann, died in 1868 leaving three daughters aged 6, 5 and 1, a fourth daughter, Mary Jane having died in 1867. However, he married Frances Fleet in February 1870 and by the time of the 1871 census, they had had the first of their large family, a daughter, Frances Mary.
In the 1861 census, Edwin had been described as an Asphalter and Grocer, whereas Charles was described as an Asphalte Manufacturer. In the 1871 census Edwin has become a Beer Retailer, the words Licensed Victualler having been crossed out. It seems as though his early involvement with the asphalting business was less than Charles's. Also, though Charles was now living in Bedminster, Bristol, Edwin was still living in Portsea.
By 1871, Charles's son Charles William was also in the family asphalting business, being described like his father as a Contractor in Asphalte. At this time he was still unmarried. Charles's second son, Edwin, who was now married, and who was also described as an Asphalter, was also living with Charles in Bedminster. He and his wife, Elizabeth, had a 4 year old son, confusingly again named Edwin.
In the 1881 census, Charles is still in the Bristol area, describing himself and his son Edwin as Paviors, whereas his brother Edwin is living in Exeter with his increasingly large family which now included 9 children living at home. He describes himself as an Asphalte Contractor employing 8 men. Charles William has married and is living in Aston, Warwickshire with his wife, Fanny Agnes and his six children, the eldest of which is 7! However, he too is in the Asphalte business describing himself as an Asphalt Importer. The family legend is that he went to find his fortune in the West Indies and found the Pitch Lake. This is the largest natural deposit of asphalt in the world, and is located at La Brea in southwest Trinidad. It is said that he negotiated an agreement to import asphalt to England for the use of Bradshaw & Co, the family asphalting business.
Charles died in 1884 while living in Barton Regis, Bristol. In the 1891 census, his widow, Jane, is noted as the Head of the household with the occupation of Contractor, so it looks as though she was still involved in the family business. Edwin has now returned to Portsea, but his occupation is still noted as Asphalter. He now has 11 children dependent on him, one of whom, namely Edwin, and who is 14, has the occupation of Asphalter.
Charles William is now 46 and describes himself as a Asphalte Inspector and Contractor. His eldest son William is 17 and recorded as a Measuring Surveyor. Charles W is now living in Tottenham, London with all his six children.
The next census that we have full access to is that of 1901. Jane is still living in Bristol, but now she has moved up the road to number 116 Ashley Road. She has living with her, her daughter Sophie, Sophie's husband, Frank Loney, their 4 children and a domestic servant. Edwin is now living at Curdridge, a village about 6 miles east of Southampton. Two of his daughters are still living with him. Charles W is still at Tottenham and is listed as an Asphalte Importer and Contractor with his son William as Manager of Asphalte Works and Charles H(enry), my grandfather, as a civil engineer. Two other sons were described as Under Managers of Asphalte Works. It was clearly still very much a family business.