Dear all,
I've written up the life story of my Great Great Grandfather's youngest brother. This was largely done to see if any descendents could be traced who might have a photograph of the man. This didn't succeed, but I did find information of two pubs he'd run - the Princess Royal on Rotcher Road (1880s-1890s) and the Druid's Hotel (1890s-1902). I was wondering if any photos of those pubs in that era exist?
Anyway, here's the life story. Hoping someone stumbles across it who can help provide some more detail/links!
James Bray (1842 - 1902) John and Rachel Bray’s youngest son was only a year old when his father died and ended up living with three of his older siblings rather than with his mother. When he was eight he was already working as a woollen billy piecer. Eventually he moved in with his mother and stepfather and in 1861, by the age of 18 was working as a woollen warper.
Early the next year, James married Ann Rothery from Underbank, who was three years his junior. According to the 1841 census, the couple had a child in 1863 (or 1870 - see below) named Clara.
In 1871, James – now a woollen weaver – was living at Underbank with his 25 year old wife Ann and their eight year (or month) old daughter, Clara.
Sadly, in early 1874, Ann died aged 27.
In 1881, James is still at Underbank and is now a 37 year old weaver. He has, apparently, remarried (although no such marriage appears to be recorded in the Huddersfield area) and his wife is called Sarah. She is 44 years old. A daughter, Clara, is listed, but her age is given as ten. Perhaps the 1871 Clara had been eight months old, rather than eight years?
During the 1880s, James has undergone a career change and, by 1891, is working as a beer seller at the Princess Royal beerhouse at the bottom end of Rotcher Road opposite Victoria Square. Clara, now apparently 21 is working as a mill hand and James, 47 and Sarah, 51 continue to live with her.
The next Spring, Clara married Thomas Barden.
By 1901, James and Sarah have moved to 30 Station Road and are now running the Druid’s Hotel, which is next to Druid’s Hall at number 28. Their grandson by Clara, Jim Barden, seven years old, is also living with them.
James died in Spring 1902 aged 59.
Druid’s Hall and Druid’s Hotel continue to be of interest, however. In 1804, James Harrop, a drysalter of Holmfirth left his estate to his four sisters; Mary Hincliff, Anne Hammerton, Sarah Dransfield and Jane Wordsworth. Jane was the wife of John, a surgeon and apothecary and her fold of land was an area of 1000 square yards and closes called Haigh Croft and Plumpton. Following her husband’s death, she sold the land to Jonathan Thorpe and Joseph Crawshaw. Joseph sold his half to Jonathan’s wife Mary and in May 1846, the Thorpes sold the land to Joseph Heeley, Job Dearnley, Jonathan Hincliffe and 18 members of the Ancient Order of the Druids for £190.
At the turn of the century the Druid's movement along with those of other Friendly Societies was falling into decline and so at a meeting held on the 17th February 1906 at which over seventy members were present, it was proposed and accepted that the Druid's Hall and buildings should be sold by public auction.
The auction of the property, took place on Thursday the 29th March 1906 and was advertised as a fully-licensed public house known as the Druid's Hotel, together with brew-house, two dwelling houses, stable, carriage house, outbuildings, yards and vacant ground and was sold in equal shares to John Edward Heap of Honley, solicitor and Daniel Stockwell, innkeeper of Upperbridge, Holmfirth, for the sum of £1150.00, the land at this time continued to be leased from the Lord of the Manor.
Daniel Stockwell, who became the innkeeper died on the 7th June 1908 and just prior to his death the hotel, stabling, and yard, were leased to William Whittaker & Co Ltd. Brewers of Bradford. The lease was signed on the 7th August 1907, however there appears to be no record of this being revoked and there is no mention of the lease when the Druid's Hotel was next sold. At the time of the sale one of the cottages or dwelling houses, was occupied by Tom Barden, the son-in-law of James Bray.
The Druid's Hotel as it was known in 1906 contained: on the ground floor - an entrance passage, commercial room, snug, tap room, filling bar, kitchen, arched ale cellar and wine and keeping cellars. On the first floor - a music room, storeroom and three bedrooms. On the second floor - a lofty well lighted hall with permanent platform, two anti-rooms, lavatory, independent stone staircase with entrance from the main road and communicating with the hotel and also an additional entrance from the back road. There were also two dwelling houses, a brew-house, a fourstalled stable with hay-loft, out buildings, yards and some vacant ground, however by this time the area covered by the hotel complex had been reduced in size to about 850 square yards or thereabouts.
The Hall was bought by the Holme Valley Lodge Masons in 1917 and remains their property to this day.
So, the descendants of James are his daughter, Clara (b. 1863 or 1870) and her son, Jim Barden (b. Spring 1894). Jim seems almost certain to be the Jim Barden who dies in late 1959 in Spen Valley aged 65. There are two marriages that could both be his:
Sep 1915 to Sarah A. Hirst
Dec 1934 to Selina Dickinson
Neither marriage appears to yield any children.
