Generation 3: James, the greengrocer

In Into Islington, the first part of the article, we traced a branch of the Craxford family from its agricultural roots in rural Northamptonshire to its new home in Pentonville, north London. This second episode follows the family through the late Victorian era and onwards into the twentieth century.

When Nathaniel James Craxford left Suffolk Street in the late 1860s, control of the greengrocery business passed to his son James. James had been born in May 1842 in Lambeth before his parents moved to the family home in Pentonville. As a teenager he followed his father's trade as a lath renderer before spending a short time as a machinist in one of the local factories. He married Ellen Bowley at Holy Trinity Church, Cloudesley Square, Islington on August 2nd 1863. Ellen, a milliner, was born in 1843 and in childhood had lived with her widowed mother and brother at addresses in adjacent Ann Street and Hermes Street. Her father had been a bricklayer. James and Ellen had one daughter, Elizabeth, in 1865. Sadly around the same time Ellen contracted pulmonary tuberculosis (the same condition that was to kill her mother in law in 1869) and she died two years later aged 24 years. Her affairs were settled within a month, James being granted Letters of Administration from the Court of Probate in May 1867.

James married again at St Clement's Church, Islington on June 22nd 1868. His bride was Frances Alice Thomas, born on July 29th 1848. She was the daughter of Robert and Ann Thomas from Drayton in Norfolk where he was a carpenter and publican. Theirs was a large family and she had five brothers and two sisters.

Frances kept close links with her parents and over the next decade the two families became further intertwined. The Suffolk Street house would have been a bustling place over Easter 1871 when Robert and Ann came to stay during the time of the census presumably to help look after their two new grandchildren (Frederick born in 1870; James the previous month). They brought with them Frances's younger brother Arthur, then aged 17, who became a gas fitter. It seems likely that Arthur met James' sister Mary during this visit as they were married in January 1876. It has been reported that Robert had died at Suffolk Street the previous year. Later on Frances' older brother William had a son, William John - born in 1866 - who married Frances' half sister, Elizabeth Mary (the daughter of James Craxford and Ellen Bowley) in 1885.

James did not enjoy the best of health for much of his adult life, suffering from gout and chronic brochitis. Despite this, the business continued to prosper with both of his oldest sons (Frederick and James) assisting in the shop. By the time of the 1881 census, he was showing the twin occupations of corn dealer and greengrocer. The family took over the next door property as well and in 1895 the premises at No.7 Suffolk Street were registered as James Craxford, Corn Chandler (16). During the same year he developed heart disease and kidney failure. He died at home on February 24th 1896. In his will, published March 23rd that year, he left his property and business to his wife. His estate was valued at £ 523.11.3d, which at today's prices would be worth about £ 33,500. (17)

The history of Suffolk Street. Part 2: 1870 onwards

Chapel Street saw the encroachment of costermongers selling their wares quite early in the century and this activity developed into a proper street market in the 1860s. Official recognition came in 1879 and by the 1890s it was one of the largest in the Islington and Clerkenwell area. (18)

As the 19th century progressed, what reputation the Penton estate may once have had as a desirable place of residence was gradually eroded. (19). Charles Booth (1840-1916), who was to be instrumental in the development and introduction of the Old Age Pension at the beginning of the 20th century, spent several years investigating conditions and drawing up the celebrated Poverty Maps of London (20). In the late 1880s the population of Pentonville was generally classified as "poor or very poor; casual; chronic want." His description of Suffolk Street reads as follows (21): "Suffolk St. 2 3st cobble paved. small shops - an overflow of Chapel St market. purple as map on the w side is Suffolk Place 2 st flagged Ct [next word crossed out ?Craxfords] flowers at windows. doors open. one bare foot child. children well fed but rather dirty. windows broken and patched. not known but one or two suspected thieves - otherwise quite poor. lb as map: into Chapel St market - very little doing - Butcher's shop closed. They only open for an hour on Monday as noone wants to buy meat! Public houses full of women esp the Chapel House. Little knots of women round sellers of linoleum. The first court going east from Suffolk Street on the S side of Chapel St is Bradley's Buildings. Not shown or coloured on map. 2 houses only, 2 roomed. owner of one pays 5/6d per week. poor - quiet"

In 1906, the name Suffolk Street disappeared as a separate entity and the whole route between Chapel Street and Pentonville Road was incorporated into Baron Street. All the properties were renumbered and the old Craxford property became 26, Baron Street. It is of note that after the long period of occupancy by the Craxford family, the buildings changed ownership and businesses several times in quick succession over the next fifteen years.

The market continued to flourish and the local council renamed the street Chapel Market in 1936. It remains a traditional market to this day. Baron Street continues to host a variety of small shops and businesses at street level. The upper floors of most buildings have been converted into flats and apartments.

Continued in column 2...

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Into the 20th century

After the death of her husband, Frances moved some four miles north to Tollington Park, a road adjacent to Finsbury Park. She took with her son Henry and daughters Frances (who had recently married draper's assistant Rees Richards), Catherine and Ethel. Of her other children, Frederick became a flower salesman in 1901. He married Caroline Amy Tolfree the same year. Their daughter, Doris Lilian, was born in February 1904. The family moved to Perth Road, Leyton by the time of the 1911 census. Frederick died in 1944.

Doris married office clerk, Harry Percival Marks, at St Ann's Church, Tottenham on August 17th 1940. They had no childen. After the loss of her husband, Frederick, Caroline Craxford moved in with Harry and Doris at their home in Kimberley Road, Chingford, until her death in 1955. Harry died in 1981; Doris in April 1997.

James Craxford was married twice. His first wife, Ada Montague, gave him a daughter (Winifred) and died in 1905. He then married Ivy Evans in August 1906. The family appeared to move house regularly within the Islingtron area (including Canonbury Park South, Corinth Road and Canning Road). They had eight known children, of whom the last four all died tragically in the first year of life, in the six years between 1914 and 1920. Youngest son George Guy worked as a butler before the beginning of the war. He married Ellen White prior to enlisting with the 16th battalion, the Middlesex Regiment. He died in France in December 1915 and is commemorated at the Bethune Town Cemetery. Frances died in 1932 at the age of 84 years.

Son Albert was born in 1883. He moved to Brighton working first as a footman and then as a butler in the years before the Great War. He married Annie Goy in 1911 having two sons, Albert Oswald and Raymond. Albert became the manager of a greengrocer's shop in the 1920s. He contracted meningitis from which he died in November 1929. His death was registered by his brother Frederick's wife, Caroline. Letters of Administration for his estate were granted to Frederick and his other brother, Henry.

Henry's first job as a teenager was as a clerk but he too served an apprenticeship as a greengrocer's assistant. He married Elizabeth Rachel Wood at St Peter's Church, Islington on September 26th 1909. They had one son and two daughters. In 1911, Henry was back in the family trade operating a greengrocery shop around the corner from Baron Street in Chapel Market at 51 Chapel Street. This was just a few doors away (at No.48) from the first store in Islington opened by John James Sainsbury (18,22), whose enterprise ultimately developed into the supermarket chain of today. By 1915, the family had moved away from the area again leaving the business to Arthur Nash (23)

In the 1920s the family lived in a house on The Mall, Southgate in Wood Green one of the north London suburbs of Middlesex. By 1930 he owned two fruit and vegetable outlets on the High Street, Wood Green. He developed an inflammatory condition of the heart and kidneys from which he died in June 1932 at the age of 55 years. In his will, proved on September 17th that year, he had made provision in trust for his wife and three children. He also instructed that the business be sold upon Elizabeth's death.

The business was incorporated into a limited company under the name of J. Wood Greengrocer (Wood Green) Ltd. and when they became of age two of Henry's children, Henry Joseph and Lillian Norah, were appointed as directors. Elizabeth died in 1947 but the company continued trading for another 15 years. It was voluntarily wound up in 1962 (24) bringing to an end almost 130 years of history.

The story of the other limb of the greengrocery business which developed from Louisa Ann Craxford's marriage starts with Paddington Greens: John Hughes' Legacy

Acknowledgements

Our thanks to Bill Harding of Face Creative Services for his help and for the photographs of present day Baron Street

References

1. Tree logo © Vintage Kin Freeware Graphics: Vintage Kin Design Studio Australia
2. "The Bench" - William Hogarth 1758. Oil on canvass: The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. Wikimedia Commons. Image is part of a collection of reproductions compiled by the Yorck Project. The compilation copyright is held by Zenodot Verlagsgesellschaft mbH and licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License
3. "Leighton Hall, Theft, pickpocketing, 1st July 1812": The Proceedings of the Old Bailey. London's Central Criminal Court, 1674 to 1913
4. Clerkenwell: wikipedia
5. Islington: wikipedia
6. "Pentonville" from Old and New London: Volume 2 Chapter XXXV: Walter Thornbury 1878 British History Online
7. Pentonville, Islington: Hidden London
8. Lath renderer: Old Occupation Names - L Hall Genealogy Website.
9. "Situation Wanted": The Times Thursday January 4th 1855 Issue 21942 Page 12: Times Online reference CS201493540 British Library newspapers
10. 8, Suffolk Street in 1851 England Census: Middlesex: Clerkenwell Finsbury HO107 1518 67 Page 40
11. Craxford, J: Greengrocers. 5 Sheringham Terrace, Westbourne Road. CRA Page 156 in Business Directory of London 1884. Historical Directories a University of Leicester Project
12. For more information on the history of St Luke's, Old Street, Middlesex, London see Peter Higginbotham's web site The Workshouse
13. Nathaniel Craxford: Admission and Discharge (Death) Records: London Poor Law Records: 1834-1940; Holborn:City Road Workhouse (St Luke's Workhouse) Admission and Discharge Register 1900 Pages 299 & 414
14. Enquiry into the estate of Anne Lock: The London Gazette Issue 33232 Pg 8461 December 24th 1926
15. Re: Herbert James Craxford (otherwise Herbert James Lock): The London Gazette May 20th 1930 Page 3198
16. Suffolk Street in Post Office London: Street Directory 1895 STU-SUN 682 Historical Directories a University of Leicester Project
17. "Convert old money into new". Find out how yesterday's prices compare with today's: Currency Converter at The National Archives
18. Chapel Market, Islington: Hidden London
19. "Pentonville & The Angel": Historical notes by Isobel Watson: London Large Scale Ordnance Survey Maps: Pentonville & The Angel 1871: The Godfrey Edition
20. Charles Booth (1840-1916) - a biography The Charles Booth Online Archive
at the Archives Division of the Library of the London School of Economics and Political Science.
21. Suffolk Street: A page from Booth's notebook The Charles Booth Online Archive
at the Archives Division of the Library of the London School of Economics and Political Science.
22. Chapel Market Islington, The Victorians: The Sainsbury Archive Story of a supermarket Museum of London Docklands
23. 51, Chapel Street in Post Office London Directory 1915 [Part 6 Street Directory] Historical Directories a University of Leicester Project
24. Winding up Motion: Special Resolution: London Gazette 42833 41 November 16th 1962

Added October 15th 2010
Last updated: July 20th 2012

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