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HANDSWORTH

(COPYRIGHT)
A  LOCAL  SOCIETY  MAGAZINE

CIRCULATING IN HANDSWORTH, PERRY BARR AND BIRCHFIELDS.

Vol. III				MAY, 1897.				No. 35
Our Picture Gallery.

No. 35. – G. E WOOTTON, Esq., J.P.

Few men are more closely linked with the Handsworth of the past 30 years or so than Mr George E Wootton of “Chaseley”, Handsworth Wood, whose genial features, happily photographed by Mr J W Beaufort, look so pleasantly at us from the frontispiece to this month’s issue of Handsworth.

Mr Wootton was born on November 17^th, 1846, just outside the boundary of Handsworth.  He is therefore a little over 50 years of age, usually considered the prime of life and may reasonably look forward to many years yet of happiness and usefulness.  Perhaps the pleasantest recognition he received on his jubilee birthday was the official notification of his appointment as Justice of the Peace for the County of Stafford.

Like many other prominent Handsworthians he was educated at Kings Edward’s School, Birmingham.  He was placed under Dr Gifford and his first class master was the Rev. J Merrick Guest, M.A., afterwards headmaster at the Handsworth Grammar School.  At the famous Birmingham School he obtained a sound practical education and when at the age of 17, he bade farewell to school and entered upon his business career, he was well equipped, mentally and physically, for the battle of life.  He was articled for four years to the well-known firm of Joshua Schofield, Sons and Goodman, Merchants, of the Minories, Birmingham. 

It may be within the recollection of some of our readers that the first Mayor of Birmingham was Mr Joshua Schofield, who entered upon his civic duties on December 27^th, 1838; those whose memories are long may even be able to carry their minds back to the passing of the Reform Bill of 1832 and the election, which followed.  Be that as it may, the election was fought and Mr William Schofield had the honour of being returned to Parliament as one of Birmingham’s first representatives – an honour he retained until his demise some years afterwards.  The remaining member of this celebrated firm – for the three represented Schofield, Sons and Goodman – is Mr John Dent Goodman, J.P., who still survives, an ornament to the commercial life of the Midland metropolis, a man of sterling character who has manfully done his part in the building up of the prosperity of his native town.  

In those days the leading manufacturers and merchants of Birmingham were as radical in their politics as they were prosperous in their business pursuits; every inhabitant of the town had two strings to his bow, business and politics.  It is not surprising therefore, to learn that young Wootton was early brought into contact with prominent politicians and that he then acquired that appetite for politics, which has stuck to him though his life.

Of the firm to which he was articled, Mr Wootton speaks with mingled love and pride.  To it he attributes the business aptitude, which he possesses in so marked a degree and in Mr J D Goodman he found a model worthy of his emulation.

Having completed his apprenticeship to this excellent firm of merchants, Mr Wootton entered the employ of Thos. Atkins and Co., with whose chemical works at Smethwick his father and other relatives were associated.  These works, or the building at any rate (the business having changed in form), are now owned by Sir Henry Wiggin and Co.

In 1875, Mr Wootton started in business as a hardware factor, in partnership with his brother, Mr John Wootton and Mr T H Radford, at their present address in Newton Street, Birmingham.

In 1877, he was married to Miss May Kathleen, daughter of the late Mr Robert Best (of the well-known firm of Best and Lloyd, Handsworth) and has been completely happy in his domestic life.

Those who know with what whole-hearted devotion Mr Wootton has laboured for the good of the Church of England in this parish will probably now learn for the first time that he is the son of a consistent Liberal Nonconformist and as such was at one time regular in his attendance at Union Row Congregational Church.  This is rather like harking back to ancient history, however, since Mr Wootton’s natural bend towards the ritual of the Anglican Church led him many years ago into the path of conformity and peace.  His first experience of the mother church was gained at Holy Trinity, Birchfield, where in course of time he held the offices of Vicar’s and people’s warden.

Removing to Handsworth Wood, he dissevered his connection with Holy Trinity Church and attached himself to the Parish Church of St Mary’s.  Here he again served as warden, first as people’s and afterwards as Rector’s.  During his term of office as parishioners’ warden an interregnum occurred between the sale of the advowson of the Parish Church and the appointment of the present Rector (Rev. Prebendary Hodgson) and abundant testimony is forthcoming of the great tact and ability he displayed in this anxious period.

Upon the important services which, Mr Wootton has rendered to the Conservative Party in Handsworth Division it is not necessary to expatiate.  They are known to most if not all our readers.  For several consecutive years he has acted as Chairman of the Handsworth Conservative Association and has given ungrudgingly of his time and talents to the party cause.  He is a thorough-going Unionist and under his chairmanship, the Conservatives have of late years secured many notable triumphs.

For 24 years Mr Wootton has been a member of the Masonic order, filling in succession all the offices of his various lodges and chapters.  He is a past officer of the Provincial Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter of Warwickshire.

In all matters affecting the well-being and prosperity of Handsworth Mr Wootton has ever shown that interest and ardour which might be expected from one of his enthusiastic temperament.  He has mixed freely in all phases of our suburban life –religious, political, social, intellectual – and is, altogether, a decided ornament to “Our Picture Gallery”.

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We learn that Messrs. Taylor and Whitfield, the well-known Art Furniture manufacturers of Constitution Hill, have considered it advisable on account of their ever increasing trade, to convert their business into a limited Company.  The success of this thoroughly up-to-date firm has been as great as it has undoubtedly been deserved; but substantial as their progress has been we confidently anticipate that under the new conditions their development will be even more marked.  The services of Mr A A Taylor and Mr E Whitfield have been secured as works Manager and Secretary respectively, so that taste and ability, attention to detail and courtesy, which have conducted so largely to the success of the past will still be exercised and we doubt not with even more eminently satisfactory results.  Wood bedsteads, the latest novelty introduced by Messrs. Taylor and Whitfield, have “caught on” amazingly well, as is shown by the very large number now on order.