Skip to content Skip to sidebar Skip to footer

Committee pen pictures

Committee Pen Pictures

George Deacon, Herbert George Spratley, John George Hunt, John Long, Frank Pitkin, James Henry Bennett, Walter Miller, Thomas Brook Knowles, John Butler Furlong already have Hall of Fame entries.  

I will expand on these pen pictures in due course and add two of the most important – Harry Arnold and Isaac Smith.

Frank Wilson Spivey

Born In Luton on the 22nd June 1861.  

Married Harriet on the 14th October 1883.  They had 6 boys and 2 daughters.  

Lived at 32 Cromwell road in 1896.  

Made bankrupt in 1898 when described as a Plait merchant of Barbers Lane. 

Died in Edmonton on the 9th July 1925.  Buried at the Great Northern Cemetery, New Southgate.  

 

George Hinson

Born in Luton on the 16th June 1862 Luton.  

Baptised on the 20th August 1862 at the Wesleyan Chapel.  

In 1881 he was a draper living at 46 Wellington Street with his parents.  

Was Treasurer for Excelsior.  

In 1891 he was a Straw Hat warehousemen living at “Southview” Crawley Road with wife Annie.  

 

F. Saunders

Unable to trace him

 

Arthur Dean Almond

Born in Brentford, Middlesex in the Summer of 1861

In 1881 he was a Tinman and Brazier living at Cheapside with wife Catherine and 5 children and a lodger.   

Died in Luton 5th February 1916

 

Henry Wilkins

Born in Luton in 1857

1881 was a blocker and lived at 10 Old Bedford Road with wife Maria and daughter nelly (8 months). 

1891 was an Engineer driller living at 15 Old Bedford Road with Maria and 6 children, Maria’s Mother and Henry’s brother.   

 

Charles Brown

Born in Luton in 1863

1881 was a blocker living at 57 Liverpool Road with his parents.  

1891 was a Straw hat maker at 59 Cardigan Street with wife Harriet and son Percy (1).  

1911 was a Straw Hat Blocker living at 59 Wenlock Street with Harriet and children Percy (21), Evelyn (19), Edgar (17), Sidney (15) and Frank (12).  

 

Edward Ellingham

Born in Luton in 1864

1881 he was a blocker living at 56 John Street with his parents.  

Noted athlete

Married Florence on the 12th April 1887 they had 4 sons and a daughter.  

Died in Watford on the 18th May 1943

 

Frederick William Hill

Born in Luton on the 15th April 1865

1891 he was a Straw Hat warehouseman boarding at 53 Cheapside.  

1911 he was a Straw Hat manufacturers living at 14 Frederic(k) Street with wife Annie and daughter Winifred and son Frederick.  

Died in Luton in late 1935

 

Frederick Scott

Born Luton in 1858

1891 he was a hat and bonnet block maker living at 3 Collingdon Street with wife Henrietta

1901 he was a straw hat block maker living a 1 Upper George Street with Henrietta

He died in Luton on the 20th August 1932 leaving £1,074 11s 10d to his wife and two sons.

 

William Carter

Born in Stopsley in 1860.  

1891 was a blocker living with his parents at 90/92 High Town Road – his father was grocer and Straw hat manufacturer.  

1901 was a Straw Hat Manufacturer living at 18 Buxton Road with wife Elizabeth and children Frank (4) and Edith (3).  

1911 the family were at 10 Frederick Street.  

Died 16th December 1936 aged 76

 

William Samwells.

Born in Luton in 1863.  

1871 lived at 17 & 19 Bute Street with his parents who were Straw Hat Manufacturers.  

1881 he was lodging with Frank Pitkin’s mother at 23 Guildford Street.  He was the nephew of Frank’s mother.  

William married Emily Ellingham in 1885

1891 they lived together at 36 Collingdon Street.  William was a Straw Hat warehouseman and they had a son, Fred.  

Died in Luton on the 1st April 1894 aged just 30.

 

Henry Shane

Born in Luton in 1858.  

1861 he lived at 18 Victoria Street with his father, who was a bricklayer and his mother who was a Bonnet sewer.  By 1881 he had married Sarah and lived at 4 Victoria Street.  By 1891 he was a Straw Hat Manufacturer living with Sarah, a son and daughter at 15 Stockwood Crescent.  They were wealthy enough to have a servant.  Sarah died in 1904 and Henry remarried.  In 1907 he wed Alice Maud Mary Johnson.  At the time of the 1911 census he was still a Straw Hat Manufacturer and lived with Alice at 57 London Road.  Died on the 11th June 1944 while living at 109 London Road.  He left £1,400 17s 2d in his will.

 

F. Beaver

Difficult to pin down but a Frederick Beaver lived at 73 Lea Road from 1885 to about 1887.

 

Arthur John Steabben 

Born St. Pancras, Middlesex in 1842

His wife, Mary Caroline died on the 15th December 1875 aged just 26.  

1881 he was draper living at 44 Wellington Street with his two sons Arthur (12) and William (11).  

1890 Kelly’s Directory as a draper at 44 Wellington Street.

In 1894 he was renting a house at 18 Dunstable Place.

Died in Luton on the 13th September 1898 aged 56.  

 

Gilbert Howard Small 

Born in Clare, Suffolk in 1864.  

1881 he was a Straw Hat Warehouseman and lived with his widowed mother at 50 Dunstable Road.  He was also a gifted cricketer and played for Luton Town Cricket Club.  His older brother Oliver F. Howard was also a warehouseman.  His mother received a pension and they were well off enough to have a servant.

1891 he lived at Victoria Villas, Dunstable Road with his Mother and Oliver who was a Straw Hat Manufacturer.  Gilbert was a manager of a Straw Hat factory.

1901 he was married to Amy and had 5 children and was living at 31 Brook Street.  He was now a Straw Hat manufacturer.

Died in Luton in 1922 aged 58.

 

Thomas Charles Brown

Born in Ampthill on the 25th March 1854.  

He married a Luton lass, Emily Trott on the 7th October 1878.  

1881 he was a Straw Hat manufacturer living with Emily and son Stanley at 27 Liverpool Road.  They had a servant who came from Hitchin and employed a nurse from Barton, presumably to look after Stanley who was 2 at the time.

1891 they had bought a hotel in Hastings, the Pelham Arms.  The entire family was living there with one servant.  The hotel changed its name to the Carlisle Hotel in 1899 and is still there on the seafront.  

1901 Thomas was a fishmonger in West Tarring, Sussex.

1911 he was in Frensham Surrey.  Aged 58 he is described as a Professional Cricketer!  A man with a sense of humour – his son was described as a professional golfer on the same census form.  

Died in Brentford in 1936.

 

Samuel Pakes

Born in Luton in 1833.  

1871 he was a Blocker 

1881 was a Straw Hat Manufacturer living at 46 Collingdon Street with his wife, three sons and two daughters.  He was on the committee of the Luton Town Cricket Club for many years.

Died in Luton in 1902.

 

Charles Abbott 

Born in Flamstead in 1860.  Baptised on the 3rd June 1860.  

In 1881 he lived with his wife, Sarah and 2 months old daughter at his Mother-in Laws house at 50 Cobden Street.  They had 3 other children.  

Sadly Charles suffered from depression and in April 1889 shot himself in his bedroom in Hitchin Road.  His wife found him.  The inquest, held at the Old English Gentlemen Public House, found that he committed suicide while in a state of unsound mind.  

 

George Furlong 

Born in Pembrokeshire in 1843

1881 was a schoolmaster living at 11 Liverpool Road with his wife Mary and son, John B. Furlong and three other sons.  

1911 was living at 19 Russell Street, Luton with his wife of 45 years, Mary.  They had had 7 children, 6 of whom were still alive.  

Died in Luton in 1911.

 

Alfred William Jacquest

Born in Luton 1861 – Baptised 3rd November 1861 at St. Mary’s Church.  

1891 was a Straw Plait salesman living at 7 Cardiff Road with wife Sarah and daughters Helena (6), Ethel (4) and Elsie (6 months).  

Died in Luton in early 1915

 

James Squires

Born in Luton on the 10th February1864

1891 was a Straw Hat manufacturer living at 6 Cardiff Grove with his parents.  

1911 was a Straw goods manufacturer living at “The Mount” Hart Hill with wife Emily and children Eric (18), Oliver (16) and Constance (11).  They had a servant.  

1939 was a Ladies hat manufacturer living at 210 New Bedford road Luton with wife Emily.  

Died Luton Summer 1951

 

Thomas Nelson Hughes

Born in Luton in 1866

1891 was a bootmaker living at 69 Stanley Street with wife Lizzie and 4 year old son Cyril E. Hughes.  

Died in Luton 1893

 

William Green Wheeler

Born in Woolwich in 1862

1891 was a baker and confectioner living at 43 High Town Road with wife Rebecca and daughter May

In the 1901 census he is described as a master confectioner

Died on 24th December 1925 when living at 120 Ashburnham Road.  Left everything in his will to his widow and daughter.  

 

Frederick Evans

Born in Luton in the Summer of 1855.

Married Emma on New Year’s eve 1876 at St. Mary’s Church Luton.  

In 1891 he was the manager for a Straw Hat manufacturer.  They lived with the daughter and three sons at 14 Union Street.  

Died in Luton in 1924.  

 

Harry Smart

Born 15th April 1867 in Luton.  The 1871 Census has him living with his parents at 32 Collingdon Street.  By 1881, the family were at 38 Collingdon Street.  Harry was a Telegraph messenger.  His father,  was a carpenter and joiner as was his elder brother Frank.  Sidney was a plumber and Gertrude a Straw Hat Finisher.  There were 4 younger children – Florence 6, Arthur E. 3, Stanley 1 and Albert 5 months.  

Early 1887 married Amy in Luton

In 1891 Harry and Amy were living at 13 Ashton Road.  Harry was a General House decorator.  

The census says that by 1901 Harry and Amy were living on their own in “Old Bedford Road.”  The 1911 census gives a house name – “Kimberley” Old Bedford Road.  Harry was an Insurance Agent and Amy was a Straw Hat Finisher.  They had no children but had three boarders staying with them. 

Retired from being a director in August 1917.  Re-elected at the 1920 AGM.  

Harry’s father died in 1919

Stayed closely in touch with the club all his life.  The 1939 Register shows that Harry, a painter and decorator, was living with Amy at 51 Leagrave Road, Luton.  

Died in Luton on the 27th November 1950 aged 83 years.