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The Public Benefit Boot Company

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BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES: Surnames I to O

Edwin Charles JACKSON
Born 1874 at Sandgate, Kent, son of John Richard JACKSON, furniture shopman, and his wife Sarah Maria Dunn NAISH. He married Ellen Sophia Margaret BILES in 1899 and their children included Cecil Edwin JACKSON 1900 and Clifford Charles JACKSON 1905. In 1901 he managed the company boot shop at 108 Somers Road, Southsea, Hampshire, and from 1911 until his death in 1916 at the age of 42, he managed the company’s premises at 32 St Mary Street, Weymouth, Dorset. His widow Ellen died at London in 1939 aged 63.

James Smith JACKSON
Born c1865 at Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, he married Ada Elizabeth CARTER in 1889 and their children included Louis Percival JACKSON 1889, Lucia Annie JACKSON 1892, Alice Mauiel Mary JACKSON 1897 and John Geoffrey Carter JACKSON 1906. In 1911 he was based at 151 Cleethorpe Road, Grimsby, and worked as a shop inspector and manager for the Public Benefit Boot Co.

John Richard JACKSON
Born 1873 at Bristol, Gloucestershire, son of John Richard JACKSON, furniture shopman, and his wife Sarah Maria Dunn NAISH. He married Elizabeth Duncaff LLOYD in 1900 at Weymouth and their children included Reginald Duncaff JACKSON 1901 and Lilian Cornelia JACKSON 1904. In 1911 he managed Lennards retail premises at 37-38 High Street, Bristol.

William John JACKSON
Born 1871 at Pennington, Lancashire, he married Catherine LITTLE in 1895 and they had a son Cecil Abbott JACKSON 1899. In 1911 he managed the company’s premises at 20 Market Street, Ulverston, Lancashire.

Charles Robert JEFFERIS
Born 1884 at Birmingham, he married Annie Lyddiard BAKER in 1908 and they had a daughter Lillian Violet JEFFERIS 1909. In 1911 he managed the company’s premises at 16 Park Street, Walsall, Staffordshire.

Sophia JOINT
Born 1849 at Ide, Devon, daughter of John JOINT, farmer, and his wife Elizabeth HAWKINS. In 1869 at Exeter she married John MORRISH, boot maker. Following his death at Plymouth in 1890 aged 42, she managed the Public Benefit Boot Co premises at 152 King Street, Plymouth for several decades. She died at Leicester in 1931 aged 81.

Edith Rachel JONES
In 1901 she worked as a shop assistant at the Public Benefit Boot Co premises on Peascod Street, New Windsor, Berkshire.

Robert Haywood JONES
Born 1882 at Armley, Yorkshire, son of Joseph JONES, cashier, and his wife Anne HAYWOOD. He married Zillah Hannah BLACKBURN around 1909 and they had several children Roma JONES c1910 and Haywood Stenton John JONES 1912. In 1911 Robert was a partner in the Public Benefit Boot Co dealership that traded at 41-43 St Sepulchre Gate, Doncaster, West Yorkshire. He was also the grandfather of David Robert Jones who went on to become the well-known singer David Bowie. Robert served in WWI and was killed in action in France on 18 November 1916 aged 34.

Thomas Llewelyn JONES
Born c1882 in Wales, he married Charlotte Louise DAMEREL in 1909 at Wolverhampton, Staffordshire. In 1911 he managed the company’s boot shop at 11 Victoria Street, Wolverhampton.

Frederick Milsom JOYNES
Born 1888 at Gloucester, he married Ethel Adelaide M KENT in 1907 at Bristol and their children included Harold F JOYNES c1908, Frederick Milsom JOYNES 1909 and Iris G JOYNES 1910. In 1911 he managed the company’s premises at 40 High Street, Ferndale, Glamorganshire. He died in Bristol in 1941 aged 53.

Ernest Jesse KEVEREN
Born 1871 at Gloucester, son of Arthur KEVEREN, master painter, and his wife Harriett Gabb SAUL. In 1894 in Somerset he married Beatrice Eliza BOWER (pictured with him at the left). Their children included Gladys Beatrice A KEVEREN 1895, Hilda Violet KEVEREN 1896, Lilian Ruth KEVEREN 1898 and Phyllis Grace KEVEREN 1900. His eldest brother Arthur George KEVEREN was a boot salesman and Ernest followed him into the trade. In the mid-1890s Ernest was based in Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset and in South Wales; in 1898 he managed the Public Benefit Boot Co shop at 88 Fisherton Street, Salisbury, after which he managed the company premises at The Cross, Worcester. Prior to 1918 he and his family moved to the USA and he died in Utah in 1964 aged 92.

Bertie George KING
Born 1890 at Yarmouth, Norfolk, at the age of 21 he was working as a retail boot shop assistant at the company’s premises at 11 Carr Street, Ipswich, Suffolk. He married Ethel M WATMORE in 1914 and their children included Donald T KING 1914 and Leslie H KING 1922.

John KINGSBURY
Born c1839 at Redcliff, Bristol. In 1911 at the age of 72, he managed the company premises at 19 High Street, Wells, Somerset. He died at Wells in 1916 aged 77.

George KIRBY
Born 1855 at Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire, son of Edward KIRBY, bricklayer, and his wife Ann BONE. George’s mother died before he reached the age of six. In the early 1880s he worked as a music teacher in Dorking, Surrey, where he married Maria SCOTT in 1885. Their children included Ethel M KIRBY 1887 born Sheffield and Alan John KIRBY 1889 born Dorking. Along with his brother John he moved into the boot trade and managed large boot manufacturing operations in Warrington and Birkdale. For many years he was a shareholder and director of the Public Benefit Boot Co. He died at Streatham, Surrey, in 1917 aged 62 and his widow Maria died there in 1929 aged 71.

John KIRBY
Born 1853 at Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire, son of Edward KIRBY, bricklayer, and his wife Ann BONE. He started his working life as a glover and draper’s apprentice but by 1881 was working as a boot and shoe merchant at the establishment of Jabez HARKER in Nottingham. By 1891 John KIRBY was a boot factor in Sheffield where he successfully set up a large manufacturing operation. In 1892 he was the proprietor of the Public Benefit Boot Co branches in Sheffield and Chesterfield. He married Agnes Martha GOSS of Northampton in 1885 and their children included Lilian A KIRBY 1887, Winifred KIRBY 1890 and John KIRBY 1896. With his brother George, he was a shareholder as well as a highly regarded and long serving director of the Public Benefit Boot Co. He died at Sheffield in 1936 aged 84.

Henry LACEY
Born 1845 at Leicester, he firstly married Susannah who died in 1872 aged 26 leaving an infant son Henry Baker LACEY. He married secondly Emma KERSHAW of Leeds in 1875 and their children included Emma Kershaw LACEY 1876, John William LACEY 1877, Alice Nicholson LACEY 1878, Lilian Rhodes LACEY 1879, Frank Herbert LACEY 1881, Helen LACEY 1883, May LACEY 1884 and Albert Edward LACEY 1886. Emma died in 1890 aged 46 and in 1892 Henry married thirdly Sarah Jane WILKINSON of Binbrook, Lincolnshire. Their children included Percy Wilkinson LACEY 1895, Cecil Sinclair LACEY 1896, Norman Rhodes LACEY 1899 and Dorothy Margaret LACEY 1900. At the age of 25 Henry was an elastic web manufacturer employing 16 people. By the 1890s he was a commercial traveller in the boot trade and a shareholder in the Public Benefit Boot Co.

Henry James LANE
Born about 1856 at Tewkesbury, son of Henry LANE, shoemaker, and his wife Mary. He married Emma RUCK in 1871 at Tewkesbury and they had a son Harry George LANE 1881 at New Swindon, Wiltshire. For more than 20 years Henry managed Public Benefit Boot Co premises at 15 Havelock Street, Sheffield.

Fred LAX
Born 1865 at Crook, Co Durham, he married Emily Jane PROCTER in 1900 and ten years later he managed the company’s premises at 10 Hope Street, Crook. He died at Gainford, Co Durham, 2 September 1938 aged 73.

George LE’CHEMINANT
Born c1889, in 1911 he worked as an assistant in the company’s Bristol boot warehouse. He served in WWI and died in Bristol in 1956 aged 67.

James Herbert LEE
Born 1886 at Bolton, Lancashire, son of John Bedford LEE, commercial traveller and grocer, and his wife Mary Ann LEES. He managed the Public Benefit Boot Co branch at 34 Queen Street, Bridlington from when it first opened in 1911 until 1916 when he enlisted in WWI, after which his wife Mary took over as manageress. He served in the 8^th Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment and was killed in action in France 1 May 1917 aged 31.

William LEGGE
Born 1853 at Pinkney, Wiltshire, son of Thomas LEGGE, cordwainer, and his wife Jane. In 1879 he married Augusta Jane BRYANT and their children included William LEGGE 1882, Frank Robert A LEGGE 1883, Frederick Andrew LEGGE 1885, Charles Bryant LEGGE 1888, Winifred Nora LEGGE 1893 and Francis Evelyn LEGGE 1897. William worked firstly as a grocer before moving into the boot trade. In the 1890s and early 1900s William managed Public Benefit Boot Co premises in Sheffield.

Ernest William LENNARD
Born 1888 at Stroud, son of William LENNARD, boot retailer, and his wife Emma KIRCHIN. He joined Lennards Ltd in 1922 and was managing director in the 1930s. In April 1925 as Lieutenant Colonel he assumed command of the 6th Battalion (Bristol) and in 1926 he received territorial decorations. In December 1929 in conjunction with the Cowper Shoe Company Ltd of Shakespeare Road, Northampton, he applied for a patent relating to a fastening device for lace-up boots and shoes; the patent was accepted in August 1930. He was appointed the Sheriff of Bristol in 1938.

Francis Henry LENNARD
Born 1878 at Leicester, son of William LENNARD, boot retailer, and his wife Emma KIRCHIN. At the turn of the century he worked in boot manufacturing in Kettering.

Henry LENNARD
Born about 1857 at Leicester, son of Frederic LENNARD and his wife Mary GANT. In 1881 he married Mary Anne BRENNAN, daughter of Martin BRENNAN, a cabinetmaker from Ireland. Henry devoted his life to the family’s boot and shoe making interests. His wife died after an accidental fall at Leicester in 1902 aged 47 and Henry died at Leicester in 1910 aged 54.

John LENNARD
Born 1845 at Leicester, son of Frederic LENNARD and his wife Mary GANT. In 1870 he married Ellen Mary TOVELL of Ballingdon, Essex. Their children included Mary Tovell LENNARD 1871, Robert Frederic LENNARD 1873 and Clara LENNARD 1874. Initially a schoolteacher, John subsequently joined his brothers in boot manufacturing in Leicestershire and Gloucestershire. In 1897 he was secretary of Lennards Ltd and he served on the board of the Public Benefit Boot Co until 1905.

Samuel LENNARD
Born 5 June 1851 at Leicester, son of Frederic LENNARD and his wife Mary GANT. In 1889 he married Annie Eliza WOOD, daughter of Alderman Edward Wood, JP. Their children included Eveline Annie LENNARD 1890, Edward Wood LENNARD 1892, Kathleen Mary LENNARD 1893 and Samuel Frederic LENNARD 1894. He was chairman of Lennard Bros Ltd, member of London Cordwainers' Guild, president of the National Boot and Shoe Manufacturers' Federation from 1896 to 1899. He was elected Alderman in 1891 and Justice of the Peace for the borough of Lecicester in 1895. In Novermeber 1900 he was elected Mayor of Leicester and died suddenly on 14 September 1901 at Kirby Muxloe, Leicestershire, aged 50, a few weeks before completing his term of office as mayor. Both of his sons were killed in action during World War One.

Sir Thomas Joseph LENNARD
Born 4 July 1861 at Leicester, son of Frederic LENNARD and his wife Mary GANT. He gained his education from public schools and private tutors in Leicester and commenced business as a boot manufacturer in 1877. He travelled around the world visiting Egypt, India, Ceylon, USA, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific islands. In 1893 he married Edith Georgina SAUNDERS, daughter of a London banker, Horace Edward JAY. In November 1896 he bought footwear retail outlets from his brother Samuel and formed Lennards Ltd of Bristol. In 1904 he acquired a financial interest in the Public Benefit Boot Co of Leeds and became its chairman and managing director – positions he held until 1907. He was appointed Sheriff of Bristol and Gloucestershire in 1912 and he died at Cheriton Bishop, Devon, 1 June 1938 aged 76.

William LENNARD
Born 1847 at Leicester, son of Frederic LENNARD and his wife Mary GANT. He married Emma KIRCHIN in 1872 at Loughborough and they had the following children: Annie LENNARD 1873, John Frederic LENNARD 1875, Francis Henry LENNARD 1878, Helen LENNARD 1884 and Ernest William LENNARD 1888. William worked in boot manufacturing in Leicester before managing company retail premises in Stroud and Gloucester for several decades. He died at Gloucester in 1924 aged 78 and his wife Emma died there in 1926 aged 79.

Harry Samuel LENTON
Born 1855 at Northampton, son of John Lenton, draper, and his second wife Elizabeth BREE. He married Charlotte BURROWS in 1883 at Stamford, Lincolnshire and ther children included Katherine Mary LENTON 1884, Harry Lancelot LENTON 1886, John Frewin LENTON 1887, Frederick James LENTON 1888 and Jessie LENTON 1889. From at least 1891 until 1911 Harry managed the company’s premises at 18 High Street, Stamford and his wife Charlotte assisted in the business. He died at Stamford in 1924 aged 68 and his widow Charlotte died there in 1931 aged 81.

Charles LEWIS
Born 1858 in Northamptonshire, son of George LEWIS, boot trade foreman, and his wife Mary FLAVELL. He married Sarah Fanny COOMBS in 1879 and their children included James LEWIS 1879, John LEWIS 1882, Mary Flavell LEWIS 1886 and Walter Edward LEWIS 1891. Along with other members of his extended family, Charles was involved in shoe manufacturing and held shares in the Public Benefit Boot Co.

Edward LEWIS
Born 1862 in Northamptonshire, son of George LEWIS, boot trade foreman, and his wife Mary FLAVELL. He married Mary LEACH in 1884 and their children included George LEWIS 1886, Gwendoline Nellie LEWIS 1888 and Elsie Mary LEWIS 1890. A Public Benefit Boot Co shareholder, Edward commenced in the boot and shoe trade as a clicker before taking on factory management.

Thomas Davies LEWIS
Born 1870 at Duston, Northamptonshire, son of George LEWIS, boot trade foreman, and his wife Mary FLAVELL. He married Catherine ADAMS in 1897 and their children included Henry George LEWIS born in 1898. By the age of 20 Thomas was an employer in shoe manufacturing and was, like his brothers, a shareholder in the Public Benefit Boot Co.

Thomas LILLEY
Born 1902, the son of Thomas LILLEY, a former chairman of Lilley and Skinner Ltd, and a great grandson of Thomas LILLEY, who founded the Lilley footwear business in 1835. He joined the family firm in 1925, was made a director in 1944, and chairman and managing director on the death of his father in 1951. He played a leading part in the merging of the firm with the Saxone shoe business in 1957. He married Mrs Vera COTTINGHAM in 1940 and died at his home in London 27 November 1959 aged 57.

Joseph Richard LILLICRAP
Born 1882 at East Stonehouse, Devon, son of Silas LILLICRAP, railway porter, and his wife Martha EDYVAIN. He married Emma Maud Julia MONCRIEFFE in 1904 at Bristol and their children included Marjorie May LILLICRAP 1906, Dudley Richard Leslie LILLICRAP 1908 and Sidney Silas LILLICRAP 1910. He was a Lennards Ltd shareholder and in 1914 managed the boot shop at 118-120 Stretford Road, Manchester. He died at Totnes, Devon in 1949 aged 67 and his widow Emma died there in 1962 aged 85.

Joseph George LLOYD
Born 1869 at Gosport, Hampshire, son of Joseph William LLOYD, licensed barge waterman. He married Mary ARMSTRONG in 1893 at Portsea and their children included Leonard Joseph A LLOYD 1898 and Alec George LLOYD 1907. He worked initially as a shop assistant and from at least 1901 until 1911 he managed the company’s premises at 33 Kings Road, Southsea, Hampshire. He died at Bournemouth, Hampshire, 13 June 1935 aged 65.

Elizabeth LUCAS
Born c1875 at Manchester, Lancashire, at the age of 36 in 1911 she managed the company’s premises at 91-93 School Road, Sale, Cheshire.

Fred LUNN
Along with his brother Joe LUNN, he worked at the Benefit Footwear repair facility at Templar Street, Leeds.

Samuel Charles LUSTY
Born 1878 at Bristol, son of Charles LUSTY, oil lamp, soap and general dealer, and his second wife Sophia Matilda CRITCHLEY. At the age of 12 he worked as an errand boy for a Bristol boot shop (likely one of Lennards Ltd branches). He married Minnie GOUGH in 1901 at Bristol and had a son Clifford Gough LUSTY 1903. In 1911 he managed the company’s premises at 7 Grosvenor Road, Aldershot, Hampshire, and in 1914 he was a Lennards Ltd shareholder.

Fred MAGGS
Born 1870 at Twerton near Bath, Somerset, son of Mark MAGGS, boot manufacturer, and his wife Martha BATTEN. He married Decima JENKINS of Bryn-Mawr, Breconshire in 1896. He worked firstly as a commercial traveller, presumedly in the boot trade, and by 1901 he managed the Public Benefit Boot Co shop at 211 High Street, Exeter. He later managed the company’s premises at 31 Sidwell Street, Exeter, where he died in 1923 aged 53.

Douglas William MARCH
Born 1893 at Nether Stowey, Somerset, son of William James MARCH, police sergeant, and his wife Charlotte FEAR. In 1911 he worked as a boot shop assistant in the company’s Bristol premises and served in Europe during WWI.

James Henry Robert Francis MARRIAN
Born 17 June 1881 at Balsall Heath, Worcester, son of James Robert MARRIAN, physician, and his wife Eliza WATKINS. Following the death of his father in 1887, his mother became a boot and shoe dealer, firstly in Kings Norton and later in Balsall Heath. Based in Worcester, James Henry Robert Francis MARRIAN was involved in tanning and shoe manufacturing enterprises. He married in 1909 and had a son Francis John Morton MARRIAN in 1912. He travelled to the USA in 1924, joined the Benefit Footwear board in 1929 and was managing director until 1937. He continued on the board until at least 1947 and died in 1964 aged 82.

John MARSTON
Born 1849 at Coventry, the son of Isaac MARSTON, silk weaver, and his wife Ann HILL. He married Emily BROOKS in 1871 at Coventry and their children included Arthur MARSTON 1873, Emily Elizabeth MARSTON 1876, William John MARSTON 1878, Edith MARSTON 1880, and Frederick MARSTON 1882. In the 1880's he managed the Public Benefit Boot Co shop at 4 Hales Street and Spon Street, Coventry. He later moved to Edgbaston where his son William assisted in the boot shop.

William John MARSTON
Born 1878 at Coventry, son of John Marston, boot maker, and his wife Emily BROOKS. In 1905 at Birmingham he married Emily Elizabeth ARNOLD and their children included William Henry MARSTON born 3 December 1908 at Hull. At the age of 22 he worked as a boot shop assistant at the business at Edgbaston, Birmingham run by his parents. From at least 1911 until the 1920’s he managed the Public Benefit Boot Co premises at 35-37 Holderness Road, Hull. He died at Birmingham in 1953 aged 74 and his wife Emily died there in 1959 aged 78.

Percival Henry Claude MARTIN
Born 1880 at Maidstone, Kent, son of William Henry MARTIN, boot manufacturer, and his wife Etta RANDALL. His father was Mayor of Maidstone 1914-15. In 1901 he worked as a boot salesman assistant at the Public Benefit Boot Co premises on Peascod Street, New Windsor, Berkshire. He served in WWI with the R.A.F. and in 1919 married Lucille WHITTELL and they had children William W MARTIN 1921 and Pamela L MARTIN 1926. He and his brother Ernest Frederick Randall MARTIN continued in the boot manufacturing business at Maidstone where he died in 1960 aged 77.

Ernest George MEECH
Born 1878 at Eastcott, Wiltshire, son of George MEECH, farm bailiff and farmer, and his wife Fanny STEVENS. In 1901 he worked as a boot salesman assistant at the Public Benefit Boot Co premises on Peascod Street, New Windsor, Berkshire, later working as a clothiers’ manager. In 1905 he married Nina Sophia ROSSITER and in 1917 he enlisted and was sent to France with the Honourable Artillery Company. He died in France a few months later aged 38 and his widow Nina died at Christchurch, Hampshire in 1956 aged 79.

Clarice Gertrude MELTON
Born 23 October 1904 at Hull, daughter of Robert MELTON, fisherman and oil pressman, and his wife Annie Elizabeth TINDALL. She worked at the Public Benefit Boot Co premised at Holderness Road, Hull in the 1920’s when William John MARSTON was the manager. She remembered a large clock made by Potts at the premises. She married Henry Johnson DENT who died at Hull in 1981 and she died there in 1992 aged 87.

Christopher MERRYWEATHER
Born 1891 at Bishop Auckland, Co Durham, son of Charles MERRYWEATHER and his wife Margaret Hannah CARTWRIGHT. He married Gwendoline Annie ARMSTRONG in 1914 at Darlington and their children included Nancy MERRYWEATHER 1917 and Christopher MERRYWEATHER c1918. He joined the Public Benefit Boot Co in 1916 and managed one of the company shops before he was appointed inspector of the northern district in 1937. His primary responsibility in this role was to ensure that the company’s policies were carried out consistently throughout his region. He joined the Royal Navy in September 1942 and saw service abroad. He returned to the company in March 1946. William CLAYTON, who worked at the Blyth shop from the late 1930's, recalled that Christopher MERRYWEATHER had very high standards as a district inspector. His wife Gwendoline died at Darlington, Yorkshire in 1953 aged 60 and he died there in 1965 aged 73.

George William MILES
Born 1890 at Bridlington, Yorkshire, son of Henry (Harry) MILES, barge boatman, and his wife Ellen Sophia SMEATON. In 1911 at Bridlington he married Abigail Elizabeth EDMOND and they had a daughter Phyllis M MILES 1911. He operated his own boot repairing business in Bridlington before moving to Hull where he managed the Public Benefit Boot Co Repairing Factory. During WWI he served in the 1st/4th Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment and in May 1918 suffered shrapnel wounds to his right knee. After treatment at a Scottish hospital he had only been back in France for ten days when he was wounded and taken prisoner. He died in hospital at Tournai in Belgium of pneumonia on 1 October 1918 while a prisoner of war. His widow Abigail died at Hull in 1966 aged 75.

Edwin MILL
Born 1869 at Illogan, Cornwall, he married Mary Ann BEYNON around 1891 and heir three children included Josephine Mary MILL 1892, John Stuart MILL 1894 and Richard Edwin MILL 1895. In 1911 he managed the company’s premises at 12 Green Street, Neath, Glamorganshire.

Alfred Sidney MILNER
Born 1889 at Birmingham, son of Alfred MILNER, engraver, and his wife Ann SMITH. In 1911 he worked as a boot salesman at the company’s premises in Hulme, Lancashire. He served in WWI and at the end of the war married Mary E GILL. They had a son Alfred Percy MILNER 1919. Alfred senior died 1948 aged 58.

James Henry MITCHELMORE
Born 1867 at East Allington, Devon, on 4 August 1895 at Horfield, Gloucestershire, he married Alice Bailey FRY and they had a daughter Doris May MITCHELMORE 1899. In 1901 he managed the company’s boot shop at 39 Gloucester Road, Bristol; in 1905 he managed the company’s large branch at The Foregate, Worcester and in 1911 he managed the company’s premises at 8 Wellington Street, Teignmouth, Devon. He died in 1934 aged 67 and his wife Alice died in 1949 aged 84.

John Victor MIZEN
Born 1895 at Wick, Gloucestershire, son of William John MIZEN, greengrocer and later nursery gardener, and his wife Alma MAYBURY. In 1911 he worked as a boot maker for Lennards in Bristol. He served as Lance Corporal in the Machine Gun Corps, Gloucestershire Regiment during WWI and was killed in action in the Somme, France, 1 August 1916 aged 21.

Blanche MOFFATT
Worked as a shop assistant at the Public Benefit Boot Co premises at Regent Street, Blyth, Northumberland 1938-1941.

Henry Abijah Pearce MONDEY
Born 1855 at Southampton, the third son of Thomas MONDEY, cabinet-maker, town missionary, and his wife Rebecca PEARCE of Romsey. At the age of 15 he was working as a Southampton hosier and in 1882 he married Louisa Rosetta MEYER of Bristol. In 1884 at Winchester they had a son Henry Carston MONDEY. In 1891 he was based at 64 Market Street, Longton, and managed a number of boot and shoe stores. Ten years later he was manager of the shop at 15 Market Place, Gainsborough.

Thomas Adonijah MONDEY
Born 1852 at Southampton, the second son of Thomas MONDEY, cabinet-maker, town missionary, and his wife Rebecca PEARCE of Romsey. In 1882 Thomas Jr, at the time a shoemaker, married Elizabeth Naish EAMES of Southampton. Their children included Daisy MONDEY 1877, David MONDEY 1878 and Philip MONDEY 1881. The family moved to Sheffield, where in 1891, Thomas managed the company’s boot shop. He died seven years later at the age of 46.

James Augustine MORAN
Born 13 August 1878 at Doncaster, Yorkshire, the son of Irishman John MORAN and his wife Bridget Theresa MORRIS of Epworth, Lincolnshire. He left school at the age of 12 and worked initially as an errand boy. By 1901 he managed a boot shop in Eccleshall Bierlow and by 1910 managed the boot department of Huddersfield Co-operative Society. He went into business as a master boot and shoe maker in 1912 but by June 1915 had been declared bankrupt. He moved with his family to Birmingham and was appointed the manager of The Public Benefit Boot Co branch at 42 Corporation Street, Birmingham. In May 1916 as WWI progressed the British Government began the conscription of married men and James was called up. He spent the next three years serving in France and Belgium with the Royal Army Ordnance Corps as a Lance Corporal. He was transferred to the reserve in 1919 and returned to Huddersfield where he was appointed manager of the Barnsley Co-operative Boot and Shoe Store. He worked there until his retirement after which he ran a confectionery and tobacconist business with his wife until his death in 1950.

Hubert James MORGAN
Born 1890 at Gloucester, son of Thomas Jarrett MORGAN, post office parcel porter, and his wife Edith Emily MERRETT. In 1891 he worked as a boot salesman at Hulme, Lancashire. On 14 July 1914 he married Edna Elizabeth JOHNSON and they had a daughter Clarice MORGAN 1916. He served as a gunner in France during WWI.

Job MORRIS
Born 1883 at Ilangedwyre, Flintshire, Wales, he married Annie EVANS in 1908 and a few years later managed the company’s premises at 38 Fore Street, Taunton, Somerset.

John MORRIS
Born c1877 at Ruabon near Wrexham, Wales, he married Gladys Marion FOGWELL in 1910 and their children included Daisy N A MORRIS 1912, John P MORRIS 1916 and Dilys M MORRIS 1924. In 1901 he worked as a Cardiff boot shop assistant and in 1911 he managed the Lennards premises at 212 High Street, Exeter with his wife assisting in the business. In 1914 he was a Lennards Ltd shareholder and managed a company branch shop at 35 Pandy Square, Tonypandy, Glamorgan, Wales.

Arthur John MORRISH
Born 1871 at Bridford, Devon, son of John MORRISH, boot maker, and his wife Sophia JOINT. He married Ellen PARNELL in 1894 and their children included Kenneth Arthur MORRISH 1902, Betty Winifred MORRISH 1905 and John Parnell MORRISH 1909. He was a Lennards Limited shareholder and in 1901 managed the company’s boot shop in Penzance. Ten years later he was an inspector of branches for the company. He died at Leicester 15 November 1926 aged 55.

John MORRISH
Born 1847 at Holcombe Burnell, Devon, son of Samuel MORRISH, shoe maker, and his wife Salome. He married Sophia JOINT in 1869 at Exeter and their children included Arthur John MORRISH 1871, Florence Lydia MORRISH 1872, William Henry MORRISH 1873, Lily Sophia MORRISH 1879, Walter Herbert MORRISH 1883 and Victor George Leonard MORRISH 1885. John worked firstly as a boot-maker in Bridford and later in Plymouth where it is thought he worked for the Public Benefit Boot Co. Following John’s death in early 1890, his widow Sophia took over the management of the Public Benefit Boot Co premises at 152 King Street, Plymouth, continuing in that role for more than 20 years. His widow Sophia died at Leicester in 1931 aged 81.

Victor George Leonard MORRISH
Born 1885 at Plymouth, son of John MORRISH, boot-maker, and his wife Sophia JOINT. At the age of 16 he was a boot trade apprentice based with his brother Arthur at the Public Benefit Boot Co premises in Market Place, Penzance. He married Jane I LEE in 1912 and their children included Kathleen MORRISH 1913, Geoffrey H MORRISH 1918 and Alan L MORRISH 1920. During WWI he served with the Labour Corps of the Gloucestershire Regiment. He died in 1953 aged 69 and his widow Jane died in 1960 aged 78.

Walter Herbert MORRISH
Born 1883 at Plymouth, son of John MORRISH, boot maker, and his wife Sophia JOINT. At the age of 17 he assisted his mother who was manageress of the Public Benefit Boot Co branch at 152 King Street, Plymouth. In 1918 he married Elsie M SHORT and their children included Claud F MORRISH 1925 and Doreen M S MORRISH 1926. He died in 1956 aged 73.

William James MOSS
Born 1878 at Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, he married Matilda Williams HITCHENS in 1906 at Penzance, Cornwall and their children included William Alexander MOSS 1907 and Dorothy Tryphena MOSS 1910. In 1901 he worked as an assistant in the boot shop in Yeovil, Somerst, and in 1911 he managed the company’s premises at 9 Union Street, Plymouth, Devon.

George Richard MOUNT
Born 25 June 1911 at Chelsea, London, son of Sir William Arthur MOUNT, MP, and his wife Lady Hilda Lucy Adelaide LOW. On 3 December 1936 he married Elizabeth Patricia BARING and they had a daughter Serena Georganne MOUNT in 1941. He was Chairman and Managing Director of Lennards Ltd 1960-63. His wife Elizabeth died in 1981 and he died in 1991 aged 79.

Frank MURRAY
Born 1874 at Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, son of Edward William MURRAY, machine grinder, and his wife Eliza Louisa WOODHALL. In 1901 he worked at the company's boot shop at Croydon, Surrey.

Henry George MUSTOE
Born 1 August 1895 at Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, son of Frederick Avery MUSTOE, plasterer, and his wife Adelaide Elizabeth ROGERS. He married Agnes PRICE in 1920 and they had a daughter Irene J MUSTOE 1925. He worked firstly as a boot shop porter at the company’s premises in Cheltenham. During WWI he served with the Gloucestershire Regiment in France. His wife Agnes died in 1972 aged 76 and he died in 1977 aged 81.

Charles Henry MYERS
Born 1884 at London, son of William Henry MYERS, pianoforte maker and ladder maker, and his wife Sarah Ellen. In 1906 he married Selina Hepzibah MUST and their children included Dorothy Selina MYERS 1907 and Lena Marion MYERS 1910. In 1911 he managed the Public Benefit Boot Co premises at 27 Powis Street, Woolwich, London. He died in 1960 aged 76 and his widow Selina died in 1968 aged 82

Wesley NANCARROW
Born 1865 at Summercourt, St Enoder, Cornwall, son of John NANCARROW, draper and grocer, and his wife Ann BROAD. He worked as a draper’s apprentice in Boscawen Street, Truro, before becoming a travelling salesman. At the turn of the century he was a dealer in china, glass, earthenware, boots and shoes and by 1906 he managed the Public Benefit Boot Co branch in Honey Street, Bodmin. By 1914 he managed businesses in Wadebridge and Redruth. He married Kate CAMPS in 1919 at Bodmin and he died at St Columb, Cornwall in 1928 aged 63.

Miss NEVISON
In the 1960’s worked at the Public Benefit Boot Co branch at Northumberland Street, Newcastle.

Francis Edwin NEWTON
Born 1876 at St Thomas, Exeter, Devon, son of John NEWTON, labourer at a marine store, and his second wife Caroline Eliza MOXET. He married Jessie BUZZACOTT in 1900 at Credition, Devon and they had a son Charles Francis NEWTON c1902. During the period 1909-11 he worked as a salesman at the Public Benefit Boot Co branch at 43 Market Street, Falmouth, Cornwall and in 1912 his wife Jessie was listed as manageress of the same premises. It is possible they separated in 1913 and Jessie died at Toronto in1929 aged 51 and Francis died at Vancouver in 1959 aged 82.

William NORTH
Born 1852 at Tredegar, Monmouthshire, Wales, son of Joseph NORTH, boot maker, and his wife SarahMANUEL. In 1877 he married Mary Emma JENKINS and their children included Rosa Mabel NORTH 1878, Joseph Harold NORTH 1880, George Arthur NORTH 1882, Muriel Dora M NORH 1885, William Stuart NORTH 1886, Hugh Gordon NORTH 1888, Basil NORTH 1891, Violet NORTH 1893 and Irene NORTH 1894. William followed his father into the boot trade and by 1891 he managed the boot shop at 18 Castle Street and from at least1891 to 1911 he managed the Public Benefit Boot Co premises at 38 Castle Street, Tredegar.

George Arthur NORTH
Born 1882 at Tredegar, Monmouthshire, Wales, son of William NORTH, boot shop manager, and his wife Mary Emma JENKINS. In 1911 he worked as a boot shop assistant in his father’s business at Tredegar.

John NUNNERLEY
Shop assistant at the Public Benefit Boot Co branch at St Peter’s Street, Derby in 1896.

Edward O’NEIL
Born c1865 at Randalstown, Antrim, Northern Ireland. He and his wife Catherine had five children including Kathleen Mary J O’NEIL 1892, Norah Winifred O’NEIL 1894, Veronica Marguerita O’NEIL 1898 and Edmund Donnell O’NEIL 1905. They lived for some years at Darlington, Co Durham and Huddersfield, Yorkshire and in 1911 he managed the company’s premises at 253 Roundhay Road, Leeds.

William Thomas OAKLEY
Born 1861 at Northampton, son of John OAKLEY, tailor, and his wife Sophia BEESLEY. He married Ada Mary WOODHOUSE in 1892 and they had a son John Woodhouse OAKLEY the following year. In 1911 William managed the company’s premises at 5 Market Place, Nuneaton, Warwickshire. His wife Ada died in 1929 aged 64 and he died 1937 aged 76.

Stephen OATLEY
Born 1853 at London, son of James OATLEY, boot-maker’s clicker, and his wife Sarah. He married Marrian JELLEY in 1888 at Brighton, Sussex. They had no children and he spent much of his working life managing the company’s premises at Brighton. He died at Hove, Sussex in 1929 aged 76.

Charles Llewellyn OLIVER
Born 1871 at Swansea, Wales, son of Charles OLIVER who at that time managed a boot and shoe establishment at 30 Castle Street, Swansea. Both the Charles Sr and Charles Jr were shoe factors and subsequently held executive positions with Lennards Ltd of Bristol. Charles Llewellyn OLIVER married about January 1901 to Hagar Winifred HEAP and he died 15 December 1902 aged 31.

John Henry OLIVER
Born 1880 at Loughborough, son of Samuel Bernard OLIVER, boot-maker, and his wife Clare WILLIAMS. His grandparents John Carter OLIVER and Elizabeth HENSHAW ran a boot shop in Barrow-upon-Soar, Leicestershire. In 1901 he worked as a boot shop assistant in Cardiff and later lived in Chippenham, Wiltshire. He married Ethel Alice BROADHEAD in 1906 and they had a daughter Marjorie OLIVER 1923.

Charles Edward A OWEN
Born c1861 at Uppingham, Rutland, son of Henry Joseph OWEN, formerly a grocer, later a boot merchant, and his wife Ann Eliza WESTMORELAND. He married Elizabeth Patience HADWIN in 1885 at Chorlton, Lancashire and their children included Lillian OWEN 1886 and Gertrude OWEN 1890. Charles was initially a boot and shoe salesman before becoming a dealer in Ardwick and Newton in Makerfield.

Joseph Henry OWEN
Born c1858 at Peterborough, son of Henry Joseph OWEN, formerly a grocer, later a boot merchant, and his wife Ann Eliza WESTMORELAND. In 1871 Henry managed a Leicester shoe shop and 10 years later he was a boot manufacturer’s manager. Both Joseph and his father Henry were listed in 1891 as boot and shoe merchants in Toxteth Park. Joseph married Lydia PENNINGTON of Prescot in 1892 and a few years later he managed a boot dealership in Warrington and became a shareholder in the Public Benefit Boot Co. In 1911, still based at Warrington, he worked as a district manager for the company.