W. Avery & Co. (aka Avery & Moilliet/Avery Brothers): History
Introduction
The history of W. Avery & Co, aka Avery & Moilliet and Avery Brothers, in Birmingham is complicated by the fact that this business was only in existence for approximately nine years. As a result, limited information about it has been located and the information that was found is confusing. The most important thing to remember is that this company was related to the Redditch needle manufacturer established in 1785 known as W. Avery & Son. From 1865-1899 this Redditch business was owned by William Avery whose two younger brothers, Charles Avery and Joseph Avery, also worked for the firm. Under William’s direction W. Avery & Son patented or registered over one hundred and twenty decorative brass needle cases between 1868 and 1890[1]. Avery revolutionized the design of brass needle cases, hence the reason his name is used today to refer to all fancy stamped brass needle cases produced in the UK during the last four decades of the 19th century. Much of the company’s success was most likely due to the fact that William capitalized on the idea of needle cases as a way to sell more needles.
When W. Avery & Son first began creating needle cases in 1868 the Avery firm in Redditch patented or registered the designs themselves, but after a few years that changed. Many of their needle cases produced after 1873 were stamped with Avery’s name but were patented or registered by different companies, all from Birmingham. It seems most likely that Avery never actually manufactured any of the needle cases himself, but rather worked with Birmingham businesses all along. And why is this probable? Of the 17 Birmingham companies related to Avery needle cases, the Avery name is stamped on designs registered by 8[2] of these companies and 4[3] others placed their names on designs registered by Avery. Avery was only listed in Birmingham and Redditch area city and trade directories as a needle, pin or fish hook manufacturer, never as a needle case manufacturer, although needle case manufacturers were represented. Also, the 1883[4] floor plan of Avery’s factory in Headless Cross, Redditch has been preserved and all the rooms referenced are specific to needle manufacturing. In all likelihood Avery was using Birmingham die-sinkers and stampers to create his designs and on some occasions these Birmingham firms either insisted on registering the designs in their own names or created additional designs themselves. Because the focus of this book is the Birmingham area companies related to these needle cases, additional details regarding the Avery business in Redditch can be found in the book entitled “Histories of the Redditch Area Manufacturers Associated with Avery Needle Cases” published in 2020.
The
Company
In
the 1870’s William Avery of Redditch decided to expand his business and created
the firm W. Avery & Co. in Birmingham in order to
manufacture pins there. Perhaps this was
done because his factory in Redditch was not large enough to handle making both
pins, needles and fish hooks. He probably selected Birmingham for several
reasons: 1) it was a major industrial city only 15 miles north of Redditch; 2)
it was known for having excellent transportation routes making it a place where
Avery could more easily distribute the needles made at his Redditch factory; 3)
at the time the city was known as a place where small, individualized
businesses could be started and often quickly become successful; 4) the
companies in this city were known for their creativity because they patented or
registered more designs than any other place in the UK; 5) Birmingham was most
likely where most Avery needle cases were actually made because this city had
the skilled workforce necessary to produce fancy stamped brass items; and 6)
having a business in the city would have presumably helped Avery develop better
relationships with the companies that actually produced his needle cases.
The
main evidence placing this Redditch firm in Birmingham is the 1878[5]
Paris Exhibition catalog which listed it as follows: “Avery, William, &
Son; Needle and Pin Manufacturers, Inventors; Headless Cross, Redditch, and 192
Great Hampton Row, Birmingham. Needles,
Needle Cases, and Pins.” Although the
company was listed as William Avery & Son in this exhibition catalog, from
1876[6]
through 1882[7] W. Avery
& Co. was listed in Birmingham city trade directories as a pin manufacturer
at 192 Great Hampton Row. Another firm
known as Avery Brothers was also listed twice during those years, once in 1876[8]
as a pin and needle manufacturer at Hartington Buildings on Branston Street and
again in 1878[9] as a
pearl button manufacturer at 192 Great Hampton Row. Then in 1883[10]
W. Avery & Co. was no longer listed, however, Wm. Avery & Son, needle
and fish hook manufacturers, was listed that year at
13 Stephenson Street near the Birmingham city center. Exactly when Avery’s Birmingham business was
established is a bit confusing because of the different names and addresses. According to an 1885/86[11]
commercial directory, which included the year a company was established, the
business of Wm. Avery and Son, needle and fish hook
manufacturers at 13 Stephenson Street in Birmingham was founded in 1875. This listing also included the words “And at Redditch”
indicating they also had a business with that name in Redditch. However, in the partnership dissolution
section of this same directory there were two additional entrees related to
Avery as follows:
And
what does this all mean? Apparently,
William Avery partnered with Charles Ernest Moilliet, whose father was a
banker, when he first established W. Avery & Co. as pin manufacturers at
192 Great Hampton Row sometime in 1875.
Although the firm was listed as Avery and Moilliet in the 1885/86
directory’s partnership dissolution section, that company name never appeared
in city directories. 
Perhaps the reason they named the
business W. Avery & Co. was so it would not be confused with the well-known
Birmingham weighing machine and scale makers W. & T. Avery which was
established in 1818[12]. Also, around 1875, William appears to have
partnered with his brother Joseph Avery to form another business called Avery 
Brothers on Branston Street, located
only 4-5 blocks west of Great Hampton Row.
Why they did this is unknown.
Perhaps Joseph was trying to establish a business for himself. Or maybe they wanted to be closer to the
Birmingham die-sinker and stamper Buncher &
Haseler who registered and manufactured 11 Avery style needle cases, six which
were the most popular designs, in 1874 and 1875[13]. The Buncher & Haseler factory was located
on Snape Street, which later became the northernmost section of the three-block
long Branston Street. In 1876[14]
the only design ever registered using the Avery Brothers name with the Branston
Street address was #302019 for a link or personal ornament whereas 7 needle
case designs were registered with the W. Avery & Son Redditch name and none were registered by Buncher & Haseler that
year. Avery had some type of
arrangement with Buncher & Haseler as most of that firm’s needle cases were
only stamped with the W. Avery & Son Redditch name or the name of one of
Avery’s licensees. At first Avery Brothers made pins and needles at the
Branston Street building, but by 1878 moved to Great Hampton Row and became
pearl button manufacturers. Perhaps the
pearl button trade was selected because it was popular in the Birmingham area,
however, apparently it did not work well because after 1878 Avery Brothers no
longer appeared as a commercial enterprise in local directories. The photograph seen here is of the
intersection of Constitution Hill and Great Hampton Row. Great Hampton Row is the street on the right
of the three-story building at the intersection. W. Avery & Co. was originally located on
the right, approximately where the beige two story
building sits between the two three-story buildings.
It
seems likely that William Avery wanted to keep the needle case part of his
business separate from his pin manufacturing company because most of his needle
case designs were registered using his Redditch firm’s name and address. In 1877[15]
the partnership between William and Mr. Moilliot was
dissolved and possibly after that Avery’s brother Joseph began working for W.
Avery & Co. This could explain why
Avery Brothers only appeared once on a design registration in 1876 and only
twice in city directories in 1876 and 1878.
Further proof that Avery was not making needle cases at his Birmingham
address appears in the design documents of two additional needle case designs
he registered in 1878[16]
and 1880[17]. These two registrations included the W. Avery
& Son name and the Hall Street address of the Birmingham die-sinker
and stamper James Farnol. If Avery was actually making these needle cases, why would he use the
address of another business when he registered them, especially since he had
his own business in Birmingham at the time?
Evidently Avery also had some type of agreement with Farnol because in
addition to using his address, one of the needle case designs registered by
Farnol in 1877[18]
contained a photograph of the design stamped with the W. Avery & Son
name. Apparently, the pin manufacturing
business was known mainly by the name W. Avery & Co. because that was how it was listed in city
trade directories. Later in 1880 the two
Avery brothers formed an official partnership and thereafter the firm was
occasionally referred to informally as Avery Brothers until sometime in 1882 or
1883 when the W. Avery & Co. pin manufacturer in Birmingham ceased to
exist.
William
Avery subsequently opened a shop known as W. Avery & Son at 13 Stephenson
Street where he presumably sold the needles and fish hooks
made at his Redditch factory. At the
beginning of 1884 William and Joseph Avery officially dissolved their
partnership in Avery Brothers because their pin manufacturing business in
Birmingham no longer existed. Now they
could focus all of their attention on their business
operations in Redditch because they built a new three-story factory there with
at least 40 workers in the early 1880’s.
Once the new factory in Redditch was completed around 1883, all of the
products they manufactured, needles, pins and fish hooks,
were made there. This would explain why
they were only listed as W. Avery & Son Headless Cross, Redditch in an 1887[19]
book describing that year’s Royal Jubilee Exhibition in Manchester in which
their booth included specialized machinery for sticking pins into paper.
The
paragraphs above describe a possible history of Avery’s company in
Birmingham. Although much of the
evidence found to date supports this presumed history of W. Avery & Co.,
understand that in reality it may have been a bit
different. Remember this is a possible
scenario which might change if additional historical documents related to the
firm are discovered in the future.
The
Owners: William Avery[20]
William Avery was the son of John and Catherine Avery. When he was born in 1832 his father was a
needle manufacturer and his family was definitely in
the middle class because his mother inherited land from her father in Headless
Cross where their needle business was located.
William had five siblings: John, Charles, Benjamin, Joseph
and Catherine. The eldest sibling John
died when he was only a year old, which meant William was the oldest surviving
son. William’s younger brother Benjamin also died
in his youth. When William’s father died
in 1865, William took over the family business known as W. Avery & Son and
his two brothers, Charles (born c. 1834) and Joseph (born in 1839), spent their
lives assisting him in running the company. Charles married Elizabeth Welsbourne
in Redditch in 1861 and remained in the Redditch area until his death in
1911. Details about the brother Joseph
can be found in the next section of this chapter. William’s sister Catharine Avery, who was born
in 1842 in Headless Cross, married Edmund Owen Hancox, a miller from Great
Alne, in Headless Cross in 1867. After
their marriage they returned to Great Alne, about 9 miles southeast of
Redditch, where several of their children were born before settling in Evesham,
a town located about 19 miles south of Redditch. Catharine and Edmund had five children: Mary,
Helen, Charles Owen, John James and Joseph Avery. Catherine died unexpectedly at age 33 of
typhoid fever in 1875 and her youngest child died a few months after her.
It appears as though the William Avery born in 1832 was named after his grandfather who established the family’s needle business known as W. Avery & Son around 1785. William lived most of his life in the Headless Cross area working as a needle manufacturer. He had 4 children with his wife Maria: Helen Grace, William John, Benjamin Ricardo and Charles Harold, the first two dying in childhood. After William died in 1899 at age 68, he was buried at the Plymouth Road Cemetery in Redditch next to his wife Maria who predeceased him. His will, which was written in 1896 and witnessed by his brother, Joseph, was proved shortly after his death. He left his entire estate valued at £11,884, or £928,998[21] today, to his two sons. In 1899 one could purchase 432 horses or 1,226 cows or 22,007 stones of wool or 9,284 quarters of wheat or 36,012 days of skilled tradesman wages with that amount of money[22]. A special memorial service was held a month and a half after his death at the Wesleyan Church in Headless Cross. Most of William Avery’s life story is best summed up in the pamphlet entitled “In Memoriam William Avery, J.P. of Headless Cross, Redditch” published by the local newspaper and distributed at his funeral service in 1899. It included the drawing of William from 1885 seen on one of the following pages and sold for three pence for the benefit of the Unsectarian Benevolent Society of the Poor of Headless Cross founded by Mr. and Mrs. Avery in 1856. The main part of the memorial pamphlet[23] reads as follows:
“Another of the very few remaining links
connecting Redditch of the present day with “Old Redditch” of fifty or sixty
years ago has been removed in the person of Mr. William Avery, of Headless
Cross, who passed suddenly but peacefully away (from vascular disease of the
heart, of many years standing), while sitting on a garden seat in the grounds
of his residence, on Monday afternoon, the 31st ult., in the sixty-eighth year
of his age. He leaves two sons, Harold and Richardo, and two
brothers. It is, of course, impossible to do justice to the life-record
and memory of such a man as Mr. William Avery, who for sixty years has taken a
prominent part in the public, social, and religious life of the town and neighbourhood, on the spur of the moment. A record
worthy of such a theme must be relegated to the future, but subjoined is a
brief outline, from which an idea may be gathered of the diversity and extent
of his life’s work and interests.”
“William Avery was born, near his late
residence, at Headless Cross, on May 1st, 1832. He received his early
education at what were then the two chief scholastic establishments in the town
of Redditch, both situated in Evesham Street. After leaving these he went
to the Wesleyan College (now Queen’s College) Taunton
for a year. At a relatively early age he was initiated by his father into
the “art and craft” of needle making, in the firm of William Avery and Sons,
which had been established in 1785, and from this, in his turn, William Avery
built up, by unremitting attention, his widely-known commercial success;
indeed, with the exception of the breaks caused lately by declining health,
until within a few hours of the death, he did not forsake his post as head of
the firm. But to the local public the interest in the life-work
and fame of William Avery lie not in commercial success, but falls under three
chief divisions – musical, social, and religious.”
“From infancy he evinced
distinct musical talent, which rapidly developed, until by the time he had
arrived at earliest manhood it had attained a high degree of excellence, which
secured his fame throughout the neighbourhood as an
exceptionally good musician, which reputation he maintained to the end of his life.
In 1837, when Mr. Avery was only four years old, he became leader, he told us,
in the choir of the first Wesleyan Chapel in Headless Cross, and through all
the vicissitudes of that body in the village he maintained an official
connection with them for 62 years. In 1843 he opened the organ erected in
the then new Wesleyan Chapel at Bates Hill, Redditch. In 1844, he
informed us, he was appointed organist at the “Old Chapel on the Green,”
Redditch, and was the first to have a regular salary allocated to him (£30 per
annum) for his services, but “he never received” the money. So great was
his enthusiasm for music, so highly was his musical ability recognised,
and his services in request, that early in his life it could be said that there
was not a church or chapel in the neighbourhood, the
organ of which he had not played upon. He was also in his younger days a
great supporter of athletic games. At one time he could hold his own with
the bat, and was one of the team
chosen to play against the All England Eleven when it visited Redditch.
In latter years he was President of the Redditch
Football Club, and of the Headless Cross Football Club for many years. In
October, 1849, he was the chief of those who
originated the movement which eventuated in the establishment of the Redditch
Library and Scientific Institute. He was librarian for several years; for
eight years was a member of the Committee, and for thirty years has been one of
its vice-presidents. To this institution all along he has from time to time
rendered very valuable and attractive service.”
“On September 18th,
1855, he was married at the Wesleyan Chapel, Sherborne. Mrs. Avery predeceased
him on June 14th, 1895. Soon after their marriage they established a
“Poor’s Fund” for the village of Headless Cross, and a great feature in its aid
was the annual “concert for the poor,” at which, on account of Mr. Avery’s wide
reputation as a musician, many professionals from time to time assisted.
These concerts attained a high reputation throughout the neighbourhood,
attracted large and influential audiences, and brought substantial aid to the
fund. They were continued until about 1885,
when, owing mainly to advancing years, Mr. and Mrs. Avery felt unable to
continue them. These musical treats are even now remembered by many with
great pleasure. About 1858 Mr. Avery took an active part in promoting the
success of the old “Saturday evening entertainments,” which had a very
successful career. According to the local press of that period, Mr. Avery
originated “the first Penny Readings ever held in the country.” In 1860
he took a prominent position in the establishment of the local rifle corps, and
advanced to the position of captain, which he held for about twenty
years. In 1865, having taken much interest in the matter of the provision
of cottage hospitals, and having had considerable correspondence on the matter
with Mr. Albert Napper, the founder of village hospitals, he in a letter to the
Indicator dated October 30th, suggested the
establishment of such a hospital for “Redditch; he believed it was quite
practicable and would be a great benefit to the town and neighbourhood.”
“In 1876 he became a
member of the Local Board, and was in favour of the scheme of sewage disposal adopted by the
majority of the Board, and subsequently approved by the Local Government Board
and ultimately carried out. This brought him into sharp conflict for the
time being, with several of his public contemporaries and friends. He
retired from the Board with his colleagues about 1880, when the majority,
through the action of the Ratepayers’ Protection Association, had been reduced
to a minority. About 1871 he became a member of the first School Board
for Feckenham district, including Ashwood Bank and Crabbs Cross, and for several
years rendered important services in connection therewith, but he retired on
account of advancing years and inability to hear well. Mr. Avery was
always strongly in favour of unsectarian public
elementary education. He was also a member for some years of the Alcester
Board of Guardians. In the winter of 1886 Mr. Avery delivered a series of
lectures, in connection with the Institute, entitled “Old Redditch,” compiled
from notes and personal reminiscences. He covered the period between 1800
to 1848. Delivered with characteristic wit and humour,
and being full of local names and events, they delighted large audiences.
Subsequently, through the efforts of Dr. Page, the hon. Secretary of the
Institute, they were published in pamphlet form. In 1872 Mr. Avery took
an active part in the establishment of the School of Art, at Bates Hill, and
was an active member of its committee for many years. He was elected
President of the Liberal Association for 1890. He took great interest in
the Redditch Building Society in its early days (established 1859) and on one
occasion rendered it signal service, it is recorded by an address. One of
its Vice-presidents from 1875 to its incorporation in 1877.”
“In the winter of 1892
he commenced a series of lectures, in connection with the Institute, on “Music
and Musicians of Old Redditch,” the last of the series being delivered on Dec.
1st, 1896. Like his lectures on “Old Redditch,” they are important
contributions concerning local persons and events of the past. They were
illustrated with typical music, rendered by a select choir, and, being upon his favourite subject,
were delivered in characteristic style and con amore. Large audiences
were attracted to these lectures, which must always remain as pleasant
recollections. Until comparatively recent years, Mr. Avery frequently
travelled on the Continent, and brought home rich memories and souvenirs of his
visits to be utilised at some time for the public weal. On December 15th, 1891, Mr. Avery, who by an
unusual coincidence had been present, together with Mrs. Avery, at three
representations, gave, in connection with the Institute, a lecture on “The
Passion Play at Oberammergau,” illustrated with numerous and beautiful lantern
slides. Mr. Avery explained that at the first representation he was
present he had some feelings of misgiving, as he thought the subject too sacred
for dramatic representation, but the history of the unique septennial
representation, the simplicity of the people, and their manifest reverence dispelled
his natural repugnance to the representation, and he hoped the modern
facilities for traveling would not vitiate these conditions. On December
2nd, 1894, the Organ Jubilee at the chapel was celebrated, Mr. Avery performing
on the instrument, he having acted as organist for 50
years. In 1887 he was appointed a J. P. for Worcestershire,
and sat for a short time on the Bench at Redditch, but owing to
increasing deafness he was unable to continue to attend the sittings. He
was the second Nonconformist magistrate appointed on the local Bench.”
“In February, 1895, Mr.
Avery lectured on the old “Saturday Evening Entertainments,” and in the
reproduction, at request, of a then celebrated tableau, “The Death of Nelson,”
as usual scored a great success. In March, 1895,
he was much affected by the destruction of the Wesleyan Chapel at Headless
Cross by a gale, as he had laboured hard in
extinguishing the debt upon the building, and which had but just been
accomplished. On May 25th, 1895, he took part in the opening ceremonies
of the Smallwood Hospital, and recounted his own
efforts in 1865. On July 15th, 1896 he was
present at the opening of the new (present) Wesleyan Church at Headless Cross,
and took a part in the proceedings. Subsequently he had executed a series
of coloured drawings and photographs showing the
various chapels the Wesleyan denomination has occupied in Headless Cross from
1820 to 1896, these he presented to the chapel authorities, and they are placed
in the vestibule of the present building. On November 18th and 20th,
1897, he had the satisfaction of opening the new commemoration organ which had
been specially subscribed for and placed in the new Wesleyan Chapel at Headless
Cross to replace the one destroyed by the gale in 1895. How thankful he
was to be present on that occasion, and how delighted he was to handle his
beloved instrument again, notwithstanding his infirmities of age and deafness,
can only be appreciated by those who were present.”
“In politics he was a staunch Liberal, in religious
views a staunch Wesleyan, but no bigot. For forty years he was
superintendent of the Sunday schools at Headless Cross, his classes being large
(500) and very popular. He established a clothing club in connection with
the schools, so that with the poor’s fund and this club he (in conjunction with
his wife) literally “fed the hungry,” and “clothed the naked.” He was the
oldest local preacher in the circuit and acted as circuit steward for thirty
years. He twice represented the district at the Wesleyan
Conference. Of late years, owing to declining health and vigour, he has been unable to do much personally. In
him local Wesleyanism has lost a foremost exponent and an able and untiring
worker, whose equal it cannot hope to find for years
to come. He seldom wrote to the public press, but when he did, it was on
some important subject he could help to elucidate or contribute something
to. His letters were always to the point, and extremely interesting. Mr.
Avery had also for many years made a collection of newspaper-cuttings and of MS
notes, chiefly of personal reminiscences and events of the past, and as these
are necessarily of much local interest and value, it is hoped they will be
permitted to be available at some future time for the completion of his notes
on “Old Redditch,” or otherwise utilised in the
record of local history.”
“The writer of this brief biography enjoyed the
confidence and friendship of Mr. Avery for twenty-five years, and while he
knows he would deprecate anything like laudation, feels it only just to recount
his good works and virtues. William Avery was distinguished by generous
sympathy, which showed itself in a willingness to render ready help to all,
transparent simplicity, sincerity, integrity, and unostentatiousness;
by charity, love of fairness, and invariable wit and good humour.
These secured the affectionate esteem of all who knew him, or who were brought
into contact with him. He has gone to his reward; his loss will be sorely
felt on all hands; but his example and the remembrance of his work and name
will ever survive in local fame and history.”
Shortly after William’s death his sons sold their father’s business to another needle manufacturer and by 1901 moved out of the area. At first Benjamin, Charles and Charles’s wife Winifred moved to London where they lived together on their own means indicating a certain degree of wealth. Later they returned to Worcestershire, and Charles and Winifred settled in the town of Malvern, approximately 33 miles southwest of Redditch, where they established an estate named Wyndcliffe. Their son, William Harold Avery, was born there in 1907. Charles, who wrote under the pseudonym, Harold Avery, became the author of over 50 children’s books[24]. At some point Charles, his son William, and his brother, Benjamin moved to Evesham, a small town 18 miles south of Redditch, where they lived together. Charles died there in 1943 at age 76 and Benjamin died five years later in 1847.
The Owners: Joseph Avery
William Avery’s youngest brother Joseph
Avery[25]
was born in 1839 in Headless Cross. Joseph
never married and lived with his parents until 1865 when his father passed away
and then with his mother until she passed away in 1888. He spent most of his adult life as a needle
manufacturer in Headless Cross and in the neighboring village of Webheath. Detailed information about Joseph’s life
comes from his lengthy obituary which is listed on the next page. Joseph died at age 76 in 1915 and left an
estate valued at £2,293 to the children of
his deceased sister. His obituary[26]
reads:
“THE LATE MR. JOSEPH AVERY. - A very large number in Redditch and neighbourhood - and many outside the bounds of the district
- who can claim no blood relationship, will feel and
sincerely mourn the loss of Mr. Joseph Avery. By his kindly disposition,
his ready sympathy and help in all good and charitable work, and the unselfish
devotion of his great gifts and powers to the public service, he had earned and
held the gratitude and affection of all. His circle of friends was a
large and wide one, for it comprehended all who knew him. His death is
the removal of another link from the chain connecting the new with the old
Redditch, for the record of his life-work carries us
back a decade beyond the middle of the past century, when Redditch had no
railway service and very little of anything else but factories and
workshops. He grew with the town, helped in the fostering of its oldest
industry, assisted in the development of its religious, social, educational and charitable institutions, and did as much as
anyone of his age in encouraging the love and practice of those arts which at
once brighten and ennoble life, and raise the moral tone of communities.
He was an English gentleman in the best and truest meaning of the term.
His highly cultivated musical gifts made him in great demand, and his services
in this direction were always readily given in the
cause of charity. Many now living remember with pleasure, the fine series
of concerts for the poor, held at Headless Cross schools thirty to forty years
ago, promoted by Messrs. Joseph and William Avery. Those concerts were
not only invariably successful in a financial sense; they provided rare musical
treats, for among the performers were, at various times, the foremost musical
artists of Birmingham and the Midlands.”
“Musical and Educational Work. In the early sixties, when Redditch was not so
closely connected with the Midland Metropolis as is now the case,
and was thrown much upon its own resources for its entertainment, Mr.
Avery was largely instrumental in promoting the successful series of Saturday
evening entertainments at the old Red Lion
Assembly Room. He did more than help in their promotion; he figured
prominently upon the programmes, as a few still
living can testify who remember his fine rendering of such songs as Tom Hood’s “Song
of the Shirt” – which helped towards the bringing about of an important
industrial reform – “The Dessert,” “The ship on fire,” “The death of Nelson,”
and other songs deservedly popular at that period. Coming down to more
recent times, it would be difficult to overstate the value of the work done by
Mr. Avery in connection with education. For many years before the passing
of the Education Act of 1902 he was a member of the old Feckenham School Board, and has been chairman of the managers of the Crabbs
Cross Council schools since the Act came into operation. It is only about
a month since he retired from the Redditch District Education Committee.
His love of children was one of his most marked characteristics, and because of
this he was an ideal school manager. He took what amounted to a parental
interest in the Crabbs Cross schools, which he regularly visited three or four
times a week, and he was in great demand as musical
coach when the children were preparing entertainments. In earlier life he
took part in the highest class Midland concerts –
oratorios, opera, and ballad – and many who have made a name in music largely
owe their success to his sound advice and kindly encouragement. He cannot
be replaced; but the result of his good work remains and will serve to keep his
memory fresh and green.”
“DEATH OF MR. JOSEPH AVERY. - With deep regret, which we know will
be shared by every resident in the town and district, we record the death of
Mr. Joseph Avery, who passed away very suddenly at his residence, Birchfield
Road, Headless Cross, on Tuesday afternoon. Mr. Avery, who was in his
seventy-sixth year, appeared in his usual health on Tuesday morning, and walked
to Redditch and back. After luncheon, he lay down upon a couch for his
customary rest, and later in the afternoon was found by his housekeeper,
dead. He had evidently passed away in his sleep, the life-spark having
flickered out without causing a moments pain. When we speak of Mr. Avery
being in his “usual health” on Tuesday morning, it must be understood that the
terms apply to the conditions of the past two years of so. About that time he met with two rather serious accidents, having,
within a space of a few months, been twice knocked
down by cyclists. It was apparent to all his friends that he never fully
recovered from the shock thus caused, although there was no reason to
anticipate an immediate fatal issue.”
“In the first numbing shock of that news which
has cast a gloom over the whole town, it is as difficult to give expression to
the feeling of sorrow as it is to adequately express appreciation of the work
and qualities of the one who is lost, and of the sense of that loss. It
is within a few weeks of sixteen years ago since, in writing of the death of
Mr. William Avery, we said: “In recording its appreciation of a life honourably and usefully spent, and work well and bravely
done, the world does no more than have justice. It is right that at the
close of such a life the community which has been cheered and brightened by its
radiating glow, and improved by its influence should give some expression of
its gratitude and we believe we are voicing the feelings and wishes of the
whole of the townspeople when we offer a last tribute of respect to the memory
of him who has just laid down his burden and passed peacefully into the valley
of the shadow - a shadow, however, without any terrors, merely the drawing down
of the darkness at eventide, marking the close of life’s busy day and the time
of rest and sleep . . . We can recall the cheery presence and impressive
personality, the wit and humour which, however, never
displayed itself at the cost of a wound to the most sensitive feelings; his
thoroughness and unresting activity and the spirit with which he entered into
whatever work he undertook, the exuberant vitality and large heartedness, which
made him as keenly susceptible to the sorrowful plaint of a troubled child as
he was keenly appreciative of mirth and the song of happiness.” These
words apply as aptly to Mr. Joseph Avery as they applied to his brother, Mr.
William Avery. It is a simple truth – and all who were privileged to know
him will know that it is free of hyperbole – to say that Mr. Joseph Avery’s
life was spent in good and useful work. We may take to ourselves the
consolation offered in the assurance and knowledge that of such good lives
“their work follows them,” but in the “rest from their labours”
they pass from human ken, and the loss is keenly felt. Tolerant and
sympathetic, as broad of view as kindly of nature, his rare qualities of heart
were combined with artistic gifts and intellectual powers of a high
order. To all of the younger generation he was
“Uncle Joe.” The phrase betokened – less familiarity than affectionate
regard, for to the end of his life he retained the youthful spirit
which is compounded of faith and hope, his genial companionship with young
people being the more valuable, because with the fresh spirit of youth he
brought the ripe experience of age.”
“To attempt to compress into a few inches of
newspaper space even the barest epitome of the life of one who for much more
than a half century has been not only prominently but actively and usefully
engaged in public work, is no light undertaking, and one likely to prove, in
the result, as little satisfactory to the reader as the writer. The
difficulty is not what to write, but what, in considering the exigencies of
space, may be left unwritten without spoiling the story. However, strong
may be the determination, and however clear the necessity, to generalise and take comprehensive sweeps in moving from one
end of the long time span to the other, the temptation to linger at certain
spots in the journey, to dwell lovingly here and there upon details - a
particularly interesting incident at a concert, may be or little personal
matters connected with musical “stars” of four or five decades ago - is almost
irresistible. For fully sixty years Mr. Joseph Avery gave to the public
service the fruit of intellectual and artistic gifts of a high order and gave
them without hope of expectation of any other reward than the pleasure the
artist always brings to himself, and the knowledge of having bought pleasure
and brightness into the lives of others. In attempting even
a rough sketch of a life so filled and employed, interesting incidents and
details crowd to one’s mind in embarrassing profusion.”
“Mr. Avery was born at Headless Cross in 1839,
in the house built by his father, the late Mr. John Avery. Seventy-five
years ago Redditch and Headless Cross were vastly
different places to what they are now, not only in appearance but also in
regard to industrial and social conditions. Mr. Avery’s first
recollection of anything connected with music was associated with the old
Wesleyan Chapel. As a little boy he was taken to help in the choir, and
so young and so small was he then that it was found necessary for him to stand
on the seat, in order that he might be able to see over the board in
front. Among his colleagues in the choir at that distant time was the
mother of Mrs. O. Slater, the mother of Mr. G. Rollins. The chapel had no
organ at that time, the accompaniments to the hymns and other musical parts of
the service being supplied by flutes, violins, a double bass, and other
orchestral instruments. When of school age, Mr. Avery first went to
Tunstall school and after that, when twelve years of age, to Queen’s College,
Taunton. Whatever the natural musical bend of the subject of our notice,
there can be little doubt that it was fostered and encouraged during this stay
at Taunton, for at the College, was John Pridham, composer of the “Battle of
Delhi” and other descriptive pieces. Pridham, who was a sound and gifted
musician, gave the then young Joseph Avery much valuable help in his musical
practice and studies. At all musical functions he was chosen to take some
part or other, and occasionally he was allowed to act as organist. At 14
years of age Joseph Avery returned home. By that time a harmonium had
been procured for the chapel and in playing for the services Mr. Joseph Avery
assisted his brother, the late Mr. William Avery. The two brothers shared
the work, first as “harmoniumists,” and later as organists, until about twenty
years ago, when the younger brother took upon himself the full duties as
organist and choirmaster, which he continued until a few years ago. In
the old days the Headless Cross Wesleyan chapel boasted a really
fine choir, among the members being Mr. J. Rollins and Mr. Spiers, while
of the Avery family the choir contained five representatives – Mr. Avery’s
father, with three sons and daughter. The late Mr. Henry Hill and Mr. J.
Hunt were also members, the latter having an unusually rich bass voice.
That Mr. J. Avery did good services in connection with the chapel is shown by
the fact that in addition to his work as organist and choirmaster, he went
through the Sunday school from the bottom class to the top, was secretary of
the school for thirty years and treasurer for about forty-five years. He
held the latter position until quite recently.”
“After leaving college, Mr. Avery was at home for some time.
He was then apprenticed to Messrs. Samuel Booth and Company, now Collings and
Wallace, merchants. At that time Mr. Jesse Collings, one of the firm, was a personal friend of Mr. Avery’s, and among other
friends he counted Mr. Joel Cadbury who was also apprenticed with him.
Mr. Avery was in Birmingham until he was 22 years of age, but he came very
regularly each week-end, for Sunday school work.
At first it was a coach ride for the whole of the journey, but for the latter
part of the time it was possible to take train as far as Barnt Green.
While in Birmingham Mr. Avery was actively connected with the Birmingham Mutual
Improvement Society held in Claredon Chambers, Temple
Street, among his associates in the society being Alderman Sam Edwards, Mr.
Frank Schradhorst, and other well-known Birmingham
men. Mr. Avery always confessed to being a trifle stage struck at the
time; but the puritanical feeling was much stronger then than now, and the
influence of relatives and friends prevailed over an inclination which, had it
been followed, might have added another and a local name to the historical fame
roll.”
“During the period of his residence in
Birmingham Mr. Avery was a member of the leading musical organizations - the
Birmingham Clef Club, the Kyrle Society, etc. – and
in that capacity became associated with the foremost Midland musicians.
He himself was, as we have said, and as all in the district know, an artist of
a high order. He was a skilled instrumentalist – pianoforte and organ –
and possessed a baritone voice of fine quality and range, and sang and played
with skill, taste and feeling. His Birmingham musical connections – among
whom may be mentioned Mr. and Mrs. Cortez Pereira (violin), Mr. French Davis
(harp), and Mr. Mathews (flute) – brought much good to Redditch and
district. Mr. Avery himself was in great demand for oratoria,
opera and ballad concerts, and in local concerts he usually secured the
services also of some of his numerous artistic friends.”
“After leaving Birmingham, Mr. Avery joined the well-known needle
manufacturing firm of William Avery and Sons, of which his brother William was
principle. In connection with the firm’s business affairs Mr. Avery made
many journeys to Spain and other continental countries his experiences while on
those journeys and especially of bull fights in Spain - being made the subject
of many interesting lectures.”
“Although so gifted and so prominent in musical matters, music actually took but a small part of Mr. Avery’s spare time
activities. He was associated with the work of almost every educational
and charitable organization in the district. In attempting to enumerate
them there is a fear and likelihood of some of them being overlooked. To
mention the few that come first to one’s mind; Mr. Avery was one of the members
of the Redditch Literary and Scientific Institute since its foundation more
than half a century ago, and never severed his connections with it until his
death at which time he was chairman of the committee of management. He
was keenly interested in educational matters, and his work in this connection
was the more valuable in its results from the fact of
his love of and popularity among children. He was a member of the
Redditch District Education Committee until a few weeks ago, and was, from 1903
until the time of his death, chairman of the managers of the Crabbs Cross
Council school. Prior to the passing of the Education Act, 1902, Mr.
Avery was for many years a member of the Feckenham School Board. In the
early sixties of the past century, Mr. Avery took a very prominent part in the
promotion and management of the successful series of entertainments known as
the Redditch Saturday evening entertainments held at the old Red Lion Inn
Assembly Room. In this work he was associated with the late Colonel V.
Milward, Messrs. William Avery, William Conie (?), W. T. Heming, J. M.
Woodward, Rev. J. Sculthorpe (vicar of Beoley) Watton, etc. He was for
some years a member of the old Redditch Volunteers, and held, we believe, the
rank of sergeant. He was one of the most active and useful members of the
old Redditch Amateur Dramatic Society, and also took a
prominent part in the work of the Redditch Amateur Operatic Society, and of the
Redditch Philharmonic and Choral Societies. In sport he displayed most partiality
for cricket. In former years he did useful service with the bat as a
member of the old Redditch Windsor Cricket Club, and, after he ceased playing
continued his interest in the game by attending the county and local
matches. He took a warm interest in the work of the Headless Cross
Nursing Association, was a regular attendant at and helper in the poor’s treats
of the town and district and, in fact was connected in one way or other with
every educational and charitable organization in the town and neighbourhood.”
“Mr. Avery took more than a sentimental interest
in journalism. He was a facile and able writer upon musical and dramatic
topics, as was his brother, Mr. William Avery. The literary aptitude and taste of the family is continued in Mr. Avery’s
nephew, Mr. Harold Avery the popular writer of boys’ school stories. He
was an assiduous collector and collator of musical and dramatic records and
notes as well as of local historical matters, and it is much to be hoped his
collection may be secured for public reference and use.”
“Ten years ago a desire was expressed
that practical expression should be given to the local appreciation of Mr.
Avery’s life-long public services. A fund was opened to which
subscriptions came promptly and liberally and at a largely attended meeting
held on August 16th, 1913, at Temperance Hall, Redditch, at which Mr. George
Lewis presided, Mr. Avery was presented with a purse of gold and an illuminated
address.”
“Mr. Avery, who was a bachelor, retired from his old business about
twenty years ago, since about which time he has been the local agent to the
trustees of the Sir Josiah Mason Orphanage, who own considerable land and other
property in this district.”
“This notice, from one who was privileged to
call himself a friend, is necessarily brief, and incomplete. It is but a
small tribute to one who passed a good and useful life, and who did much to
brighten and cheer and clear the path for others. In such space as it at
our command it would be impossible to do justice to the qualities or the work
of the one who has now gone to well-earned rest – one whom all will keenly
miss, and whose loss we all mourn.”
The Owners: Charles Ernest Moilliet[27]
Mr. Avery’s partner for a few years was
Charles Ernest Moilliet. The Moilliet
family has an interesting history as they were part of the landed gentry. The family can be traced back to Milan,
Italy where their surname was
Moliex. In 1536 when King Phillip II of
Spain took over Milan, many in the nobility were forced to flee. During that difficult period the Moliex
family fled to Geneva where the head of the family became a citizen. Then in 1721, after years in Switzerland,
they changed their surname to Moilliet.
John Lewis Moilliet was born in Geneva in 1770 and settled in the
Birmingham, UK area around 1786. He
arrived with substantial funds provided by his father and a letter of
introduction to Matthew Bolton[28],
one of Birmingham’s leading manufacturers known for inventing a more efficient
steam engine. As a result, John was
introduced to others in the upper class and became a successful merchant and
banker[29]. In 1801 he married Amelia, the daughter of
Capt. Keir another wealthy British family and they had 5 children: John Lewis
Jr., James, Theodore, Amelia and Susanne. The eldest son John Jr. died at age 24 in
Pondicherry, India in 1828 while serving with the 13th Dragons[30]. For a period of time
the Moilliet family lived at Hamstead Hall[31]
in the Smethwick area of West Bromwich, a suburb of northwest Birmingham. John established a major bank in Birmingham
known as J. L. Moilliet & Sons which was managed by his sons James and
Theodore[32]
after his death until it was merged with Lloyds Bank in 1865[33]. John was an Esquire and sometime between
1837 and 1843[34] he purchased
Abberley Hall, pictured here[35],
in Worcestershire located about 30 miles southwest of Birmingham. He passed away there in 1845 at age 75 and
his wife died there 12 years later in 1857[36]. John Lewis Moilliet Esquire died a wealthy
man with an estate estimated to be around £1,000,000[37]
(approximately £60,417,000[38]
in
today’s pounds).
The
second surviving son of John Lewis Moilliet and Amelia was Theodore who was
born in West Bromwich in 1810. Theodore
became a well-known merchant and banker in Birmingham who lived in Kings Heath,
a section of Kings Norton on the south side of Birmingham. In 1841 he married Louisa Walcott Yeatman the daughter of Rev. H.F. Yeatman in Dorset. After returning to King’s Heath, they had two
children: Theodore Yeatman and Charles Ernest.
Unfortunately, Louisa died of consumption, known today as tuberculosis,
at age 28, five months later after
the birth of their second son. Theodore
married his second wife Louisa Joyce Townsend, the daughter of another minister
Rev. Charles Townsend in 1847 and they had two children: Francis Albert and
Charles Townsend. At first the Moilliet
family lived in Kings Heath but sometime between 1850 and 1851 moved to a place
called The Skilts in Studley, about 20 miles south of
Birmingham, where they had a 212-acre farm.
Sometime after the death of their eldest son Theodore Yeatman, who died
at age 22 in 1864, Theodore Sr., his wife and his two youngest children moved
to an estate named Ellerslie, pictured here[39], in Hawkhurst, Kent where they lived on income
from dividends. Most likely they
relocated shortly after the Ellerslie House was built around 1870[40]. Later they moved again, this time to
Eastbourne, Sussex in the early 1880’s and Theodore died there in 1886 at age
76. He left an estate valued at £56,282 (approximately £4,617,899[41]
today). After his death, his wife Louisa
lived with her son Francis who also resided in the area
and she died 22 years later in 1908 at age 79.
The two youngest children Francis Albert and Charles Townsend did not
return to Birmingham. Francis Albert remained
in the Kent and Sussex area and Charles Townsend moved to France. Both sons died in 1938.
Charles Ernest Moilliet was born in 1844
in Kings Norton, five months before his mother died. He was the second son of Theodore Moilliet
until age 20, when he became the first-born surviving son after his older
brother died in 1864. Details about his
early life from age 10-30 have not been found.
Presumably, he attended boarding school and may have been a bit
estranged from his father and stepmother considering they named another son
with the same forename and Charles did not move to Kent when the rest of his
family did. Apparently sometime around
1875, when Charles was 31 years old, he partnered with William Avery to form
Avery & Moilliet and W. Avery & Co.
At first, he was possibly running the firm’s day to
day operations as he lived much closer to the pin factory in Birmingham
than Avery. Two years later, at the
beginning of 1877, he married Mary Frances Mercer at St. Bartholomew in
Edgbaston where Charles was living and working as a manufacturer, presumably as
a pin manufacturer. Mary was born in
Ireland, the daughter of
Major H. H. Mercer of the 60th Rifles. By the end of 1877, Charles decided to end
his partnership with Avery and by 1881was visiting Devon with his wife where
they were living on dividends which became their main source of income for the
remainder of their lives. After leaving the Birmingham area this Moilliet
family settled in Great Malvern, a town approximately 40 miles southwest of
Birmingham, not far from his grandfather’s one-time Abberley
estate. Charles named their house there
“The Skilts” presumably after his boyhood home in
Studley. At some point between 1901 and
1911 they moved again to Oberland in Malvern. Charles and Mary had no
biological children; however, they adopted a boy in the 1890’s who was born
c1891 in London. They named him Scott
Trevor Moilliet. Charles died at his
Oberland home in 1923 and was buried at the cemetery in Great Malvern. He left an estate valued at £22,438 (approximately £920,869[42]
today). In 1939 his wife traveled to
Kensington in London and was either living with or visiting her
daughter-in-law, Scott’s wife. Mary died
4 years later in 1942 in Upton upon Severn.
19th
Century Descriptions of W. Avery & Son Needle Cases
Perry & Co.'s Illustrated Price Current - October 5, 1874[43]: Windmill Needle-Case
We are not aware that
among the variety of needle-cases which the Messrs.
Avery & Son’s have issued, invention has conceived a form of greater
novelty than in this little gilt windmill. Its use is, of course, to hold
needles, pins, or such small articles, but the spirited conception of the idea
renders it ornamental. The windmill, of light gild
metal, is architecturally complete to the sails or fans, tower, windows,
doorway, steps, and pedestal, making a really useful domestic article almost
artistic instead of common-place. It has, then,
the merit to the trade of being out of the ordinary run of needle-cases, and
worthy of a place among a lady’s nic-nacks.
The Reliquary - July 1875[44]: Messr.
W. Avery and Sons’ Ornamental Cases
There are some articles of daily and hourly use,
and which are essential accompaniments of every household and of every female
in those households, to which none of the principles of art can be
applied. They remain plain and unadorned, and so will remain to the end
of time. “Beauty,” we know, “when unadorned is adorned the most,” and that the
intrinsic value of beauty is its excellence; therefore
the beauty of the articles we allude to consists in their simplicity of form,
their excellence of temper, their strength, and the ease with which they may be
plied. But although the articles themselves cannot be adorned by art,
their surroundings, and the cases in which they are contained, may be; and thus art comes to be applied to the commonest and
simplest articles of one’s every-day handling.
Needles and pins are not the most attractive of articles to an artist’s eye,
and the man who set about decorating them, so as still to preserve their
usefulness, would indeed have a task before him of no little magnitude.
Messrs. Avery and Son, who are among the very best of manufacturers of these
delicate little implements, and produce them by the million, have hit upon the
happy idea of wedding them to art in a peculiar and wonderfully appropriate
manner, by the production of elegant cases of admirable design and of excellent
mechanical arrangement, and it is to some of these that we purpose to call
attention in our present chapter. The cases are among the most elegant
adjuncts of the work-table, the drawing-room, or the
toilet, which have come under our notice, and we predict that they will become
almost as general as pins and needles themselves.
These cases are produced in large variety by
their introducers, Messrs. W. Avery and Son, who
appear to make some sixty or seventy varieties - all excellent in their way,
and some presenting features of extreme beauty and of considerable
ingenuity. One of these is a clever model of Shakespeare’s house at
Stratford-on-Avon, three inches in height, in which all its external features
are accurately represented. The roof of this house lifts up, and opens
back with hinges, the front falls down, and the whole discloses an elegant
cabinet arrangement of three drawers, the one filled
with an assortment of needles, and the others with
hooks and eyes, and pins, respectively; while on the top of the drawers are an enamelled thimble, and a reel of cotton, held in their
places by a clever mechanical arrangement, the thread from the latter passing
through the chimney top for drawing off. This “Ladies’ Companion” is
strongly made enough to last a life time. Its
every detail is beautifully modelled and finished both inside and out, and the
whole is electro-gilt. It is, without exception, one of the most elegant
and acceptable of presents. Another is a beautifully-formed
golden
wheelbarrow, admirably
modelled in every part, and evidently filled to
the top with a load of flowers. These flowers, which form the lid, lift up and disclose in the inside
a goodly stock of pins and some packets of needles. It is elegant as an
ornament, and useful as a toilet companion. Another is a boat, about four
inches and-a-half long, charmingly modelled, and massively electro-gilt, which,
opening in one part, is found to contain a cargo of pins, and in another to be
freighted with those necessary adjuncts of the toilet-table, hair-pins.
One of the cleverest in mechanical arrangement,
as well as most elegant as an ornament, is a tiny gold windmill, of faultless
execution, whose roof, opening with hinges, displays an assemblage of packets
of needles, these, by turning around the sails, are lifted up
as if by magic, so as to be brought ready for the fair fingers of the
owner. The arrangement by which the needles are lifted is a clever but
simple piece of mechanism. Another needle case is a pair of scallop
shells, and by turning the hinge a plate slides out from the inside, on which
the packets of needles are ranged ready for use. Another is a horse shoe and hoof, beautifully modelled; another a
butterfly — true to the life in form and position — carrying needles beneath
its wings.
<>
A strikingly novel design is a shield bordered
with gold, bearing a stag’s head of silver, on an azure ground. In this
the stag’s head lifts up, the azure cloth is removed,
and discloses a selection of needles, in charming little packets, ready for
use. This is one of the prettiest of all the pretty designs issued by
this firm. Another chef-d’ouvre of simple
mechanical skill wedded to pure art, is the “Quadruple Golden Casket,” in which
by a touch only, the needles are raised up to the hand without the slightest
trouble. It is a charming arrangement.
It is not necessary, however, to enumerate or
describe more. Those we have named are but a tithe of what Messrs. Avery,
in their never ending desire to put elegant novelties
into the hands of our fair countrywomen, have produced, and they are all
manufactured with equal care, and with faultless finish even in their minutest
detail. Messrs. Avery deserve the highest praise for their efforts —
their successful efforts — to apply the true principles of artistic design, and
of mechanical appliance to these articles of hourly use. They are one and
all good; and, so far from being simply flimsy toys, they are made for use, and
for wear as well as for ornament. Messrs. W. Avery and Son are among the
oldest of needle makers in the kingdom, their works dating back to nearly a
century, and it is much to their credit that they should now become the
pioneers in the department of art-cases, as they have hitherto been in the
articles which those cases are intended to hold. We quote the following
from the reports of the Vienna and Paris Exhibitions to the Birmingham Chamber
of Commerce: —
The nearest approximation to the lightness of small
ornamental work in metal, as made in Austria, Germany, and France, will be
found in the brilliant little needle-cases sent by a needle manufacturer at
Redditch (Mess. W. Avery and Son). They present a very considerable
approximation to the light, elegant sparkling things which foreigners are so
successful in producing, but the dies in which these are produced, it is
evident, are very superior in sharpness, the fitting better, the finish very
brilliant, and the ‘Cam,’ or other motion which on opening the case elevates
the needles, is in such cheap work exceedingly ingenious and well worked,
better than such work would be if produced by Continental workmen.
At the Paris Exhibition it was demonstrated
beyond all dispute, that for needles combining quality of material, clearly
pierced, and well-fashioned eyes, elasticity of temper, points, etc., the
productions of this country are unequalled. Satisfied with their triumph
on that occasion, attention appears to have been given by one Redditch firm (Mess.
W. Avery and Son) to the creation and development of a new feature in
connection with the needles, viz., the construction of elaborate, ingenious,
and ornamental pin cases. The stall of this firm in the Exhibition looked
more like a gilt jewellery depot than anything
else. The idea carried out by them is capable of extensive application to
other trades, though all the credit is due to them in its application to their
own trade. We are all familiar with the ordinary papers in which needles
are wrapped, packed, and sent away; how to open a packet was probably the
preliminary to scattering them on the floor! Now by some twenty-seven
different contrivances, patents, and registered designs, Mess. W. Avery and Son
have created a new industry in the Midland district, and
added to the ladies’ work-table an elegant and useful object. These cases
are strong, in addition to being ornamental; they demonstrate the feasibility
of an article of commerce being made, and that extensively, as a covering or
case for something in universal use, of little cost in
itself, while the case will be, perhaps, double or treble the price of
the article it contains. The idea was a happy one, and has succeeded,
doubtless, beyond all expectation.
The ingenious cases, with easy motion for
raising the needles, or shutting them up again, are simply beautiful in their
action, but are so numerous and varied that a description of their various
‘actions’ would read like a book of the specifications of patents. The
novelties are now so well-known that to enumerate them is sufficient. The
‘Hedgehog’ pin-case costs a thousand per cent, more
than the pins it contains, a gilt ornament to represent the animal, the pins
stuck in perforations left in the back. The ‘Butterfly,’ with needles
concealed under the wing, and there are about twenty-five other varieties, all
differing from each other.
The Reliquary - January 1876[45]: Messrs. W. Avery and
Sons’ “Easel” Needle Case
In a former article we wrote at some length upon
the very artistic and beautifully designed needle cases of Messrs. W. Avery and
Sons, of Redditch. Since then this energetic
firm, with its usual good taste, has produced a new and very tasteful design,
which they have kindly forwarded to us. It takes the form of an artist’s
easel, upon which rests a charmingly modelled portfolio. The front of this on being unfastened at the top, falls
down and displays, in place of sketches, a selection of packets of needles,
such as will delight the eyes and employ the busy fingers of our fair friends
for many a month to come. The easel and its useful load are beautifully
ornamented, and being finely and substantially made, and trebly gilt, will last
for years, and always be a pleasing object for the work table,
drawing room, dressing table, or elsewhere. Messrs. Avery are imbued with
a right spirit in all their Art-productions; and all their “cases” are
characterized with good taste, strict utility, and faultless workmanship.
The Reliquary - July 1878[46]: Messrs. Avery’s Needle
Cases
Messrs. Avery & Son, of Redditch, to some of
whose beautiful Art-productions we have already in these columns, on more than
one occasion referred, have recently produced some entirely new and perfectly
original designs in Metal-work Needle Cases, which merit more than a passing
notice One of these is the “Cleopatra’s Needle;” and both from name
“Needle," and from form,
nothing could well be more appropriate for the
purpose than this obelisk. By a clever little arrangement of hinges, on
raising the top, the four sides fall down in form of a
cross and discover the packets of needles inside. It is a pleasing and
clever, as well as elegant article. Another pretty trifle is the
"Stile Needle " - a rustic stile with mile-stone
at the side,
which opens and contains a goodly supply of needles.
Another is an exquisitely formed covered hand-
cart, which runs as evenly on its wheels as if
made by the Queen's coach builders and is as nattily ornamented as if designed
by their chief painter; it holds a liberal supply of needles and pins, and forms a charming little receptacle for any knick-knacks.
Another is a pretty little Camp Kettle, of excellent
proportion, and delicately fluted over its
principal surface; and the next is a miniature
Coal Scuttle, charmingly arranged so that the lids lift up automatically and
disclose the inward treasures with which it is stored. The whole of these
are splendidly and thickly gilt, and richly
decorated. They are among the most elegant of trifles,
and form the prettiest and most acceptable of gifts.
The British Trade Journal -
June 1, 1885[47]: The Antwerp International
Exhibition - Messrs. Avery & Co., Redditch
A prominent position is occupied by this firm,
who exhibit a collection of needles and pins and needle-cases in new and
attractive designs. Messrs. Avery have a needle-factory at Redditch, and
another, where they manufacture cases, at Banbury[48].
They hold numerous patents for the invention of cases. Among their latest
novelties are needle-cases in the form of valentines, others in the shape of
horseshoes, and others again represent the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, and the Leaning
Tower of Pisa. Many of these form useful and permanent ornaments, not
less remarkable for the ingenuity with which they are conceived than for the
skill and artistic treatment with which they have been worked out.
Messrs. Avery & Co. are well known as manufacturers of needles
possessing all the high qualities which have
made this class of British manufactures celebrated throughout the world.
Pictorial Record of the Royal Jubilee Exposition: Manchester 1887[49]
- Handicrafts
Near to this exhibit was a little machine, at
the needle and pin stall of W. Avery and Son, of Headless Cross, Redditch,
which had a special attraction for the ladies. This curious little
apparatus, upon which no small ingenuity had been expended, was engaged all day
long in sticking pins in rows upon paper; the operation being not a little
puzzling until one had an opportunity of inspecting the interior works.
Thousands of pins were poured into a hopper at the top, the attendant rapidly
getting them straight and in order with a small brush; they then slid down a
series of grooves in a perpendicular position, a blade came down and separated
a row, and the machine stuck them into the paper. The whole was done very
rapidly, and saved an immense amount of labour.
