Introduction
In April 1881, Alfred Charles Slade, aged 12, and his brother, Robert, aged 13, were twine spinners, living with their parents in Barry Lane, Hardington. After training as blacksmiths, they used their skills to pursue new opportunities in Bristol.
Early life at Hardington
Alfred was born on 29 September 1868 at Hardington the eighth child of William and Elizabeth Slade. His father was a farmer, shopkeeper, and parish clerk, while his mother had worked as a cook at the rectory before her marriage. The family resided in Barry Lane.
After leaving school at age ten, Alfred and his older brother Robert found work in a local factory as twine spinners, probably at West Coker. When they were about fifteen, their father helped them find apprenticeships with blacksmiths. While he may have used his personal contacts to find a position for Robert, he advertised in the newspaper to secure a place for Alfred.[1]
By April 1887, Alfred had completed his training and placed an advertisement in the newspaper seeking a position as a shoeing smith or jobbing smith.[2] His brother Robert had posted a similar advertisement three months earlier.
Move to Bristol
The two brothers eventually found work in Bristol. By April 1891, they were lodging at 3 Beaconsfield Street, about one mile east of Temple Meads Station.[3] Alfred married a local girl and settled in the city, while Robert’s later movements are unknown.
Marriage
On Christmas Day 1894, Alfred married Mary Ann Hooper at the parish church of St. Philip and St. Jacob. Alfred was 26, and Mary Ann was 20, although she claimed to be 21. They both stated their address as Jacob Street, less than a mile north of Bristol Temple Meads Station.
Mary Ann was the daughter of Richard Hooper, a gas works stoker, and was recorded as a paper bag maker in the 1891 census.
Residences
Alfred and Mary Ann settled in Bristol, living at several addresses over the years, including:
-November 1895: 1 Sydney Alley
-December 1897: Barton Hill
-March 1901: 63 Richmond Road
-April 1911: 112 Richmond Road
-June 1921: 104 Richmond Road
-September 1939: 104 Richmond Road
Occupation
By March 1901, Alfred was working as a galvanised iron roof erector, a trade he would continue to follow for the remainder of his working life.
Death
Mary Ann died on 30 April 1942 at the age of 68. Alfred died on 3 January 1953, at the age of 84. Both are interred at Greenbank Cemetery in Eastville.
Children
Alfred and Mary Ann had four children:
1895-Nellie (married Henry Bowden, a soldier, in 1915; died in 1931);
1897-Elsie (married Vernon Reed, a corporal in the Royal Flying Corp in 1918; died in 1931);
1900-Alfred (became a tram driver and later a bus driver; married Ada Mary Hunt in 1928; died in 1980);
1904-William (became a chemist’s assistant; married Edith Winifred Kelland in 1930; died in 1968).
References
[1] Western Gazette, 21 September 1883, p.4.
[2] Western Gazette, 1 April 1887, p.4.
[3] The 1891 census erroneously recorded their place of birth as Priddy.
