Some insight into the history of Bernard Sealey & family

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AshbyCut
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Some insight into the history of Bernard Sealey & family

Post by AshbyCut »

This may be of interest to no-one but me ... but I have been doing some research online into Bernard Sealey, his family, and their involvement in tackle making via the ancestry.com website ... and have come up with the following ...

The first reference I can find to Bernard (who went on to have a son Robert) is in the 1871 census ... and gives a hint to the fame of Redditch as a needle making centre ...

From the 1871 Census :- Bernard as a schoolboy :-

Occupying 26, Britten Road, Redditch.

Head – George Sealey – aged 35 – Printer – born Webheath, Worcs.
Temperance – Wife – aged 33 – Needle Maker – born Bromsgrove.
George A. Sealey – son – aged 13 – Needle Maker – born Redditch.
Arthur E. Sealey – son – aged 10 – Scholar – born Redditch.
Emily M. Sealey – daughter – aged 8 – Scholar – born Redditch.
Bernard Sealey – son – aged 6 – Scholar – born Redditch.
George Sealey – son – aged 4 – Scholar – born Redditch.
Albert Sealey – son – aged 1 – no occupation – born Redditch.

His father, George, was apparently upwardly mobile not only in professional occupation, but also in 'home production' ... as the 1881 census shows ... The eldest sons, George and Arthur, have now set out on their own course ... and Bernard's parents now have 4 more children !!! ... and the eldest 3 children at home are now employed ... two of them, including Bernard, in making fish hooks.

From the 1881 Census :- Bernard as a teenager before he left his parent’s home :-

Occupying 29 Britten Street, Redditch.

Head – George Sealey – aged 44 – Paper Box and Card Maker – born Webheath, Worcs.
Temperance Sealey – Wife – aged 42 - “ - born Bromsgrove.
Emily Sealey – daughter – aged 18 – Needles – born Redditch.
Bernard Sealey – son – aged 16 – Fish Hooks – born Redditch.
George Sealey – son – aged 15 – Fish Hooks – born Redditch.
Albert Sealey – son – aged 12 – School – born Redditch.
Frank Sealey – son – aged 10 – School – born Redditch.
Arthur Sealey – son – aged 8 - School – born Redditch.
Edgar Sealey – son – aged 4 – School – born Redditch.
Florance Sealey – daughter – aged 7 months – no occupation – born Redditch.

By the next census Bernard has moved out on his own ... but not without sorrow. He is listed as having (aged 21) married Florence Chatterley (aged 23) on 2nd. June 1884 at St. Martin’s, Birmingham ... but is listed as a Widower, aged 25.

Happily, he remarried ... and wed Jane Louisa Ann Compston in Kendal, Cumbria, on 27th. August 1888.

The 1891 census shows the couple as occupying 81 Prospect Road, Redditch.

Head – Bernard Sealey – aged 26 – Fish Hook Manufacturer – working from home – worker.
Jane Sealey – Wife – aged 27 – no occupation stated.
Ethel Compston Sealey – daughter – aged 1 – no occupation stated. Born Kendal, Westmorland.
Marian Ceta Sealey – daughter – aged 6 months – no occupation given. Born Redditch.

Fish hook making obviously provided a decent wage ... as by the 1901 census they had two more children ... but tragically Bernard, named after his father, didn't survive.

Occupying No. 123 Ipsley Street, Redditch.

Head – Bernard Sealey – aged 36 – Fish Hook Maker – working from home – worker.
Jane Sealey – Wife – aged 37 – no occupation given.
Ethel Sealey – daughter – aged 11 – no occupation given.
Marie Sealey – daughter – aged 10 – no occupation given.
Ida Sealey – daughter – aged 6 – no occupation given.
Bernard Sealey – son – aged 4 – no occupation given. (Born late 1896 --- Died mid 1903).

Bernard made progress as a fish hook manufacturer ... because by the 1901 census he had moved onwards and upwards ... and we see the first mention of Robert Sealey ...

From the 1911 Census :-

Occupying No. 1 Grove Street, Redditch. 6 rooms.

Head of the Household was Bernard Sealey, aged 46 – a Fishing Tackle Manufacturer - Employer – working from Home - born in Redditch.
Jane Louisa Ann Sealey (nee Compston), his wife – aged 48 – no stated occupation – born in Kendal, Westmorland.
Marie Sealey, daughter – aged 20 – Fish Hook Maker – working from home – worker - born in Redditch.
Ida Sealey, daughter – aged 16 – Fish Hook Maker – working from home – worker - born in Redditch.
Robert Sealey, son – aged 8 – no occupation – born in Redditch.
Jesse Sealey, daughter – aged 4 – no occupation – born in Redditch.

Eldest daughter Ethel has moved out ... and presumably Marie and Ida were employed in the family business.

This was as far as I could get on the 'free' pages of Ancestry.com ... but there are no records of another Bernard Sealey in Redditch with a Robert as a son ... so I think I may be on the right track.

Oh ... and just as a sideline ... as Bernard's wife Jane was born in Kendal, Cumbria ...

Records show that her father, Robert Compston married Elizabeth Thompson in Kendal on 5th. May, 1847. (Aged 24 and 23).

The 1881 census shows that they lived at ...

Occupying 1 Yard, 146, Kirkland, Kendal, Westmoreland.

Head – Robert Compston – aged 58 – Joiner.
Elizabeth Compston – Wife – aged 57 – no occupation given.
Jane Louisa Ann Compston – daughter – aged 17 – no occupation given.
Florence Emily Compston – daughter – aged 14 – no occupation given.

Why is that interesting to me ???

I spent a year in 2000/2001 working in Kendal, only 600 yards from where she lived, and walked past the yard every day from where I parked the car to get to work !!! Talk about a small world !!! :Wink:
"Beside the water I discovered (or maybe rediscovered) the quiet. The sort of quiet that allows one to be woven into the tapestry of nature instead of merely standing next to it." Estaban.

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Nigel Rainton
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Re: Some insight into the history of Bernard Sealey & family

Post by Nigel Rainton »

I didn't realise Bernard Sealey was born in 1865, I assumed it was much later.

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Re: Some insight into the history of Bernard Sealey & family

Post by AshbyCut »

SofaSurfer wrote: Sat Jun 30, 2018 11:34 pm I didn't realise Bernard Sealey was born in 1865, I assumed it was much later.
The only 'Bernard' I could find with a son 'Robert' on census records for Redditch, Sir. I was surprised too ... but if Robert was born in 1903 ... he would have been only 43 in 1946 ... about when the company was founded after the war. Oh ... and Robert born 1903 passed away in 1966 ... so only 63 ... and his son, also Robert, took over the company.
"Beside the water I discovered (or maybe rediscovered) the quiet. The sort of quiet that allows one to be woven into the tapestry of nature instead of merely standing next to it." Estaban.

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Re: Some insight into the history of Bernard Sealey & family

Post by Jeremy Croxall »

Fascinating stuff Mal, what sparked your initial interest in the Sealey brand?
"Oh for want of rod and line I'd fish this stream serene, sublime".

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Shed_Monkey
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Re: Some insight into the history of Bernard Sealey & family

Post by Shed_Monkey »

A fascinating piece of social history - the progression from needles to fish hooks makes perfect sense, after all a fish hook is just a bent needle really. I guess making rod eyes would be easy for someone used to making needles and probably goes some way to explaining why a strong tackle industry sprang up in that particular area.

Thank you for sharing.
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Harry H
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Re: Some insight into the history of Bernard Sealey & family

Post by Harry H »

Family history can become all consuming taking you off in all sorts of different directions especially when there are so many families with the same name from the same place. :Hat:
There are three things that improve with age: wine, friendship and water sense, and there's no short cut.
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Re: Some insight into the history of Bernard Sealey & family

Post by Penninelad »

I suspect Dave & Al Sealey who hailed from Redditch were related to this family in some way.They achieved moderate fame in folk music circles in the 70's,80'c and 90's singing music hall songs. They were great performers. I think one of them still performs with his son.
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AshbyCut
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Re: Some insight into the history of Bernard Sealey & family

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Jeremy Croxall wrote: Sun Jul 01, 2018 7:43 amFascinating stuff Mal, what sparked your initial interest in the Sealey brand
I'll try to be brief JC, Sir ... but doubt I'll succeed !!!

My initial interest came from posts on the forum which I devoured just after I joined in may, 2012, and I was fascinated by the lack of information anyone had about the background to the company.

It was in late 2013 that I got my first Precision Rod ... soon followed in Feb. 2014 by winning an ebay auction (£25).

At the time I had been extolling the virtues of the Allcock's "Harvey Torbett" rod ... and when I first held this 'un-named' 10ft. 9in. Precision rod I really believed it was something a bit 'special.' It needed cosmetic restoration, so I set about bringing it back to life. It was this rod which started my speculations about the 'un-named" rods.

Image Image Image Image

Once completed, I was too unwell at the time to christen it ... so sent it unannounced to Bumble, whose opinion I had come to respect, asking him to use it and give me his thoughts. He christened it "The Princess," Hand in his second session with it produced a 9lb. 2oz. tench !!! ... reported in this post :-

http://traditionalfisherman.com/viewtop ... 16&t=13298

The interest this created, and my little website, led to me receiving an email from ... Bernard Sealey's great grand daughter !!!!! ... and it was through her than many questions were answered ... and my obsession with the company became firmly fixed. She also said, and I quote, "I believe the ‘Princess’ was a one off and it was a special order.” I reported her contact in this post :-

http://traditionalfisherman.com/viewtop ... 09&t=15914

The enigma of this company is that they never produced a catalogue ... so we may never know just how many different rods they made ... and that's part of the fascination !!!!!
"Beside the water I discovered (or maybe rediscovered) the quiet. The sort of quiet that allows one to be woven into the tapestry of nature instead of merely standing next to it." Estaban.

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Re: Some insight into the history of Bernard Sealey & family

Post by Duckett »

A thoroughly enjoyable read Mal. Thank you.

The sudden jump to marrying Westmorelanders after decades of staying within Redditch was particularly interesting. I don't know the figures but, I do recall that "local" marriages remained the norm for ordinary folk in England until after World War II. I know north Lancashire and Westmoreland quite well, having studied history up there, and I was trying to find a manufacturing reason for a sudden link. However, it's probably simply down to the rapid increase in holidays taken in the Lake District after the railway arrived in Kendal around 1848, plus the fishing or course!
From "... the wilds of the Wirral, whose wayward people both God and good men have quite given up on ...".

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Re: Some insight into the history of Bernard Sealey & family

Post by AshbyCut »

Duckett wrote: Mon Jul 02, 2018 12:36 pm A thoroughly enjoyable read Mal. Thank you.

The sudden jump to marrying Westmorelanders after decades of staying within Redditch was particularly interesting. I don't know the figures but, I do recall that "local" marriages remained the norm for ordinary folk in England until after World War II. I know north Lancashire and Westmoreland quite well, having studied history up there, and I was trying to find a manufacturing reason for a sudden link. However, it's probably simply down to the rapid increase in holidays taken in the Lake District after the railway arrived in Kendal around 1848, plus the fishing or course!
Perhaps the latter, Sir ... as Precision Rods did make an 8ft., 2 piece split cane spinning rod which they called "R. Sealey's Kendal Gem."
"Beside the water I discovered (or maybe rediscovered) the quiet. The sort of quiet that allows one to be woven into the tapestry of nature instead of merely standing next to it." Estaban.

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