The Red House, Snow hill

[mikejee]

I have received a request as to a bootmaker, James Kent, who was at the Red House , Snow Hill.
"I'm thinking 1840 to 1900. He died 1903 and this address is on his death certificate -but I'm not sure if he was actually living there as he became a housing developer in Olton, as I said prior to this he was a shoe and boot maker. He left an awful lot of money!!! "

There are entries in Birmingham directories as follows:

1841 No listing
1845 Kent James, boot & shoe warehouse, 35 ½ Snow Hill
1850-1855 Kent James, boot & shoe warehouse, 34 Snow Hill
1859 Kent James, boot and shoe maker, 48, High St and 34, Snow hill
1862 Kent James, boot and shoe manufacturer, 68, High St, 34 & 35 Snow hill & 106 Dale End
1867 Kent James, boot and shoe manufacturer, 68, High St, 34 Snow hill, 106 Dale End, 2 Smithfield St & 83 Smallbrook St.
1872-73 Kent James, wholesale & retail boot and shoe maker, 68, High St, 34 Snow hill, 106 Dale End, & 27 Smithfield St
1876-1880 Kent James, wholesale & retail boot & shoe maker, 68 High'street; 34 & 35 Snow hill & 106 Dale end
1884 Kent James, boot & shoe maker. 34 & 35 Snow hill. & 38 High st.

Did not go into later dates
It should be noted that dates are publication dates and probably refer to year before

In 1873, 1876 ,1878 & 1879 editions his home address is named as Bickenhill Park. In 1880 it is listed as Richmond Park, Olton

It is possible that in the early years he only occupied part of the premises in snow Hill (35 ½), but the map below shows 34-35 in red.
I do not have a photo of the premises, which seem to hav ebeen destroyed in WW2, but possibly others may have one.

 

[Stapes]

I have received a request as to a bootmaker, James Kent, who was at the Red House , Snow Hill.
"I'm thinking 1840 to 1900. He died 1903 and this address is on his death certificate -but I'm not sure if he was actually living there as he became a housing developer in Olton, as I said prior to this he was a shoe and boot maker. He left an awful lot of money!!! "

There are entries in Birmingham directories as follows:

1841 No listing
1845 Kent James, boot & shoe warehouse, 35 ½ Snow Hill
1850-1855 Kent James, boot & shoe warehouse, 34 Snow Hill
1859 Kent James, boot and shoe maker, 48, High St and 34, Snow hill
1862 Kent James, boot and shoe manufacturer, 68, High St, 34 & 35 Snow hill & 106 Dale End
1867 Kent James, boot and shoe manufacturer, 68, High St, 34 Snow hill, 106 Dale End, 2 Smithfield St & 83 Smallbrook St.
1872-73 Kent James, wholesale & retail boot and shoe maker, 68, High St, 34 Snow hill, 106 Dale End, & 27 Smithfield St
1876-1880 Kent James, wholesale & retail boot & shoe maker, 68 High'street; 34 & 35 Snow hill & 106 Dale end
1884 Kent James, boot & shoe maker. 34 & 35 Snow hill. & 38 High st.

Did not go into later dates
It should be noted that dates are publication dates and probably refer to year before

In 1873, 1876 ,1878 & 1879 editions his home address is named as Bickenhill Park. In 1880 it is listed as Richmond Park, Olton

It is possible that in the early years he only occupied part of the premises in snow Hill (35 ½), but the map below shows 34-35 in red.
I do not have a photo of the premises, which seem to hav ebeen destroyed in WW2, but possibly others may have one.

View attachment 139973

James Kent would probably have been at Red House when he died, see newspaper obituary from The Mail dated 12th October 1903

 

[Stapes]

This obituary from the Birmingham Evening Despatch gives a good description of James Kent and the 'delightful old farmhouse at Olton' which was Chapelfields Farm (demolished 1954), thought to be late 16th century. Kent built a lot of houses on the Chaplefields estate, there is a lot more information on this which I have been collecting for a while now that I was hoping to show at Olton Library later this year, my main task at the moment is from the censuses 1881 - 1911 & 1939 connecting links of all occupants and their family connections throughout the generations who lived in Kents cottages the 'back to backs that were built mid1870's in the middle of a field between Lyndon Road and what is now the continuation of Richmond Road, Olton/Lyndon.

 

[Astoness]

many thanks for all this info stapes..mr kent sounds an interesting man...i wonder what properties he had in the snow hill and hockley area....interesting to me as that is my neck o the woods...also the research you are doing also sounds interesting...thanks again for sharing

lyn

 

[Astoness]

james kent certainly did leave a lot of money..in todays money in 1903 he left £61813 in todays money i think thats about
£7,565,401.81

 

[Richard Dye]

It never ceases to amaze how much history of such great interest keeps coming out, thank you mikejee & Stapes!

 

[Stapes]

My quest for the early years of James Kent led me to this baptism record dated Sept. 1822, after now readdressing & tidying it up, not only was his mother Mary a single parent at this time, (see bottom of first sheet) but it has become clear that he had 2 brothers (top of 2nd sheet) that were christened at the same time as him (which was not unusual in those days) and their father Richard Kent does appear as a jeweller and at the same address of Woodcock Street. So it looks like he had a rough upbringing and grew up faster than most children, he was only about 2 at this time & his brothers were aged 7 and 9.

 

[MWS]

It appears that the 2 older boys were baptised previously 30 Sep 1814 at St Phillip's. There is also possibly two marriages listed for their parents Richard Howard Kent and Mary Hulme in 1811 and 1813. Richard dies in 1815 so that is why Mary is listed as a single woman for James which is strange because usually a little fib is told.

I wonder if the two marriages may have something to do with his age because, if Richard was baptised close to his birth, then he would have been underage for the first.