Brittle family, button makers

[belvoirboy]

Hi, just joined your forum and hope to find out a little more about my gggrandfather's family. William Brittle was born in 1818. He was a button maker until 1848 when he became a policeman on the Staffordshire force. He was stationed at Rocester and married Ann Hill there in 1850. They had 4 children Elizabeth 1851, Mary 1854, Eliza 1857 and Annie 1859. He moved to the Derbyshire police in 1859. His wife died in 1864 leaving him with 4 daughters to bring up aged 12, 10, 7 & 4. He married a widow the following year and sent all his daughters into service! I have most of his story from there onwards.
I believe the family name was originally Brettle and is from Huguenot descent and this is the area I would like some help with. His father Joseph was a grinder and his mother Elizabeth a nurse. I have these christenings from the IGI and they can't all be the same family as 3 of the births are too close together. If anyone has researched this area please get in touch.
WILLIAM BRITTLE - TIMELINE

1790 (Circa) JOSEPH BRITTLE (BRETTELL) born Birmingham Warwickshire
1792 ELIZABETH WATSON born Birmingham Warwickshire
1815 12 Oct. JOSEPH BRITTLE Married ELIZABETH WATSON at Edgbaston Warwickshire
1817 18 Nov. WILLIAM BRITTLE born Birmingham, Warwickshire. Parents: JOSEPH and ELIZABETH BRITTLE (IGI)
Possible family of Joseph & Elizabeth Brittle of Birmingham (from Christenings):
1816 15 April Christening Eliza BRITTLE born 2 Nov. 1815 at St Phillips Birmingham????
1816 15 April Christening Edna BRITTLE born 9 Dec. 1815 at St Phillips Birmingham????
1821 27 Nov. Christening HARRIET BRITTLE born 28 Oct 1819 at St Phillips Birmingham
1822 3 Sept. Christening Henry BRITTLE born 15 Nov. 1821 at St Martin Birmingham
1822 3 Sept. Christening WILLIAM BRITTLE born 18 Nov. 1817 at St Martin Birmingham
1823 26 Oct. Christening MARY BRITTLE born 4 Oct. 1815 at Bordesley Warwick?
1830 ANN HILL born Rocester, Stafford
1841 CENSUS Adderley Street, Bordesley, Birmingham
ELIZABETH BRITTLE 50 (ages rounded to nearest 5 in this census)
WILLIAM BRITTLE 20
HARRIOT BRITTLE 20
MARY BRITTLE 17
1842 Staffordshire Police Force founded
1850 Sept 12 WILLIAM BRITTLE married ANN HILL in the Parish Church, Rocester, St. Michael Uttoxeter. Both were given as 'full age', WILLIAM a Policeman, father dead, ANN a Millworker as was her father William Hill. Witnesses were Samuel and Sarah Hill
1851 CENSUS - HO107/2010 F.44 P.27 Rocester High Street
WILLIAM BRITTLE, Head, 31, Police Constable, b. Birmingham, Warw.
ANN BRITTLE, Wife, 21, Policeman's Wife, b. Rocester, Staffs
1851 CENSUS: 33 Lower Tower Street, Court 4House. St Stephens. Birmingham
Henry Astley, Head, 33, Pearl Worker, b. Birmingham, Warwickshire
Harriet Astley, Wife, 31, b. Birmingham, Warwickshire (Nee Brittle)
Joseph Astley, Son, 7, b. Birmingham, Warwickshire
Sarah Astley, Dau, 5, b. Birmingham, Warwickshire
Harry Astley, Son, 3, b. Birmingham, Warwickshire
Mary Astley, Dau, 1, b. Birmingham, Warwickshire
MARY BRITTLE. Sister, 27, Pearl Finisher, b. Birmingham, Warwickshire
ELIZABETH BRITTLE, Mother, 59, Nurse, b. Birmingham, Warwickshire

 

[mikejee]

From Directories
Note these are complied before publication. In these early years possibly a year or more before the year of the directory , but certainly not the difference that would make this William Brittle/Brettell be the policeman in Uttoxeter.
1841-55 Brittle William. pearl button maker, 4 Court, Staniforth st
1858 Brettell Wrn., pearl button maker, 225,Fisher st; home. ct 4, Staniforth street
No William in 1862 directory (onl o a William Brettell, butcher, 99 digbeth)

Don’t know if the following are connected:
1815-23 Brittle Sarah, victualler, 6, Mary Ann-street
1823 Brittle Joseph, clerk, Bloomsbury-place
1833 Brittle Thomas, broker, Lancaster-st
1833 Brittle Thomas, clerk, 5, Cannon-st
1845 Brittle John, ivory turner, 40 Suffolk St
1839 Brettell and Wilson, pearl ornament and button makers, Holland street
Mike

 

[belvoirboy]

Thanks for the speedy reply Mike, I shall add all this info to my Brittle file and hopefully it will all make sense one day. My big hope is for a photograph of William... there must be one as he eventually rose to the rank of inspector, he had a lovely police house up in Matlock Bath which I have visited, but the police are unfortunately 'short staffed' when it comes to archive research. I have got some information from Derbyshire, but nothing from Staffs who have closed their museum! Thanks again. Jim