John Brockhouse
1844 John Brockhouse was born in Wednesbury on 31st December, the son of John Brockhouse, a coach smith, and his wife Elizabeth[1]
1857 He was left an orphan at the age of 12[2], and was apprenticed to R. Disturnal and Co, axle makers, of Wednesbury.
c.1859 The owner was a man called Deeley (possibly Henry Deeley) who seems to have been a typical hard master and Brockhouse walked out on him when he was 15. He got a job at John Rigby and Sons, spring and axle makers, of Holloway Bank.
1864 When he was 20 Brockhouse moved on to Richard Berry and Son of Birmingham.
1865 Aged 21, he moved back to Rigby's as Manager.
1866 He married Maria, the daughter of J. Roberts of Wolverhampton.
1871 Coach smith, living in West Bromwich with Maria Brockhouse 26, Henry Brockhouse 2, William Brockhouse 9 Months[3]
1881 Coach spring maker[4]
1886 Rigby died and Brockhouse, feeling that the business would go into decline, decided to set up on his own account, which became J. Brockhouse and Co. He set up as a spring and axle maker in a shop and forge behind the butcher's shop in Harvill's Hawthorne, employing eight men. Maria helped finance the business by running a drapery shop, enabling Brockhouse to plough his profits back into the business, which mainly made springs for coaches, but also for anything else, including rickshaws.
1891 Coach spring manufacturer, employer, living in West Bromwich with Maria Brockhouse 46, Harry Brockhouse 22, clerk, William Brockhouse 20, general labourer, Frederick Brockhouse 18, coach spring fitter, Arthur Brockhouse 16, warehouseman, Thomas J Brockhouse 12, Nellie Brockhouse 5, Frank Brockhouse 14, errand boy[5]
1901 Spring manufacturer, employer, living in West Bromwich with Maria Brockhouse 56, Frank Brockhouse 24, carriage spring maker, John Thomas Brockhouse 22, bank clerk, Edith Leslie Brockhouse 15[6]
1909 Mayor of West Bromwich[7]
1911 Coach spring and axle maker, employer, living in West Bromwich with his wife Maria[8]
1922 Died in West Bromwich[9]