Joseph Charters Brown
Joseph Charters Brown (1830-1904)
1904 Obituary [1]
JOSEPH CHARTERS BROWN died at his residence at Cleator, near Carnforth, on December 14, 1904. He was largely interested in iron ore mining in West Cumberland, and in coal mining in the Rhondda Valley, South Wales.
He was elected a member of the Iron and Steel Institute in 1874.
Obituary – West Cumberland Times – 17 December 1904
We regret to record the death of J C Brown, J. P., which took place at his residence, Hazel Holme, Cleator, on Wednesday night. Mr Brown had been in failing health for some considerable time, and about twelve months ago he had a serious illness, which compelled his retirement from public life. The deceased gentleman, who was born at Great Clifton on June 20th, 1830, and was therefore 74 years of age, lived in the Whitehaven district during the greater part of his life. He served his time to the grocery trade at the premises in Lowther Street now occupied by Mr J Barr, and he subsequently took over his employer’s business. Ultimately he disposed of this business to Mr James Todhunter, and entered into partnership with Messrs Sherwen and Moore, wholesale grocers, Whitehaven, the firm afterwards trading a Sherwen, Moore and Brown. Mr Brown retired from the business about a quarter of a century ago, and some years later went to reside at Hazel Holme. He became associated with various local industrial concerns and was a partner in the firm of Messrs Burnyeat, Brown, and Co., who have large mining interests in Wales. For a number of years Mr Brown was managing director of this firm.
During a long period of years Mr Brown took an active interest in local public affairs, and rendered valuable to the parish of Ennerdale and Kinniside, which he represented on the Whitehaven Board of Guardians, the old Rural Sanitary Authority and the District Council. He was elected as a Guardian as far back as March, 1877, and continued a member of the Board until last year, when he retired owing to the state of his health. His retirement was much regretted by his fellow members and those he represented, who fully appreciated his careful work and excellent business qualities. Mr Brown was appointed as a justice of the peace for the county in 1894. By his death the parish in which he resided, and the whole of the Whitehaven district in fact, will be the poorer to a very great extent, for not only did Mr Brown do good work in a public capacity, but, being a man of sympathy and generous disposition, he helped in a very substantial manner many deserving cases. Both religious and charitable institutions in Whitehaven and neighbourhood benefited largely by his interest and generosity, and so recently as 1900 he gave a donation of £100 to the Whitehaven and West Cumberland Infirmary. Mt Brown’s wife, who was a daughter of the late Mr John Borrowdale Stewart, of Whitehaven, predeceased him in May last.