William Brayshaw

William Brayshaw (1811-1884)
Alderman & JP
13rd Mayor of Bradford (1866-67)

William Brayshaw was born on 16 September 1811 at Fairweather near Bingley and christened on 10 November 1811 at St. John the Evangelist Church, Baildon, to James, farmer of Fairweather, and Martha Kendall. They moved to Bradford in 1820 in Chain Street, Silsbridge Lane (later Tankard Row) where James became a cart driver at John Rand & Sons mill in Horton Lane. William then gained employment there as a piecer for 2 to 3 years. He then became an apprentice for 6 years to Messrs. Stead & Sellars, stonemasons, (and the builders of the Old Exchange), alongside his elder brother John. During his apprenticeship and later he worked on the Old Exchange Building in Piccadilly, Airdale College, Mechanics Institute in Leeds Road, and West Riding Court House in Hall Ings.

On 29 July 1829 he married Sarah Broadbent [See the footnote on more about this record] by Banns at St Peters, the Parish Church, Bradford, with the consent of their parents as they were only 19. Sarah was born on 18 December 1811 and christened (baptised) on 12 April 1812 at All Hallows Church, Almondbury, Huddersfield to Thomas and Maria. She was working at Horsfall’s mill in Bradford where they met. They had a daughter Anne, b. 21 December 1834, bapt. 16 January 1835, a son John bapt. 26 April 1833, and a daughter Sarah Jane b. 22 May 1838 and bapt. on 13 June, all at St Peter’s Church, Bradford. These were the three children that survived. Six of their children died in infancy: The first two were Timothy b. 9 February 1835, bapt. 22 March, d. Oct-Dec 1837 and Martha Jane b. 27 February 1837, bapt. 31 March, d. 4 July 1837, just 17 weeks old.

Also, in February 1830, the termination of the Charter of the East India Company was approaching and William Brayshaw was one of the signatures to request a meeting to consider petitioning the Houses of Parliament for a free trade agreement between Great Britain and all the countries of the far east.
When William left Messrs. Stead & Sellars he worked for Mr. Charles Bray, contractor for many large railway-works, not only in Britain but also in India, joining his brother John who was the foreman there. While doing repairs to a house in Wallistor Street he fell from the top of the house to the ground, getting various injuries, the major one to his head, such that his life was threatened; but he pulled through!
In 1837 he quit his job and became an Alderman and went into partnership with his brother John from 13 April 1842 as Stone Masons & Contractors. His wife had a small grocer’s shop in Clarence Street where they lived.

William & Sarah had four more children that died in infancy: Ann Elizabeth b. 2 March 1840, bapt. 24 May, d. Jul-Sep 1842; William b. 26 April 1841, bapt. 23 May, d. 26 May 1843; Sophia b. 26 April 1843, bapt. 1 January 1848, d. 20 September 1854; William b. 16 September 1844, bapt. 3 November, bur. 1 December 1844, just 10 weeks old.

In March 1845 William Brayshaw of Westgate was elected as a Surveyor of the Bradford Board of Surveyors.

Their eldest son John (b. 1833) was buried on 7 July 1848 in Bradford.

As their business’s grew, they moved to a house in Westgate, then to a residence in Lumb Lane. The business moved to the Croft at the top of Westgate. After the death of his wife and brother John, he continued the business, building the Savings Bank in Manor Row, Bradford Infirmary, Midland Railway Stations (Cudworth & Keighley), four Churches in Bradford, and Hargreaves’ Mill.

In 1851 at 162 Westgate, Bradford, lived William, builder employing 30 men, Sarah his wife, and daughter Sarah Jane Brayshaw. They had just one 19-year-old female servant. William entered the Council as a member for the East Ward, and held this position until 1857 when he retired.
In 1852 William’s wife Sarah died and was buried on 9 April 1852 at St Paul’s, Shipley.
In 1854 he moved to West Croft Villas in Lumb Lane which he erected himself.

William was a Poor Law Guardian from 1855 to 1866, Chairman of the Bradford board from 1857 to 1862.
On 20 May 1857 his daughter Anne married William Wagstaff Barlow, the Registrar of Marriage, at Bradford Parish Church. He was b. in 1823 in Weaverham (near Northwich), Cheshire. They had two sons, William Henry Barlow b. 9 February 1858, bapt. 26 March 1858 at St Peter Church (Bradford Cathedral) and Charles Herbert Barlow, b. Oct-Dec 1960, in Bradford.

In 1859 he was chosen Alderman which he occupied until 1883, being the oldest member of Council.
In 1861 at 13 Lumb Lane, Bradford lived William, Widower, Stone Merchant & Mason; retired Alderman with his daughter Sarah Jane, now 22. While at 50 Hanover Square, Bradford, resided William Barlow, Insurance Agent & Comptroller of the Bradford Overseer Office & Registrar of Marriages, with his wife Anne (William’s Daughter), and their two sons, William and Charles. They had two female Domestic Servants.

Between July and September 1861, William’s daughter Sarah Jane married Thomas Garlick Andrews, Architect, in Bradford, where he was born in 1838. Children soon followed: Frances Andrews b. 24 June 1862, bapt. 26 July 1862 at St Peter Church (Bradford Cathedral); Emily Andrews b. Oct-Dec 1863 in Bradford; William Brayshaw Andrews, b. 4April 1865, bapt. 17 May 1865; Thomas Reginald Andrews, b. 30 December 1866, bapt. 2 April 1867; and Annie Barlow Andrews, b. 23 October 1868, bapt. 1 December 1868, the last three at St Peter Church (Bradford Cathedral).

William and Anne Barlow extended their family with the addition of Florence Brayshaw Barlow b. 8 February 1864, bapt. 21 December 1864 at St Peter Church (Bradford Cathedral), and Earnest B Barlow, b. Jan-Mar 1866 in Bradford.

In 1866 William became Mayor of Bradford and attended the laying of the foundation stone of the Tradesmen’s Home in Lilycroft by Sir Titus salt and entertained him at a luncheon at St George’s Hall for c. 300 guests.

In 1867 he was appointed JP, and the Bradford Observer was advertising a Grand Annual Amateur Performance at the Royal Alexandra Theatre on 28 February 1867 under the distinguished patronage of The Worshipful The Mayor (William Brayshaw). And on 12 October1867 he announced that he as Mayor was standing for election to Parliament. In 1868 he was a Director of Bradford Old Bank.

On 30 December 1867, Anne Barlow died in Bradford.
In 1871:
At Lumb Lane, Bradford, lived William, a widower, Alderman & Borough Justice & retired builder with two female Domestic Servants.
At Blenheim House, Manningham, Bradford, were William Barlow, Comptroller of Bradford Overseer Office, with his children William, Charles, Florence & Earnest, all Scholars. They had a Governess, Cook & Housemaid.
At 123 Little Horton Lane, Little Horton, Bradford, were Thomas Andrews, Architect, his wife Sarah Jane, and their children Frances, Emily, William, Thomas and Annie. They had 3 female servants.

William continued public service being the Chairman of the Street & Drainage Committee, deputy-Chairman of the Sanitary Committee & member of the Waterworks Committee during his whole time on the Council, being Vice-Chairman and then Chairman when Mayor and continued until a few years before his death. As an example of his dedication, his attendance of the Aldermen of the Bradford Corporation for 1873/4 was 209 whereas the average for the others was 118.

In 1881 at 17 Lumb Lane, Bradford, lived William, a widower, Alderman & JP with two female Domestic Servants, a Cook and a General Servant. While still at 123 Little Horton Lane, resided Thomas, Architect, with his wife Sarah Jane, and just daughters Florence and Annie, a Scholar. They had two female servants: Cook & a General Domestic Servant.

On 20 September 1881, Sarah Jane Andrews died, age 43, and was buried in Undercliffe Cemetery, Bradford.

On 9 July 1883 the Bradford Weekly Telegraph was advertising the content of the following edition, which included a Portrait & Biographical Sketch of Alderman William Brayshaw, the “Father” of the Bradford Town Council, one of the most active and respected members.

William Brayshaw, Esq., JP, and Gentleman, died on 24 December 1884 at his residence, West Croft Villas, Lumb Lane, Bradford, aged 73, of the after effects of a stroke in 1882.

Probate was held on 4 March 1885 at Wakefield where the Will with four Codicils was proved by David Mellor of Hazle Bank, Daisy Hill, Bradford, Quarry Owner, one of the Executors. Personal Estate: £42,232 2s 1d. Resworn in August 1885: £43, 301 12s 1d. [Approx. £4.5M in today’s money]

This Newspaper Article was found in the 15 August 1884 edition of the Building News, London:
The Fatal Fall of a Chimney at Bradford – Henderson vs Sir E Ripley and Others
This action was brought by the father of two of the girls killed by the fall of the lofty chimney at Newlands Mill, Bradford on the 28 December 1882 against Messrs. Ripley Brothers and Mr John Taylor. The late Sir W H Ripley, father of the four of the present owners of the mill, built it, acting as his own architect. He obtained plans from Andrews & Delawney, architects, but seems he ignored them completely and did it his way. There was no part of the chimney that was fundamentally wrong and bad – there was also subsidence of the foundation. So, on that 28 December the chimney fell killing 54 people. Mr Humphries, builder, and Mr Andrews, a member of the firm of architects who originally drew up the plans, investigated. Mr Thomas G Andrews, architect, Bradford [the husband of Sarah Jane nèe Brayshaw, William’s daughter], stated he was in his father’s office when the chimney was built, but had nothing to do with the building of the chimney. As the jury were divided, the judge referred the case to the Divisional Court.

Footnote:
Sarah Trustram from Halifax was named in William Brayshaw’s ‘obituary’ in the Bradford Weekly Telegraph of 27 December 1884 as the person he married around 1830 in Bradford. No record of this could be found after much searching and this was confirmed by a local expert and by Bradford Local Studies. However, the only record at that time and place to a Sarah, which his wife was so named in all the census records, and only available from Ancestry (not FindMyPast nor The Genealogist) was to a Sarah Broadbent at Bradford Parish Church in 1829. Reaching out to Rachel Firth, member 5313 of the Bradford FHS who was researching the surname of Brayshaw, she didn’t have this William Brayshaw in her family tree, but had constructed the case for the Sarah Broadbent record to be the true marriage. It had the right occupation for William (a Mason), and the vicar’s name and that of one of the witnesses on the marriage certificate concur with those mentioned in the newspaper article. Truly a team effort! Pity the newspaper reporter couldn’t get it right!!!

Research by:
David Broomfield – September 2024