George  Charles Belcher

• General Notes
  • 
    GEORGE CHARLES  was born on the 10th October 1841 at 6 Norman
    Buildings City Rd St Lukes Shoreditch. I have been unable to
    trace his baptism.
    
    As a child he lived with his parents at 1 Wenlock St, 8 Little
    Nelson St St Lukes and at Moneyer St Hoxton. After the death of
    his mother in 1852 he and his brother and sisters were put into
    the care of their grandmother at Church Rd Enfield.
    
    He married Eliza Vaughan on the 30th August 1863 at Jesus Chapel
    Enfield. Eliza Vaughan was the second daughter of George Vaughan
    and Elizabeth Pratt of 43 Charles St. Westminster where she was
    born early in 1837. I have been unable to find the exact date of
    her birth because it was not until the second quarter of that
    year that the law required all births to be registered. The year
    of her birth is taken from the age declared on her marriage
    certificate and subsequent official documents i.e. Census
    returns. Shortly after their marriage George Charles and Eliza
    took up residence at 54 Ernest St. St. Pancras where their eldest
    children Ernest and Alice were born. In 1867 the family moved to
    2 Osborne Terrace Church Road Leyton were their other children
    were born namely:  Walter Charles, Ada Louisa, Willie Frederick,
    Edwin Vaughan. 
    
    There is no official record of George Charles` education and it
    must be assumed that he was taught by his grandmother and aunt
    at Enfield with the rest of the children.
    
    As a young man George Charles was employed by Lea Enfield the Gun
    Makers as a clerk and was so employed when he met and married
    Eliza Vaughan. My impression is that they met as the result of
    the connection between her father George Vaughan a Railway Guard
    and George Charles` uncle Tom Leigh Belcher who was assistant
    Inspector South Eastern Railways. It will be understood that at
    that time railways were in their infancy and staff would be more
    likely to know each other. At the time of his marriage George
    Charles was lodging at Turkey Street a small village on the
    boundary of Enfield.
    
    
    
    In the 1871 census George Charles was described as Commercial
    Clerk to a Gas Meter Company.
    The family moved to Birmingham in 1872 but the first record of
    their Birmingham address is in Kelly`s Directory for 1878 giving
    the address George Charles Belcher, Clerk, 14 Acacia Cottage 96
    Grange Rd Small Heath. I was unable to trace the family in the
    1881 Birmingham Census and the next record is Oldnon St Wordsley
    Staffordshire where his sons Willie Frederick and Walter Charles
    joined the army in 1886. It would appear that they moved to 174
    St Saviours Rd Saltley in 1902 where George Charles died (aged
    68) on the 16th of June 1909 from a cerebral haemorrhage. Alice
    his eldest daughter was present at his death. At the time of his
    death he was a clerk/warehouseman at a local bicycle chain
    factory. He is buried in St. Saviours Churchyard. Eliza his wife
    moved to Bentley Common Willenhall and lived there with her
    daughter Ada Louisa until she died in 1925 (aged 90). She is
    buried in Bently Common cemetery section 2 plot no 191, and a
    headstone marks her grave.