St Edmund’s Pleasance in
East Dartford contains the Sharp family tomb, just inside the entrance from
Great Queen Street. Seeing this prompted me to find out more about the Sharps,
who were one of the leading families in Dartford during Victorian times.
James Sharp was born in Dartford on 29 December 1808, a son
of Charles (1779-1811) and Ann (1786-1832) Sharp. The father of Charles was
James Sharp (1758-1829), a bricklayer who founded a building company in 1800.
After Charles Sharp died in 1811 aged 31, his son James lived with his
grandfather. In 1829 James senior died. His will bequeathed the building
company to his grandson James. It also said “I desire to be buried in the North
East corner of the burial ground of Dartford in a vault to be made sufficiently
capacious for myself and family.”
James married Susannah who
died in 1834 aged 25. In 1839 he married Jane Allen in Dartford. He was 31 and
she was 26, born in Southfleet. They went on to have six children, three boys
and three girls, all born in Dartford. They were Julia (1840-97), Emma Allen
(1842-1900), James (1844-1900), Lucy (1846-90), Edwin (1848-1914) and Henry
(b1850).
The 1851 census shows James, aged 43, a builder master
employing 8 men living in Dartford High Street. Also in the household were his
wife Jane (38), their children Julia (10), Emma (8), James (7), Lucy (5), Edwin
(2) and Henry (2 weeks) plus two general servants.
The 1851 Kent Directory lists “James Sharp, builder and
agent to the Kent fire and life office and cashier to the Savings Bank, Water
Lane.” The company did a lot of building work in Dartford including Hall Place
Girl’s School in Dartford (1858), the Baptist Chapel in Highfield Road
(1867-68) and alterations to the Methodist Church in Spital Street (1869).
James was still living at High St Dartford in 1861 and is
listed as aged 52, a builder employing 11 men. Living with James were Jane, his
wife (48) and their children Julia (20), Emma (18), James (17, an architect),
Lucy (15), Edwin (12) and Henry (10). Also at the address was Isabella M Allen
(6, Jane’s niece) and a servant.
The address for the Sharp family in 1871 is given as 2 High
St, Dartford. James (63, a builder), Jane (58), Julia (30), Emma (28), James
(27, a builder), Lucy (25), Edwin (22, a builder), Henry (20) and a servant are
listed. 2 High Street is now the address of Clifton and Co, Estate Agents, at
the junction between High Street and Hythe Street. The frontage above the shop
looks like it dates back to Victorian times and so is probably the same
building that James and his family lived in.
Julia Sharp got married in 1872 to John Landale Hall, an
engineer aged 32. John was a grandson of Edward Hall (1775-1850), a brother of
John Hall (1764-1836), who founded Dartford Ironworks that later became J
& E Halls. Julia and John had three children namely Julia Rosetta (b1874),
John Charles (b1876) and Louisa E Hall (b1877). John Landale Hall died in 1882
aged only 41. Probate records show that his personal estate was valued at £337.
James (the younger), Edwin and Henry Sharp were the executors of his will.
James Sharp junior also got married in 1872. His bride was
Emily Jane Sturge, a daughter of Alfred Sturge, the minister of the Baptist
Church that James Sharp and Sons had built. At the time of the wedding he was
28 and she was 22. They had five children namely Lydia Mary (b1873), James
Alfred (b1874), Harold Sturge (b1876), Winifred Mary (b1878) and Emily Frances
(b1880), all born in Dartford.
The 1874 edition of Kelly’s directory lists “James Sharp and
Son, builders and timber merchants, Hythe Street.” The firm owned the nearby
Baltic Saw Mills (which were located where the Orchard Theatre now is). Sometime
between 1871 and 1881, James Sharp senior moved to Miskin Road in Dartford and
retired, leaving his eldest son James in charge of the business. Miskin Road
was one of the most affluent streets in Dartford, containing large Victorian
houses, several of which were demolished only recently. The 1881 census shows
James (72, a retired builder) and Jane Sharp (68) living at 2 Miskin Road with
their four unmarried children Emma (38), Lucy (35), Edwin (32, a builder) and
Henry (30, a builder) plus a general servant.
Next door at 4 Miskin Road in 1881 was James Sharp junior
aged 37, a builder and timber merchant employing 42 men and 6 boys. Also living
at the address was James’s wife Emily (30), their children Lydia (8), James
(6), Harold (4), Winifred (3) and Emily (8 months) together with a nursemaid
and a housemaid.
James Sharp senior died in August 1883 aged 74. The Dartford
Chronicle contained an item reporting his death and funeral. It said
“Another of the oldest and best esteemed of the natives of
Dartford has been called to his rest. Those who remember Mr James Sharp in the
prime of life will bear in remembrance how active and competent a trader he was
in all his business relations. Esteemed by relatives and acquaintances alike,
he was sought out to undertake responsible trust and private business until at
that period much of his time was devoted to such philanthropic work, whilst his
practical piety displayed itself in charitable and Christian local undertaking.
Of late years he has, since his retirement from business, been rarely seen in
the busy haunts of men, but his genial smile and warm interest in the good of
all never left him until the hand of death removed him on Saturday, August 11th,
to a higher sphere. In the removal of such estimable characters there is
naturally deep sorrow and grief with those who remain behind; but the best of
us may well desire no better life, no happier end. From a comparatively small
country business Mr Sharp, in his lifetime, lived to see the expansion of his into
one of the most important in the town and district, and his sons firmly
established in it. He desired to terminate his days in the peaceful retirement
of the residence in Miskin Road that he had selected, and his wish has been
fulfilled. Mr Sharp served in his time most of the public parochial offices
which fall to those in his condition of life.”
James was buried in the family vault in St Edmund’s
Pleasance. His three sons were the executors of his will. His estate was £1,493
(equivalent to about £800,000 now, by comparison with average earnings).
1883 saw the marriage of Henry Sharp (aged 32) to Lucy Jane
Allen (23) in Dartford. They had five girls – Dorothy (b1885), Kathleen and
Norah (twins b1887), Margaret (b1890), Winifred (b1896) and one boy – Humphrey
(b1894).
In 1886 Edwin Sharp married Eliza Fanny Nicoll in
Eastbourne. He was aged 38, she was 31. They had no children.
The London Gazette contains an announcement dated 13 January
1888 saying that the partnership between James, Edwin and Henry Sharp, who had
been operating as James Sharp and Sons, Timber Merchants and Builders at Hythe
Street, Dartford was dissolved by mutual consent. The business continued under
Edwin and Henry. James set up his own company in competition – the 1899 edition
of Kelly’s directory lists him as James Sharp, timber merchant and saw mills,
Gas Lane, Dartford. Gas Lane was in North Dartford and is now called Victoria
Road. James’s business was on Victoria Wharf, which is now occupied by an
industrial estate. Two different timber merchants called James Sharp in
Dartford must have been confusing and reduced the amount of business available
to both !
Sometime between 1888 and 1890 James Sharp and Sons ceased
to operate as a builder and became timber merchants only. An advert in the
Dartford Chronicle dated May 30, 1890 read as follows :
Sawing, Planing and
Moulding Mills,
JAMES SHARP AND SONS, DARTFORD
English and Foreign Timber Merchants
Slates, Cement Pipes,
Staffordshire Goods
Agents – Kent, Fire
and Life Insurance Company
In 1889, the firm submitted
plans for new offices in Hythe Street on the site of what is now Dartford Post
Office. A photo taken in 1902 shows the office, which was quite a large,
imposing building. It was built next to their existing office, which was in the
premises now occupied by the Nationwide Building Society.
Lucy Sharp died in 1890 aged 44. She was buried in East Hill
Cemetery. The 1891 census shows 3 houses in Miskin Road occupied by the Sharp
family.
- at number 6 was Jane Sharp (aged 78, a widow), her
unmarried daughter Emma (48) and a servant
- at number 7 we have James Sharp (47, a timber merchant)
his wife Emily (40) and children Lydia (18), James (17, a timber merchant’s
clerk), Winifred (13), Emily (10) as well as two servants.
- at number 4 there is Henry Sharp (40, a timber merchant)
with his wife Lucy (31), Dorothy (5), Kathleen (4), Norah (4), Margaret (1) a
domestic servant and a nurse.
The site of these houses is now occupied by modern housing.
Julia Hall née Sharp (aged 50, a widow living on her own means) was living
nearby at 13 Tower Road with her children Julia (16), John (15), Louisa (13)
and a servant. Edwin Sharp (42, a timber merchant) was a boarder in
Bournemouth.
The offices of James
Sharp & Sons in 1902 (from the Dartford Library local studies Collection)
Jane Sharp (the widow of James) died in 1894 aged 80. She
was buried in the Sharp family tomb in St Edmund’s Pleasance.
An election for the newly created Dartford Urban District
Council was held in December 1894. 31 candidates contested the 15 seats. In
sixth place in the poll (with 454 votes) was Mr J Sharp, timber merchant. Dartford
Historical Notes by S K Keyes contains a photo (opposite page 497) of
the new council, including James Sharp.
Julia Hall née Sharp and her sister Emma moved to St
Leonards on Sea, Hastings. Julia died there in 1897 aged 57 and was buried in
East Hill Cemetery, Dartford in the same grave as her husband. Probate on her
estate (£355) was granted to her brother Edwin. Emma died in 1900, also aged
57. Probate was issued to Julia Rosetta Hall, (Emma’s niece), spinster. The
estate was £540.
James Sharp junior died aged 56 on 27 March 1900 of liver
cancer. The Dartford Chronicle reported as follows
“We regret to record the death on Tuesday of Mr James Sharp
of the Victoria Saw Mills, Dartford. A native of the town, the deceased had
taken an active part in public affairs, and for several years was member of the
old Local Board and of the Urban Council. He was one of the retiring members by
rotation this year, but owing to ill health he had decided not to seek
re-election. On the Council he was an outspoken member, and on occasions when
the majority were of adverse opinion it did not deter him from assiduously
pressing his views. The town has lost a valuable public worker and the news of
his death on Tuesday was met with general regret.”
The description of James as “outspoken” and his business
split with his brothers suggests to me that James was not an easy man to get on
with ! He was buried in East Hill Cemetery. Probate was granted to his eldest
two children Lydia Mary Sharp, spinster, and James Alfred Sharp, timber
merchant. The estate was £11,653 (equivalent to about £5.2 M now, by comparison
with average earnings). Lydia Mary Sharp (1873-1955) later became a successful
artist under the name Dorothea Sharp and exhibited her paintings regularly at
the Royal Academy.
In 1900 the business of James Sharp and Sons was sold by
public auction. It was purchased by Edwin Sharp. By the time of the 1901 census,
only two (Edwin and Henry) of the six children born to James and Jane Sharp
were still alive. I can’t find a census record for Edwin. Henry (aged 50, a
retired timber merchant) was living in Hastings with his wife Lucy (41),
children Dorothy (15), Norah (14), Kathleen (14), Margaret (11), Humphrey (7),
Winifred (5) a cook and a housemaid.
Keyes reports that Edwin purchased a Speedwell car from John
Beadle in 1906. This would have been one of few cars in Dartford at that time.
In 1911, Edwin, aged 62, a timber merchant was living in
Miskin Road with his wife Eliza (56) and two domestic servants. Henry Sharp
(60, a retired timber merchant) was living at Mayfield, Church Road,
Bexleyheath. Also at the address were Henry’s wife Lucy (51), his daughters Dorothy
(25) and Winifred (15) as well as his sister in law Florence Ann Allen (51) and
a domestic servant.
Edwin Sharp died in 1914 aged 65. A report in The Dartford
Chronicle describes his funeral. It starts
“Amid many manifestations of regret and heartfelt sorrow,
the funeral of the late Mr Edwin Sharp of Miskin Road and the Dartford
Sawmills, took place on Monday afternoon last. All the principal business
houses in the town had signs of mourning, and the blinds of private houses were
drawn on the line of the route, while flags flew at half-mast at the Parish
Church and at the London Provincial Bank.”
There was a large congregation at the funeral service in
Holy Trinity Church and many floral tributes including one from Sir James
Whitehead (“A warm tribute to a genuinely good man”). Edwin seems to have been
held in high regard by the people of Dartford. He was buried in East Hill
Cemetery in the same grave as his sister Lucy. His wife Eliza was later buried
there in 1940.
The probate record says that Edwin Sharp died 14 October
1914. Probate on his estate (£14,303) was granted to Eliza Fanny Sharp, widow
and Thomas Godfrey Baines, solicitor.
James Sharp and Sons Ltd continued to trade after Edwin’s
death. In 1933 the firm was controlled by Mr Edward Ernest Harle (b1874,
Managing Director), Mr Walter Ernest Harle (b1879, Director and Secretary) and
Mrs Eliza Fanny Sharp (Edwin’s widow, Director). It finally closed in 1966.
A Sharp family tree may be
found in the “sharp42” database on RootsWeb’s WorldConnect Project website.
Philip Taylor © 2011
Email PhilT42LQS@Yahoo.co.uk
Resources
used
- The
local studies collection at Dartford Library for parish records, The Dartford
Chronicle newspaper, local directories, Dartford Historical Notes
(1933) and Further Historical Notes (1938) by S K Keyes.
-
Probate records, held at the Principal Probate Registry, 42-49 High Holborn,
London
-
Burial Registers for East Hill Cemetery on DVD from NWKFHS
- The website http://www.measuringworth.com/ukcompare/
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