George Henry Beverley – a Heeley Butcher

Memories of Heeley by Sid Wetherill

George was born in Bradfield in 1848.  He married Margaret Dawson, age 20, at Heeley Church in 1868. They moved to No. 3 Townwell Street, (now Well Road), a small butchers shop.  Their next door neighbour at No. 5 was Samuel Naylor, a postmaster, and his wife Hannah, a ‘letter carrier’.  The mail coach  to London used to pass the Post Office before it entered Gleadless Road to go through Newfield Green and Eckington, and Sam would catch the bag of mail without the coach stopping.  Sam died aged 67 years at the post office in 1876.  The inscription on his headstone in Heeley Churchyard says he was Heeley Postmaster for 23 years.

George Beverley’s wife Margaret died aged 27 in 1875, and in the same year he married widow, Emily Bowler (nee Wilkes).  She had married Frederick Bowler of ‘The Green, Upper Heeley’ at Heeley Church in 1867 (their two children were baptised there).  Frederick also died at the age of 27 years.

The 1881 census states that George, his new wife, and family were now living at No. 49 London Road South (this is now owned by Ponsfords), and they were still there for the 1891 census.  For the 1901 census, George, Emily, and three servants were living at ‘The Cottage’ in Norton Lees, but they had a lock-up butchers shop with its own abattoir on the corner of Kent and Gleadless Roads, opposite the Waggon and Horses. 

George was also a Town Councillor, and the little road opposite St Paul’s leading down to Meersbrook Park was named after him.