Charles Beecroft and Sarah Moorhead
Husband Charles Beecroft [6723]
Born: 1830 Christened: 7 Jul 1830 - Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, England, United Kingdom 1 Died: 8 Nov 1915 2 Buried: FamilySearch ID: MM63-G2D
Father: William Beecroft [6712] (1787-1845) Mother: Elizabeth Tomlinson [6713] (1790-1866)
Marriage: 1907 2Events
• He worked as a Toy Dealer in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, United Kingdom.
• Biography: Charles Beecroft born 7th July 1830, died 8th Nov 1915
Charles Beecroft was the 10th of 11 children born to William Beecroft b.1789 his grandfather being William born 1750. His Father was an Innkeeper of the White Swan which still remains in Sutton in Ashfield.
Charles was brought up by relatives in Sutton in Ashfield and Lambley before being apprenticed to Samuel Beecroft, a relative who was Provision Merchant in West Bromwich. Upon completion of his apprenticeship, he returned to Nottingham to find employment.
Charles was employed by Josiah Corbett, a small wares dealer established circa 1822, in Bridlesmith Gate and later with William and Charlotte Brailsford (brother and sister) who also traded as small wares dealers in Bridlesmith Gate, on the corner of Chandlers Lane and also in Sneinton. It is possible that the Brailsfords acquired Corbett's old established business upon his retirement as the addresses are similar.
A friendship developed between Charles and Charlotte Brailsford, and they married in 1854 and traded as small ware dealers on Chandlers Lane corner and their newly acquired shop at number 9 High Street under the name of Beecroft in 1852.
Number 9 High St. was the last genuine Elizabethan building in the city (known as The Old Elizabethan House), the house and shop became their home until 1862. During this time, they had 10 children, 6 of which were infant deaths. In total 9 Beecrofts are buried in the family grave in the General Cemetery near Canning Circus.
The city had good access from the south (Hollowstone) and the north (Clumber St) and the west (Chapel Bar), but no practical access from the east.
In 1860 plans were made to build a new road to connect Goose Gate with Cheapside achieved by widening and realigning Chandlers Lane and demolishing properties between the two streets including premises on the High Street. One of the properties affected was the Old Elizabethan House.
The business address and home of the Beecroft family was demolished in 1862 and the new road built and named Victoria Street. As tenant Charles Beecroft was paid £480 compensation by the Borough of Nottingham.
The business is recorded as continuing on smaller scale on Clumbers Street in 1862 and at 5 Long Row East from 1864 to 1866 but the necessity to find a family home resulted in Charles returning to his ancestral roots and acquiring the tenancy of Arnold Lodge Farm from 1862-1867 and Lowdham Lodge Farm from 1867-1879. This later farm lay adjacent to his cousin's farm situated on the Bulcote to Lowdham road in the Gunthorpe parish and is still known as Beecrofts Farm.
In 1879 Charles acquired no.5 Cheapside as a home and business address and traded as a small wares dealer and fancy goods repository.
In 1884 he acquired the tenancy in the Exchange Buildings facing onto the Great Market Place and this corner shop also fronted onto Smithy Row. The shop also faced onto the twice weekly market and the October Goose Fair. Beecroft's Corner as it became known was the recognised place to meet for the people of the city. This became Beecroft's Toys most famous address.
Charlotte Beecroft died in 1885. The business was now named Beecroft & Sons, Thomas, Clement, Albert and John having joined their father.
Advert for Clement Beecroft's shop in Philadelphia c1900
Advert for Clement Beecroft's shop in Philadelphia c1900
Also, in 1885 Clement and his brother John emigrated to Philadelphia and Clement married Elizabeth McKinley in 1887. Clement was a keen sportsman and opened a sports shop there trading as Beecrofts Brothers. He was also known as the father of European rules football in the Eastern States, promoting and organising the game for the benefit of the European emigrants. He never returned to live in England again and died in Philadelphia in 1942. Elizabeth Beecroft also excelled in sport and played in the U.S. Tennis Open Championship in 1893. She died in 1944. John returned to Nottingham due to ill health and died in 1892.
During the latter part of the 1800's successful businessmen ceased to live "over the shop" and moved to more modern residences on the edge of town. Charles' residences included: \endash in 1889 Addison Street, 1893 Alexandra Street, 1895 Langar Hall, 1901 Trentside Farm Fiskerton, 1912 Burlington Road and in 1915 13 Shirley Road Carrington where he died in November 1915 aged 85 years.
After the death of Charlotte, Charles married Annie Bonsor in 1890 and when she died, he married Sarah Moorhead in 1907. Charles's other sons John Henry died in 1892 and Albert died in 1916 at the Coppice Hospital.
Another move was forced upon the business in 1926 when the City Fathers decided that the Exchange Building needed demolishing and a new grander Council House should replace it, as Nottingham had been granted City status.
Businesses had to relocate and Thomas Edward Beecroft, who was the last remaining son was running the family business. The decision was made to move to a freehold shop at 16 Pelham Street, trading as a Toy and Model retailer with limited liability as Beecroft & Sons Ltd.
Advertising was done by using local newspapers or by use of advertising tickets (tokens)and the use of jingles. See Grenville Chamberlains book "Nottinghamshire Advertising Tokens and Medals "for information and photographs. By this time the Beecroft business was so well known that the famous Nottingham author Cecil Roberts includes a paragraph to them in his semi-autobiography "Terrace in the Sun".
Wife Sarah Moorhead [19043] 2
Born: Christened: Died: Buried: FamilySearch ID: PW5H-TLG
Children
1 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "FamilySearch Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org : accessed 11 Nov 2025), entry for Charles Beecroft, person ID MM63-G2D.
2
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "FamilySearch Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org : accessed 28 Nov 2025), entry for Charles Beecroft, person ID MM63-G2D.
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