Joseph Fry (tea merchant)
Encyclopedia
Joseph Fry was a tea dealer and an unsuccessful banker. He was the husband of Elizabeth Fry
, prison reformer
.
21 April 1777, the youngest of the three sons, (one of whom died aged 27) and three daughters of William Storrs Fry (1736-1808) and Elizabeth Fry (born Lambert), who were "plain
" Quakers. His father had moved from Wiltshire to London and established a company dealing in tea and banking services, later called W. S. Fry & Sons.
W.S. Fry's brother, Joseph Fry (1728-1787) founded the chocolate
factory that was later to become J. S. Fry & Sons
and a type-founding works in Bristol, for which the Fry family
is famous.
The brothers, Joseph and William Fry (1768-1858) joined the family business. However, their mother is credited with "the financial acumen which had enabled money both to be acquired and prudently managed: it was a quality which perhaps neither of the sons inherited" .
, originally based in Norwich
.
(1775- 1864) came to inspect the firm's accounts and, left her in no doubt that they would do “what is needful for us” which, meant a large investment in the W.S. Fry & Sons bank.
During the 1825 City financial crisis, Elizabeth Fry's relations saved the firm from bankruptcy. When the same problems recurred in 1828, no further Gurney support was offered and on 21 November, W.S. Fry closed.
The Gurneys acted as receivers and saved the tea merchant business, placing it under their control with Joseph Fry on a salary of £600 per year.
Bankruptcy was not tolerated by the Religious Society of Friends. Joseph Fry was disowned by Ratcliff & Barking Monthly Meeting in May 1829: however he was re-instated, with much admonition in 1838.
, Poultry, City of London. After his father's death in 1808, they moved to the grander Plashet House, East Ham
. In 1829, they needed to reduce their expenditure and moved to a smaller house in “The Cedars”, Upton Lane. After the death of Joseph's sister, Elizabeth Fry (1779-1844), they moved to her home, Plashet Cottage, East Ham. He lived there until his death on 28 August 1861.
Elizabeth Fry
Elizabeth Fry , née Gurney, was an English prison reformer, social reformer and, as a Quaker, a Christian philanthropist...
, prison reformer
Prison reform
Prison reform is the attempt to improve conditions inside prisons, aiming at a more effective penal system.-History:Prisons have only been used as the primary punishment for criminal acts in the last couple of centuries...
.
Parental family
He was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
21 April 1777, the youngest of the three sons, (one of whom died aged 27) and three daughters of William Storrs Fry (1736-1808) and Elizabeth Fry (born Lambert), who were "plain
Plain people
Plain people are Christian groups characterized by separation from the world and simple living, including plain dress. These group include Amish; Old Order, Conservative and Old Colony Mennonites; Old German Baptist Brethren; the Hutterites; and Old Order River Brethren; and at one time Quakers,...
" Quakers. His father had moved from Wiltshire to London and established a company dealing in tea and banking services, later called W. S. Fry & Sons.
W.S. Fry's brother, Joseph Fry (1728-1787) founded the chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate is a raw or processed food produced from the seed of the tropical Theobroma cacao tree. Cacao has been cultivated for at least three millennia in Mexico, Central and South America. Its earliest documented use is around 1100 BC...
factory that was later to become J. S. Fry & Sons
J. S. Fry & Sons
J. S. Fry & Sons, Ltd. was a British chocolate company owned by Joseph Storrs Fry and his family.This business moved through several names and hands before ending up as J. S. Fry & Sons.- History :*circa 1759 — Joseph Fry starts making chocolate...
and a type-founding works in Bristol, for which the Fry family
Fry Family (Chocolate)
The Fry family was prominent in England especially Bristol, in the Society of Friends, and in the confectionery business in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries.-Origins:...
is famous.
The brothers, Joseph and William Fry (1768-1858) joined the family business. However, their mother is credited with "the financial acumen which had enabled money both to be acquired and prudently managed: it was a quality which perhaps neither of the sons inherited" .
Marriage
On 19 August 1800 at the Norwich Quaker Meeting House, Goats Lane, Norwich, Joseph married Elizabeth Gurney (1780-1845), daughter of John Gurney (1749/50-1809) and Catherine Gurney (born Bell, 1755-1792). The bride's family were proverbially wealthy bankersGurney's bank
Gurney's bank was a well-respected family-run bank headquartered in Norwich, England. It merged into Barclays Bank in 1896.-History:The bank was founded in 1770 by John and Henry Gurney, sons of John Gurney , who passed the business to Henry's son, Bartlett Gurney, in 1777...
, originally based in Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
.
Children
There were five sons and six daughters (one of whom died in infancy):- Katharine (Kitty) Fry born 22 August 1801, unmarried
- Rachel Elizabeth Fry born 25 March 1803 died 1888, married Francis Cresswell
- John Fry born 1804 died 1872, married Rachel Reynolds
- William Storrs Fry born 1 June 1806, died 1844, married Juliana Pelly
- Richenda Fry born 18 February 1808, died 1884 married Foster Reynolds
- Joseph Fry born 20 September 1809, died 1896, married Alice Partridge
- Elizabeth (Betsy) Fry born February 1811, died 1815
- Hannah Fry born 12 Sept 1812, died 10 Mar 1895, married Rev. William Champion Streatfeild of Chart's Edge, WesterhamWesterhamWesterham is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, in South East England with 5,000 people. The parish is south of the North Downs, ten miles west of Sevenoaks. It covers 5800 acres . It is recorded as early as the 9th century, and was mentioned in the Domesday Book in a...
, Kent - Louisa Fry born 1814, died 1896, married Raymond Pelly
- Samuel Fry born 1816 (known as “Gurney”), married Sophia Pinkerton
- Daniel Fry, known as "Henry" or "Harry", born October 1822 died 1892, married Lucy Sheppard
Business difficulties
During the 1812 financial panic in the City of London, William Fry precipitated a crisis, by lending a large amount of the bank's money to his wife's family, undermining its solvency. It was Joseph's wife, with her Gurney financial grasp and her connections, who pulled things through; her brother John Gurney (1781-1814), brother-in-law Samuel Hoare III (1783-1847) and cousin Hudson GurneyHudson Gurney
Hudson Gurney was an English antiquary and verse-writer, also known as a politician.-Life:Gurney was born at Norwich on 19 January 1775, was the eldest son of Richard Gurney of Keswick Hall, Norfolk, by his first wife, Agatha, daughter of David Barclay of Youngsbury, Hertfordshire. He was educated...
(1775- 1864) came to inspect the firm's accounts and, left her in no doubt that they would do “what is needful for us” which, meant a large investment in the W.S. Fry & Sons bank.
During the 1825 City financial crisis, Elizabeth Fry's relations saved the firm from bankruptcy. When the same problems recurred in 1828, no further Gurney support was offered and on 21 November, W.S. Fry closed.
The Gurneys acted as receivers and saved the tea merchant business, placing it under their control with Joseph Fry on a salary of £600 per year.
Bankruptcy was not tolerated by the Religious Society of Friends. Joseph Fry was disowned by Ratcliff & Barking Monthly Meeting in May 1829: however he was re-instated, with much admonition in 1838.
Changes of residence
When they were first married, they lived “over the shop” in St. Mildred CourtSt Mildred, Poultry
St Mildred, Poultry was a parish church in the Cheap ward, of the City of London. It was rebuilt after the Great Fire of London and demolished in 1872.-History:...
, Poultry, City of London. After his father's death in 1808, they moved to the grander Plashet House, East Ham
East Ham
East Ham is a suburban district of London, England, and part of the London Borough of Newham. It is a built-up district located 8 miles east-northeast of Charing Cross...
. In 1829, they needed to reduce their expenditure and moved to a smaller house in “The Cedars”, Upton Lane. After the death of Joseph's sister, Elizabeth Fry (1779-1844), they moved to her home, Plashet Cottage, East Ham. He lived there until his death on 28 August 1861.
Sources
- Edward H. MilliganEdward H. MilliganEdward Hyslop Milligan , also known as Ted Milligan, is a Quaker historian and the former librarian at Friends House, London. He is the author of The Biographical Dictionary of British Quakers in Commerce and Industry 1775-1920, which includes entries for some 2,800 people...
Biographical dictionary of British Quakers in commerce and industryMilligan's Biographical dictionary of British Quakers in commerce and industryThe Biographical Dictionary of British Quakers in Commerce and Industry 1775-1920, by Edward H. Milligan, includes entries for some 2,800 people, arranged alphabetically...
pp.190-191: Biographical notes on Joseph Fry (1777-1861) - Rose, June. Elizabeth Fry, a biography. London & Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1980. ISBN 0-333-31921-4, reprinted 1994 by Quaker Home Service ISBN 0852452608.
- Francisca de Haan, ‘Fry , Elizabeth (1780–1845)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, May 2007 accessed 12 Aug 2008