We have had a request come in for a E. Minister, who would like to find some information on Charles C Minister and the bottle pictured below.
Hi,
I have a stone pot/container that was a present from a friend - it was found by chance at an antique fair near to Preston. The name on it Charles C Minister, who is a family member going back to the early 1900's. I would be so grateful if you could put the picture on your 'site' and hopefully I could get to know more about its history. Thank you.
18 comments:
The brewery is new to me. I would love to know where it was.
Same here Nancy... spent most of last night looking on google, and also looking at trade directories. I even missed the last 3 frames of snooker ha! I'm hope either Dave or Paul can come to the rescue here.
I will certainly be on the look out for one of these now.....
Sorry to disappoint, but as yet nothing I have found bears any relation to a herb beer brewer in Gee Cross. The only actual herbalist shops I can find were good old Fitzpatrick's on Market St and one called Add Wisemans at 3 Stockport Rd in the early 1960's. Nothing else yet.
Paul
Cheers Paul
It is proving to be a hard nut to crack at the moment... lets hope the gang from The Grapes bowling club can help... I think an email ti Eric is in order ;O)
There is a large Minister family in GX, most of them connected with Holy Trinity Church. Eric Downs might know or, if not, someone at HT will.
Thank you Werneth Low.. Eric and the gang have supplied us with much info in the past...
I've been through the Pigot & Co directory of 1828/29 and the Kelly's directories of 1902 and 1914, but I can't find anything relevant.
Hi Dave...
I have done much the same... and the Morris and Co. Directory of Cheshire. I have even looked for an alternative Gee Cross... no luck there as well. I'm sure we will find something about this... most likely while looking for something else.
I can't recollect any "Pop" brewer in Gee Cross bur i certainly remember the herbalists Fitzpatrick's and Wisemans. I used to buy herbal pipe tobacco from Wisemans and the complaints were rife on the top of the bus coming home from work when I lit up! Do you remember "Vimto's" the Temperance Bar on Market St.? The shop is now Indian Clove restaurant.
Rowbotham was the herb beer brewer in Hyde and their Dandelion & Burdock was second to none. Eric the son delivered around the town. I think the brewing premises were around the Edna St. area.
When I was a kid there was a herbalist's shop either next door or next but one to the Ring O' Bells. You could sit in and drink one of the witches' brew concoctions which they made up. If you had a cough your mother would go for a "cough bottle" which they made up - the smell of cloves always reminds me of it! It was probably a much quicker way of getting treatment than sitting for hours on end in Dr Ellis's waiting room!
I recall Fitzpatrick's .. it was where Eric says that Vimto's was. The family still brew today.. http://www.mrfitzpatricks.com/ The also used to be on the monthly farmers market in A-U-L.. Seems Hyde had a few Herb Brewers in the past.
In the mid to late fifties I used to go to Togos, where the Indian Clove is now, for a pint of sarsaparilla and a toasted teacake, was that Fitzpatricks?
Hi John
Not sure if Togo's was run by the Fitzpatrick's.. infact when I think back.... I seem to recall a junk shop around there as well... I can't recall now if one shop replaced the other..
Togo's and Fitzpatricks were in the same shop but at different times ,I think.
I remember the Togo's/Fitzpatrick's place; a group of us occasionally used to go there for a round of Blood Tonic (we thought we were pretty hip); we would also get Potters Herbal Smoking Mixture there, a cheap alternative for a bunch of impoverished under-age smokers; we used to roll it into smokes !
The sarsaparilla from Fitzpatricks was in itself a blood tonic and lovely with it, I don't think it tastes the same nowadays.
The junk shop was only a small shop and it was right in the corner, it was then a plumbers merchants owned by Mick Travis.
Our mums always sent us to the herbalist next to the Ringers if we had a cough cold etc.
AS teenagers we used to go there for a dye they used to make up for colouring your hair we used a different colour every week.
Another great comment from Jean... and you mentioned an old friend of mine in Mick Travis... I have had many a good drink and good laugh with Mick. I can see his face now as plane as the day...
I am glad you mentioned the junk shop... I would always admire the junk in the window... Jane tell me I collect junk like the 'Steptoes'..
Regarding your contributors inquires about the Minister Brewery in Gee Cross. The brewery of Charles Crispin Minister of Gee Cross was established in 1892 after the death of his father in law, William Ball, who established his brewery in Booth Street, Hyde, in 1890. Charles Crispin Minister was born in Haddicoe, Norfolk, in 1868. The family left Haddiscoe for Hyde in 1877, and set up home at 7 Travis Street. He married Elizabeth Ann Ball, the daughter of William and Ann Ball, at Stockport in August 1891. William Ball died in 1892, and after his death Charles Crispin Minister set up a brewery of his own at 14 John Street, Gee Cross. The brewery continued making beer and herbal medicin until around the outbreak of the First World War. Charles Crispin Minister died in 1955, aged 88 years in Ipswich, Suffolk. Elizabeth Ann Minister died in 1957, age 86 years, at Burton on Trent, Staffordshire. It is no use looking for John Street, Gee Cross on any modern day map, the former John Street is now named Rock Street.
Jeffrey Stafford.
Updated again by Jeffrey
Minister set up a small brewery at 12 John Street in 1890, then expanded after his father in -law death taking over larger premises at no 14 John Street.
Post a Comment