Memorial to Henry William Bruton in Gloucester Cathedral

Henry William Bruton (14 May 1843"Respect to Henry, the man behind livestock market." by Kevin George in ''Weekend Citizen'', 18 June 2011, p. 17. - 18 December 1920) was a

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

businessman who was a key figure in the development of the city during the later part of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century. He was born in Newent, Gloucestershire, on 14 May 1843, the son of Henry Bruton Snr.

Professional life

In 1862, Bruton's father moved to Gloucester and formed the estate agents and auctioneers ''Bruton, Knowles & Co.'' in partnership with William Knowles. Henry Jr. joined the firm in 1864 and became a partner in 1870. He was largely responsible for the development of the weekly Gloucester livestock market from 1871 but he was also involved in the sales of

Chepstow Castle Chepstow Castle ( cy, Castell Cas-gwent) at Chepstow, Monmouthshire, Wales is the oldest surviving post-Roman stone fortification in Britain. Located above cliffs on the River Wye, construction began in 1067 under the instruction of the Norman L ...

, Tintern Abbey and Cowley Manor. He was a director of the ''Gloucester Gas Light Company''.

Other activities

Bruton held numerous public and voluntary offices. He was a Justice of the Peace, a Freemason, a City Councillor, member of the School Board and the Public Library Committee. He was a regular churchgoer and was once Churchwarden of St. Mark's in Gloucester. Bruton's interests also included William Thackeray and Charles Dickens and he was Vice President of the ''Dickens Fellowship''. Bruton was a founding member of

The Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society The Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society is a learned society concerned with the history and antiquities of the City of Bristol and the historic county of Gloucestershire. It was founded on 21 April 1876; and is a registered charity, ...

and the ''Gloucester Rotary Club''. He collected mezzotints.

Family

Bruton's younger brother was Sir James Bruton (born 1848), who was the Member of Parliament for Gloucester from 1918 to 1923. In 1871, Bruton married Flora Emily Tew Smith and they had six sons and six daughters. One daughter died in 1894 and a son, Basil, was killed in Italy during the First World War whilst serving with the

Gloucestershire Regiment The Gloucestershire Regiment, commonly referred to as the Glosters, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 until 1994. It traced its origins to Colonel Gibson's Regiment of Foot, which was raised in 1694 and later became the ...

.Gloucestershire Regiment Officers Died 1918.
http://glosters.tripod.com Retrieved 21 June 2011. Flora died in 1904. Bruton was buried with her at Matson.

Legacy

The firm founded by Bruton's father, and which he successfully expanded, continues in business as ''Bruton Knowles Property Consultants'' and ''Bruton Way'' in Gloucester marks the family name.

References

External links

Bruton Knowles home page.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bruton, Henry People from Gloucester English businesspeople People from Newent 1920 deaths 1843 births Henry Churchwardens Freemasons of the United Grand Lodge of England