Sarah Jane Cooper (1848–1932) was an English

marmalade Marmalade is a fruit preserve made from the juice and peel of citrus fruits boiled with sugar and water. The well-known version is made from bitter orange. It is also made from lemons, limes, grapefruits, mandarins, sweet oranges, bergamo ...

maker and wife of

Frank Cooper Frank Cooper may refer to: * Frank B. Cooper (1855–1930), American education administrator, superintendent of Seattle Public Schools, 1901–1922 * Frank Arthur Cooper (1872–1949), premier of Queensland, 1942–1946 * Frank Cooper (judge) (186 ...

(1844–1927). Sarah Cooper was born Sarah Jane Gill in

Beoley Beoley is a small village and larger civil parish north of Redditch in the Bromsgrove District of Worcestershire. It adjoins Warwickshire to the east. The 2001 census gave a parish population of 945, mostly at Holt End. The parish includes the ...

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...

in 1848. In 1872 she got married in

Clifton, Bristol Clifton is both a suburb of Bristol, England, and the name of one of the city's thirty-five council wards. The Clifton ward also includes the areas of Cliftonwood and Hotwells. The eastern part of the suburb lies within the ward of Clifton Do ...

to Frank Cooper of

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

and they made their home at 31

Kingston Road, Oxford Kingston Road is a road in Oxford, England. It continues north from Walton Street, at the junction with Walton Well Road to the west and St Bernard's Road to the east, running parallel with and to the west of Woodstock Road. Kingston Road ...

. In 1867 Frank had inherited the family

grocer A grocery store (American English, AE), grocery shop (British English, BE) or simply grocery is a store that primarily retails a general range of food Product (business), products, which may be Fresh food, fresh or Food preservation, packaged ...

y shop at 84

High Street, Oxford The High Street in Oxford, England, known locally as the High, runs between Carfax, generally seen as the centre of the city, and Magdalen Bridge to the east. Overview The street has been described by Nikolaus Pevsner as "''one of the world' ...

. In 1874 Frank expanded the business into 83 High Street next door, and the Coopers gave up their house in Kingston Road to live over the shop. Sarah, then aged 24, made of marmalade to her own recipe. The marmalade became a regular product of Frank Cooper's business, being made behind the shop until 1903 when he moved production to a new purpose-built factory at 27

Park End Street Park End Street is a street in central Oxford, England, to the west of the centre of the city, close to the railway station at its western end. Location To the east, New Road links Park End Street to central Oxford. To the west, Frideswide ...

.Woolley, 2010, page 91 Frank Cooper's business was taken over in 1964 and production left Oxford in 1967.Woolley, 2010, page 94 However, its marmalades and jams remain in production as a brand of

Premier Foods Premier Foods plc is a British food manufacturer headquartered in St Albans, Hertfordshire. The group owns many well-known brands, including Mr Kipling, Ambrosia, Bird's Custard, Angel Delight, Homepride cooking sauces, Lyons, Sharwood's, Loyd ...

, which continues to call its leading Frank Cooper's product "Oxford" Marmalade. Since 2001, 84 High Street has been marked by an Oxfordshire Blue Plaque commemorating Sarah Cooper's achievement.

References

Sources and further reading

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Sarah 1848 births 1932 deaths People from Oxford Women of the Victorian era English businesspeople in retailing People in food and agriculture occupations 19th-century English businesswomen 19th-century English businesspeople Burials in Oxfordshire