Biography of Alfred Hanley Folker

Malcolm Smith's Family History Archive

Biography of

Alfred Hanley FOLKER

[Ref. O.6]

Alfred Hanley Folker was born in Brighton on 28 April 1830, the sixth of the family of seven children of Samuel and Susannah Folker. Details of his early life are not known, but in 1841 he was a pupil attending Bancroft's Hospital in Mile End Old Town, Stepney. After that, it is believed that he was apprenticed to a hosier in Brighton and that he slept under the counter in the shop.

Alfred married Eliza Pocock at St.Peter's church, Brighton on 21 January 1854 and the event was recorded in a local newspaper. His place of residence at that time was shown as St.Mary le Strand, Middlesex. Eliza was a daughter of John and Mary Ann Pocock of Brighton.

Alfred and Eliza were living at 41 Warstone Lane, Birmingham when their first son, Alfred Henry, was born in 1855. Alfred was delighted with the arrival of his firstborn son and wrote to his mother giving details of his size. That same year, Alfred is listed as Hosier, glover, hatter, shirt-maker & outfitter at 20 High Street, Oxford.

Daughter Ellen was born in 1856 and George in 1858, both at 127 St.James Street, Brighton. The family was living at 20 Russell Square, Brighton where which is where their remaining two children, Horace and John were born in 1859 and 1861 respectively. Alfred's name has not been found in the 1861 census. He submitted divorce papers on 2 May 1862 citing that Eliza had left him and gone to her fathers's home with three of the children, Alfred, the eldest would have been at school. It seems that Alfred and Eliza had separated before John was born. She declined to return to Alfred so the petition was granted on 28 November the same year.

It seems that Alfred went to London and traded as a hosier, shirt maker and outfitter at Stanley House, 36 Edgware Road in Middlesex. He was in partnership with a gentleman called Henry Forester Dickeson and the business was known as Dickeson and Folker. The London Gazette reported that the partnership was dissolved on 5 March 1963 and Alfred continued the business by himself.

The following year, The London Gazette of 14 June reported that Alfred had been registered bankrupt on 4 June. The report noted him as a Draper of High Street in Marylebone, Middlesex.

A birth certificate for a child called Fanny Folker, born on 31 October 1864 in Flamstead Hertfordshire, shows Alfred as the father and Letitia Folker, neé Porter, as the mother. There is, however, no record of their marriage and it would appear to have been an invention. Alfred was landlord of the Sebright Arms public house at the time but nothing more is known about either Fanny or her mother.

Alfred was a Commission Agent living at 4 Brooklyn Villas in Peckham, Surrey when he was registered as bankrupt again in the London Gazette of 11 January 1867. He appears in the 1871 census as a Docks Warehouseman boarding in the Alexander Hotel at Great Warley, Essex.

By 1875, Alfred had moved to Guildford where he became the innkeeper at The Bowling Green public house. He did not remain there for more than a year or so before he established an Auctioneer's business at 6 Lea Pale Road, Guildford in 1876. He carried out his profession at the Guildford markets where there was a livestock market each Tuesday, wholesale dry goods each Saturday and horse sales on the first Tuesday of each month. In 1876 he founded the Guildford Poultry Market, which was held each Tuesday at 11 a.m.

By 1878, the business also had stores in Woodbridge Road as proclaimed in his advertisement in the front of The Guildford Directory and Almanac of that year. By 1880, The business additionally had offices at 64 High Street, Guildford. The advertisements for the business offered services in the sale of property, transfer of businesses, debt collection, accountancy and insurance. He was agent for the Scottish Union National Insurance Co. for Life and Fire, the Imperial Union Accident Assurance Co and the National Provincial Plate Glass Co. He also stocked fertilizer and animal feed.

The census of 1881 shows Alfred as an Auctioneer living in Lea Pale Road, Guildford with his son Horace, who also was an Auctioneer. Alfred's sister Emma also lived with them.

In 1881, Alfred's son Horace joined him as a partner in the business which then became known as Messrs Folker & Son, and moved premises to Almorah Lodge in Woodbridge Road. The partnership was short-lived, being dissolved in 1884, three years after it was established. Horace then set up on his own account in competition with his father. At that time, the main offices were in Guildford Chambers, North Street, Guildford. Alfred remained here, but Horace opened new premises at 74 High Street. The reason for the split is not known, but it certainly was complete. A possible cause may have been that they were both fairly stubborn and may not have been able to tolerate each other in close proximity. Alfred continued in business as an Auctioneer although it is likely that Horace established himself in the stronger position and took the lions share of business.

Round about 1885, Alfred moved to 11 Guildford Park Road then moved again in around 1890 to Strasburg Villa in Martyr Road. The census of 1891 shows him living at that address with his sister Emma and employing a 17 year old servant called Rose Denyer.

His estranged wife Eliza died on 21 March 1900. On 31 October the same year, Alfred married Catherine Mills, nee Tate, widow of William Charles Mills, and they lived at 46 Denzil Road. One month later, he drew up a new Will which, other than a previous settlement on his children, favoured his new wife.

Alfred passed away on St. Valentines day in 1901. He was buried at Stoke next Guildford and probate on his Will was granted to his wife, Catherine, the sole executrix, on 24 May the same year.

A considerable amount of new information has recently been uncovered on the life of Alfred and is expected to be added to this biography in the latter part of 2020.

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