| Description | William Adlington Cadbury (1867-1957) was the fourth child of Richard Cadbury and Elizabeth (Adlington) Cadbury; he was born at 17 Wheeleys Road Edgbaston. He went to live with his grandfather John Cadbury and Aunt Maria at Calthorpe Road following the death of his mother when he was less than two years old. Following the marriage of his father to Emma Wilson, his grandfather built two houses at 73 Harborne Road and the family was reunited. In 1883 the family moved from Harborne Road to Moseley Hall.
When William was 11 years old he was sent to dig holes on land his father and uncle had recently purchased near Stirchley; as these holes were never filled he is credited with breaking the first ground for the beginning of Bournville. He attended a Friends (Quaker) Boarding School near Southport, later moving to ''Woodlands" at Hitchin. At aged 18, in 1884 he went to work in the engineering shop of J. J. Seekings of Gloucester. In 1886 he gained experience in the machine shop and drawing office of Stollwerck, the well known German chocolate firm in Cologne. He entered the family business in 1887 at the now established Bournville site. After the death of his father, Richard Cadbury, in 1899, George Cadbury (William's paternal uncle) formed Cadbury Bros. into a limited company making William, his brother Barrow and his own two sons, Edward and George, directors. After the death of George Cadbury, William was appointed Chairman of Cadbury Bros., 1922-1937. William was only 55 when he began to be affected by lameness and in 1955 his leg was amputated.
Emmeline Hannah (nee Wilson) Cadbury (1883-1966): William met Emmeline Wilson (the niece of his stepmother) in 1889 and they were married in September 1902 when she was 18. Emmeline became a magistrate in 1934. She was involved in the Girl Guide movement for 30 years. She was also the President of the Birmingham Branch of the National Council of Women, Vice President of the Royal College of Nursing and an Officer of the Order of St John of Jerusalem.
After the couple married they lived at 12, Sir Harrys Road, Edgbaston. They had 6 children: Hannah (Joy) b. 1903, John b. 1905, Alan b. 1907, Constance b.1910, Richard Tapper b. 1911, and Brandon b. 1915. The family's house Wast Hills was built in 1905 and used as a summer home until 1910 when the purchase of a car made it practical as a permanent residence.
William travelled extensively during his life; he enjoyed travelling by sea and was particularly fond of the West Coast of Ireland. In 1901, whilst in the Caribbean, William heard a rumour that slave labour was employed to produce the cocoa used by Cadbury Bros. in Sao Thome and Principe (West Africa). This information led to William carrying out research and starting political enquiries into the issue of contract labour. In 1908 William travelled to the area to make investigations, in the same year the Standard newspaper accused the Cadburys of indifference and hypocrisy regarding the use of slave labour; the Cadburys pursued and won a case for libel although they were awarded only a farthing in damages (less than the cost of a newspaper). From 1907 William developed new sources of cocoa in Ghana and from 1909 on Cadbury Bros. boycotted the purchase of cocoa from Sao Thome and Principe.
William sat on the City Council from 1911-1939, he was made an Alderman in 1919 and held the office of Lord Mayor of Birmingham from 1919-1921. He notably refused an instruction from the Prime Minister to form a Civil Defence Unit to quell public unrest caused by the depression.
The Cadbury family were benefactors of numerous artists, civil and charitable projects in the city. After the First World War William became greatly concerned to help the recovery of war-torn Europe and was involved in and supported many projects on the continent. William and Emmeline founded the Trident Trust in 1911 and later the W. A. Cadbury Trust in 1923 to further their charitable activities (see MS 1579/1).
Throughout his life William regularly attended Bull Street Meeting of The Society of Friends (Quakers); he rarely spoke but held the position of an Elder and Secretary. The couple had a particular interest in the work of the Friends (Emmeline's parents were renowned Quaker Missionaries) and contributed to projects generously. During his later confined years William took on the role of Cadbury family historian and archivist and he also prepared a record of Friends connected with the Bull Street Meeting in the 19th century.
William Wilson (1857-1909) and Hannah Wilson (1958-1945) were Emmeline Cadbury's parents. They studied to become teachers at Wigton School, Cumberland, where they met, and William later trained to be a doctor. He joined the Friends Foreign Mission Association (FFMA) in 1877. He was first based in Madagascar, where later Hannah joined him following their marriage. He returned to England in 1900, took the post of the Secretary of FFMA and along with travelling extensively in Madagascar he joined deputations to Syria, China and India. He died suddenly following an operation to remove his appendix in 1909.
The material in the most part relates to William's family and personal interests. It comprises a large number of letters and photographs, and a smaller number of diaries, household records and publications. |