The Rone Clarke Family Rose Cottage Bristol Road Bournbrook Birmingham

A Memory of Bournbrook.

My great-great-grandfather was CHARLES RONE CLARKE born 6 March 1837 at 13 Court, Smallbrook Street, Birmingham. He was a master woodturner and sixth great-grandson of Henry Clarke. He married my great-great-grandmother EMMA SOPHIA BABBINGTON, born 11th September 1841 at 100 Lancaster Street in the district of St Mary, Birmingham. She married CHARLES RONE CLARKE at St Philip's Church, Birmingham on December 12 1859. It is said she was a very dominant woman who ruled both her family and the wood-turning business at Rose Cottage, Bristol Road, Bournbrook with an iron hand after the death of her husband Charles in 1893. She travelled everywhere in her pony and trap driven by one of her sons. EMMA SOPHIA RONE CLARKE (nee BABBINGTON) died on March 12 1912.

The History of Rose Cottage goes as follows.

In 1865 Charles set up his wood-turning business on land behind the cottage and there he taught his sons the trade. The workshop with all its wonderful machinery also had several glass houses and a breakers yard, and also a greengrocers shop and several pigsties at the bottom of the garden which backed on to Coronation Road. There was also a newsagents at the front facing the Bristol Road which the family rented out.

The River Bourne, which often flooded, ran through the property and the families pet horse Dobbin was found drowned one morning in the early 1900s. The old grey horse's death was a great loss to Charles and Emma, especially as their grandchildren loved to ride and play with him.

Handwritten notes in the family Bible state that CHARLES RONE CLARKE was born 6 March 1837 at 5 minutes to 6 in the morning, he died of a brain tumour on March 17 1893 at 5 minutes to 6 in the morning. He was interred in the family grave on 23 March 1893 with his son Francis Samuel Rone Clarke. Family history states that Charles was a very generous man who even gave a friend the money to buy his house. In his later years he became very sad after the death of his son Francis, aged only 3.

In her will when EMMA SOPHIA RONE CLARKE passed away she stated that the land, Rose Cottage and the wood-turning business were to be sold and the money divided up between her ten living children and her daughter-in-law ELIZABETH Rone Clarke (nee Pritchard). Her sons however had very different plans and the conditions were altered. A new agreement was drawn up wherby Charles and his wife Elizabeth and sister Maude lived in the cottage. Edward and Charles ran the wood-turning business and they, Harry, James and Benjamin, Jack and Maude had equal shares in the profits.

Their children were:
SARAH RONE CLARKE born October 26 1862 Back of 117 Irving Streeet, St Thomas, Birmingham, died June 23 1919 at 69 Raddlebarn Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham.

CAROLINE RONE CLARKE born November 1862 St Thomas, Birmingham died Healey Road, Bournbrook, Birmingham.

JACK RONE CLARKE born 1864 died 24 December 1919 Back 13 Healey Road, Bournbrook, Birmingham. Jack suffered from asthma, he worked at the Battery Co.

JAMES RONE CLARKE (JIM) born 1866, died 1970 Swanbrook Cottage, Rubery, Birmingham, he was quite a character and owned Regent Garage at Rubery.

CHARLES RONE CLARKE (my great-grandfather) born 12 December 1859, Birmingham, died August 1954 at Rose Cottage, Bournbrook, when I was 4 years old.

MILLIE STONE RONE CLARKE born 1872, died The Forge, Inkberrow, Worcestershire.

EDWARD RONE CLARKE (Ted) born 19 March 1875 at Longmoor Street, Balsall Heath, Birmngham, died 15 November 1959 at 12 North Road, Bournbrook, Birmingam, where he lived with his daughter Lizzie and her husband and daughter Linda.

MAUDE MARY RONE CLARKE born 1878 Birmingham, died 1950 Evesham Infirmary, Worcestershire.

FRANCIS RONE CLARKE died age 3.

I have researched the family and have lots of photos and also details of the BABBINGTON FAMILY. (Emma's father owned a brass foundry in Birmingham.)

I thought this might help if anyone is looking for the history of RONE CLARKE family as it is such an unusual name. I have researched the family back to 1679, if anyone is interested I will be very happy to help them.