Charles Cavell

2 Lower Street
Prospect House Lower Street
Tufnell House, 2 Crown Court

Occupation: Fishmonger & Poulterer

Charles Cavell was born in 1807 the son of John Cavell & Frances Isabella Dear, and the third of their six children. By the time of his first child’s baptism, he was a poulterer living and working in Lower Street. The 1851 census tells us that he had also become a Fishmonger as well as a Poulterer.

Charles had married Eliza Upton at St. Leonards Church in 1834. Eliza herself was born in Eastry in 1812, the daughter of  Morris Upton and Mary Wyborn. Morris who was a carpenter had died in Eastry in 1832. Whether Eliza had already found work in Deal at that time is not known, though her father’s death, and the need to support herself, may well have prompted her to move into the town.

St Mary the Virgin, Eastry

Mary Upton, Eliza’s mother, is living with her and Charles from at least 1841. By then their first child, also named Eliza, had died and was buried in the church at Eastry. Sadly two more daughters, Mary Ann and Eliza Isabella, also died and they too were buried at Eastry.

An incident of theft from the shop brought a mention in the newspaper when three females were caught stealing ‘fowls’ from him and given six weeks hard labour. These three do not show up in the census records for Deal, so who exactly they are is unclear. The record showing their Indictment for larceny at the Deal Borough Sessions on the 28 December 1849 is available online.

Dover Telegraph and Cinque Ports General Advertiser – Saturday 29 December 1849

Charles moved from 2 Lower Street to Prospect House, the former home of the Hayward family, sometime between 1851 and 1861.

On January 15 1861, Eliza dies. The notice in the newspaper says that she died ‘….. at Lower Street, after a long and lingering illness, Eliza, wife of Mr. Charles Cavell, poulterer, aged 48’. This left Charles to care for his five younger children and this may be why his widowed sister, Mary Ann Johnson and her daughter are staying with him at this time.

In the days before domestic fridges and freezers Charles becomes an Ice Merchant and places adverts in the local newspaper

for ICE, ICE, ICE, that was, “Fresh Every Morning”. This ice was almost certainly brought in from Norway, who had begun to take over the American ice market in the UK, and delivered daily by train. This was a smart business move as Deal at this time was establishing itself as a seaside resort and the upper-class hotels would have wanted to provide their visitors with iced desserts and ice for their drinks. The other food industries and outlets in the town would also have wanted this commodity not to mention the ice cream seller on the promenade.

                                                                                                                               Deal, Walmer, Sandwich Mercury

Not much more is actually known about Charles. He appears to have been a man that quietly went about his life, growing up, marrying, supporting his family and hopefully quietly dying at home in his own bed in Deal.

Sources and further reading:
Page 1 image from Reminiscences of Old Deal by E C Pain
Newspaper image © The British Library Board. All rights reserved.
With thanks to The British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk).