Henry William Bruton was a Gloucester

Gloucester

Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....

 businessman who was a key figure in the development of the city during the later part of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century. Henry was born in Newent

Newent

Newent is a small market town about 8 miles north west of Gloucester City, on the northern edge of the Forest of Dean, and lying within the Forest of Dean Local Authority District. Its population at the 2001 census was 5,073...

, Gloucestershire, on 14 May 1843, the son of Henry Bruton Snr.

Professional life

In 1862, Henry's father moved to Gloucester and formed the estate agents and auctioneers Bruton, Knowles & Co. in partnership with William Knowles. Henry Jr. joined the firm in 1864 and became a partner in 1870. Henry was largely responsible for the development of the weekly Gloucester livestock market from 1871 but he was also involved in the sales of Chepstow Castle

Chepstow Castle

Chepstow Castle , located in Chepstow, Monmouthshire in Wales, on top of cliffs overlooking the River Wye, is the oldest surviving post-Roman stone fortification in Britain...

, Tintern Abbey

Tintern Abbey

Tintern Abbey was founded by Walter de Clare, Lord of Chepstow, on 9 May 1131. It is situated in the village of Tintern, on the Welsh bank of the River Wye in Monmouthshire, which forms the border between Monmouthshire in Wales and Gloucestershire in England. It was only the second Cistercian...

 and Cowley Manor

Cowley, Gloucestershire

Cowley is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold District of Gloucestershire in England. It lies between the A417 and A435 roads between Cheltenham and Cirencester in the Churn Valley, and has a population of 333...

. He was a director of the Gloucester Gas Light Company.

Other activities

Henry held numerous public and voluntary offices. He was a Justice of the Peace, a Freemason, a City Councillor, member of the School Board and the Public Library Committee. He was a regular churchgoer and was once Churchwarden of St. Mark's in Gloucester. Henry's interests also included William Thackeray and Charles Dickens and he was Vice President of the Dickens Fellowship. Henry was a founding member of The Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society

The Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society

The Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society was founded on 21 April 1876. It is a registered charity, number 202014.The aims of the society are to "...promote the study of the history and antiquities of Bristol and the historic county of Gloucestershire, to encourage their conservation...

 and the Gloucester Rotary Club. He collected mezzotints.

Family

Henry's younger brother was Sir James Bruton (born 1848), who was the Member of Parliament for Gloucester from 1918 to 1923. In 1871 Henry married Flora Emily Tew Smith and they had six sons and six daughters. One daughter died in 1894 and a son, Basil, was killed in Italy during the First World War whilst serving with the Gloucestershire Regiment. Flora died in 1904. Henry was buried with her at Matson

Matson, Gloucester

- History :Unlike neighbouring villages, such as Brookthorpe and Upton St Leonards, Matson is not mentioned in the Domesday Book. It appears to have been a part of Kings Barton at the time of the survey...

.

Legacy

The firm founded by Henry's father, and which he successfully expanded, continues in Business as Bruton Knowles Property Consultants and Bruton Way in Gloucester marks the family name.