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William Waterfield.
William and Annie Waterfield with their eleven children.

Photo and additional information courtesy of S. Clayton.

In the photo: John Hodgetts [b1882], Charles Enoch [b1894], William [b1886], Mr. Waterfield, Mary Elizabeth [b1890], Helen [b1884]
Rachel [b1892], Annie Selina [1888] holding infant James Redvers [b1900], Mrs. Waterfield holding Lilian [b1902], David Belfour Horton [b1896], Benjamin Burton [b1898]
A newspaper report, published many years later relates to the family photo above:-

"The picture shows Mr & Mrs William Waterfield and their family of 11 children.
Mrs. Waterfield died in 1904 and her husband in 1905, and the eldest daughter (extreme right) then aged 20, took on the job of looking after her ten brothers and sisters. In addition to running cleaning, it took two hours to 'swill out' the huge farm house in which they lived in Jews Lane, Upper Gornal."
The above report appears to have the Mr. & Mrs dates reversed, it also relates to daughter Helen who married Ernest Enoch Fithern in 1912, 'Enoch' was a member of Sedgley Council. The job of looking after the children then passed to the next eldest daughter Annie Selina.
The farmhouse mentioned was Roberts Green Farm.
There was no shortage of Waterfields in the Gornal area and this page is devoted to the branch of the family who had established the brick works and colliery at Jews Lane, Upper Gornal.
William Waterfield had established the brick works and colliery at least by 1850 when he is described in a trade directory as a Brick Manufacturer of Upper Gornal, it is assumed that this was William Waterfield b1810 and had married Rachel Horton in 1832, thus the family line follows.
After William Snr., died in 1867, his wife Rachel had taken on the business as she is described in 1871 Census as a 'fire brick manufacturer'.
Between 1875 and 1885 the firm was trading as W.H. Waterfield, not known at this time but presumed to be Rachel's son, William Horton Waterfield who had married Lucy Thirza Guest in 1873.
By 1880, John Waterfield, William and Rachel's eldest had become the proprietor of the works and thereafter trading as John Waterfield and later as John Waterfield & Son.
John married Helen (Ellen) Burton in 1859, children followed, William born in 1860, Esther Ann; John and Enoch Burton Waterfield.
Eldest son of John & Ellen, William, married Annie Hodgetts in 1881 and thereafter produced the eleven children in the photograph above.

1904: The Birmingham Daily Post, Wednesday May 11.

OBITUARY [William Waterfield]
Yesterday, Mr. William Waterfield, brick manufacturer, Upper Gornal, Sedgley, died at his farm house in Jew's Lane, where he resided. The deceased gentleman was a member of the Sedgley District Council, with which authority and the old Local Board he had been connected for about twelve years, and he was recently elected a representative of Upper Gornal on the Dudley Board of Guardians. He was the proprietor of a fire brick and clay works, quarries, and a farm at Upper Gornal, and was a large employer of labour. He was very popular throughout the parish, and was greatly esteemed by his workmen. He was a member of the executive committee of the South Wolverhampton Joint Unionist Association, and a liberal supporter of several local cricket clubs and the New Connection Chapel, Upper Gornal, of which he was a prominent member. For some time he had been subject to attacks of pulmonary apoplexy, and a few months ago had a serious seizure just after his arrival at the District Council Offices, for the purpose of attending a monthly meeting of the authority. On Monday night, shortly after transacting public business with other members of the Roads and Improvement Committee, he had another seizure, which proved fatal a few hours afterwards. Deceased, who was forty-three years of age, leaves a widow and eleven children. The event was alluded to by the chairman of the District Council (Mr. J.T. Tennant), at a monthly meeting of that authority last night, and after the passing of a vote of condolence with the bereaved family the business proceedings were adjourned out of respect for the memory of the deceased gentleman.

William Waterfield died on 10th May, 1904, his Wife Annie and son John Hodgetts took on the responsibility, however Annie died a year later, and sons John Hodgetts and William continued the business thereafter.
Of the children in the photo:
John Horton married Lucy E. Hyde; 1906.
William married Martha [Parker, 1911?]
Helen married Ernest Enoch Fithern, 1912.
Annie Selina married Frederick Bradley; 1916.
Mary Elizabeth died 1909, aged only 19 years.
Charles married Violet M. Dann, 1922.
David Balfour Horton married Lilian May Compston, 1923.
Rachel married Joseph C.L. Brooks, 1925.
Lilian married William E. Fithern, 1927.
James Redvers married Florence E. Pearcey; 1926.
Benjamin married Dorathy A. Dixon, 1933.
In the book 'The Black Country and Its Industries' published in 1904 - shortly after William Waterfield's death, so describes him...
"The sole proprietor of the concern is Mr William Waterfield, a gentleman who is widely respected; distinguished by many amicable qualities, by his high integrity and spirit. He has managed the whole business himself and has always honourably discharged his duties as a citizen. Mr. Waterfield also finds time to engage in public work and has been a member of the Sedgley Urban Council for a number of years and is now a member of the district Board of Guardians."
It goes on to say....
"Since the above was written, the death of Mr. Waterfield suddenly occurred, to the great regret of everyone who knew him, and the works are now carried on by Mrs. Waterfield and her eldest son, Mr. John Waterfield."
As with the adjacent Gibbons works, Waterfield's brickworks grew out of the very fine fireclays on-site, in the first instance trading as William Waterfield; as W. H. Waterfield, finally as John Waterfield & Son.
The brickworks and colliery was situated at the top of Jews Lane, many of the family also lived in Jews Lane.
The works was a major employer in the area.
More about the brickworks can be found here.
The family also had interests in quarrying stone and sand, the quarry was situated off the Holloway/Ruiton Street, see Waterfield's quarry.
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