George Cadbury Chocolates

Cadbury chocolates, anyone?

Any chocaholic will easily recognise the name "Cadbury." It doesn't matter whether your favourite chokkie is Lindt or Belgian or any other confectionary. Perhaps Vienna's Mozartkugeln? A chocolate is a chocolate is a chocolate (with apology to Gertrude Stein's "a rose is a rose is a rose... by any other name.)

George Cadbury, the founder of famous chocolate manufacturing company, George Cadbury, was born on September 19, 1839. He was the third son of a Quaker, John Cadbury, who pioneered Cadbury's cocoa and chocolates.

Cadbury's Family Life

George Cadbury married twice. In 1872 he married Mary Tylor, who died in 1887. They had three children: George junior, Mary Isabel and Edward.  In 1888 he married Dame Elizabeth Mary Taylor, an English philanthropist. They had six children together: Laurence John, George Norman, Elsie Dorothea, Egbert, Marion Janet and Ursula.  He died at his home, Northfield Manor House, on 24 October 1922, aged 83.

The Cadbury Family Chocolate Business

Along with his brother Richard Cadbury, he took over the family business in 1861. In 1878 They acquired 14 acres (57,000 m²) of land in open country, four miles (6 km) south of Birmingham in 1878, and opened a new factory the following year.

George Cadbury rented a Georgian style mansion built by Josiah Mason, Sir Josiah Mason, an English pen-manufacturer. He eventually bought the mansion in 1881.

Cadbury was a social reformer, who in the early 20th century, with John Wilhelm Rowntree, established a Quaker study centre in the building, that offer short educational courses on spiritual and social matters to Quakers and others interested.

Concerned with he quality of life of their employees, the Cadbury brothers provided an alternative to city life. As more land was acquired and the brothers moved the factory to a new country location, they built a factory town that provided low-cost houses for their employees and their families. This village became known as Bournville after the nearby river and French word for "town". Although the houses were never privately owned, their value stayed low and affordable. Bournville was a marked change from the poor living conditions of the city environment where families had houses with airy yards and gardens.

George Cadbury and Family

George Cadbury was a social reformer.  The brothers cared for their employees; they both believed in the social rights of the workers and installed canteens and sport grounds. Nineteen years after brother Richard died, George opened a works committee to discuss proposals for improving the company. He also pressed ahead with other ideas, like education facilities, an annuity, and a deposit account for employees.

George Cadbury was a humanitarian and philanthropist. He was a leading prime mover in setting up The Birmingham Civic Society. To the people of Birmingham, he donated the Lickey Hills Country Park, and a large house in Northfield to the Birmingham Cripples Union that was used as a hospital from 1909, now called the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital.

Care for a Cadbury Crunchie or a Twirl?   I have some!

You may want to check my article:  From Cacao Beans to Candy Bars: How Chocolate is Made

Interesting Read:

• The Story of Cadbury

Sources:

1. Thomas C. Kennedy (2001). British Quakerism, 1860-1920: the transformation of a religious community. Oxford University Press. pp. 177-178. ISBN 0198270356.


2. Royal Orthopaedic Hospital.  Retrieved 2011-09-21.


3. David J. Jeremy (1990). Capitalists and Christians: business leaders and the churches in Britain, 1900-1960. Clarendon Press. p. 100. ISBN 0198201214.