Moseley People

Moseley has been the birthplace and/or home to many people who were well known locally or nationally over the centuries and the History Group has published booklets about a number of these.

Moseley Personalities booklets

‘Some Moseley Personalities Volume I’ provides biographical sketches of the following personalities in alphabetical order.  (You can also read the introduction here.)

These further articles appear in ‘Some Moseley Personalities Volume II’. 

Further articles about notable residents of Moseley

Jensen Motors, a name long associated with luxury motoring and a favourite of the rich and famous, was created by two brothers from Moseley, Frank Alan (known as Alan) and Richard Arthur Jensen.  The article tells the fascinating life stories of the two brothers and the rise to fame of Jensen Motors.

(Lilian) Daisy Murcott was a pioneer businesswoman, animal welfare champion and long-term Moseley resident whose story is told through a large collection of papers and documents preserved by Vinod Bhatia her co-executor and donated to the Society.  This article serves an introduction to a much larger document to follow shortly.

Mary Ann Bladon was connected with Moseley National School over a period of 42 years first as a pupil, then as school mistress and headmistress.  An article by Helena Coney her great great grand daughter describes her life.

Richard Cadbury and his family moved to Moseley Hall in 1884 and very much enjoyed the rural surroundings, as they still were then, playing a major part in the local community.  See also an earlier article here.

.John Avins , a successful Birmingham businessman and notable philanthropist who lived at Highfield House, Church Road and made a significant contribution to Moseley life

Extracts from the personal Diary of Matthew Boulton (a Moseley resident not the well-known industrialist) give great insight into the social, cultural, religious, intellectual, military, agricultural and personal lifestyle of an affluent gentleman in mid 19th Century Moseley.

An article on Edward Holmes, the Moseley architect, gives a detailed account of the fortunes of the large family dynasty he created.

Edith Blackwell Holden, artist and illustrator and author of The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady which became popular when published 57 years after her death in 1977

The Blackwells of Chantry Road – Althans Blackwell and his wives Agnes and Alice and children Sybil and Eric – giving an insight into middle-class society in Victorian times. A second article on a Victorian Middle-Class Garden describes their garden at Brackley Dene as an example of the Victorian gardening ethos

Andrew Franklin CVO, a British diplomat in China who accumulated an impressive collection of Chinese ceramics and art bequeathed a large portion of it to Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery.

Lisel Haas – Photographer

Ernest Marston Rudland

Sir Alan Cottrell

Collingwoode Underhill – a Moseley Architect – Graham Underhill’s account of his father and his Moseley connections.  See also an  article on Coll’s service in WW

Carl Chinn’s story – From Kings Heath to Sparkbrook

Harry Payne

Dr. Victoria Mary Crosse and her work at Sorrento hospital

James Horsfall who lived at ‘The Firs’ in Stoney Lane, and the Horsfall company

Roy Thomas – power station engineer, senior member of the Methodist Church and secretary of Moseley Local History group

Articles about Moseley people also appear in Local History Newsletters from 2012-13. Click on the Newsletter edition to read the article:

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