Page 7 - Partridge & Spencers

Partridge’s & Spencer’s Redditch Heritage

Ted continued running the business until 1970 when he sold it to a syndicate of businessmen
and he retired to enjoy his favourite pastimes of fishing and shooting. Since then the business
has passed to the Norwegian engineering conglomerate, Mustad. Their fish hook and other angling
products now trade under the name of 'Partridge of Redditch'. A fitting tribute to the significance
of Redditch and the Needle making families which built this reputation.

The Long Crendon Connection

Ted's wife's family background differed somewhat from that of the Partridges. They were Spencers
who did not originate from Redditch but from the village of Long Crendon in Buckinghamshire
close to Oxford. They were needle makers, a manufacturing trade closely allied with fish hook
making, in which the former trade existed in both Long Crendon and Redditch and this would
explain their eventual move in the 1860's to the latter. As Redditch became the centre of Needle
making in England, and indeed the world in the 19th century, many families elected to move to
this “Centre of excellence “ and made such a move to Redditch. Some later returned to their
original village. Like the Partridges,
the Spencers had been agricultural
labourers during the 18th century and
presumably earlier and then become
needle makers as the Industrial
Revolution took hold in the 19th
century.

Philip Spencer )1843 -1918) was born
in this small Buckinghamshire village
and came to Redditch in 1864. He
entered into business as a
manufacturer of surgical needles
founding the firm of Messers P.
Spencer and Sons. His youngest son
Samuel Spencer (1867-1912) had
started in needle making but being
musically inclined founded and latter
ran, his own music shop in Redditch.
He was noted in the town for his
musical abilities which he had
inherited from Philip. He took over
from his father as leader of the town
band, chapel organist and was
prominent in other musical events.

His wife, Edith Oakley (1868 - 1936)
was the daughter of a farmer, Henry
Oakley (b.1828), who lived a few
miles outside Redditch at the village
of Ipsley before moving to nearby
Elcocks Brook farm. Another daughter
of Henry, Nellie, married a Dane and
went to live in Copenhagen.

Philip and Emma (nee Allcock) Spencer

Page: 6