Page 11 - L&T William Avery

William Avery Redditch Heritage

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for thirty years. (The Library and Reading Room were first housed in 4, Prospect Hill, on
the second floor above the shop of William Hemings, the printer and stationer. In 1886
purpose-built premises for the School of Art, the Institute and its library were opened in
Church Road in the centre of Redditch, and were paid for by grants from the government,
voluntary subscriptions and donations.)

Justice of the Peace

In 1887 William Avery was one of the new magistrates who ‘took and subscribed the oath
and qualifications as magistrates of the county’. 30 He was a Liberal in politics and this
appointment was largely due to popular indignation against some recent and unexpected
appointments of more Conservative magistrates. He was the second nonconformist
magistrate appointed. (The first was James Smith of Astwood Bank.) Soon after his
appointment he told his friend, Dr. Page, that he was so stuck with the necessity of a
thorough acquaintance with all the circumstances of each case which came before the
magistrates, as well as the general knowledge of the law concerning the cases which
usually presented themselves, and which he had given considerable time to studying.
William Avery was impressed with the advantages of having some ready reference for
consultation, so he at once began to collect the newspaper reports of the Petty Sessional

proceedings for future reference. 31

It was probably in 1895 that failing health and the increase of his deafness, which was
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incurable, compelled him to cease attending the magisterial meetings. The
conscientiousness of William Avery on the magisterial bench was exemplified, when a
decision of the Redditch bench under the new Assizes Relief Act was adversely criticised
by Mr. Hawkins at the Worcester Assizes in 1891. Dr. Page stated that William Avery was
not content until he had elicited the opinion that the initial fault lay in the indefiniteness
of the Act. 33

Other activities and interests

From 1841 to 1891 Headless Cross was a town in the civil parish of Feckenham. Alcester
Poor Law Union was formed in 1836. Its operation was overseen by an elected Board of
Guardians, 29 in number, representing its 22 constituent parishes including Feckenham.
William Avery was a member of the Alcester Board of Guardians for several years, having
been appointed Feckenham’s Guardian of the Poor in March 1972. He was at the first
meeting of newly elected Guardians of the Alcester Union in 1874 when he was described
as the ‘member for Headless Cross’. 34

William Avery joined the 17th Worcestershire (Redditch) Rifle Volunteer Corps soon after
it was formed in 1860, and advanced to the position of captain. He resigned in 1884 during
the annual meeting. Major Milward spoke warmly of the manner in which Captain Avery
had performed his duties both in the company and at the annual camp. He said Avery’s
loss would be regretted, not only by own men, but also by every officer and man in the
Second Battalion. 35

He took great interest in the Redditch Land and Building Society its early days. He was
one of its Vice-Presidents from 1875 to its incorporation in 1876. Dr. Page stated that it

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was recorded by an address that on one occasion Avery had ‘rendered it signal service’ .
This may have been a reference to a meeting of the shareholders in June 1875 ‘for the

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