Page 17 - L&T William Avery

William Avery Redditch Heritage

Redditch Local Board

In 1874 William Avery became a member of the Redditch Local Board, and in 1876 was in
favour of the scheme of sewage disposal adopted by the majority of the Board,
subsequently approved by the Local Government Board, and ultimately carried out. This

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brought him into sharp conflict with several of his public contemporaries and friends. In
1877 copies of the following cartoon were circulated round the town. Words were later
added to the cartoon, presumably by Dr. Page, explaining who the people were. A typed
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page opposite the cartoon in ‘In Memoriam Mr. William Avery’ volume 6 stated:

Mr. William Avery prized this cartoon, though he is unworthily satirised therein.
He did good (in company with many others of the leading and most influential
townsmen of the day) on behalf of the Public Health, in a difficult period of the

town’s development and need of extended and modern sanitation. 50

William Avery retired from the Board about 1880 when the majority, through the action
of the Ratepayers’ Protection Association, had been reduced to a minority. 51

His Death

William Avery died on 31st July
1899, while sitting on a garden
seat in the grounds near his
residence. He had suffered from
heart disease for many years.
Since his wife had died in 1895 he
had appeared but little in public
life, and ‘latterly had been so
feeble as to be only able to
occasionally take carriage
exercise’.52 He left his two
surviving sons, Harold and
Benjamin and Charles Ricardo,
gentlemen, his effects £11,884
1s.53 A stained glass memorial
window representing Faith, Hope
and Charity ‘in Memory of Ann
Petheridge and William Avery’
was erected by their sons in the
Wesleyan Chapel in Headless

Cross. 54

Drawing of William Avery from his 1899
funeral booklet

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