Halebrose Estate

The Hale family from the Black Country.

Halebrose Estate was set up by Thomas Leo Hale and Wilfrid Edgar Hale who ran a company known as Hale & Hale (Tipton) Limited, Dudley Port, Staffordshire. Hale & Hale manufactured malleable iron castings, mainly for the automotive trade.

The Halebrose Estate purchased the Cheswardine Estate in 1948 and added to the Glanyrafon Estate, Denbighshire, as well as a number of other estates amounting to a total of about 12,000 acres.

Henry Hale, the grandfather of Thomas and Wilfrid, was born circa 1806 in Darlaston, Staffordshire, about 3.5 miles south west of Walsall. He married Sarah Arblaster on the 13th October 1838 at St Mary the Mount Catholic Church in Walsall. In total they had thirteen children, although five of them died whilst quite young. 

In the 1861 census, living at 1 Hatherton Street, Walsall, Henry was described as a builder employing 10 men, with his wife Sarah, aged 44, their  eight children, and his mother-in-law, Ruth Arblaster. Ten years later, in 1871, he was a timber merchant, and was still living at 1 Hatherton Street, Walsall, with his wife Sarah, aged 54, and his children Agnes, aged 31, Teresa, aged 22, Joseph, aged 20 and Thomas Hale, aged 18. He was also described as a Timber Merchant. 

Thomas was living with his older brother Joseph in the 1881 census at 1 Hatherton Street, both being described as timber merchants. By the 1891 census, Thomas was married to Martha, aged 40, and with their children Beatrice, Hilda, John and Thomas Leo, were living at 15 Mellish Road, Rushall, Walsall. Thomas was also described as a Timber Merchant. 

They had moved by the 1901 census, to 72 Lichfield Street, Walsall, and by this time, Wilfrid Edgar had reached the age of 5 years, whilst his older brother,  Thomas Leo, was 7 years old. (Strangely Sarah's age had only advanced by 8 years since the previous census). 

By the time of the 1911 census, the family of Thomas and Martha Hale were still living at 72 Lichfield Street, he being described as a timber merchant but Thomas Leo and Wilfred Edgar were described as iron founders. 

At the time of the 1921 census on the 19th June, both brothers were resident at The Belll Hotel, Southgate Street, Gloucester.

In the 1939 census, Thomas Leo (aged 49) and his brother, Wilfrid Edgar (aged 34), who were described as Active Managing Directors were both single and living at Daisy Bank, Sutton Road, Walsall

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