The Copes of Halsall House
In the mid 1920s, John Arnold Cope (1876-1961) GBZG-RFP and his wife Gladys Ada Herbet Jones (1882-1952) GBXG-1C2 along with their children Candida, Judy, Robert (Charles) and John moved into Halsall House. They had bought the property from Cuthbert Leigh Blundell Hollinshead Blundell (1880-1947) MM1V-SQ4 whose family had had the house built c. 1847-1850 as the Rectory when Cuthbert’s father, Thomas Blundell Hollinshead Blundell (1834-1905) MHP1-FLL was Rector at St. Cuthbert’s church in Halsall.
Thomas Cope and his brother George were the founders of the firm, Cope Bros. & Co. of Liverpool. In 1848 they had opened their first tobacco manufacturing factory on Old Post Office Street, Liverpool, later moving to Lord Nelson Street. By the 1880s they employed 1500 people who made cigars, cigarettes, tobacco and snuff. By 1884 the Cope factory was the largest in the world of its kind and they were producing approximately 300,000 cigarettes per week. However, 1884 was also a sad time for the family as Thomas Cope died on 18th September of that year. His probate records show that his effects totalled £199,031, 2s 2d – which equates to approximately £21 million pounds today.
When his father died, John Cope was only 8 years old and the family had been living (along with an army of servants) at Poplar Bank, Huyton with Roby, Liverpool – an affluent area at that time. As a young teenager John attended Rossall, an independent boarding school in Fleetwood, Lancashire. After that, he joined Clare College, Cambridge in 1894 and having obtained his degree, he returned to the family business.
Looking at the census records for Liverpool, we can see that he was living with his brother, Charles in 1901 at Stanley House, Church Road. His occupation was a cigar manufacturer at that time. On 11th August 1907, one day before his 31st birthday, he married Gladys Ada Herbert Jones. Gladys was the daughter of Charles and Sarah Jones, a salesman and singing teacher respectively. Gladys had grown up in Stafford and Shropshire before moving to Liverpool. As a young woman, she had been a governess in Newport.
John and Gladys went on to have 5 children: Charles (Robert), Candida, John, Suzanne and Judith. They also moved from the city to the countryside and made Springwood, Holt Green in Aughton their family home. No doubt the railway connection had great appeal when making this decision as John Cope was still involved in the family business.
During WW1 the Cope Bros. would post out their goods including Kenilworth cigarettes to the soldiers on the Front as detailed in this advertisement from 1917.
As already described, the Copes moved to Halsall House in the 1920s. From various local newspaper articles, it is obvious that the young family settled into the village of Halsall extremely well and were popular amongst their neighbours.
In the Ormskirk Advertiser on the 3rd January 1929, we are informed of the Halsall Bible Class Social and Dance held at St. Cuthbert’s Hall for 150 people – Mr. and Mrs. Cope as well as their children receiving a mention.
The author of the article, states:
‘… it is evident that Halsall have acquired a very valuable family who have proved themselves ready to share in the entertainment of the parish in no uncertain manner’.
They also provided the grounds of their home later that year for the summer fete and the crowning of the Rose Queen, Jennie Ainscough in June 1929.
John and his family left Halsall House after approximately 10 years and moved to Wexford Road, Birkenhead, Cheshire (as it was then). He was still listed as a tobacco manufacturer. John took over the running of the business and retired from the role of managing director in 1948 to become chairman. He retired in 1949 altogether and was the last Cope to be involved in the company. Copes was then taken over by Gallaher in 1952.
The Cope family and their claims to fame
Judith Cope was the first wife of actor Geoffrey Forbes Lumsden who was perhaps better known as Captain Square in the BBC comedy series, Dad’s Army.
The Cope factory in Lord Nelson Street, Liverpool and the Copes themselves, were praised for providing favourable working conditions for women by Charles Dickens, no less. Dickens, as well as being a well-known author was also a social reformer and would often comment on the harsh working conditions which existed amongst the working class in Victorian Britain
The writer and philosopher, John Ruskin, took the Cope Bros. to court in 1893 for breach of copyright, as outlined in The Belfast Newsletter on 27th November 1893.
For more information about Cope Bros. & Co. Ltd follow the link Cope Bros & Co – Wikipedia
