yeovil people

James Harold Llewellyn

Florist and greengrocer of High Street and Middle Street

 

James Harold Llewellyn was born on 17 May 1874 at Poole, Dorset. He was second of the nine children of tea merchant James Robert Llewellyn (1835-1905) and his second wife Dinah Bessie née Snook (1851-1945). James had no children by his first marriage to Mary Ann Penney (1834-1870), but his children by Dinah were; W Edgar (1873-1949), James, Wilfred Henry (1876-1951), Mabel Bessie (1879-1967), Miriam Lottie (1881-1939), Gwendoline Elizabeth (1884-1969), Samuel Tucker (1887-1887), Ernest H (1890-1966) and Donald Evan (1892-1968).

In the 1881 census Dinah was listed with her first two sons at High Street, Poole. James Robert was absent in this census. By the time of the 1891 census the family had moved to Sutton Court Road, Sutton, Surrey. James Snr gave his occupation as a tea merchant, while 18-year old James Jnr gave his occupation as a tea taster. By 1901 the family had moved back to Longfleet, Poole. By this time James Snr had retired and 26-year old James Jnr was working as a merchant's clerk.

On 24 August 1902, at Poole, James married Emmeline Taylor (1876-1943). It appears that James and Emmeline moved to Yeovil, where James set up a shop in Middle Street. He had two entries in Collins' Yeovil Directory of 1907, as a florist and as a greengrocer and fruiterer - both being listed in Middle Street.

In the 1911 census James and Emmeline, who were childless, were listed living above the shop premises at 81 Middle Street, and both gave their occupations as 'Fruiterer (Shopkeeper)'.

James later set up another florist and fruiterer outlet in High Street - in the building that may have formerly been the George Inn, but was certainly the premises of ironmongers Thomas Denner & Henry Stiby. By 1910 James was running two shops; at 81 Middle Street and 20 High Street. James was listed as a greengrocer and fruiterer of 20 High Street (the old Denner & Stiby premises) in Kelly's Directory of 1919.

Emmeline died on 18 May 1943, aged 67. James died on 29 August 1963, aged 89.

 

gallery

 


From the Stiby Collection (colourised), courtesy of South Somerset District Council

Denner & Stiby's ironmongery, later James Llewellyn's premises, photographed in 1883, probably by Henry Stiby who was a keen amateur photographer and left a good record of photographs of Yeovil. Note under the right of the three first floor windows is the entrance to the less-than-savoury George Court.

 


From my collection

This postcard of the Borough dates to about 1905 and shows James Llewellyn's premises at centre, between the tree and the town hall.

 

James Llewellyn's advertisement in the 1910 edition of Whitby's Yeovil Almanack Advertiser.