Henry Francis Dyer (1844–1935)

Henry Francis Dyer (one of my 2nd great grandfathers) was born on 1^st September 1844 in Clerkenwell, London, to Sydney Dyer and Eliza Parker. He grew up in a bustling Victorian London, living at in Clerkenwell his early years. His childhood was marked by the large family sizes typical of the era, but also the heartbreak; he saw several siblings pass away young, including his brother George and sister Charlotte. By the time he was seven, the family had moved to 12 Great Warner Street in Clerkenwell, his father was a carpenter.

Henry’s siblings:

• Louise Adelaide (1839–1911)
• George (1846–1849) – Died aged 3
• Charlotte (1849–1854) – Died aged 4
• William (1852–1942)
• Jane Susannah (1855–1952)
• Walter (1857–1913)
• Eliza Sarah (1859–1903)

At age 14, Henry’s career path was set when he began a seven-year apprenticeship on 11th January 1859. He was apprenticed to Charles Reed at Lovell’s Court, Paternoster Row, an area famous for being the heart of the London publishing and book trade.

Apprentice record

He clearly took to the trade. By 1871, he was working as a Printer Reader (or “Press Corrector”), a role that required a sharp eye for detail and high literacy to catch errors before a page went to press. Later in his life, he worked at the famous Cassell & Co at the Belle Sauvage print works, one of the most significant publishing houses of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Henry married Annie Maria Meredith on 18th August 1877 at Holy Trinity Church, Islington. His sister Jane served as a witness to the ceremony.

The couple settled at 100 Church Road in Islington (now known as Northchurch Road), where they lived for many years. Together, they had five children. While two of the children tragically passed away young, the others lived well into the 20th century.

• Henry Francis Dyer (1878–1883) Born on 10 July 1878 in St Lukes, London, He was the eldest child, named after his father. Tragically, he died at just five years old on 28 May 1883 in Islington of Pneumonia and Diphtheritic paralysis. He was buried at Highgate Cemetery with his Meredith (maternal) grandparents and family.
• Sydney Meredith Dyer (1879–1928). Born on 26 October 1879 in Islington. He carried his mother’s maiden name, Meredith, as his middle name. He passed away on 16 November 1928 in Palmers Green, Middlesex, at the age of 49 (my great grandfather).
• May Dyer (1881–1895) Born in Islington. She moved with the family to Hackney around 1894. She passed away as a teenager on 7^th December 1895 in Hackney of Diphtheria Syncope (reaction to vaccination). She was buried at Chingford Mount Cemetery.
• Edgar Percy Dyer (1882–1953) born in Canonbury. By 1935, he was working as a shop fitter’s manager. He served as the executor for his father’s will in 1935 and he lived until 1953.
• Ernest Frank Dyer (1883–1974) Born in Canonbury, he was the longest-lived of the siblings, passing away in 1974 at approximately 91 years old.

The family eventually moved to 92 Mayfield Road in Hackney around 1894. This home became a central hub for the Dyers; Henry’s father, Sydney, was living there at the time of his death in 1901.

Henry faced significant loss in the early 1900s, losing his wife, Annie, in 1904. Following her death, he lived with his adult children’s families. In 1911, he was residing with a son Sydney in Southgate, and by 1921, he was at 18 Harefield Road in Hornsey with his son Ernest.

Henry Francis Dyer in later life with his family, including my great grandmother (his daughter in law) and my maternal grandmother his grand daughter.

Henry lived to the remarkable age of 90, witnessing the transition from the horse-drawn Victorian era to the age of the motorcar and cinema. He passed away on 24^th April 1935 in Slough, Buckinghamshire, from cardiac failure and arteriosclerosis.