John Caldicott Cavell
Mayor of Oxford 1865/6, 1877/8, and 1879/80
John Caldicott Cavell (1813–1887) was born in Bardwell, Suffolk.
On 9 April 1835, when Cavell was 22, he married Sarah Elliston of Summertown in St John Baptist Church, Summertown. Sarah, who was born in Ipswich, Suffolk, was the sister of Jesse Elliston, a young man of 29 who owned a draper’s shop opposite St Mary Magdalen Church.
To celebrate his sister’s marriage, Elliston made John Cavell a partner. The shop was thenceforth known as Elliston & Cavell’s and was eventually to become Oxford’s biggest department store. (Although the shop was taken over by Debenham’s in 1953, the old name survived until 1973.)
The 1841 census shows John Caldicott Cavell as a young man of 26 living over the draper’s shop in Magdalen Street. (This shop was demolished to make room for a new shop in 1894, and it is the front of the latter that has been preserved by Debenham’s today.) Living upstairs with Cavell are his wife Sarah, their two young sons John and Frederick, his partner and brother-in law Jesse Elliston (then aged 30), not to mention 16 junior drapers, two apprentice drapers, and five female servants. The 1851 census shows a much smaller household, with John, now 12, the only child at home.
In 1853 Jesse Elliston, aged only 47, dropped dead in the Banbury Road on his way to Summertown, leaving Elliston & Cavell in his brother-in-law’s sole hands. Cavell’s wife Sarah died soon after her brother at the age of 41, and was buried at St Mary Magdalen Church on 18 February 1856.
Cavell became a Councillor in 1860. The 1861 census shows him living over the shop at 12 Magdalen Street with his second wife, Harriet, who was nine years his senior, and 19 shop assistants, two shop clerks, one housekeeper, five servants, and three porters.
Cavell was made an Alderman in 1868, and was appointed Mayor twice, in 1865/6 and 1877/8. Following the death of James Grainge in April 1879, he undertook a third short term as Mayor.
The 1881 census shows John Caldicott Cavell living (aged 68) over the old shop (whose address is given is "11 & 12 Magdalen Street and 1 & 2 Friars Entry") with Harriett (77). With them live 18 draper’s assistants, three draper’s porters, two draper’s clerks, a draper’s houseboy, a dressmaker, a housekeeper, a cook, and three housemaids.
Cavell was the long-standing Chairman of the Oxford Building and Investment Company. He resigned in August 1882 when the company was getting into difficulties, and there was a rumour that he had lent the company £10,000 on security of some of their property. When the company went into liquidation in April 1883, some of the blame was assigned to the directors.
Cavell’s wife Harriet died at the age of 82 and was buried at St Mary Magdalen Church on 4 October 1886.
At one o'clock in the morning on 4 February 1887, Cavell was found lying in his nightshirt in Friar’s Entry, having fallen from the second-floor window of his home, and he died the next day. His son, John Elliston Cavell of Blackheath, reported that his father, who was 74, had been suffering from diabetes, which caused coma and hallucinations, and a verdict of accidental death was returned at the inquest.
Very full details of the inquest are reported in Jackson’s Oxford Journal of 12 February 1887. These are followed by this obituary:
The late Mr Cavell’s connection with the Town Council extended over a period of 26 years, he having been returned for the Central Ward for the first time on the 30th of November 1860, when he filled the vacancy created by the death of Mr Nathaniel Castle, which was caused through an accident. He was re-elected in 1862, 1865, and 1868, in which year he was made Alderman. He had previous to this served the office of Mayor for the year 1865–6, and was again appointed to the office for 1877–8. He was succeeded by Mr James Grainge, who died during his year of office in April, and Mr Cavell, who was then Deputy Mayor, was chosen Mayor for the remainder of the year, his Deputy being the late Ald. Calcutt. Mr Cavell continued to be an Alderman until the 9th of November last year, when he, in common with the four other retiring Liberal Alderman, lost his gown. In June 1878, on the occasion of the visit of the Bath and West of England Agricultural Society to Oxford, he gave an entertainment on a grand scale in the Town Hall. It was through the instrumentality of Mr Cavell, Mr Joseph Round, and others that the Volunteer Fire Brigade was projected and established. Mr Cavell was a Justice of the Peace for the City, one of the Charity Trustees, and for some years acted as Treasurer of the Oxford Auxiliary of the British and Foreign Bible Society and the Oxford City Mission. He was a ready supporter of the Oxford Regatta, the Horticultural and Rose Societies, and the High School, and in connection with the last-named he took the chair at the first public meeting in the Town Hall in furtherance of it. He was a generous contributor at all times to any object of a deserving or charitable nature.
At New Road Chapel, of which congregation Mr Cavell was a minister for many years, full and appropriate reference to his lamented death was made on Sunday.
Cavell’s funeral was St Mary Magdalen Church on 10 February 1887, and was attended by between 1,500 and 2,000 people. He was buried at St Sepulchre’s cemetery in Walton Street.
W. E. Sherwood, in his book Oxford Yesterday, was probably thinking of John Cavell when he wrote the following words:
One of our well-known Aldermen, now dead, once told me that he had to begin work at thirteen, just about the time when Magdalen School was revived, and that he shed tears to think how he was handicapped in life compared with the boys whom he saw in its playground. Happily, his ability and ambition stood him in good stead, and he lived to be one of those who were most active in starting the Boys' High School, which in later days gave so many boys just the help which he lacked.
See also:
- Jackson’s Oxford Journal, 12 February 1887, p. 5ef (obituary and funeral)
- Oxford Mail, 8 July 1992, p. 8
- 1841 Census: Oxford (St Mary Magdalen), 891/11/3
- 1851 Census: Oxford (St Mary Magdalen), 1728/554
- 1861 Census: Oxford (St Mary Magdalen), 894/12
- 1871 Census: Oxford (St Mary Magdalen), 1438/15
- 1881 Census: Oxford (St Mary Magdalen), 1502/29
Above: picture of the shop from an advertisement on back page of Kelly’s Directory for 1914–15. The accompanying text reads:
ELLISTON & CAVELL, LTD.,
HOUSE FURNISHERS,
CABINET MAKERS, UPHOLSTERERS
Carpet Warehousemen,
LINEN DRAPERS, SILK MERCERS
Milliners, Costumiers, Ladies' and Children’s Outfitters.
"OXFORD’s FASHONABLE SHOPPING CENTRE."
Telephone No. 181 (two lines).
In direct communications with each department.
Telegraphic address: "Elliston’s, Oxford."
FUNERAL DIRECTORS.
EVERY REQUISITE FOR FAMILY MOURNING.
Patterns, Estimates and Designs Post Free.
Experienced Assistants sent to advise.
5% DISCOUNT ALLOWED OFF CASH PURCHASES
CLOSE ON THURSDAYS AT ONE O'CLOCK