BOOTH, William Henry
William Henry Booth was born at Eastwood, Nottinghamshire in 1861, son of David Henry Booth (1830-22 January 1887), coal merchant, and his wife Jane née Radford (1833-23 May 1896), who married at St Pancras, London in 1855. David's father William, a coal merchant in Nottingham, left an estate of £90-100,000 to his two sons when he died in 1870. By 1866 the family had moved to 3 Museum Street, Ipswich where in 1871 young William was living with his parents, 41-year-old Henry and 37-year-old Jane and his two sisters Eleanor 13 and Edith Jane Booth. In 1881, 19-year-old William was a coal merchant living at Pembridge House, Anglesea Road, Ipswich with his 14-year-old sister Edith Jane with six indoor servants, his parents were absent. William married at Marylebone, London in 1885, Emily Florence Massey (1859-31 January 1930) and in 1891, a 29-year-old coal factor & merchant, living at Alandale, Graham Road, Ipswich with his 28-year-old wife Emily, who was born at Mansfield, Nottingham, and kept two servants. About 1901, Booth purchased Handford Lodge, Ipswich, the former home of Peter Bruff, the railway engineer, and formed an extensive collection of 'old master' paintings, silver, porcelain, and books which were sold by auction in a five-day sale in April 1906 and Handford Lodge followed in May. His partnership in the coal factor and stoneware business at Princes Street, Ipswich with Margetts Mitchell Mitchell (1847-1928), was dissolved by 'effluxion of time' on 30 April 1907 when they went their separate ways. After the sale of Handford Lodge, Booth moved to 'The Rosary', Tomline Road, Felixstowe where he formed another collection. Booth was a member of the Ipswich Art Club 1922-1928 from 53 Henley Road, Ipswich but although listed as an exhibitor does not seem to have shown. In 1923, William Henry Booth was living at 53 Henley Road, Ipswich and he died on 4 December 1928 leaving his estate to his widow.