Edward Fordham Flower (1805–1883) was an English brewer and author who campaigned for a Shakespeare memorial theatre and against cruelty to animals.
Origins
Born at Marden Hill in Hertfordshire on 31 January 1805, he was the younger surviving son of Richard Flower and nephew of both Benjamin Flower and John Clayton. His mother was Elizabeth Fordham, daughter of Edward Fordham and sister of Edward King Fordham.
Life
When he was aged 12, his father took his family to live in the newly created community of Albion in Illinois. The settlement included free Negroes, who were abducted by a gang of kidnappers to sell into slavery. Edward led a party that captured the gang at rifle point, freed their captives and saw the leaders tried and punished. Threatened with death by their supporters, Edward was sitting at home when a bullet shattered the mirror above his head.
His father sent him back to England and in 1824 he settled at Stratford-upon-Avon, where he joined a business. and in 1827 married the owner's daughter. In 1831 he built his own brewery in Stratford, with a canal frontage for delivery and distribution. The enterprise flourished, becoming Flower and Sons Ltd, and when larger premises using latest technology were opened in 1870, the original brewery was used for offices with reduced production. By 1836 the first tied public house had been linked to the firm and their inn holdings increased gradually. Export trade, particularly of India pale ale, was always a large sector of the business.
