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Baldisaro was 3rd child of William
Moorhouse (1843-1917) and his wife Angiolina and
was born on 22 February 1877 at 4
Newton Terrace.
He was named after Angiolina's
father Baldisaro Porri but was called Disaro. His Father William had
been working as a grocer for Ellison's grocery business on the Lowerhead
Row but a few years later the family moved to 129 Park Lane where William
started his own grocery business and also made Lemon Cheese to sell over
the counter and to other grocers.
Lemon Cheese was so popular that William
decided to set up his own business making it and other allied products.
William moved his family to 30 Alexandra Road in Burley in 1887
and started producing Lemon Cheese full time. In 1889 the family moved
to 6 Lofthouse Place, which was a larger house and had a stable and
warehouse at the back. for further details of the places they
lived see Biographies/William Moorhouse
1843.
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Disaro would have been involved at an early age with the production of
Lemon Cheese, Orange Marmalade and Mincemeat.
By 1893 the business was
supporting William, Angiolina and three of the older sons. Mr Laxton,
a business associate of Williams, recalled visiting the house in about
1895 and seeing Angiolina cutting out by hand from greaseproof paper
the discs, which in those days were placed on the surface of the jars
of Lemon Cheese to prevent evaporation and crystallization after packing.
There were also two or three hired hands to help production. At
the First Grocers' Exhibition held in Leeds, William had a stand displaying
his products and he won a Diploma of Merit for the high quality of his
Lemon Cheese. Additional premises were taken in Camp Road and after two
years they took a larger premises at Proctors Place off Meanwood Road. For
further details see Biographies/William
Moorhouse 1843.
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On the 1901 census Baldisaro is registered as a commercial bookkeeper,
Leo (his brother) is listed as a jam boiler, and his brother Joseph is
a jam packer. |
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Angiolina (Disaro's Mother) died 22 March 1908, aged 55 years of cancer
of the liver at Lofthouse Place. She is buried at Killingbeck
cemetery (Roman Catholic cemetery) on York Road in Leeds.
In the 1911 census Baldisaro is living at 6 Lofthouse Place with his Father and four of
his brothers. He is described in the census
as a "Fruit Preserver Manager".
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In 1913 William signed a partnership agreement with
his sons Thomas Leo and Joseph, which created the company William Moorhouse, & sons
(Disaro was not part of the partnership but did work at the Company). See William
Moorhouse for details.
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In 1914 Joseph (Disaro's brother) was
called up for military service and served in the Royal Army Medical Corps
for most of the 1st world War.
Disaro was left with
his father William and brother Leo to run the company. (Disaro was
not called up for military service because he was very small).
In a speech
at the 60th anniversary of William Moorhouse & sons
in 1947 Joseph pays tribute to his brothers Disaro and Leo, " both of
whom played a very large part in the developing of the business in its
early stages and who, in the war years of 1914 to 1918, were left to
carry on the responsibilities alone, my father having died in 1917 and
I being away throughout the war". |
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As mentioned above, William died on 15th April 1917 and was buried at
Killingbeck with Angiolina.
In his will William leaves part of his estate
in trust to Disaro. I believe this was because he was worried
about Disaro being able to look after himself and perhaps because
his life expectancy was thought to be poor. |
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After the death of his father Disaro
and his two bachelor brothers went to live at 41a Claremont
Road in Headingley with
a house keeper to look after them.
In 1921 Leo died of cancer and Disaro
continued to live at Claremont Road with his brother Joseph.
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William Moorhouse & sons continued to flourish
and new premises were purchased in Beeston in 1925. Baldisaro became
very deaf but he still enjoyed travel.
He died on the 22 October 1930
at 41a Claremont Drive of a cerebral embolism. He was 53 and his
brother Joseph was present.
In his will he left £21,407 to his surviving brothers.
He was buried at Killingbeck with his
parents and brother Leo.
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