‘DAVID ALWAYS WANTED TO CARRY ON THE FAMILY BUSINESS’

Tributes to long-serving trader who ran stalls for decades on two city markets

THE family of a much-loved market trader have paid tribute following his death.

David Barratt, who owned a successful cheese stall at two city markets, died of cancer, aged 78, on April

24. The grandad-of-two, of Betley, leaves his wife Elise, son Peter and grandchildren Oscar and Charlotte.

David’s career began in 1958, when he was 15 and he started working on his grandfather’s stall A&D Barratt. The family business was established in 1904 and had stalls in Hanley and Stoke markets. David, pictured above shortly before his retirement, was a popular figure with shoppers for the rest of his career. Elise says he always wanted to join the family business.

The 77-year-old, who also worked on the stalls for more than 30 years, said: “He worked on the market stalls all of his life from when he left school at 15. That’s all he ever wanted to do.

“He always wanted to carry on the family business. It was started in 1904 by his mother’s parents and was called Chetwins. David’s mum renamed it A&D Barratt.

“It sold cheese, dairy products, bacon and sausage, that sort of thing. David was very well known. He was 15 when he started and 62 when he retired after 47 years. He was very hard working, he was always busy.

“He started off doing three days in Hanley and three days in Stoke. But it went to six days at Hanley in 1987. He worked on both stalls, but he liked Hanley the most. He was on the committee to try and save the old market, but of course it didn’t happen.”

David and Elise met in 1963. Elise, then 18, worked in Lloyds Bank, in Stoke, where David, then 20, used to pop in while working on the market stall. They were married for 54 years.

Elise said: “We both worked in Stoke and met in 1963. He was working in the market and I worked in Lloyds Bank and he used to come into the bank. I was 18 and he was 20.

“He was more outgoing than me, he was more sociable, so I suppose opposites attracted and we were married for 54 years. I have lots of happy memories. He passed away at home and that’s what he wanted to be at home. We were all by his side.”

David and Elise have also owned Brookside Farm, in Betley, for more than 50 years where David initially used to farm pigs and grow vegetables to sell in the markets. In 1983 the couple converted a stream into a Trout pool, which became known as Brookside Fishery. It is now used for coarse fishing.

The stall at Stoke market closed in 2002 and Hanley followed suit when David retired four years later. He used his retirement to focus on the fishery and became a season ticket holder for his beloved Stoke City.

Elise says David was a huge Potters fan after seeing his first game aged five. He also loved cricket and gardening. She added David ‘was well thought of as he had quite a few cards from customers’. when he retired.

She said: “He enjoyed working on the stalls until towards the end. The markets weren’t as busy and we’d got the fishery and I think he’d had enough by then because he was a keen gardener as well.

“He looked after the fishery during his retirement and grew vegetables in the garden. It is open seven days a week so that kept us busy. A few well-known faces in the fishing world come and visit such as Bob Church who was a fisherman. Ex-stoke City striker Keith Bertschin also visited.

“David loved going to see Stoke City. He was mad on Stoke. He was also mad on his cricket. He played at Betley, Market Drayton and Woore.”

David’s funeral will take place on Friday at 11am at St Margaret’s Church in Betley.