Gladys and Charles Mumford were partners in both life and business. They were jewellers and silversmiths working in the Midlands and Cornwall up to the 1960s. Very little information about this talented couple is available nowadays. Luckily, we like a challenge here at Fellows. We put on our investigating hats and shifted through a lot of birth, death and marriage records to build a picture of their lives and legacy.
Gladys and Charles Mumford
Gladys was born Gladys Edith Harris on the 4th of May 1911. She grew up in Worcestershire with her family - 3 siblings, her mother, and her father.
Charles William Mumford was born on the 7th of January 1910 and grew up in rural Warwickshire.
Gladys married Charles in the summer of 1936. They were both in their mid-twenties. They set up their married home in the Earlsdon area of Coventry.
Having visited Falmouth, Cornwall, on holiday, Charles and Gladys moved to the area where they remained for the rest of their marriage. They lived in Mawnan Smith for most of their married lives where their jewellery was sold in the local shop. In MArwan Smith, they were heavily involved in the church and community. One local remembers the couple fondly, especially Charles who established a youth club there.
Sadly, Gladys predeceased her husband by more than 20 years. She died in July 1974 aged just 63 years old. Charles passed away at the age of 88 in 1998.
Jewellery
Despite there being little information available about Gladys and Charles Mumford's jewellery, their work speaks for itself. They worked in silver, creating brooches, rings, necklaces and bracelets in the Arts and Crafts tradition.
Their style is distinctive and very much of the Arts and Crafts aesthetic. Their pieces can be identified from their use of leaves and scrolling metalwork.
They started their careers at W. King & Co. in Coventry. They sold their jewellery under their own names through their premises in Falmouth until 1963 and on the Queen Elizabeth II ocean liner.
Gladys and Charles Mumford at Auction
In our Jewellery & Costume Jewellery auction on Wednesday 19th, we sold an Arts & Crafts silver moss agate foliate ring, by Gladys and Charles Mumford. It was part of a lot with two other Arts and Crafts pieces which sold for £234.00.

We see jewellery by Arts and Crafts jewellers such as Gladys and Charles Mumford in our weekly Jewellery auctions. If you are looking for a specific maker it is a good idea to set up lot alerts which tell us exactly what you are looking for. Our personal shopping service will make sure that you are the first to hear about it.
A plea for information
There is really not that much information available on these talented jewellers. We would love to be able to add more colour to their story and share their achievements with the world. If you have any more information on the lives and work of Gladys and Charles Mumford, please do let us know. You can email us at hello@fellows.co.uk or call on 0121 212 2131.