The Caddies - Stoke-on-Trents first librarians

This article and the photos of the Caddie family was supplied by
Janet Biddle who originally lived in Vincent Street, Northwood.

Alfred Caddie - 1st Chief Librarian Stoke Public Free Library

Alfred Caddie was born in 1844, to a family of London-based solicitors but Alfred opted instead for a life dedicated to education. First as a pupil teacher in London, then a schoolmaster in Derbyshire and in 1878 he was appointed 1^st Chief Librarian in the Six Towns.

But by 1888, the siren call of the Big Smoke was calling him back and Alfred accepted another newly created post – 1^st Chief Librarian at Paddington Free Library.

Purpose built library in 1878 designed by Charles Lynam.

The site on London Road was donated by Colin Minton Campbell MP, and the building, as well as providing a free public library, provided a canteen for local workers within the its basement.

"Initially the library housed 2,636 books and museum exhibits donated by the Athenaeum Club. But by the end of 1879 the number of books had risen to 4,054 and in his annual report the librarian, Alfred Caddie, said 1,635 people had borrowed books and more than 50,000 had used the reading room."

Stoke-on-Trent Live - online 7 Dec 2024; accessed 5 Nov 2025

Alfred James Pyle Caddie - 2nd Chief Librarian and 1st Curator Stoke Public Free Library

When Alfred returned to London his son, Alfred James Pyle Caddie, aged only 18 at the time, was by then fully trained and took over as Chief Librarian.

Then in 1911, when the Six Towns became the County Borough of Stoke-on-Trent AJP, as he was known, was appointed Chief Curator and served as such until 1923.

Since public libraries only began appearing in Britain following the 1850 Libraries Act, it was still a new concept when the Caddies arrived in Stoke and so there was much that had to be fought for.

Funds needed to be raised for buildings and books, ways found to introduce and encouraging working people to use the new facility. Below is a clip giving us some idea of what he was facing. (The Library, vol 3 p.337 – 1891)

Like his father, AJP Caddie was throughout his career, a tireless advocate for education through libraries and gave much time and energy to producing pamphlets and newspaper articles, giving talks and attending conferences. Here’s just one example:

(Paper given at The Library Association’s 19th Annual Meeting 1st Sept 1896)

1907 Staffordshire Sentinel
'Business Reference Guide to The Potteries,
Newcastle & District'

Alfred James Caddie, 212 London Road

- Google Street View -

Caddie's house (to the left of the picture) was built in 1904

In 1926, AJP Caddie was appointed Chief Curator for Plymouth Museum and Art Gallery and remained there until his retirement in 1939.

Cartoon drawing of AJP Caddie while he was curator of Plymouth Museum and Art Gallery.

Signed Percy Dollery - a local Plymouth artist.

The artist represents himself, bottom right as a dwarf compared to the sainted, carefully haloed figure of Caddie.

Mr. Ernest H. Caddie

Born at Stoke-upon-Trent in 1871. Assistant at Paddington Voluntary Public Library, 1890. Senior Assistant (1890-92) and Sub-Librarian (1892-97) at Battersby Public Libraries. Librarian Chester since 1897.

Ernest Hand Caddie – 1st Chief Librarian and Secretary at the Carnegie Library Lowestoft

Ernest Hand Caddie, Alfred Caddie’s second son was born 1871 at Penkhull, Stoke-on-Trent.

He trained with his father at Stoke and went with him to Paddington Voluntary Library and became Sub-librarian at Battersea.

In 1897 he was appointed Librarian at Chester Public Library and finally became the 1st Chief Librarian and Secretary at the Carnegie Library which opened in Lowestoft in 1905.

Eric Caddie – Librarian at Cheadle, Staffordshire Moorlands

Eric Caddie, son of AJP Caddie, born in Penkull 1892 was also, for a short time, Librarian at Cheadle. But his career was much interrupted by the two world wars in which he served.

Here he is in the city’s library sometime around 1903-5. Wearing the typical Edwardian uniform of a grammar schoolboy, complete with a swanky watchchain! His elbow resting nonchalantly on what seems to be the librarian’s counter, surrounded by books, young Eric looks very much at home. And why wouldn’t he? By then, his family had been up to their elbows in books for three quarters of a century.