Charles Bray (1811-1884)

Charles Bray was a prosperous ribbon manufacturer who owned the Coventry Herald newspaper. He used the wealth generated from his businesses to establish nonsectarian public schools and to try to bring about beneficial changes in many other aspects of society. He helped to found The Coventry Labourers & Artisans Co-operative Society which provided gardens for working men and a co-op store. Bray married Caroline (Cara) Hennell in 1836. Their home, Rosehill, became a centre for radical thinking on religion and politics. Mary Ann Evans (George Eliot) was close friends with the Brays.