James (Jim) Musk

Robert Musk was born in Stetchworth, near Newmarket, in 1831 and in 1855 he married Lucy Henson Andrews (from Newmarket, born 1835). They went on to have 9 children. In the 1870s and 1880 he was a Farmer at Lordship Farm in Dullingham where he farmed 232 acres and employed 7 men and 4 boys (1871 census). By 1891 Robert had become the publican of the King's Head in Dullingham. Still a popular watering hole for Newmarket race-goers to this day

James Musk was born as the third child of this marriage on the 5th of August 1860 in Newmarket (his father's occupation is given as "Groom") and by the time he was 20 he was living (1881 census) in Chiswick, London, living as a boarder and working as a Butcher. Fairly adventurous for the 1880s.

James next appears when he marries the widow Elizabeth Drake, 10 years his senior, in Depford in Kent (why did they get married there? A real mystery). She was well off and in 1883 Kelly's directory show her owning two Butcher's shops, one in High street Stetchworth, probably Ivy House, and the other in Market Street, Newmarket. The Butchers rapidly became re-named as Musks and James is given as the owner of the Market Street Shop in 1888 and Market Row in 1905 (this may be a street name confusion). The picture on the left is a photograph of Market Street in Newmarket from the mid 1880s of two likely local boys and shows Musks Butchers shop in the background. The business was very successful and by the time he got his first Royal Warrant he had establish a shop (see picture on right) on the High Street in Newmarket that was to trade as Musks until 1979.

The Musks became very wealthy and pillars of the community. James was buried in Dullingham church where he had become an important member of the congregation (his grave is very close to the church door - a sure sign of his high status) and close to his parents.

Jim dies on 13 December 1905 aged 45 at Ivy House in Stetchworth. He must have been a very popular and important person in the area as the local newspaper report gives a long and detailed report of his funeral. There were so many mourners that not everyone could get into the church.

According to his will James died a very rich man and left money to his whole family including all his step children. His oldest step-son Louis Frederick Drake took over the business which then became James Musk & Co. When he died the business passed onto his step-son Louis Gilbert Drake and onwars through his family.