Charles Innocent Moorhouse was the second son of William Moorhouse (1843-1917) and his wife Angiolina and was born on 8th September 1875 when his family was living at 4 Newton Terrace.

He was named Charles after Angiolina's brother and Innocent after Innocent Fattorini, Angiolina's brother-in-law, who had died the year before.

Angiolina took her new baby and her first-born son James [18 months] to see her widowed sister Mary Jane Fattorini in Skipton and while there James was taken ill and died of pneumonia on 24th October 1875.

Charles' father William had been working as a grocer for Ellison's grocery business on the Lowerhead Row but a few years later the family moved to 129 Park Lane where William started his own grocery business and also made Lemon Cheese to sell over the counter and to other grocers.

Lemon Cheese was so popular that William decided to set up his own business making it and other allied products.  William moved his family to 30 Alexandra Road in Burley in 1887 and started producing Lemon Cheese full time.  In 1889 the family moved to 6 Lofthouse Place, which was a larger house and had a stable and warehouse at the back.   For more details of the start of Moorhouse & Sons see Biographies/William Moorhouse

Charles would have been involved at an early age with the production of Lemon Cheese, Orange Marmalade and Mincemeat.

On the 1891 census he is listed as a fruit preserver. By 1893 the business was supporting William, Angiolina and three of the older sons.  Mr Laxton, a business associate of Williams recalled visiting the house in about 1895 and seeing Angiolina cutting out by hand from greaseproof paper the discs, which in those days were placed on the surface of the jars of Lemon Cheese to prevent evaporation and crystallization after packing. There were also two of three hired hands to help production.

At the First Grocers' Exhibition held in Leeds, William had a stand displaying his products and he won a Diploma of Merit for the high quality of his Lemon Cheese. Additional premises were taken in Camp Road and after two years they took a larger premises at Proctors Place off Meanwood Road.  see Biographies/William Moorhouse

Charles must have changed his mind about his chosen career as by 1901 he is living in lodgings at Skipton and working as a watch jewellery manager at the Fattorini shop. The Fattorini shop was operated and owned by Thomas Fattorini, a cousin of Charles.

The Fattorini jewellery business had realized that most men did not own a watch and as they were becoming more time-conscious a watch was becoming a necessity.  In America watches were being mass-produced in a factory in Waltham, Boston.  These watches were of the same quality as hand made watches but because of the production methods they were considerable cheaper.  Fattorini's shop would import the watches and then they were thoroughly tested before being placed on sale.

Even at a relatively reasonable price the average working man could not afford one so Fattroinis had the idea of forming Watch Clubs where members paid in a weekly sum and when enough funds were raised for a watch a ballot was held and the winner got the watch. The winner would continue to subscribe along with other members until everyone had a watch and then they would start on another round of activity for a watch chain or another product.

The watch clubs would also be a reason for a weekly meeting of friends and a glass or two of beer.

Charles moved to 22 Bath Street Southport and started work for a John Fattorini who was a watchmaker and jeweller and a relative of the Skipton Fattorinis. 

While Charles was living in Skipton he had been courting a local girl called Frances Cork (born 14th April 1874 on Sheep Street).   Her father Thomas was a hairdresser and in 1906 Charles and Fanny were married [see wedding certificate] at St Stephens Catholic church in Skipton, the groom and bride were at the mature ages of 30 and 32 respectively.  Louie Arrigona, a cousin of Charles, was one of the witnesses.

Angiolina (Charles' Mother) died 22 March 1908, aged 55 years of cancer of the liver at Lofthouse Place.  She was buried at Killingbeck cemetery (Roman Catholic cemetery) on York Road in Leeds.

Charles occupation on his wedding certificate and on the birth of Winifred is a jeweller. The Fattorini shop at Southport was associated with the Bradford branch of the Fattorini family.

First Charles and Fanny had two children,
Winifred Florence (born 16th March 1909 at 57 Oak Street Southport),
Francis Gerard [later known as FG] (born 18th August 1910 at 16 Norwood Crescent)

On the 1911 census Charles is described as a retail jewellery manager and he is living with his wife and two children in Norwood Cresent.

Their third child Dorothy Mary (born 22nd November 1914)was born at 16 Norwood Crescent.

Charles loved to play the banjo.

Fanny and her three children returned to Skipton to be near her family and then they moved to 39 Batchcliffe Drive, Becketts Park in Leeds where Charles brothers (in particular Joseph) looked after the family.