Early Life and Family Background Birmingham, United Kingdom, 1834. William Holyoake enters a large, bustling household as the ninth of eleven children. His father, George Holyoake, works as a stationer, a trade rooted in the tangible business of paper and ink. His mother, Catherine, manages the complexities of a family of such significant size. The domestic landscape is crowded and constant. The stability of this Birmingham upbringin…