Birmingham Courts housing

[maggiesgirl]

Can anyone please help me with the set up of the court housing. I understand some were back to back but I have a family on 1851 census and as far as I can tell it is No1 court, 1 House Birmingham Municiple ward St Paul. All the ones on the same page above have what looks to be Holland Street (which from looking at a map tells me it s near to St Pauls) and then ditto and some have Back. As mine hasn't got a street does anyone know if this would have been in the same street or possibly in the next street. I don't know how the courts were set out. I've got a little information together today on some of the courts, I'm just trying to find where the family actually were at this time. Thank you

 

[Phil]

Maggiesgirl


Here are several plans of back courts of back to backs in various parts of the city, if they don't help you there is a thread on back courts with photos that you can look up.

 

[mikejee]

You will find the arrangement of the courts will vary somewhat. They retained their numbers even after renumbering of streets or the joining of two streets (or parts of) into one street. Originally (I believe) as the numbering of the houses went up the street the courts were numbered similarly, the first court was 1 , second was 2, and so on. Where the original numbering was odd numbers one side, even the other, then similarly the courts went 1,3,5,... and 2,4,6... . As previously said if this numbering changed the court numbers remained the same. Similarly if two roads were combined, occasionally you ended up with two courts in the same road with the same number, though in this case, for practical purposes, usually, one of them was given a name (if it did not have one) to distinguish it.
That said, below is a large scale map showing Holland St (which is still there and can be seen on google maps) with court 1 buildings in red, together with a smaller scale map showing it in relationship to other roads around, where I have coloured the centre of the court in green to make it stand out, on the left hand edge of the map. the street is on the edge of the original printed map, which is why the whole street is not shown on the smaller scale map. Both maps are c 1889. but the buildings, and certainly the layout, are likely to be the same in 1851.

 

[maggiesgirl]

Hi Phil and Mikejee, thanks so much that's brilliant, just what I was looking for. x

 

[brummie nick]

Hi maggiesgirl, is this your family?

Head: LIVINGSTON, John Neighbors 258637
Name Relationship Mar Age Sex Occupation Birthplace
John LIVINGSTON Head M 30 M Paper Tray Dresser Birmm-WAR
C. LIVINGSTON Wife M 29 F Pin Carder Birmm-WAR
H. LIVINGSTON Son - 6 M --- Birmm-WAR
Address: 1 House 1 Court Holland St, Birmingham
Census Place: Birmingham Birmingham, Warwickshire
PRO Reference: HO/107/2056 Folio: 102 Page: 30 FHL Film: 0332116

 

[maggiesgirl]

Hi brummienick, no - I am sorry but it was an error on my part I should have put 1861 but I typed 1851 by mistake. My family were called Bannister.

 

[nffan]

those pics are very interesting. spookily I had relatives in both Florence street and pope street.
I found it a bit confusing trying to see where one court ended and the next one started.