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Brass Street (previously Pumphrey Street)

Brummie On Exmoor

master brummie
This is not so much a look-up request as a plea for suggestions/advice regarding the 1841 Census in Brum.

I have been researching one of several Brummie family lines, the HUTCHINSONs. (Note: I made a previous posting about them having found my 3xG Grandmother Elizabeth HUTCHINSON's death in a Glover's Trust property in Steelhouse Lane.)

The HUTCHINSONs, Thomas and Elizabeth, are on the 1851 Census living in No 1 Court, Brass Street, in the Hockley district. When Thomas dies in April 1852, it is again in No 1 Court, Brass Street. On their daughter's Marriage Certificate in September 1839, she gives her address as Brass Street, with her husband living in nearby Hatchett Street. So from this it is clear that Brass Street was built before the 1841 Census.

However, I have drawn a total blank looking for the HUTCHINSONs in 1841, and I have found that Brass Street does not appear in the 1841 Census. I had searched for it myself and then found the wonderful 'Your Archives Historical Street Project'. In that there is no Brass Street listed on the 1841 Brum Census.
Does anyone know why it is not there? I understand that Brass Street ran from Summer Lane to Newtown Row, and Summer Lane is there. So too is another street which appears in the same enumeration district in 1851.

Does anyone have any advice please? This is really important because I am running out of options to identify these two. Thomas has a Place of Birth in 1851 that I think is incorrect (Codington, Warwickshire which seems not to exist, though there are Coddingtons in about 4 other counties,) so I was really hoping to see whether 1841 listed him as Warwickshire-born or not.

Many thanks

Jane
 
Jane
You can see Brass St in 1890 at https://www.british-history.ac.uk/m...=10094&ox=1565&oy=1440&zm=1&czm=1&x=598&y=267 . Apparently sometime before 1849 Pumphrey st was renamed Brass st. (source Whites directory 1849). It couldn’t have been Pumphrey st for very long. It is shown on the 1851 tallis map (just below Harding st) but not named. Maybe they knew the name was uncertain even then.
The first mentions of Brass St in the directories I have is in 1849 and 1855 in Whites directory , and in 1845 no houses or businesses are listed. The Post office directory of 1855 and 1845 doesn’t mention Brass st or Pumphrey st, and nor does the 1841 Pigotts directory.
There is a Thomas Hutchinson with an Ann and a Jane in Harding st in 1841 ( Warwickshire > St George > District 19 > Image 9 or HO 1071/1141/7 ) . This is just round the corner
Mike

brass_st_1851_map.JPG
 
Mike, this is wonderful, thank you so much. It is odd isn't it, because in Thomas' daughter's Marriage Certificate, from 1839, it quite clearly states Brass Street. Sounds as though there may have been some long-standing ambiguity about it. Perhaps it became Brass Street by common consent because that was its 'popular' name - perhaps there were lots of Brass workers or a Brass works there. Anyway, I shall now follow up the leads you have given me.

Very best wishes

Jane
 
Hello Jane, I too have the Brass Street problem. I have my 3 x Great Grandfathers death certificate which give Brass Street as his widow's address and he died on 24 March 1841. Their surname was Pitchford and I have not been able to find any trace of them in the 1841 census and like you no Brass Street. Not much help I'm afraid but just thought I would let you know you are not alone. The information that Mike has supplied above is very interesting.
Best wishes,
Vanessa
 
image.jpeg

Brass Street no longer exists. This image shows #6, 7, 10 and 11 following reconditioning. Viv.
 
I have merged two threads above to show information about Brass Street's former name. Viv.
 
Using the Shoothill site photos, here are views of the courts on Brass Street. Courts 1 and 2 seem to have undergone refurbishment, whilst courts #3 and #4 were not (probably demolished). Viv.


Court #1 Brass Street (before and after reconditioning)


image.jpeg image.jpeg





 
And the before and after reconditioning views of #6 - 11 Brass Street. Looks like house #8 and house #9 were removed to open up the courts behind. Viv.

Houses 6 - 11 Brass Street

image.jpeg image.jpeg

 
Many thanks Mike. Shall have a good look at that. Whilst looking at the contrast shown by the Shoothill photos between the slum and reconditioned housing I've been trying to find out the sort of improvements that were actually made.

Came across an article by Carl Chinn in the Birmingham Mail (6/4/2013) which gives reference to Pauline and Bernard Mannion's book (? no title) of 1985 recording life in Summer Lane and Newtown during the inter-war period. It emphasised that ‘the people of this area have a lot to thank the Copec for, as they were the only Society that had shown any interest at all in what was being done in the city to improve housing conditions’.COPEC (= Christian Conference on Politics, Economics and Citizenship) took over, other earlier improvements schemes.

So with those two publications - a lot to read up. Thanks Mike.
 
For anyone interested, now found the Mannion book title: "The Summer Lane and Newtown of the years beteen 1918-1938".

Viv.
 
Hi Viv, I think this is self-published book and I read it some years ago (when looking for boxing venues). I had my copy from Erdington Library but other Libraries may have one. It's a small yellow book if I remember correctly. Lots of info and names mentioned.
 
Just a thought, they must've renamed a few of the roads as Harding Street became Moorsom Street, I think around the same time and possibly (not sure about this one) MacDonald Street changed to Frankfort Street.
 
These photos are great and of real interest to me. My Great Gran was living at 1/2 Brass St in March 1914 when my grandad was baptised. Would this be after the courts were refurbed? Also, does 1/2 mean house 1 court 2 or is it the other way around?

View attachment 186259
i would imagine after a refurb...i would say that if it says 1/2 it would mean house 1 at the back of no 2 but this is my best guess..on my birth cert it says 4/12 paddington st which was house 4 at the back of no 12 but also it could have had a court number at some point...mine did ..i think that looking at the map of brass st most of the houses were all on the one side of the street going up in ones it is most likely that your gt grans house is among the photos posted but could be difficult to identify which one

lyn
 
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These photos are great and of real interest to me. My Great Gran was living at 1/2 Brass St in March 1914 when my grandad was baptised. Would this be after the courts were refurbed? Also, does 1/2 mean house 1 court 2 or is it the other way around?

View attachment 186259
If your Gt Gran is on the 1911 census for Brass Street and we can have her name it may be possible to work out if indeed it is 1 bk 2.
 
If your Gt Gran is on the 1911 census for Brass Street and we can have her name it may be possible to work out if indeed it is 1 bk 2.
Thanks for that. Jumping between threads here, this is the same great gran who lived on Brearley St. She's rarely at the same address twice and has been a total nightmare to research. Regarding the 1911 census, I'm not sure but relatively confident I've found her in the B'ham Workhouse, she was born there in 1880 and appears to be there in 1901 too. She had 3 or 4 sons, all born in the workhouse infirmary, none had a named father. She seems to have lived at various addresses in Hockley, Ladywood and Smethwick.
 
hi paul as this thread is under our neighbours and streets section and could go off topic as this could turn into us trying to help with your gt gran i am going to start a new thread under the surname interests for you...i will copy and paste in your above post to start the thread off and all further comments and help can be posted there for you..link below to new thread so can any further help be posted there please

lyn

 
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