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Little King Street Hockley

Chellef said:
My mom was telling me that my dad lived on Little King Street as a child so we decided to look it up. It’s been really interesting reading everything and looking at the photos but had to comment on this. Georgey Jarvis was my dads friend and lived next door to him. It was actually my grandad Harold Salisbury that had a heart attack in the toilet and fell behind the door. My dad, Ken, went down and found him and had to call the fire brigade to get him out. I would be interested to know if you remember any of the Salisbury family.
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Hi Chelleff, I was too young to recall the incident myself - may even have been at school when it happened. Looking at the post now, I recall the Summlers were at 79 - last house of the yard - at the toilet end. Harold Salisbury must have been at 71. I am sure my parents said it was Mr Jarvis - but I cannot really recall we ever had much to do with them or the Jarvis's - quiet elderly people. Only really knew The Summlers - lots of kids like us, the Walkers (next door - Widow and son same age as my elder brother), and the Morris's at 81 - 1st house of the yard 'the other side', worked at Hamstead Colliery, and again had a large family. Sorry to have confused the families - but at least the memory was basically correct.
Brian
 
Hi does anyone happen to have any photos or information on 68,69,and 70 Little Kings Street please.I am tracing the Best family tree and I believe John Best was a Pawnbroker and his daughter Mary married a William Davis Botton also a Pawnbroker.Circa 1861-1881
many thanks
 
hi minty and welcome...i dont know what numbers are showing but i have posted many photos of little king street on the forum before they were all demolished...if you use the search box you should be able to find them

lyn
 
Welcome Minty. Here are two maps, one for c1889 and one c 1950, which shows that these houses , probably the same as those you are interested in, were still there up to at least the 1950s.
map c 1950 little king st showing 68,69 and 70.jpgMAP C1889 SHOWING 68,69 and 70 LITTLE KING ST.jpg
 
Good evening all. Just talking to my mom on the phone about her childhood living at number 10 little king street hockley 1947-1957 she lived with her grandparents Arthur and Rose also mom (Dorothy )surname (Westbury) mom had fond memory's about bonfire night and how all the familys got together in the yard behind the house one doing jacket potatoes and others bringing there goods to feast on. Anybody have any photos of number 10? Would love to show mom also does anybody know our family ?
 
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Spw said:
Good evening all. Just talking to my mom on the phone about her childhood living at number 10 little king street hockley 1947-1957 she lived with her grandparents jack and ivy her mom (Dorothy )surname (Westbury) mom had fond memory's about bonfire night and how all the familys got together in the yard behind the house one doing jacket potatoes and others bringing there goods to feast on. Anybody have any photos of number 10? Would love to show mom also does anybody know our family ?
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hi and welcome...have you read this thread from post 1 as some time ago i posted a load of photo of LKS before demo...not sure if no 10 is showing in any of them but i am sure your mom would love to see them

lyn
 
Astoness said:
hi and welcome...have you read this thread from post 1 as some time ago i posted a load of photo of LKS before demo...not sure if no 10 is showing in any of them but i am sure your mom would love to see them

lyn
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Hello everyone, I just joined your site from Canada. My husband's family hails from here and actually I just discovered that they lived at 87 Little King St., from about 1911-1939. His name was John Henry Britton "Harry" Webber and his wife was Amelia Ann (Denner) Britton. He was a chairmaker. This is all I know right now but I'm working on it. Just thought I'd see if it jogged anyone's memories or records.
Thanks!!
 
Well, that's interesting. I know that he was a chair and sofa apprentice at the tender age of 19 and that he continued this occupation for most of his life, as far as I can tell. I will keep this information as I dig more in to his story. Thanks so much mikejee.
 
I can confirm by overlaying 5 different maps onto modern OS that the Lucas Memorial Stone IS just within the North East side of the site of The Tom Bowling Lamp Works, slightly to the south of Little King Street.
 
mikejee said:
Welcome Minty. Here are two maps, one for c1889 and one c 1950, which shows that these houses , probably the same as those you are interested in, were still there up to at least the 1950s.
View attachment 147266View attachment 147267
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The house were there until 1966. In April 1966 the only ones left in the 2 cpomplete blocks - New John St/ Guest Dt, Gt King DSt / Little king st, Bridge St West were 79 & 81 stiloccupied and 75 & 83 hald demolished - the entire area looked like the remins of Hiroshima. The White House pub also stood out alone on New John St.
 
My great grandfather Thomas Youster 1825-1895 lived in Little King Street No. 60 and later at No.5. He was born in Northampton and spent his married life in Lower King Street, he was a corn merchant at 209 Great King Street which he sold to Joseph Lucas and he moved into 91-92 Bridge Street West which was demolished in the late 60's, when he did he left an estate of £40.00
 
I'm looking for information about the address 61 Little King Street. I have a great-great-grandmother named Louisa MacDonald who lived there in the 1870s and 1880s according to the census records. She was from an Irish immigrant family and was widowed, living there with her children and grandchildren. The census records for 1871 and 1881 list her occupation as "Marine Store Keeper." I learned that a 'marine store' was more like a rag-and-bone shop. I know Little King Street is long gone, but I would be grateful for any records or information about businesses on that street (I'm assuming she lived at the store) or the addresses there in the later 1800s.
 
I just read this latest post before mine. How fascinating, Roger, that your ancestor lived next door to mine! Would love to know if you have any family stories of the people living on the street at that time.
 
Sylvia Willis said:
I just read this latest post before mine. How fascinating, Roger, that your ancestor lived next door to mine! Would love to know if you have any family stories of the people living on the street at that time.
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all the odd n umbers were on one side of the St, Even numbers over the road
We lived at 79, we had friends at 69 which was the next "block" along towards Great King St. 61 may have been the end house of their block? I vaguely recall a factory with big blank end wall being at the end of their block.
 
Ta Brian! I see from the map Astoness posted that 61 was one of the small block of houses next to the Felt works. It looks too small to have been a shop, but maybe they had something out in the back. Louisa was listed in the City & County Trade directories between 1876 and 1884 at the Little King St address. She was a "Marine store dealer" or "Marine store director." In 1861 she was living in a back-to-back in Ladywood and she and her children were tin workers. It must be an interesting story how she went from that to managing a store near a famous factory! Thanks again to you and to all who participate in this post. Your stories, photos and maps are brilliant and really help flesh out our ancestors' lives!
 
Map from 1950...

Little King St.jpg

Interesting coincidence that Louisa was a Marine Store Keeper and her son in law appears to be in the navy.

Also, it seems that 2 of her daughters were listed as McDononough when they married.
 
Family story goes that she was married to John McDonough and they changed their names to Mac/McDonald when they arrived in England from Ireland. The Irish were definitely not popular so maybe they thought they could use a name that looked more Scottish than Irish? Great observation that her son-in-law was in the navy, or army. I do know he was down in Portsmouth at one time, where one of his children was born, so maybe it was the navy. I'm still checking records. Her daughter, Ann kept her original name of McDonough when she married Thomas Gleeson, but their children were all named McDonald. Confusing!!! Little King St appears to have been a hive of activities for artisans and workers generated by the Lucas works and other industries of the city. Louisa must have been taking advantage of her background working in tin to move there. She was a widow in the 1861 census and appears as head of the family in all records, so must have done this on her own.
 
Thanks Lyn. That's so true! We all complain today of little inconveniences, but look what they went through. Large families living in small back-to-backs, long walks in the cold, rainy dark to a shared loo, long days of hard labour in dangerous conditions. I only hope they would feel gratified all their hard work has resulted in their descendants' comforts today!
 
Sylvia Willis said:
Thanks Lyn. That's so true! We all complain today of little inconveniences, but look what they went through. Large families living in small back-to-backs, long walks in the cold, rainy dark to a shared loo, long days of hard labour in dangerous conditions. I only hope they would feel gratified all their hard work has resulted in their descendants' comforts today!
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Sylvia, you are absolutely correct! We never knew what we didn’t have or complain much for that matter about what we didn’t have. When I was growing up I always wished for things but never begrudged those that had more than me.
 
Yes Richard, being a Brum I have many ancestors - as I'm sure we all do - who worked in coal mines, as nailers, as servants, boatmen, etc. Just reading about my nailer ancestors in Bartley Green and Halesowen has given me great insight into the hard graft and the subsequent illnesses and causes of death from the mines, the conditions they lived under, and the little pay. I wish I could meet and thank them personally for their great sacrifices. I love this forum and other sources that help me to learn just how great those sacrifices were!
 
Sylvia Willis said:
Yes Richard, being a Brum I have many ancestors - as I'm sure we all do - who worked in coal mines, as nailers, as servants, boatmen, etc. Just reading about my nailer ancestors in Bartley Green and Halesowen has given me great insight into the hard graft and the subsequent illnesses and causes of death from the mines, the conditions they lived under, and the little pay. I wish I could meet and thank them personally for their great sacrifices. I love this forum and other sources that help me to learn just how great those sacrifices were!
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Sylvia, the good news bad news is that the Forum is wonderful but addictive :) . I look multiple time daily and throughly enjoy it and the folks we communicate with especially everyone!!!!
 
Sylvia Willis said:
Ta Brian! I see from the map Astoness posted that 61 was one of the small block of houses next to the Felt works. It looks too small to have been a shop, but maybe they had something out in the back.
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Don't forget many "shops" back then were often just the front room of a house.
 
Key Hill Brian said:
all the odd n umbers were on one side of the St, Even numbers over the road
We lived at 79, we had friends at 69 which was the next "block" along towards Great King St. 61 may have been the end house of their block? I vaguely recall a factory with big blank end wall being at the end of their block.
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I think in the 1880s the numbers ran consecutively as per 1883 directory. By 1890 it was odds one side and evens the other.
1632754852300.png
 
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