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London-Prentice St and Rope Walk

maggieuk

The Fairybrain of Brum
Hi Everyone
I have just read two little 30 page books by J P Letheridge..first one called A Soldiers Reward ..second one A Birmingham Murder..Both London -Prentice St and Rope Walk in Deritend are mentioned in the books circa 1835..anyone know where i can find a map with these streets:)
 
Does anyone know anything about London Prentice St.
Have always heard a story of my family members who died in a fire, and they lived in London Prentice St.
 
According to to Carl chinn London Prentice St was supposedly (his words) called after an apprentice from london who set up business there, came to be known as one of the worst slums in brum and was described as "a nasty dirty stinking thoroughfare". It later became part of Dalton St.
Mike
 
According to to Carl chinn London Prentice St was supposedly (his words) called after an apprentice from london who set up business there
I think there must be a more general meaning of the "London (A)Prentice" in local place names as there is a pub of that name at the Cranford St / Windmill Lane / Grove Lane / Soho Way junction, Smethwick, and others across the country. There is even a village named London Apprentice in Cornwall!
Was a "London" apprentice considered any better / worse than a local one?? Any ideas, O learned ones??

A little Googling finds this about the Cornish village:
"The name London Apprentice seems to have first appeared in 1747 and various explanations have been offered as to how the hamlet received it's name. Apprentices have been said to have learned their trades either as Blacksmiths, or wheelwrights making light wheels for horse traps, but the most likely explanation is the name derived from that given to an inn. There was once a popular ballad entitled "The Honour of an Apprentice in London" which tells of an apprentice who" came off with flying colours after endless adventures, in one of which, like Richard the Lionheart, he 'robbed a lion of his heart'." After "his matchless manhood and brave adventure in Turkey", he married the daughter of the King of that country."
 
Interesting map John. My 2 x gt.grandfather lived in John Street (1841) before he married my 2 x gt.grandmother in 1847. They then lived in London Prentice Street. Could you tell me the date of your map please?

Judy
 
hi

Yes part of my family came from there. They worked
as outworkers for the huge Birmingham Umbrella
manufactors.

Household Members: 1881 Census Market 19 London Prentice Street Name Age

Annie Mc Cann 18 Umberella Maker
James Mc Cann 50 Brush Maker Ireland
Annie was my Great Grandmother who later ran a Sweet shop
in Aston. She died in 1935.
 
Hi Judy,
I think it's about 1885, here are the two halfs, you can enlarge them to over 300% once you've downloaded them.
I cannot remember where I got them from unfortunately.
Regards John.
 
M y g.grandparents lived at 42 London Prentice Street at the time of the 1881 census with 7 children including my grandfather. My g.grandparents both lived in John Street according to their marriage certificate in 1867.
We have had posts on these streets before and quite a few forum members had ancestors living here. Most of the people were of Irish descent including mine.
 
would anyone have any pics of this street please and also a map showing where it was..i think we lost the maps posted in the ungrade...

many thanks..

lyn
 
Lyn
I don't seem to have saved John's maps , but is it london Prentice st or rope walk you want. the position of rope walk is on the link in post 2 of the thread. If it is london prentice St then i'll try and sort one out
Mike
 
Lyn
Here is map of 1839 showing London Prentice St in yellow
mike

londonprenticest1839.jpg
 
Hi

thanks for the Map. Became part of the huge Slum clearances of the late 19th century.
A terrible place to live even in the mid Victorian era.
Roots web describes it
London Prentice Street was one of the worst parts of Birmingham
>the policemen went around in twos gangs roamed this part of town
>and certain gangs called "cappies" had razor blades sewn into the front
>of their caps, in a pamphlet called Scenes in Slum land, i did think
>that there was a mention of London Prentice Street in Scenes in Slum
>land
>but i cannot cannot find it this is from the pamphlet...
>"There are courts in Rea St, Cheapside, Bartholomew St, New Canal St,
>Fox St, Buck St, Park Lane, Lancaster St, Lower Loveday St, & Oxygen St
>to name no more which ought to be photographed in order to show
>how Christian England compares with heathendom. what difference
>there is is probably in favour of the savages, for they do not pay 4s
>5s,
>and 6s a week for the mud heaps they dwell in."

mike jenks
..
 
My G,G,Grandparents lived in this street in 1850 it wasn't good then , I have two pictures of the street around its demolition c1880 for the then new Corporation street.
 
Hello Jim - I should love to see the photos you have as my 2 x gt.grandparents also lived in London Prentice Street at the same time. They were there in 1847 and were living in No.12 Court in the 1850s.

Judy
 
I would also like to see these photo's,Jim.In my family folklore told to me by my gran,there were 3 or 4 children lost in a house fire,and I did wonder if it could have been in this street.
 
My G,G,Grandparents lived in this street in 1850 it wasn't good then , I have two pictures of the street around its demolition c1880 for the then new Corporation street.

hello jim and welcome to the forum...we would love to see the 2 pics you have of the street..if you could post them on this thread that would be great...

many thanks..

lyn
 
I think London Prentice Street became Dalton Street later on, a very small part of Dalton Street still remains, although you would never know without looking it up. A tiny bit off Newton Street where you can access the car park.
 
Jim I would also love to see your photos of London Prentice Street, my g.g. grandparents and their 7 children were living at No.42 on the 1881 census,
they were both of Irish descent.
 
Yes Sylvia, my 2 x gt.grandparents were both Irish. There was a big Irish community in the street.
 
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