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Manchester Street, Blews Street, Brewery Street and New Town Row 1800 - 1861

Dennis Williams

Dennis Williams

Gone but not forgotten
Now I am well aware that I may be treading on other older Threads pertaining to this area of Brewery Street, Blews Street, Manchester Street and New Town Row, but please forgive me as I try to explain. I know that Lyn, Shirley and Shortie have similar family interests in and around Blews Street, so at least they may be pleased for a bit of hopeful revival of interest in this old part of Aston.

My Great Great Grandfather was Thomas Williams, born London in 1812, listed as a gilt toymaker or pearl ornament maker, but that’s all I know. Saw sense and came to Brum in the early 1830s and married a young laundress, Emma Bateman from Stratford on Avon, at St Mary’s Handsworth in 1835. He then pops up with his six kids in the 1841 – 1871 Censuses and BMDs as follows:

1840 Birth of Elizabeth New Town Row, 1 Court
1841 Census 91 Cecil Street, 3 Court House - Harriet & Emma (jnr) living with Lucy and Wm Bateman (aged 45)
1841 Census New Town Row, 1 Court - Emma & Thomas listed with newborn Elizabeth (6mths)
1850 Birth Mary Ann 13 Brewery Street, 5 Court House
1851 Census 13 Brewery Street, 5 Court House, (Elizabeth Dead)
1853 Birth of Ellen Blews Street
1855 B’ham Directory 8.5 Brewery Street, New Town Row
1858 Harriet marriage 5 Manchester Street - ?still alive (Jun - not listed as deceased on Harriet’s MC)
1861 Census Deceased

His widow carried on living at 5 Manchester Street until the family moved to Scholefield Street, Saltley, circa 1861 (to be nearer the Gasworks?!). so they were in that grisly area for at least twenty years - rich they certainly weren’t from the pictures and written tales of that district. So you can see my interest in these old Streets. I was puzzled by the entry for Thomas in the B’ham Directory as living at eight and a half Brewery Street, a new one on me. Half a house? God they must have been poor. Bet he used The Globe a lot! Were there any other pubs nearby I wonder?

Anyway, I knew from Chinny’s books that there was another Brewery street in Aston, renamed Adams Street, and we had rellies there too. But this Brewery Street connection was always a bit vague. It was shown at the end of the Street on the early 1800 maps as a Brewery, but then changed to a Nail Manufactory in the mid 1880s (see Map enclosed).

I then discovered the wonderful “Birmingham Breweries” book by Joseph McKenna and found this entry, which may be of interest to all of us with relatives from this area. Hope you agree. Exits left hoping for better maps than mine from Mike…and an explanation of the ‘eight and a half’ address. I include some maps for interest but I would love Mike to post his usual detailed ones and mark off the actual Courts where the old Willies lived from the addresses listed?

I am further reminded that at some time, what is now Cecil Street was once the continuation of Brewery Street, and that Carl also notes that Blews Street was probably named after William Blews of Pinfold street, a Maltster, giving another connection to the Brewery theme. Amen.

Some related links:

https://forum.birminghamhistory.co.uk/showthread.php?t=20787&highlight=Blews+Street
https://forum.birminghamhistory.co.uk/showthread.php?t=33098&highlight=Town+row

Thanks for your patience those that stayed awake to the end...
 
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Interesting Dennis.

Can't help with much apart from that I had a few rellies living in half-addresses too. I assumed they were like maisonettes rather than the entrance to a Harry Potter magical workhouse but am equally eager to find out a better definition.
 
hi dennis thanks for all that...i found it very interesting...i also wonder where this half a house comes from...if memory serves me there was another pub blews st..shirley has been searching for a pic of it but i dont think she will have much luck as it seems it was demolished before the camera came about...i would have to go back on old thread to confirm this...think it was called the charles ropier or something like that...you may have seen this pic already but if not its the back of 22 blews street..

lyn
 
Dennis
Have looked at your addresses.
1. Court 1 New Town Row is marked in red on the map.
2. Am not sure whether the 1850 and 1851 addresses in brewery st mean no 5 house in court behind no 13 or or court 5 behind no 13 . In either case there appears to be no no 13 or Court 5 (only courts 1 & 2) in 1889. From the 1839 map it looks like the houses on the southern side went further along then into the area which, in 1889, was Corporation wharf. Presumably it was somewhere there. The houses on the north side brewery st, to the west of blews st seem to start at 21.
3. 8½ Brewery st. What Whites directory actually says is Ct 8½ . What they mean, I think, is the court between no 8 and no 9. The post Office directory lists it (with Thomas Williams) as court 2, which is how the court is listed on the 1889 map (though slightly obscured by the “oldmaps” watermark). Possibly the court number was not marked clearly, and the enumerator was a bit lazy. This court is marked in blue,
4. No 5 manchester st I think is probably the green house , though it is possible that it is one of the houses either side. I think the one marked is the most likely.
5. The court at 91 cecil St is the one marked in yellow. It is labelled court 1, so no 3 must be the house
As can be seen , these are all close together, and , although we don’t have an address for blews St this is close also.
Mike

Brewery_st__manchester_st__cecil_st_A.jpg
 
Dennis thanks for starting this thread, my g. grandfather a widower was living at 9 Manchester Street with 8 of his children including my gran in 1891, and my grandfather was a lodger at The Bulls Head at 111, Pritchett Street on the 1891 census. They were both 14 at the time, so they must have met locally and married in 1897.
 
Thanks sylvia, I know it's totally self indulgent, but I do really like this area, as so many of my ancestors lived here and around about Aston. Whilst I am here, can I ask if anyone has any info on nearby Rocky Lane? My grandad was born at 6 Poplar Terrace, Rocky Lane. Got a map Mike? God, I owe him so much...
 
hi dennis..its not self indulgent at all...i feel the same way about the area..so many of my rellies in and around aston..newtown and hockley for over 200 years to my knowledge and recent delving has now widened it to the nechells and deritend areas........without mike i would have been totally lost and if he is a drinking man i shall be buying him jar or two at the xmas bash...

lyn
 
Astoness said:
...........without mike i would have been totally lost and if he is a drinking man i shall be buying him jar or two at the xmas bash...

lyn
Click to expand...

I hope he will have his drinking trousers on then as I must owe him a fair few too...:sick:
 
I remember once going on a walk with Chris Upton around the JQ, and he showed us a house that was 'something and a half'. If I remember rightly, the front doors to the full number and the half were up an entry between the two. Not completely sure why the one was a half number, but it could have been one house separated into two.

Shortie
 
Shortie
I think there were various reasons for the ½, I’ve noticed several cases like the one earlier, where the ½ seems to refer to a court, possibly one that was built after the other courts were numbered (though that doesn’t seem to be the case in Brewery st). In other cases the building seems to be split, and sometimes it seems to be an outbuilding at the back.
Mike
 
Any idea where, 11 Court, 33 House. Is In Blews street, Mike. My Grt Grt grandmother died there in 1887. Reg. I mean, "was" in Blews street.
mikejee said:
Shortie
I think there were various reasons for the ½, I’ve noticed several cases like the one earlier, where the ½ seems to refer to a court, possibly one that was built after the other courts were numbered (though that doesn’t seem to be the case in Brewery st). In other cases the building seems to be split, and sometimes it seems to be an outbuilding at the back.
Mike
Click to expand...
 
That's interesting Mike, I have never seen a court numbered like that, so I shall look out for one.

Shortie
 
Dennis
Here is poplar terrace at the end of rocky lane on a large scale in 1889 and , to show the position on a smaller scale in 1902
Mike

Poplar_terrace2Crocky_lane_1889~0.JPG


Poplar_terrace_c_1902~0.jpg
 
Reg
Court 11 is at the bottom of blews st on the map earlier on the west side. Below is a section of the map with it coloured in. the court is behind no 33, and so that is presumably included to let you know where the court is.
Mike

court_11_Blews_st.jpg
 
Wow!! Mike. It seems I was walking in my Grt Grt Grandmothers footsteps, I worked for Avonmore Dairies, and what was later to become Express Dairies back in the 90s. The whole of that corner was taken up by an Express Dairies Depot. I was made redundant back in 2002. Thanks again Mike.
mikejee said:
Reg
Court 11 is at the bottom of blews st on the map earlier on the west side. Below is a section of the map with it coloured in. the court is behind no 33, and so that is presumably included to let you know where the court is.
Mike
Click to expand...
 
Hephzibah living in Harding street, with her daughter from a previous marriage. Mary Jane Goode. Now Mary Jane Houghton.
attachment.php
 
sylviasayers said:
Dennis thanks for starting this thread, my g. grandfather a widower was living at 9 Manchester Street with 8 of his children including my gran in 1891, and my grandfather was a lodger at The Bulls Head at 111, Pritchett Street on the 1891 census. They were both 14 at the time, so they must have met locally and married in 1897.
Click to expand...
Hi Sylvia - I don't know if we have corresponded before (we may have but I've just picked up this branch again) but my great grandfather and his family were at 9 Manchester Street in 1891 so I'm hoping it is the same family! Was your g. grandfather Richard Yates? My gt grandfather was Richard's son William Henry.
 
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