I've just joined and struggling to get the hang of it.
I'm looking for 1870s to 1890s Birkenhead street and address info, and photos even, to link ancestral connections, my grandfather having been born illegitimately in !876 in Birkenhead. He was given the forenames Thomas Spiers William George Latimer Taylor and surname Lawrence. His mother was Maria, my great grandmother, that's all, just Maria, although later Maria Taylor, possibly Barnett, possibly even Lawrence or Latimer! Her birth may have been 1851.
The addresses I have so far are :
290 Borough Road, my grandfather's birth address in 1876, which I suspect is 1 Taylor's Villa. Thomas Taylor must have been an important man......later he moved to a massive mansion in Oak Bank behind Taylor's Villas.
Taylor's Villas Borough Road: a Taylor connection, Thomas Taylor, a grocer, and family 1881 census...I don't think Taylor's Villas were built at the 1871 census.
20 Grange Road 1876, which I suspect is Regent's Place, at the Haymarket end of Grange Road, a Spiers connection, as it is Ann Spiers shop (1874 Morris Directory) , and, also Ann Spiers was a registrar of servants, and we think Maria was such.
23 Grange Road, or 23 Regent's Place was on the birth certificate of the address of Maria in 1876............we suspect it was actually 20 Regents Place; there's no census record for a 23 Grange Road or an address for 23 Regent's Place....is that correct? This is the Spiers connection, especially as there is a Tom Laurance b 1877 in the 1891 census for Ann Spiers shop in 9 Bridge Street. I noticed derekdwc had posted photos of Regents Place in the 1870s in a 2011 post here. But I can't view them, site says I have no authority to view.
No info then until 1899 when grandfather Lawrence marries in Bethnal Green in London. We have a death certificate for Maria Lawrence in Islington London in 1895, recording her birth in 1851, but we can't be sure if it is our Maria.
We also have 9 Halkin Street in 1881 Census with a daughter Maria Lawrence b.1854, the family of Phillip Lawrence engine driver of a steam boat. We have earlier and later addresses for this family. My grandfather's job on his death certificate was that his (unknown) father Lawrence was a barge-builder and another as an engineer, so this looks a good connection.
We have a Latimer connection at 185 Conway Street 1871 census, and another in 1881 census at 16 Beckwith St and later 7 Eldon Place, who had a son William George Latimer....we have located the great niece of William George, who lives in California.
So, I'd be delighted at any steers you dear bloggers can share on any info on names and these addresses, old maps, exactly where they were on the old OS maps (the Birkenhead 1840s to 1870s map has tremendous detail but the Haymarket section is missing.
Regent Place was the opposite end of Grange Rd from the Haymarket, now known as Grange Rd West, Regent Pl was a building row next to what was a church.
This is the Halkin St Lawrence, Married John Sharp, Father, Phillip Hughes Lawrence. Engineer.
Name: Maria Jane Lawrence Gender: Female Marriage Age: Minor Event Type: Marriage Marriage Date: 7 Apr 1873 Marriage Place: Liverpool, St Peter, Lancashire, England
God help us, Come yourself, Don't send Jesus, This is no place for children.
Thnks for reply Bert1, much appreciated. I have seen all that info and use the NLS maps all the time, but without detail of local knowledge I get confused. The key 1871 census is a lot less clear about 20 and 23 Grange Road vs Regent's Place (Ann Spiers at 20 Regents Place is certain, but "our Maria" has reported it wrongly, in 1876, as 20 Grange Road) and even less about Borough Road, which I read was built between 1860 and 1871. The 1881 census is also unclear what number Borough road is for Taylor's Villa, Is it known when they were built?
So it is where was 290, maybe it was 390 Borough Road (on the birth certificate) in 1876. And what was the number for 1 Taylor's Villas then
derekdwc or a response to him in a 2011 blog here, reported that Regent's Place was 1 to 9 Grange Road, and yes mentioned that church I think, and even numbers only.
Hey, great info Bert1! Is it possible to view the attached pictures?
And yes, I have Thomas Spiers etc. Lawrence baptism cert from Holy Trinity. As you say, in that Maria says she is living at 23 Grange Road in 1876, but I couldn't find that address in the 1871 census... it in in the 1881 census as you say, but I can't see any connection with that family, who, of course, might be different from 1876.. I've assumed, because of the Spiers connection, Maria meant 20 Regents Place...maybe 23 Regents Place?
All clutching at straws really, so love your interest to help salve if not solve the between census confusion.
So it is where was 290, maybe it was 390 Borough Road (on the birth certificate) in 1876. And what was the number for 1 Taylor's Villas then
As far as I know, Taylors Villas never had a Borough Rd number, they were always a stand alone address, 1+2 Taylors Villas, Borough Rd. Unlike a row called Taylors Terrace which had Borough Rd numbers.
God help us, Come yourself, Don't send Jesus, This is no place for children.
I've just been through the online post office directory for birkenhead 1878.
Joseph Taylor is listed in commercial and postal section as a Grocer at 316 and 318 Borough Road and I think he is related, brother, to the Thomas Taylor ship's carpenter of 1 Taylors Villas in the 1881 census; I could imagine this might be a connection of the building of Taylor's villas.
The Phillip Hughes Lawrence family of 9 Halkin St in the 1871 census is listed at 56 Eldon Street in the 1878 Post Office Directory. He is listed as a steam boat engineer. In 1861 he is listed at Wynnslay Street. Where was that?
More on the Taylors and Taylor's Villas Looks like these were a lot to do with Thomas Taylor and possible brother Joseph the Grocer.
!n the 1874 Morris Directory, there is a Joseph Taylor at The Poplars, Park Grove, Tranmere, as gentry, and AND JOSEPH Taylor, Grocer, I Taylor's Terrace Borough Road in the Commercial section. Comparing that to the 1881 census, Joseph Taylor is at 316 and 318 Borough Road, seems to indicate they are the same address although it has Thomas Taylor Ship carpenter at 1 Taylors Villas. Curious!!
Regarding the small terrace of houses on the opposite side of Borough Road to the library. We used to call them Taylors Villas, but it seems that Taylors Villas are where the Greek Taverna is, and the terrace is correctly called Taylor's Terrace, as Bert points out. Photographs seem few and far between, but I recently came across this one - taken on the day that the King and Queen opened the Mersey Tunnel and went on to open the new Birkenhead Library. The terrace is slightly set back from the pavement, as they had a few feet of land in front of the house and separated from the pavement by a picket fence.