Forums Forums Wirral History : Chasing the Past History Information Request Gt Gt grandad's tram company Palm Grove B-head

According to my nan her grandfather Leonard Burton had a horse drawn tram company and it was later bought off them by the corporation. I have got a census here of my gt gt grandad which shows his family residing at Tram stables in Palm grove. Would this mean that he owned the company? My nan said he did anyway



Here are two images showing his son my gt grandad Alfred Burton with one of the trams, so there must be some truth to it. Can anyone find out if there is any truth to it please. Many thanks




I believe this photo was taken near enough outside the stables in Palm grove.

That would be an omnibus rather than a tram but there were tram stables in Palm grove so they probably progressed to trams (that ran on tracks).

It is a possibility that he was a Foreman as described on the census form and accommodation came with the job, its a pity the person who filled in the form never included the next column, employer, worker, own account,
. Would someone who owned a company submit themselves as a foreman, why not owner or manager, even company director, on saying that, if your nan says he owned it, he probably did.

I think the stables are either where the new houses are now or the double glazing companies yard. I remember when they were clearing the yard, i was working on one of the machines and someone was saying it used to be an old stables/tram depot!

MerseyMan

I doubt Leonard Burton was the owner, he is merely the Foreman of the yard, the words next to it indicate he worked for the Corporation, this is the 1901 Census. If we look at the 1891 Census Leonard is a Foreman & tramway guard, living in Boswell Street, Bootle, Liverpool.
By 1911 Alfred his son is a tramway Motor Man for Birkenhead Corporation living at 354 Laird Street, Birkenhead.

The old tramyard in Palm Grove was situated where the new double fronted terrace row has been built near the junction with Slatey/Shrewsbury Road.
When the bulldozers moved in to break the yard up (Council not giving a stuff) we contacted the tram museum to ask them to rescue the stone lintal above the old tram offices, which had the corporation name on it, before it was smashed to bits. Which thankfully they did just in time.

Here's a map from the 1890's showing the tram shed (street railway depot)in Palm Grove. On this map, Talbot Rd., near the tram depot, is now Mather Rd. This map is from before trams ran along Balls Rd. & Shrewsbury Rd. (which at the time was apparently in two parts, North & South). Also, you can see on this map that the Williamson Art Gallery was built on the site of an old reservoir attached to Springhill Water Works.

After a little light digging and if your interested

in 1881 Leonard Burton was a pig dealer in West Derby.
in 1871 Leonard was a Farm Servant in Sedburgh, Yorkshire.
in 1861 Leonard was a scholar (at school) the son of a Cordwainer (a leather shoemaker) William Burton.
in 1851 William Burton is a shoemaker in Sedburgh.

So Leonard's parents were William Burton & Ann Handley who married in Sedburgh in 1850 (Ann Handley's parents were William Handley & Mary, he was a carpenter & she was a Woolen jacket knitter)

in 1841 William Burton is living with his parents John Burton & his wife Margaret a shoemaker of Dent, Sedburgh Yorkshire.
William probably named his son, after his brother also called Leonard.

Forgot to say, Leonard Burton married Betsy Kendal in 1874 in Kendal, Betsy was born in 1855 in Killington, Westmorland. Her parents were John Kendal & Jane. John was a labourer.

AND i remember the stone!!!! Thank you for jogging my memory.
I remember it in the corner of the yard when the machines were there! wasnt it broken or something if my memory serves me?

Thanks for all the information everyone
I have a lot of that information on my ancestry profile, but I couldn't find Ann Burton's maiden name now I have it Cheers.