Hi im new to this site and just finding my way around. has anyone any info about the Ring Of bells Cottages in Wallasey. i am tracing my family history and this place has cropped up several times. Any info, maps etc would be fantastic. You are highly reccommended by my son, Hoseman, who is so handsom and good looking (its me hoseman writing that bit incase you didnt know!!LOL) Many thanks in advance
The name 'Ring of Bells' is quite commonly applied to buildings (usually pubs) located close to churches. There's the Ring O'Bells in West Kirby; and there used to be a Ring O'Bells pub in Bidston next to St.Oswalds.
The only mention of a Ring of Bells in Wallasey is a very brief mention in Noel Smith's book 'Almost An Island'. He states that there was a small public house called "The Ring of Bell's" at the top of what is now School Lane (formerly Nelson's Gutter). This must have been a beerhouse located opposite the more famous 'Cheshire Cheese'.
In reference to your other request for information on the Carlisle and Nelson names, Noel Smith also claims that Nelson's Gutter was named after George Nelson who used to live there. He also mentions Henry Carlyle (the Market Gardener) living at Carlyle's Cottage in the same lane.
A painting by Harold Hopps showing the Ring o’ Bells Inn, with School Lane on the left. I think geekus is right, and the cottages to the right of the pub were at one time known as the “Ring o’ Bells Cottages” because of their location next to the pub.
Great picture, nightwalker. I've got that same book but didn't think to look in there!
The Wallasey Parish Registers might possibly shed some more light on the matter. If Molong or Hoseman suspects that one or more of their ancestors lived in those cottages I'm pretty sure it would get a mention in the records.
Some of the local archives also hold records of liscensed premises (dating back several hundred years). A look through those would determine if one of the family actually ran the Ring of Bells pub.
I don't exactly know how far back the pub dates to, but there may also be a mention of it and its inhabitants or owners in the tithe schedules.
Prompted by nightwalker's picture, I just took another look at the caption under that painting in the 'Hopps around Wallasey' book. It says that the pub building was still in existence (albeit as a shop) up until the 1950's.
In another of Noel Smith's books 'Sandstone & Mortar', he says that "Wallasey Village began at the top of School Lane, with No.1 being the Ring of Bells where John Robinson was the landlord. Joe Coventry also had it at one time. In the early part of the (20th) century it was converted into a house and shop...".
Thanks all, this is great info for my mum. All seems to slot into place, even found some family connections on ..`s website about wallasey history. The family name is spelt Carlile, not as mentioned Carlyle. I know they are simelar but mum is adament its always been like that.
There's a painting of Carlisle Cottage in the Hopps book. It was a beautiful white washed cottage with a thatched roof. Interestingly the title of the picture is given as Carlisle's Cottage (spelt with an 'i') but then the notes beneath the painting repeatedly refer to it as 'Carlyle's Cottage' (spelt with a 'y').
It's not uncommon in the slightest for the spelling of surnames to alter over time, and I would recommend that you search for records using both spellings when researching your ancestry.
She is mate, her fathers family name is O`Hara and try as she might finding it difficult to track down Irish links as the name is so wrongly miss-spelt or altered! She has found one part of his family and made contact in ireland, bakers dating back to early 19th century, who are STILL bakers with a chain of shops!! Apparently a lot of the irish records were destroyed she says in the 1920`s and 30`s
There's a painting of Carlisle Cottage in the Hopps book. It was a beautiful white washed cottage with a thatched roof. Interestingly the title of the picture is given as Carlisle's Cottage (spelt with an 'i') but then the notes beneath the painting repeatedly refer to it as 'Carlyle's Cottage'
But if you look in the bottom left corner of the painting (which I've posted on The Gutter thread), Hopps calls it Carlile Cottage, which agrees with your mum's spelling. Agree with geekus about searching for variations, though - on a couple of census records I've looked at, Henry's name is spelt Carlisle. On my mum's side of the family I've got various spellings of Upton, including Uption, Upshon, Upshone and Uptin!!
When searching old records, you start to realise that people often wrote things down phonetically. Changes in name spellings probably say more about people's dialects and the ways that the spoken language changed rather than people's illiteracy.
Photo of the Ring o' Bells pub (possibly early 1900s) and what I think are the cottages of the same name. Real life is not quite as picturesque as in a painting! Bit of a dump really!
Perhaps just a poorly lit photograph (maybe an overcast day!).
Judging by the rooflines, I'd guess that the two cottages which you think are the 'Ring of Bells' Cottages are at least contemporary with the pub itself.
