Genealogy Chat

Hi

I have a widow on the 1881 census with occupation listed as KEEPER OF THE TRIANGLE.
Any idea as what this means please? I thought it may be a pub but can find no pub of that name. Her address is 15 Barnets Buildings Southwick (Sunderland) Durham.

Thanks

Could that possibly read.
Keeper of the Mangle.?
Many widows kept a mangle and other women would pay a halfpenny or so to use it.

Could it be a pub that's changed its name, ceased to be a pub or even been demolished?
Or (I'm graspimg at straws here) might The Triangle be the name of a small public garden?

That's interesting!

If you wouldn't mind giving us the lady's name we could have a look.

My mum had a mangle! Didn't know we could have hired it out :-)

Birdi

It kept a lot of widows and kids out of the workhouse I believe Birdi.

I cant find the entry to have a look though.
The name of the lady etc would help.

We had a mangle for years after everyone else, it seemed, had a spin dryer!

Mum and Dad took a long time to catch up with the 'new technology'. When Mum's new telephone rang she used to pick it up gingerly as if she expected it to explode!

Birdi

Hi all

Thanks for your ideas. Her name was Elizabeth Simpson b.1834 Sunderland Durham. I have not viewed the original, only the one on Family Search.

Thanks

We had a mangle on the top of mums ancient old washing machine,we had to turn it when we were big enough.

We also had a Mangle for "mangling"the cows swedes,turnips and Mangolds etc,rather like a very large mincer.
Hated having to do that,took forever and your arms felt like they were going to drop off after about 30 mins.
Thank Evans for technology !

He he ,you got a stutter Lass??

I've had a look at the image and in my opinion it is 'Mangle'.

I can see why you thought it said 'Triangle' though.

I don't know if I would have thought of 'Mangle' without the suggestion of FBG!

Birdi

Yep,,def a Mangle,not Triangle.
The M is exactly the same as on Mason for the lads occupation.

Edit.
Learnt about the Mangle thing a few yrs ago when I first saw it on a census,had to read up on it as it tickled me,until I read how much widows relied on it to stay out of the workhouse...

Mangle Keeper / Mangle Woman
Woman who hired out her mangle. The possession of a mangle, for the use of which a small sum was charged, was, among the poorer class of English cottagers, a common means of earning money.

My granddad was in the Workhouse for over a year with his baby brother and unmarried mother 1874/5.

The records for this period have not survived for Northampton but I shudder to think of the state she must have been in at the time.

The baby died in this place.

Birdi

Hi

Well that's cleared that up then! I would never have thought of that in a million years.

Thanks to everyone

Lincolnshirelass