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Hi everyone,
Just wondering if anyone could please advise if when collecting the census returns, if a family lived on a main street, the emunerator would put as a reference the closest business or a street name?
The reason I am asking is a family in my tree resided in 1881 at the following address: Main Street, Stevenson’s Ld, Town of Barrhead, Civil Parish of Neilston, County of Renfrewshire. The image clearly shows this as Stevensons Ld and not Road etc.
In checking Google there is no street found for Stevenson’s but there was a big factory in Barrhead which looks as though it was a small goods manufacturers, bacon etc. I cannot find it this was located on the Main Street as the company has moved and their website does not advise where they were previously located.
This is what the website states about the company:
Founded in 1886, D&R Stevenson has grown from a family bacon factory into a purveyor of fine quality meats throughout the UK and Europe, while still lending a caring ear to the needs of the customer.
D&R Stevenson opened its doors for trading in 1886 when the founder of the company, Mr David Stevenson established the business in Barrhead, Scotland. The company remained a family business being handed down two generations before being sold in 1996.
The company started after the Census so it wouldn't be that either I guess?
The family I am looking at, the head was a Stoker at the Gas Works, and the other families all at the same address shown have occupations such as Boilermakers, Labourer in Iron Works etc..not sure why they would be residing at the bacon factory?
Any ideas? The family moved to a differing address in 1891 so I am not sure how long they resided at the above address, it just has always perplexed me a bit with the address given for them.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
Rachelle
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Hi Rachelle
I would contact the company via email and ask if the business was at the address you are looking at.
You may be lucky and they will tell you. I did this with a convent once and they sent me loads of information regarding dob and dod and the names the nuns took when joining the convent. I asked about one nun and found three sisters. So you have nothing to lose.
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Hi Rachelle
I have seen something similar in the North of England where there were 'tied' houses within the boundary of a large factory eg. a mill. This was shown as '9 Boundary St, Storeys Ltd' but the 't' of 'Ltd' is/was often missed out. 'Main St' is such a generic name that it would not be surprising to find your family member within Stevenson's factory? It is unlikely then of course to show on a regular town map or district register?
Good hunting anyway
Tony
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Hi Rachelle
Unlike in England, where small retailers tended to live "above the shop", in this part of Scotland the flats above commercial premises are usually occupied by families with no connection to the shops below.
Another thought - in Inveraray the main street has 4 different names; on each side of the road the ground floor properties have a different name from the upper floor. Very confusing!! Several of them are called ....land, so it is possible that Ld is short for land, although I have not come across this system of street naming anywhere else but Inveraray.
Barrhead has a public library, situated in Main Street, so I'm sure that they would know the answer.
Good luck
Suzanne
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Thanks so much everyone, I would never have thought of premises above the factory etc or had known about the use of land.
Thank you all, I'll email the company and see what they have to say. Although they did not trade commence until after the 1881 census, perhaps they had an earlier shopfront or something there.
Kind regards
Rachelle
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