Who lived at ...?

[Evie]

In 1911 there is a  Thomas Bishop, born abt 1862, confectioner living High Street

[MKG]

Hi Gadget

The answer is yes and no. In 1894, both shops were being run by Mrs. Maria Antonia Rizza and both were ice cream shops. But Maria was only 16 at census time in 1891 and living either in Glasgow or, at a push, still in Italy. It's her husband (Michelangelo Rizza or Rizzo) who was the confectioner, but he's with his brother in Glasgow on the 1891 census. However, he was one of the many Glaswegian Italians who got out because of the huge amount of competition in that city (from fellow Italians), and I know he was present in Berwick at very regular intervals no later than the beginning of 1891. But neither the husband nor the wife will appear in the Berwick census.

However, his presence in Berwick was probably to do with the setting up of his business which was later to be run by his wife while he had a look around Edinburgh. I'm just hoping that I may be able to link the name of whoever was in the High Street shop at the time to Michelangelo.

I'm beginning to wonder when the street name change from High Street to Marygate occurred, and whether that had big effects upon the house numbering?

Mike

[Gadget]

Just after Marygate, there's a Samuel Oliphant, Master Confectioner living at 10 and 12 Golden Square.

This is in ED 7. ED is the High Greens end of Marygate and ED 8 is around the Town Hall and West of Church Street, if that's any good.

Looks like ED 8 might be the one.

I've not been in the centre of Berwick for about 10 years 


Gadget

Maybe it's John Bishop's son, evie

[MKG]

Another thought occurs to me - if the High Street shop was in the process of being "done up" by Michelangelo and was therefore empty, would it be listed at all or would there just be no mention of it?

Mike

[jora]

Hello Mike,

Just to help to clear up the street name confusion - Marygate is the old mediaeval name, and High Street was the same place - the two names seem to have existed quite happily side by side.

At the moment, the official postal address is Marygate.

Regarding the numbering, I don't think there has been any radical change. In 1897 Nicol Miller Craig acquired the premises at 63, High Street, a chemist's shop (Carr). He remodelled the shop putting in new plate glass windows. This shop is now the British Heart Foundation charity shop, and it is still numbered 63.

If Nicol Craig was remodelling his shop in the mid 1890s, is it possible that other properties in the same block were also available for redevelopment?

[Gadget]

So jora

Would you say that the 67 Marygate on the 1891 is the same as 67 High Street?

Because if so, it was occupied by the Mr Gunn, grocer, and his large family.


Gadget

[MKG]

Hmmm - looks that way, Gadget. Knowing my luck, Mr. Gunn probably sold his premises to Michelangelo the day after the census!

No, no no - that can't be right either. The 1891 census was April 5th and Michelangelo was doing something in Berwick at the beginning of that year. And, of course, it's at times like this that the simplest things begin to worry you. It could be, I suppose, that Michelangelo began his business in NEITHER of those addresses but acquired them a couple of years later.

Oh for a complete commercial history of Berwick!

Mike

[Gadget]

The premises next to Mr Gunn, 63 and 65 and 69 and 71, were empty. No No 70.   Mr Gunn occupied 66 and 67. Maybe he sold off/re-leased to Michelangelo or there was some movement   

Do you have a John Gunn, grocer,  listed in  your directory?

Gadget

[MKG]

  Thought of that about the same time you did.

But, wouldn't you know it, historicaldirectories.org appears to be unobtainable at the moment. I'm convinced I have a pdf file somewhere, so I'm still looking. Watch this space.

Mike