Author Topic: Whitehaven Town Mission and "slums"  (Read 29860 times)

Offline alkari

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Re: Whitehaven Town Mission and "slums"
« Reply #9 on: Saturday 17 December 11 20:53 GMT (UK) »
Hi Jos

William Beck Truett was my grandfather's oldest brother, my great uncle Bill. My grandfather was Edward Diamond Turett, son of William Scott Truett (Billy's grandfather) and Agnes Beck. Billy was my mum's cousin and while she was too young to have remembered him, I recall stories of him having died during the war. My grandfather was also a merchant seaman during the war and earlier but I don't think he ever served with him.

We used to visit Uncle Bill and he would hide 50 pence each (a lot in those days!) down the side of the settee for us to find. His old side table has found its way to me over the years and now sits in a bedroom in Australia!

My research doesn't go back as far as Mary Ann but there was a sister to William Beck and Edward called Mary Jane.

Not sure if this helps
Take care Al

Offline Jos, Whitehaven

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Re: Whitehaven Town Mission and "slums"
« Reply #10 on: Sunday 18 December 11 15:41 GMT (UK) »
I have previously researched William Scott ('Biff') Truett who lost his life in November 1942. If it is of interest, this is a link to the article I wrote:

http://2ndww.blogspot.com/2011/12/able-seaman-william-s-truett-mn.html

The attached photographs are recent ones taken of the Whitehaven Town Mission building at the top of Rosemary Lane, above where dwellings on Mount Pleasant were located.

(Photographs of Mount Pleasant to follow)

Offline Jos, Whitehaven

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Re: Whitehaven Town Mission and "slums"
« Reply #11 on: Sunday 18 December 11 18:57 GMT (UK) »
Attached are modern photographs of the Mount Pleasant area:

(1) The 'Mount Steps' looking downwards adjacent to the Sewage Treatment Works / Electric Lighting Building (seen on the right of the photograph). The 'Bardy Steps', which are different to these 'Mount Steps', are still there but have not been restored to the same standard.

(2) View from the top of Mount Pleasant looking northwards towards The Beacon and Lowca further up the coast.
===========================
Alkari:
 
Would I be correct in guessing your Granddad was known as Eddie Truett and possibly lived on 'The Valley' at one time? I think the Eddie Truett I have in mind had been in the Merchant Navy at one time. He was a good pal of John ('Jack') Acton, also a Merchant Seaman. Jack Acton lost two brothers (George and Billy Acton) on the same vessel that claimed the life of 'Biff' Truett. Another Whitehaven seaman from a well-known Whitehaven sea-faring family also died on this ship. He was called Tom Cradduck.

I think at one time or another these Whitehaven sea-faring families had all lived in the harbourside area (Quay Street / Hamilton Lane/ West Strand / Mount Pleasant). Some of my maternal forebears also lived in this part of Whitehaven (Mount Pleasant, Bardy Lane, Quay Street) with relatives living at the Newhouses a little further inland.

In June 2009 Dr Alan Crosby, one of Britain's best known researchers on local and family history, had an open day at Whitehavn on the topic of 'Filth, squalor and early death: Public health and housing in Victorian West Cumbria'. Many of the examples Dr Crosby used were from the harbourside area of Whitehaven (Quay Street, Mount Pleasant, Bardy Lane etc.).

Life in the so-called 'Good Old Days' was tough at times.

Offline Jos, Whitehaven

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Re: Whitehaven Town Mission and "slums"
« Reply #12 on: Sunday 18 December 11 19:15 GMT (UK) »
This attachment is a modern-day view of the Mount Steps looking upwards towards the Mount Pleasant area. The Sewage Treament Works / Electric Lighting Building can be seen on the left-hand side of the photograph.


Offline alkari

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Re: Whitehaven Town Mission and "slums"
« Reply #13 on: Monday 19 December 11 00:04 GMT (UK) »
I remember the town mission from when I was a child. My grandmother Nellie (Ellen Truett nee Jeffrey) was the organist there for many years. I believe that the steps we used to walk down are the Bardy steps (I think the small dwellings are still visible at each step) but I may be wrong. I'm sure grandad talked about having lived there but it doesn't fit with the whereabouts of the family according to birth records (see below).  I'll have to go and check out the area when I'm back in England. There is a beautiful picture of the organ on Flicker - I will look up the link.

Grandad was Eddie Truett. Nana and grandad lived at 2 Bleng Avenue, Corkickle for as long as I knew them but prior to that lived up on Basket Road where my mum Sally was born. Grandad was at sea for several years and then worked at the coal mine that went under Whitehaven Harbour. We would go to the coastguard house/s with grandad and probably met Jack and Tom then but I have no recollection of either (I think the coastguard hut moved from the pier to the old carpet warehouse when the docks were renovated and then again later to their current location at which point grandad was "retired" even from his role as the body to be rescued!).

Father was William Scott Truett (born Kelswick Lane) whose family lived variously at the following addresses (bmd records):

1881 lived at 15 Windmill Brow, Whitehaven where William Beck Truett was born (4 months after parents marriage record)
1981 lived at 3 Townsley Court, Queen Street, Whitehaven
1899 lived at 4 Bacons Court, Charles Street, Whitehaven
1901 lived at 3 Couson’s(?) Court, Peter Street, Whitehaven
1902 lived at 22 Albion Street, Whitehaven
1904, 1907 and 1910 lived at 1 Bacon Court, Charles Street, Whitehaven
1914 lived at 17 Foundry Road, Parton
1916 and 1918 lived at 127 Queen Street, Whitehaven

William Scott Truett is recorded as a coalminer by the birth of his second child (1901 - John Joseph) while his father John Truett was a mariner so it seems there was a history of switching between the two professions.

I will be starting to look at this again next year when my son goes to school and I have more time as there are lots of gaps in my research. Would love to keep in touch.

Offline Geoff-E

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Re: Whitehaven Town Mission and "slums"
« Reply #14 on: Monday 19 December 11 08:16 GMT (UK) »
1901 lived at 3 Couson’s(?) Court, Peter Street, Whitehaven

That's Cowan's Court. :)
Today I broke my personal record for most consecutive days alive.

Offline alkari

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Re: Whitehaven Town Mission and "slums"
« Reply #15 on: Monday 19 December 11 10:14 GMT (UK) »
Thanks Geoff. The writing was pretty bad and I hadn't had a chance to check it further yet. Am planning a full scale attack on my Whitehaven ancestors in the new year...... I seem to have lots of bits of paper without having made sense of them.

Offline Jos, Whitehaven

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Re: Whitehaven Town Mission and "slums"
« Reply #16 on: Monday 19 December 11 21:07 GMT (UK) »
Thanks for the update. While I was not sure, I felt some of the Truetts may have been linked to the Whitehaven Town Mission, which you have just confirmed. When I was trying to put together the story of William Scott ('Biff') Truett one or two of my relatives mentioned Eddie Truett was probably related, which you have also confirmed.

The Whitehaven Town Mission follows an evangelical tradition and has done since its foundation in the mid-19th century. There are some details about the Town Mission in the Whitehaven Archives Centre but not as much as the Church of England parishes, for example.

Best wishes to all and good luck for future research in 2012 and beyond.

Offline alkari

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Re: Whitehaven Town Mission and "slums"
« Reply #17 on: Thursday 05 January 12 03:13 GMT (UK) »
Hi Jos

Not sure about the extent of the Truett family's involvement in the Town Mission. Grandda (Eddie Truett) didn't attend services - His wife Ellen "Nellie" Truett (nee Jeffery) was the organist and would attend the Sunday evening services to play for as long as I can remember (although she was also involved with St Nicholas where I was baptised and I think was part of the sunday school staff there at one point as my cousins and I were there on the sunday my brother was born!). Nana was raised (I think) by Jonathan and Sarah Haile whom she spoke of as being strong church goers after the death of her father, Richard, when she was a child. The Jeffery/Gardiner family were Wesleyan (ex Egremont) based on marriage certificates.

Take care
Al