Author Topic: wife tending shop .  (Read 824 times)

Offline brigidmac

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wife tending shop .
« on: Tuesday 08 December 15 16:17 GMT (UK) »
Any ideas why a wife would be recorded  as being " shopkeeper" in Manchester  Rate Books in 1899   and also in Liverpool trade directories in 1902 + 1903
whereas on children's schoolrecords it is their father who is recorded as shopkeeper

On 1901 census the father is down as a draper ..no occupation is recorded for his wife .

Roberts,Fellman.Macdermid smith jones,Bloch,Irvine,Hallis Stevenson

Offline stanmapstone

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Re: wife tending shop .
« Reply #1 on: Tuesday 08 December 15 16:20 GMT (UK) »
What is her name?

Stan
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Offline brigidmac

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Re: wife tending shop .
« Reply #2 on: Tuesday 08 December 15 19:33 GMT (UK) »

I didn't put her name because I have other threads about this family
 I hoped for responses about how common it was for married women to run shops
 at that time
She's Mrs  Fellman Sana/Seina /Selina/Jane spelling of 1st name varies

1899 manchester Rates book has her as Selina Fellman 7 Bury New Road ,

1901 census has husband Samuel as a draper at 36 price st
2 daughters are listed as dressmakers but she is not listed as working

In Gore directory of 1902 she's Mrs Jane Fellman  dressmaker 36 Price st Birkenhead

her stepson / nephew  was my great grandfather George Jacob Fellman who was a general dealer at a nearby address in 1901
by 1911 he was a  travellling salesman

Maybe his father also travelled around getting supplies for their shops 
Roberts,Fellman.Macdermid smith jones,Bloch,Irvine,Hallis Stevenson

Offline stanmapstone

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Re: wife tending shop .
« Reply #3 on: Tuesday 08 December 15 21:56 GMT (UK) »

I hoped for responses about how common it was for married women to run shops
 at that time


In the 1881 census you can search by occupation and there were 142 female shopkeepers in Manchester, a number were married, you can't search just for married women . In 1911 there were 113, of which 46 were married.

Stan
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Offline Ruskie

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Re: wife tending shop .
« Reply #4 on: Tuesday 08 December 15 23:02 GMT (UK) »
He can be both a draper and a shopkeeper (running a draper's shop perhaps) ... she can be both a dressmaker and a shopkeeper. It was not unusual for married women to run shops.

Offline brigidmac

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Re: wife tending shop .
« Reply #5 on: Wednesday 09 December 15 00:07 GMT (UK) »
Thanks Ruskie + Stan

I wonder if wives professions were frequently left off censuses just because census taker didn't think to ask.in 1901

trade directories may be more reliable .


The other relation i had running a  general shop was in  Cardiff in 1911, she  was a widow.
Roberts,Fellman.Macdermid smith jones,Bloch,Irvine,Hallis Stevenson

Offline Ruskie

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Re: wife tending shop .
« Reply #6 on: Wednesday 09 December 15 04:05 GMT (UK) »
Probably. Or women's work was not important, or they were presumed not to be working. :-\

I expect with businesses such as shops, the shop work would have been fairly equally shared between husbands and wives, but it is likely to have been the man's name above the door, and also listed in directories. There are exceptions to this of course.


Offline stanmapstone

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Re: wife tending shop .
« Reply #7 on: Wednesday 09 December 15 08:39 GMT (UK) »
Thanks Ruskie + Stan

I wonder if wives professions were frequently left off censuses just because census taker didn't think to ask.in 1901

The enumerator did not fill in the schedule (except for two sections) it was filled in by or on behalf of the head of the family. It is a common myth that a census enumerator knocked on doors and asked who was present, and then wrote down the details, often miss-hearing, or miss-spelling. When the enumerator collected the schedules all he had to do was to to examine the schedule in order to satisfy himself that it had been correctly and completely filled up.

Stan
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Offline stanmapstone

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Re: wife tending shop .
« Reply #8 on: Wednesday 09 December 15 09:21 GMT (UK) »
You can see the Householder's 1901 Schedule at http://www.rootschat.com/links/01gmu/  and http://www.rootschat.com/links/01gmv/
It says "In compliance with the Census Act, this Schedule must be filled up by the OCCUPIER or person in charge of the house or tenement."

Stan
Census Information is Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk