What does I mean? - researching the Davenports of Radcliffe

[aggiebagwash]

I'm researching the Davenports of Radcliffe and on the 1841 census William Davenport 24 and wife Mary 25 are living in Stand Lane, Radcliffe with son Abraham age 18 months.

On later censuses William gives his occupation as 1851 Cotton Dyer, 1861 as Cotton Dyer and and Manufacturer, 1871 as Cotton Manufacturer, 1881 as Manufacturer but on the 1841 census his occupation just says I. I thought at first it could mean Ind but I noticed that a lot of the men on the page had the same I for occupation but not all of them. I then looked at the whole of the census for the area and many , many men have them same occupation listed as I. Does anyone know what it could mean?

[stanmapstone]

I think it is either "L" for labourer, or "S" for servant.

Stan

[aggiebagwash]

Thanks Stan I couldn't decide of it was an L or an I but it does seem strange that there were so many Labourers or Servants in such a small area.

I've had another look at the census and on the previous page the names Joseph, James and Jane all look like the same letter so it could be a J.

[stanmapstone]

The official abbreviation  for  Journeyman in 1841 is J which is what it will be.

Stan

[stanmapstone]

These are the official abbreviations used in the censuses


Ag. Lab. 1841-81 Agricultural labourer
Ap. 1841-61 Apprentice
Army 1841 Members of HM land forces of whatever rank
Cl. 1841-61 Clerk
FS. 1841 Female servant
H.P. 1841 Members of HM armed forces on half-pay
Ind. 1841 Independent - people living on their own means
J. 1841 Journeyman
M. 1841 Manufacturer
m. 1841 Maker - as in 'Shoe m.'
MS 1841 Male servant
Navy 1841 Members of HM naval forces, including marines,
of whatever rank
P. 1841 Pensioners in HM armed forces
Rail Lab. 1851 Railway labourer
Serv. 1861 Servant
Sh. 1841 Shopman

Stan

[aggiebagwash]

Thanks Stan this family are a nightmare to research because they were non-conformists. I've had some contact with a person in New York who said the family were Unitarian's which will explain why I can't find them on any record other than censuses.

I can't even find a marriage for William to Mary on civil records but it would have been around 1839. On with the search.

[msr]

Did William marry Mary Lealand/Layland, also Fletcher in 1838?
 
I ask as there is an Abraham born in 1839, whose mother is recorded as both Fletcher and Layland.

[lancaster.jim]

Hi,

You have a problem here because the 1841 enumerator is not consistent in the way he forms his letters.  Looking at the image of the page opening, the address is Stand Lane but the 'S' is quite different on the two pages. 

The family below the Davenport entry is Jarvis with a son James.  Again the two initial 'J' are quite different.  On the facing page there are two John entries, John Kirkman and John Makins.  These two 'J' are similar to one another but differ from the other two.  The form of these two 'J' suggests to me that the occupation may be 'Journeyman' and that it was probably used as equivalent to labourer.  There are 9 of these 'J' entries on this page opening, together with two coal miners and a coal dealer, so this looks rather like an industrial area.  Have a look at http://maps.nls.uk/view/102344051  In the top right hand corner you will find Radcliffe.  On the south side of the river is Radcliffe Bridge with Stand Lane going south-east from the bridge.  The area has several dye works, coal pits, etc.

You may need to be aware that Stand Lane at this time was part of the Township of Pilkington in the Parish of Prestwich, and was not in the Parish of Radcliffe.  There is a very useful explanation of the geography of the Hundred of Salford at around 1830 at 'Mancuniensis' (http://www.mancuniensis.info/ )

>a person in New York who said the family were Unitarian's which will explain why I can't find them on any record other than censuses.

There was an Independent chapel in Stand very early (??before 1700) and in about 1790 the independent chapels in the country gathered into two separate groups, Unitarians and Trinitarians, with the latter splitting into Congregational and Presbyterian.  The bulk of the Stand Independent congregation became Unitarian (Stand Unitarian Church) and the remainder left and formed Stand Lane Congregational Chapel (now Stand Lane URC Church).  These appear on the map with Stand Lane URC Church further south on Stand Lane opposite 'Chapel Field' and labelled Independent Chapel, and the Stand Unitarian Church further south still and just off Stand Lane, labelled 'Presbyterian Chapel. Both still exist today.

Hope this helps

Jim Lancaster (Bury, Lancs.)

[lancaster.jim]

Further to the reply from MSR.  LancsBMD has -

Lancashire Birth indexes for the years: 1839
Surname   Forename(s)   Sub-District   Registers At   Mother's Maiden Name   Reference

DAVENPORT   Abraham   Pilkington   Bury   LAYLAND   PILK/2/93

As this birth occurred in Pilkington this entry will be the child listed in the 1841 Census.  The same source shows that his parents married in 1838 in St Mary the Virgin, Prestwich -

Lancashire Marriage indexes for the years: 1838

Lancashire Marriage indexes for the years: 1838
Surname   Forename(s)   Surname   Forename(s)    Church / Register Office   Registers At   Reference

DAVENPORT   William   LEALAND   Mary   Prestwich, St.Mary   Bury   CE18/2/67


MSR's note could mean that Mary was a widow when she married William but there is nothing in these indexes to suggest that.  However, the marriage index did not always record alternative surnames.

Hope this helps,

Jim Lancaster (Bury, Lancs.)