Westwood, Monkton

[Grey Seagull]

Hi,

Relative gave address as Westwood, Monkton, Ayrshire in 1930s.

Anyone got any idea where this is?  Is it a house? An area? An institution?

Any help would be great.

[rosie17]

Have you tried Google ?
Rosie

[Grey Seagull]

Hi Rosie,

Yes, tried google under name of house (?) and resident, online directories (but outwith dates of known occupation), looked at some old maps.

Think local knowledge - or a trip to Ayrshire archives to see if they have directories of 1930s - is the key to unravelling this one.  Or maybe voter's rolls or sasines.....

[MonicaL]

.... Or maybe voter's rolls or sasines.....

Most roads lead back to SP at various points! 

Valuation rolls are being added to SP databases. Various years now available including 1930:

JANET ANDERSON FERGUSON AND MARY FERGUSON residing at Westwood, Prestwick Road, Monkton.
 
Property shows as a house.

There are other Westwood properties in Ayrshire at the time. This is the only reference to the name in Monkton in 1930.

Monica

[Grey Seagull]

Thanks Monica,

for doing the search.  Unfortunately not my people who are claiming to be there 1933-1938 - so hopefully 1940.

Will have a look at the valuation rolls on SP and see if I can find them.

Not being familiar with them, would the rolls help narrow down where exactly the house was?

Thanks again

[MonicaL]

Sorry, just got back after a few days away.

The valuation rolls would likely help in helping narrow down the location of Westwood by looking at surrounding entries and then referring to maps. Given your location, you may need someone to do this for you at a local level. The last valuation currently available on SP is 1930. They have only recently started to add this data online, long way to go still and not sure how up to date they will look to add this info online.

Monica 

[Grey Seagull]

Hi Monica,

Yes, had a look at SP and saw valuation rolls only go to 1930.

As you suggest, a manual search is the way forward - either of valuation rolls or perhaps voters' rolls.  However, sometimes people use names for houses when voters' rolls list numbers...

If only our ancestors had been a bit more thoughtful and stuck to one or always used both!!

[MonicaL]

Because Westwood, Monkton seems to show in the 1930 valutaion rolls, but not 1925 and before.

We can see from there that the house was in Prestwick Road. There are only 5 further entries showing in Prestwick Road, also houses and simply with names and no specific numbers:

Following Westwood, there are:

Fairholme
Runeknowe
Dragoon
Redcroft...Cassells resided there in mid 1930s www.grahametaylor.com/webtrees/individual.php?pid=I4919&ged=Taylor2014

These valuation rolls listings, like the enumerator's walk for census listings, tend to be always in order on the street. If in the countryside/rural, it still looks very much like a path taken.

What is the surname you have. Might help with searches.

Monica

[MonicaL]

https://archive.org/stream/ayrdistrictdirec1934ayra#page/274/mode/2up

This and the next page detail Prestwick Road in the 1934 Ayr District Post Office Directory. Maybe a search there by the surname you are looking at?

Have gone through the Prestwick Road (long old road) and no surnames showing from the 1930 valuation rolls show there which made be think that maybe it is not specifically Prestick Road that these houses may have been located on. There are a number of mentions to roads crossing over Prestwick Road, quite close to each other. These are Woodfield Avenue and Woodfield Crescent.

At 24 Woodfield Avenue is a James Cassells, school teacher which I thought might connect with the James Cassells living at Redcroft, Monkton, from what I linked above (www.grahametaylor.com/webtrees/individual.php?pid=I4919&ged=Taylor2014).

Below this entry, at 26 Woodfield Avenue, is a Mrs Mary Ferguson, wonder if she connects to the Mary Ferguson living at Woodside in 1930?

Just guesses really...

Why not contact the South Ayrshire archives via email and ask for assistance www.ayrshireroots.co.uk/Genealogy/Records/Archives/Archives.htm

Monica