Hello,
My GG Grandparents (Thompson) are shown as living at Westoe Village in the 1851 census with 10 children and the brother of the wife (a total of 13). 1861 has them also living at Westoe Village with 2 children, but also an older married son plus wife and 3 children are also at Westoe Village. 1871 census has the married child plus wife and 2 children living there although GG Grandparents have now moved away. I always assumed (never assume!!!) that Westoe Village meant the area of South Shields that is the (now) a suburb of South Shields and couldn't understand why no street name was listed. On a recent visit to SS I stumbled across Westoe Village, which is actually a street (it runs off Sunderland Road and parallel to Horsley Hill Road). Walking along the street one side has new houses while the other side has large elegant houses one which has the date of 1891 on it. It is described on Wikipedia as built in the Georgian & Victorian period and is the most exclusive area in South Shields. Snag is my GG Grandparents and children were all labourers and not the type to be living in that street. Does anyone have knowledge to what housing was here before the rich started building their abodes?
Many thanks
Paul Thompson
