1891 census or earlier pls

[kerryb]

Di

If you try http://www.old-maps.co.uk/ and put Percy Main into gazateer it comes up.  You can have a modern map of the same area too.  I've had a quick look and there is a stream called Coble Dean!?

Kerry

[Lady Di]

 Hi Kerry,

I'll look that up and then at least I'll know just where this family came from and went to - and it's hubby's family so I'm trying to make sense of them all.

Now off to check IGI, FreeBMD and all the others to see if I can get some sort of confirmation prior to getting a cert or two (and he's gonna pay this time  )

Thanks a lot

Di

PS You're a long way from home - what you doin' this far up north? 

[kerryb]

I thought the weather might be better up that way!!!   It's blowing a gale and this funny wet stuff keeps falling out of the sky!!

Oh and getting my money worth from my ancestry subs!!

Kerry

[Lady Di]

Well, I hope the weather was to your liking. It's a long way to "travel" for a bit of sun though 

We are having lovely mild perfect weather - but I wont rub it in 

I'm pleased to hear that someone is getting their money's worth from an Ancestry sub!!

All the best
Di

[Michael Dixon]

Got to add a boring bit for the sake of geographic accuracy.


COWPEN was both an area ( a Township* of the "ancient parish of Horton ),  and a place ( a small village) .. just like New York LOL !

* A Township was a sub-division of a parish... so the hierarchy of places was County>Parish>Township> Town/Village etc.

The Storeys lived in the area of Cowpen (Township) but not in Cowpen ( the village)

Just about 2 miles west of the centre of Cowpen Village a colliery village of Bebside had grown up (from 1850s) around a coal pit.

As the pit expanded more houses were built for additional incoming miners.

When the pit expanded again as more underground "faces" were opened, there was no room to build in Bebside, so a community was started about half a mile north from Bebside on the road to Bedlington (Station), close to the south bank of the River Blyth.

Earlier,  before it had ceased to exist, the Bedlington Ironworks* and it's workers had occupied both banks (the Bebside side making locomotives, the Bedlington side making railway lines, aided by engineers like Stephenson)

Some miners inhabited some of the now empty ironworkers homes.

This new overflow community became know as BEBSIDE FURNACE, taking it's name from the old Ironwork's smelting furnace.

An alternative name was Bedlington Ironworks, although it was not in/at Bedlington

Sea View was one of the terraced rows at Bebside Furnace.
BricK Row was another.

So for C1881 and C1891 the storeys were at Bebside Furnace.

By C1901 they have moved across the river, but not very far, to Bank Top, Bedlington Station, which looked down on the river in the ravine below.

Today there is a pub there called The Bank Top .

* Bedlington Ironworks is credited with the invention of maleable iron which permitted railways rails to be much longer that before ( other companies efforts snapped) and helped the rapid word-wide expansion of the railways.

On C1851, I think William is 14, in Cullercoats (village) , his birth place. with parents William and Mary, Ref 2410-45-33

Cullercoats lies on a tiny bay, between Whitley Bay and Tynemouth.

Fishing was the main industry here.. the fisherman used boats called COBLEs.

Michael Dixon, born....
Northumberland County,
Horton Parish
Cowpen Township
Bebside Colliery

[Lady Di]

Oh Michael, that is brilliant - thank you so much 

As a newey to the area, I was totally confused as so many places don't appear on some of my maps (or even "old-maps").

You have answered all my questions and even some I hadn't thought to ask.

I had seen the 1851 William Storey, Fisherman and had ignored him thinking (incorrectly) that the place was no where near Parcy Main etc and thought the father would have been a coal miner (wrong again - NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING!!)

Any tidbits of information about the area are VERY welcome and I would appreciate anything else you may have in your vast store of local knowledge.

Thank you so much

Regards
Di

[Michael Dixon]

A snippet....

Early census enumerators recorded people's "parish of birth" rather than " place of birth", thus confusing us modern researchers into incorrectly thinking our folk were inconsistent about where they were born.

another snippet...

Bebside pit died ( shut down) in about 1952/3. So all folk were moved out en masse, and all houses/hovels demolished.

In last hanfdul of years, builders have been new houses on the derelict site ( I wonder why)

Michael Dixon

[Lady Di]

Thanks Michael,

I guess that rules out visiting the old family home then!! 

Much appreciated 
Di

[Michael Dixon]

Di

Go to

>  communities.northumberland.gov.uk  <

Choose " Bedlington "

From left hand menu clip on "Ordnance Maps"

Choose the 1860 6" version.

To the left is Bedlington, to the right is the edge of the community of Bedlington  Station. (separate then, now as one ).....

Now about halway down the extreme right hand edge of map... see on the south side of the river..... two rows of houses ... Sea View and Paradise Row...

Unfortunately the map ends before we can see the rest of Bebside Furnace or any of Bebside Colliery...

Although your sharp eyes will see Bebside Hall (pulled down only two yrs ago) that Bebside was different to the Bebside Colliery.

Although it is difficult to perceive from the map.... The River Blyth ran through the bottom of a deep ravine... hence names like Bank Top... .

Michael