Oyster trade 19th century Newcastle

[HH]

Can anyone throw any light on this topic?
From the 1851 census, I have Eliza Gray who gives her occupation as "dealer in oysters". She is a widow, age 41, born Newcastle, living in the All Saints district with her children. She would appear to be living in Mile End Stepney Middlesex in the 1861 census with one daughter and a grand-daughter.
I would love to find out more about this lady and how this trade operated in Newcastle at that time.
HH

[walkerpete]

Newcastle nowadays is not somewhere that one would associate with oyster fishing and I have never seen a reference to oyster beds in the vicinity in the 20th century. Native oysters were grown at Holy Island until comparatively recently however.
Eliza Gray probably got her stock from out of town. From the c18th onwards oysters were sent to Newcastle and other industrial towns from oyster fishing ports. In the Ordnance Gazetteer of Scotland, edited by Francis Groome, published in London, 1903, it is recorded that the parish of Prestonpans in Scotland exported oysters to Newcastle in the 18th century but the trade had dropped off by 1903.
In the 18th century they would probably have been sent by sea and possibly by rail after the 1850s.
I can probably get access to some early c20th accounts of oyster fisheries and I will report back if anything relevant comes to light.
Hope this is of some interest.
Pete

[HH]

Thanks Pete,
Please bear in mind, if you do look further, that it was the 1851 census in which she gave that as her occupation. No other references are made to it. That date would tie in with what you found out.
I hope you can enlighten me further!
HH

[walkerpete]

Hello HH

Spent some time over lunch looking for information on oysters around Newcastle and came up with very little (actually zero).

There is a fairly recent book which has an interesting  chapter on 'The mid-19th century oyster boom in Britain' which you should be able to get at your local library or  on inter-library loan.

The English, The French and The Oyster. Robert Neild. 1995. Quiller Press Ltd. London ISBN 1 899163 12 3

This should give you a background to oysters in this country.

Best wishes

Pete

[Michael Dixon]

Oysters...

I know it is as late as 1881, but doing a search on Ancestry on Census 1881 by using search criteria of England and "oyster" in occupation field , will reveal about 850 folk who worked with oysters...   adding the criterion of "northumberland" will reveal that county's oyster folk.... or any other county's.

Today in Newcastle "oysters" are back "in".  £13.95 for 12 served on ice

Michael Bacon-Sandwich Dixon

[walkerpete]

Michael

The oysters you mention are likely to be  farmed , introduced , rock oysters (Crassostrea gigas) not the native oyster (Ostrea edulis) which Eliza Gray would have dealt in. I'm told that natives taste much better - I can't tell the difference.

Pete

[HH]

Has this discussion been taken out of my hands?!
Once I'm back from my holiday, I'll seek out that book, Pete. It sounds just the thing. (I see we are living in the same part of the world, incidentally.)
HH

[walkerpete]

Just keeping the momentum up!

Have a nice holiday!

It's an interesting book. I've been reading bits at lunch times.

Pete

[JenB]

A search of Whellan's 1855 History, Topography and Directory of Northumberland at at http://www.historicaldirectories.org/hd/index.asp reveals the following Oyster Dealers in Newcastle on Tyne:

Atkinson, F. H.  Shakespeare St.
Hains, A. High Bridge
Brown, T. 64 Blackett St.
Macrun, E. 9, High Bridge
Mosey, R. 50 Westgate St.
Rhodes, Saml. 21 Union Street.
Robinson, J. 9, E. Clayton St.
Steel, C.H. 1, Shakespeare St.
Teasdale, W. 37 Grainger St. and 37 Collingwood St.

Jennifer