Hi John
1851 - Farnsworth - District 3e of PrescotAll that part of the town of Prescot which comprises part of the Northern side of Hillock Street, (commencing at the East corner of Bond Street), Parker's Square, The Camp, the southern side of Hillock Street (including factory Yard, Shuttle Alley, The Long Row and Tan? Yard), the southern side of the Toll Barrs and part of the South side of Market Place and ending at Mr Thomas Bottons's shop.
1841 - District 5 of PrescotAll that part of the town of Prescot comprising part of the Northern side of Hillock Street, Parker's Square, The Camp, the southern side of Hillock Street, Factory Yard, Shuttle Alley, The Long Row, Tan Yard, Toll Barrs and part of the Southern side of the Market Place and ending at Mr Thomas Bottons's shop.
Beginning at the Bell House bottom of Bond Street and ending Threlfall's. (Threlfalls is the name of the people enumerated at the very last on this Book, who live on the Market Place).
Others have been looking into the same question...the upshot of these two links is, The Prescot Museum itself, acknowledges there is scant information on "The Camp', but that it was a very poor area and oft-times a pre-dominace of Irish - some think hard times in Ireland leading up to and during the Potato Famine gave rise to "The Camp".
http://www.liverpool-genealogy.org.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=6690&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0Prescot Museum has been back in touch with some interesting information. The Camp was what we would today call a refugee camp of sorts. Susan, it looks like you were spot on . Also, points to Tina for spotting the mostly Irish households on the 1861 census. People from Ireland who found themselves in the Prescot area formed what was originally supposed to be a temporary camp of dwellings on land between Eccleston and Hillock Street. http://www.sthelens-connect.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=46390The early census of 1841 and 1851 refer to a site off Kemble Street, or Hillock Street as it was then, which was known as “The Camp”. Lots of theories exist as to the exact make up of “The Camp”, but it is commonly accepted that it was little more than a shanty town, populated by poor Irish settlers. (Incidentally, if anybody has any firm knowledge of The Camp, I’d be delighted to hear from them).Further, an 1861 Census describes the address as
The Camp Hillock Street.
And, someone else turned up the possibility that Hillock Street was renamed Kemble Street
Cheers
AMBLY
