Ardgowan Square Greenock

[ikas]

Hi,

I am looking for information on the history of the building at 11 Ardgowan Square, Greenock - currently it is the Greenock RAF club. My ancestor worked there as a domestic servant in 1870's and I am trying to find out more about the family that employed her.

The 1871 census shows a Black family living at 11 Ardgowan Square. Looking at the building today I feel it must have been a very well off family that owned it in 1871 and I was wondering if they could have been relatives of the Blacks of Greenock (Tent Makers).

The census shows an Isabella Black (70yo), Jane (30yo), Archibald (10yo), and John (1yo) living at that address in 1871 but I have not been able to establish if they were relatives of Thomas Black.

Also any information on when the building was last used as a residence would be helpful.

Ian

[elaine447]

Hi Ian
I cant help with when the building was last used as a residence but
have you looked through these
there is a lot of Black's mentioned here
there is a birth to a Mr & Mrs Archibald Black born 7th April 1869(Slack) typing error I think
at 11 Ardgowan Square
there are also a lot of Black's around the same area
http://www.inverclyde.gov.uk/GetAsset.aspx?id=fAA3ADcANgAzAHwAfABGAGEAbABzAGUAfAB8ADAAfAA1

http://www.blacksleisure.co.uk/Corporate_Information/Company/Our_History/Default.aspx?id=97
this link is a little about the history of Blacks the tent makers
Elaine

[ikas]

Many thanks Elaine for your reply.

I had already seen the history of the family on Blacks corporate website but the dates for Thomas Senior and Junior did not seem to fit with the ages for the family at 11 Ardgowan Square in the 1871 census.

However your other link to the BMD pdf  has almost certainly provided the answer. The entry you referred me to (birth of son to Mr and Mrs Archibald Black in 1869)  corresponds to the 1 year old boy appearing on the 1871 census.

Elsewhere in the pdf there are entries for Thomas Black junior and Thomas Black senior  staying at 20 and 33 Ardgowan Street which are close-by to the square.

Seems likely to me therefore that the Archibald Black at 11 Ardgowan Square was a relative. Anyway plenty information in your link to keep me busy so will dig further!

Thanks again

Ian

[byker]

Looking for James? Smith living at 11 Ardgowan Square Greenock in 1929?

He was the informant on the death of Margaret James Smith's (nee Sheach) death in 1929 Edinburgh, he was recorded on death certificate as her nephew

Denise

[Grey Seagull]

Hi!

Am trying to decipher the numbers at Ardgowan Square at the moment!

The 1873 PO directory shows retired shipowner A J (Archibald) Black living at 11: directories from 1881 to 1901 show him living at 16.  I think they only had one servant.

As several families lived on the Square for an extended period, it seems unlikely that they would all move around the Square over the same 10 year period so I would suggest the houses have been re-numbered since 1881.  They have again been renumbered since 1901.

I am currently thinking that today's No 11 or RAF Club was previously No 8 and was the home of W.J Marshall MD; earlier it was or he lived at No 16.  The census I looked at - 1891 I think - on Ancestry had quite a lot of occupants, and apart from Nos 1 and 5 (Mansion House and Tontine), this is the biggest house on the block.  And more than one servant.

Would be happy to know if anyone else knows how the numbers on this Square work!

[ikas]

Hi Grey Seagull,

I suspect you are correct in thinking the buildings in Ardgowan Square have been renumbered in the past. The 1871 census shows seven wealthy families living (renting) at number 11 along with their servants. The current building at number 11 (RAF club) does not seem large enough to accommodate those listed in 1871 census. However to confuse the issue the RAF club is listed currently as 11B and as far as I can see there is no 11A. I have trawled through various books on Greenock to clarify the issue without success.

Unfortunately the “new” software on SP does not enable a search by street in a census. This facility, available in Centres like the Mitchell and Edinburgh using DIGROS, has been lost as the centres now use the same software as you use at home. This makes it more difficult to investigate this kind of issue. It is annoying when useful functions are lost in the name of progress. It was the only way I knew to find wrongly indexed census records and I found it very useful in the past.

In the intervening 10 years since my OP I have established that AJ Black of number 11 in 1871 and number 16 in 1881 is not related to the Blacks of Greenock. A descendant of the Blacks has a very detailed and comprehensive family tree and kindly shared it with me. They had two live-in servants in 1871 (one my ancestor) and from memory (I am away from home at the moment) one in 1881 census.

[Grey Seagull]

Hi!

Have now done more research and think I have got a handle on the numbers and the people who lived on this square.

If you let me know your ancestor’s details, I will get back to at the end of the week with info and a pic of the house where I believed she worked.

Research currently hampered by local archive being partly in storage so can’t check local maps, valuation rolls nor sasines for final evidence but can at least point you to the right side of the square.

[ikas]

Hi Grey Seagull,

My ancestor worked as servant to AJ Black family at 11 Ardgowan Square in 1871 census. Black was a Feuer. From memory there are several families listed at that address (working away from home at the moment so notes not available) and their occupations suggest they were all wealthy. All had at least one live-in servant. I extracted the 187(5?) valuation roll from the Watt some years ago. Again notes not here but AJ Black listed at 11 Ardgowan Square. 1881 census has the Black family at 16 Ardgowan Square but my ancestor had left by that time. I live locally so will be able to visit again but not for a while. If you can work out the number today for 11 it would be great. Thanks for your input.