5 Willow Terrace, Douglas

[MoragC]

In 1930 John Thomas Costain and his family moved to 5 Willow Terrace, Douglas, where John ran the shop (grocer's) on the ground floor.  My mother remembers an old baker's oven down in the basement and suspects that the shop must have been a baker's previously.

Does anyone know who had the shop in the 1890s or the period from 1901 to 1930 - or able to give me any tips on how to trace this information? JT Costain was in Liverpool as a baker's shop manager in the 1901 census, but Mum tells me that he worked at 5 Willow Terrace for the then shop owner before he was married  -which means some date before 1903.

Another question - JT Costain's wife was a Kewish, and while they had the shop at Willow Terrace, a Colonel Kewish popped in, and  explained that he had been involved in building it some years before.

Mum would love to know who he was and when the building was erected? I have found noone in my Kewish  researches who was a Colonel, although several were builders.

Can anyone help?

MoragC

[Frances_mnb]

Slack "streets of Douglas" dates most to c. 1889 - part was originally part of the older Wesley terrace of c.1850
occupants - try 1901 census or 1891 census

[MoragC]

Hi Frances,

I have mostly used Ancestry to date, and searching on an address didn't work very well when I tried looking for Willow Terrace months ago. However, I've just tried a different site, and in 1891 4 and 5 Willow Terrace are lumped together, but there are two grocer's assistants shown - so maybe the shop owner himself lived elsewhere, with some of the staff above the shop.

In 1901, the census jumps from 3 to 7 Willow Terrace, so no more clues there.

One of the grocer's assistants in 1891 was a John James Thomas from Arbory, which is where JT Costain came from, so maybe he heard about a vacancy from him.

Thanks for your help again

MoragC

[Frances_mnb]

Brown's directory 1894 gives under valuations the owners of property - my copy is elsewhere and I've only put Peel on my CD (guess I should do Douglas etc as well) that should give owner - otherwise you need access to rates books of Douglas for which I suspect you need be on Island

[MoragC]

Frances,

I'll be over for two weeks in May, so can check that out then.

Thanks for the tip.

MoragC

[Frances_mnb]

in 1894 rates 5 willow terr rated as dwelling house owner john joseph corlett
all 8 houses are odd numbers 1-15

[MoragC]

Frances,

Thanks for looking this up for us - I can now look for JJ Corlett in the censuses of 1891 and 1901 for more information on him.

Much appreciated.

MoragC

[Frances_mnb]

you might be seeing a confusion in numbering - havn't checked the 1891 but if it numbers houses sequentially rather than the PO numbering (which I think was late 1880's for Douglas) which reflects current practice of odds one side + evens the other
1 = robt quale, 3 = wm kewley,7+11+15 = e kewish's estate,9 = wm shimmin 13 = thos kewish

[MoragC]

Frances,

John Joseph Corlett was living at 5 Willow Terrace in the 1891 census. He is near the bottom of the page, so what I found before was the next page, where the two grocer's assistants are listed. I never though of trying a previous page! So that answers one question.

And your information may also give a lead to the Kewish who built number 5. Maybe he built several of the houses there, but by 1891 5 Willow Terrace has been sold. The other numbers with the name Kewish against them certainly intrigue me, and suggest that as a possibility.

I'm not sure where to go next with that one, but perhaps back to the censuses to see if a Thomas or E. Kewish turns up who is a builder.

Family History is certainly like detective work!


MoragC