Ratten Row, Dearham, Cumberland

[Ruskie]

Maybe not temporary dwellings - I know you have a very detailed map, but not all buildings would have been marked. If it was temporary surely it wouldn't be named on the census? 

[hiyamarra]

Thanks for your continuing input Ruskie it's appreciated
I have 2 other ancestor families related to the ones I'm researching now 1 is recorded living in a tent  the other living behind the hedge so temporary accommodation is shown
Many of the residents of Ratten Row are basket makers, besom makers, pottery hawkers etc all trades of travellers/gypsies many  of the names, McKenzie, Keenan, Berry, Knowles are travellers names too
I guess what I am trying to determine is,was Ratten Row a travellers camp

[Ruskie]

I am very curious about this. As you said in your first post, 20 years in temporary accommodation is a very long time. Maybe there were shanty type dwellings in Ratten Row, and they were not marked on maps as they were deemed to be temporary or were omitted for other reasons? 

Have you tried asking local history societies and libraries? Maybe they know more about Ratten Row.

I hope you eventually get an answer.

[hiyamarra]

Yes I tried the local history society who knew of Ratten Row but had no details or info I've tried the local library too as well as Cumbria archives
Another guess is it was on land owned by Lonsdale pit as many residents worked as miners (including some of my hawker families) maybe the pit awners didn't want an encampment showing on their land.
Family memoirs record my G G Granfather built a brick house there but sold it to the pit giving him the money to expand the family enterprise go pot hawking. This went on to become a high class china merchant in nearby Cockermouth where they traded up to the 1970's
I have loads of info on the family except for how they arrived in England from Ireland and of course the story about Ratten Row

[Ruskie]

Your theory sounds logical. I know the mines provided housing for their workers - and it generally wasn't of a high standard. I am also wondering if perhaps Ratten Row was the name for a terrace of houses within a larger street which may be a reason it doesn't show up on maps. I've seen addresses as X Terrace, where it is simply a terrace of houses along a much larger street and is not on any maps. Something similar could be the case with Ratten Row being a row of houses ... maybe? 

[hiyamarra]

Dearham is a very small village with small clusters of houses, there is a very small terrace close to the pit head which I guess are the mines although I'm only guessing again. The map gives really good detail but does not name this terrace. I'll try counting the houses and compare to the number of houses on the census. Maybe get a clue that way

[clearly]

I have been quite fascinated by this seemingly easy question.  Its obvious from your Rootschat name that you hail from West Cumbria.  If you are still in the area, have you thought of knocking on doors where you think Ratten Row was. Some people might be able to access their deeds which would show a change of name from say Ratten Row to No67 Central Avenue. I only mention this because a similar thing happened to me in Carlisle and the first house I called at, the owner produced the deeds of his house and solved a mystery within minutes.

With the name Ratten, could this be an allusion to the basket makers who used rattan for strengthening their baskets?  Alternatively there was also "retting", I think, when flax was left in a pond to soften the stalks and make the threads used for linen, more easily obtainable. Presumably also the sellers of pots were also in Dearham because of the Wedgewood Pottery, founded by an offshoot of the famous family of potters.

Best of luck

[hiyamarra]

I spent 1/2a day in Dearham recently mainly in the church yard, I called into a couple of village shops to ask but no-one knew anything. I had hoped to find 2 old men sitting on a bench with their pipes and terriers but no luck
I have researched the pottery as this is where my ancestors bought their stock to sell in the villages around as well as Cockermouth. The pottery was called Jubilee pottery and was owned by the Ostle family who were local wealthy Quakers.
The Wedgewood connection came when Josiah Wedgewoods great uncle went to work at the Whitehaven pottery he found the skills were not good enough to produce the glazes he wanted so he moved to Jubilee pottery. I'm not sure how long for but it would be ore census, the 1841 census shows 2 of my ancestors from another family staying at the Ostle home as boys. There was obviously a strong connection. In st Mungos church records July 4th 1819 one of my ancestors daughters was baptised, her fathers occupation was potter.

[clearly]

Hmmm.  Really annoying that something so simple as a house address should be so difficult to locate..  Will pop into Carlisle Archives on Tuesday. Have one idea which might just produce a result.