Help needed tracing ancestor in the 1840s in Soho

[deejayEn]

I was trying to find my ancestor Thomas Grant (b1814) on the 1841 Census. He married in June 1841 and the baptism of his child Thomas Herbert in 1845 reveals that the family lived at 5 Pulteney Court in St James Westminster. Frustratingly I can't seem to locate this address on the 1841 census - I wanted to see who else lives with him before he married and what his profession was. I read on another blog that some parts of the census are missing and I wondered if this was a part that was. However a look on FindMyPast had a list of missing areas but this didn't seem to be one of them.

I found a voting register for 1841 and rate books for 1839-1848 that show that the resident was a George Liffiter which was motre-or-less the time period Thomas was living there. In fact Mr Liffiter seems to leave the residence a couple of years after Thomas Grant moved to another address. This intrigued me - is there a connection between the two men - but I can find no record of the name George Liffiter ever existing anywhere else.

I have hit a brick wall here, can anyone help me find Thomas on the census in 1841 (his job should say furniture deraler or broker) and find out who George Liffiter was?

[Neale1961]

Are you aware that he had a son named George Manfred Grant baptised in mid 1842.
His occupation was "broker" and his address was Pulteney ct.

[Neale1961]

When first laid out, the alley was known as Pulteney Court, but most of the streets in the area were renamed in the mid 19th-century, and that’s when it became Silver Place.
The name Silver Place was probably chosen as it runs on from what used to be called Silver Street, but is today Beak Street. It’s suggested that the former Silver Street was so named as it’s one block from Golden Square.

[deejayEn]

Yes I did know about George Manfred who sadly died of scarlet fever (scarlatina) along with two of his siblings as an infant later the same year. I wondred if there was a connectrion to the msyerious George Liffiter.

I have seen photos of Silver Place and the shop no 5 is still there. After Thomas left is became a hairdressers and amazingly is still a hairdressers now. I just can't find it on the 1841 Census.

[Bookbox]

Pulteney Court, St James Westminster, is missing from the 1841 census.

https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20091027142717/http://yourarchives.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php?title=Place:St_James_Westminster_Registration_District%2C_1841_Census_Street_Index_P-S

FindMyPast can't be relied on for this sort of detail - they list only whole pieces that are missing, not individual streets.

[deejayEn]

Thanks for that. Does that mean that those missing streets were never done at the time or have they just been lost or are unreadable?

[Bookbox]

Does that mean that those missing streets were never done at the time or have they just been lost or are unreadable?

All that can be said is that these missing streets/addresses were not included in the enumeration book when the census returns were filmed.

As regards George Liffiter, the rate books don’t show everyone living in the house – they show only the person who was assessed to the rate at that particular address. Many houses were multi-occupancy. There may be other individuals and families living there too.

The 1845 image that you posted is not a street directory but an electoral register – it shows only those who were eligible to vote in an election. Again, there may be other people at the same address who were not so entitled.

It is possible that there is no connection at all between George Liffiter and Thomas Grant.

[amondg]

Image of the marriage is on ancestry.

St. James Piccadilly, (St. James Westminster)

10 June 1841
Thomas Grant -WIDOWER- Broker   full age address Pulteney Court  - father Thomas Grant, Lab.

Catherine Taylor - spinster full age - address Cadogan Place? - father Roger Taylor, - Thatcher

witness William Hill and another I cannot decipher.

All could write

[deejayEn]

Yes I have seen that marriage cert thank you, it took place just 4 days after the census which is why I was keen to see what it said on the census.