We've written, here, before about the inhabitants of
Claremont Road in 1881 - the first census taken after the start of construction
of the Woodgrange estate. This post takes a look at the census a decade later,
in an effort to see how the composition of the road had changed over the first
full decade of its existence.
In 1881 there were just 66 houses on the road (nos. 1-67 and
2-64). Ten percent of those were unoccupied. The road - only partially
constructed - had a large proportion of youngish residents and householders, so
60% of households had children under the age of 10.
 |
| Original deed to number 44, dated 1879. Purchased for £530, with annual ground rent of £8.80p |
The road was, of course, predominantly middle class and 83%
of households had live-in servants, others may have employed daily labour. Thirteen of the houses (22%) had two live-in
servants - usually a general "maid of all works" and a child care
worker (nursemaid, nanny etc).
Only four of the heads of household were women - three of
them were widows and described as "living on means" (pensions, rents
share dividends etc.). T he only economically active female head was Elizabeth Lollard of number 48. She was the
owner/head of a "ladies' college" - run from the house (see advert).
 |
| Number 48 today - a girls academy in 1891 |
A decade later
The Woodgrange estate was still under construction - and not
to be completed for at least three years. But house building progress had been
slow in the intervening decade. There
were only 98 houses registered in the census - a 50% increase.
The relatively small rise in completed houses (32) over a
decade can largely be explained by a slump in the construction industry in the
middle of the decade, that halted building for some while.
All of the 98 houses were occupied - in contrast to the 10%
vacancy rate 10 years earlier. Presumably the road was beginning to look a bit
less like a building site than it had done a decade previously, and doubts
about the viability or desirability of the street and estate as a residency had
been dispelled.
Sixty per cent of households had children of school age, or
lower - a slightly lower percentage than a decade previously.
 |
| Archibald Cameron Corbett - the Woodgrange estate's developer, and the drinking fountain bearing his name, outside Forest Gate station at the turn of the twentieth century |
Eighty per cent of households had servants, and 11 houses
had two servants; these figures - particularly the second are down on the 1881
figures.
Half of the houses without servants, interestingly were
among the even houses 2 - 22 on the road. In 1881 these same houses had a high
level of unoccupancy and a relatively low level of servant employment.
 |
| The end of Claremont Road c 1908.The apparently "less desirable" houses on the left hand side behind the tall trees and a little further down |
They were bombed during WW2, and so no longer survive. It can only be concluded that these were
perhaps of inferior construction or desirability and so were more difficult to
sell - or at least to attract the more prosperous householders.
Who lived in road in 1891
The short and obvious description is that they were
overwhelmingly middle class. Fifteen of the heads of household were described
as employers and twelve as "living on means".
Shipping and related activities accounted for six of the
heads - Claremont Road providing easy access to the docks for ships' officers
and those involved in the then-thriving shipbuilding trade in the southern part
of West Ham.
There were also three heads with occupational designations
such as "colonial traveller" - indicating the importance of the
colonies at the time. There were at least four other heads who were described
as "commercial traveller" - or similar.
With so many people associated with travel, or shipping, it
is perhaps not surprising that in five of the households the head was not
present on the day of the census - presumably they, too, would have been in
similar occupations, but away from home on the day of the count.
Number 18 is interesting, in this respect. There were only
servants living in the house at the time of the 1891 census - as there were in
1881. Conceivably the house was owned by people who lived abroad (in the
empire, or army?) and kept a servant at home, to look after it until their
return.
 |
| Forest Gate Weekly News, February 1899, offering free adverts for female domestic servants looking for work in streets, like Claremont Road. Interesting that wages sought are from £14 - £22 - per year, that is! |
Nine (10%) of households were headed by a woman - all but
one was a widow - and described as "living on means". The exceptional
woman - once again - was Elizabeth Lollard, of number 48, whose daughter, this
time, was described as owning the Ladies' College, run from the address - see
advert from 1899.
 |
| Woodgrange Academy for Girls, number 48 Claremont - sold 1899 |
The cases of numbers 18 and 48 point to some continuity of
ownership in the road. Seventeen of the 66 heads of household (25%) in 1881
were still running the house a decade later.
All 84 of the live-in servants were described as
"single" - two of that number being older and designated as
"widows".
West Ham - and perhaps Forest Gate in particular - has
always been a home to migrants and the 1891 census shows this quite
dramatically.
Only one of the 98 heads of households - Henry Bennett of number
94 - was born in West Ham. This is largely a consequence of the rapid
population growth of the area. The population of Forest Gate, at the time most
of the heads were born, was around 500 - it was fifty times that
number by this census. So - in comers overwhelmingly populated this rapidly
growing suburb.
 |
| Claremont Road, dated 1912 |
Twenty six heads of household gave their place of birth as
being London, ten Middlesex (most of which then, is what would now be described
as London), seven came from Essex, four from Surrey and three Kent.
Interestingly, quite a few came from much further afield -
five from Scotland, four Germany and two from each of Ireland and Holland and
one from France.
The "servants" were, perhaps unsurprisingly more
likely to be local. Thus seven gave West
Ham as their place of birth and 28 either London or Middlesex. Two thirds came from what we now call the
London and the home counties. Only two
were from very far afield - one from each of Ireland and Scotland.
Notably, 21 came from Essex and five from Suffolk - bearing
continued testimony of the pull of London to the displaced rural poor. It is almost as if the householders moved
east to Forest Gate (country retreat?) and the servants moved west (secure
employment?).
 |
| 'A maid of all works' - illustration taken from Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, 1879 |
The Forest Gate News five years later offered free
advertisements for "female domestic servants requiring situations".
The opportunity was taken up largely by young women from Essex, who sought
positions as "domestic servants" or "maids of all works",
for an average of £16 per year. They would have received full board and
lodging, in addition, for their six day, twelve hours labour.
Household composition in 1891
We have tried, as far as possible to summarise the census
data for each household and present it in a similar way for each house in the
list below. So, for each house we have identified the person described as
"Head of household". These are invariably are men - see above for
details and explanations of variations.
This is followed by the age given in the census for that
person, followed by the description of occupation listed in the census. An
"E" after an occupancy designation indicates that, according to the
census, that the person was an employer.
The birthplace of the head is then given, in an abbreviated
fashion. The total number of people in the household (excluding servants) is
then given and the number of children of school age or below is then cited.
Details of servants are listed, by name, age and place of
birth. Some conclusions to some of these
features is presented in the analysis, above.
NB. - and genealogists will be very familiar with this - the
census details are hand written and in this case by enumerators with very
hard-to-decipher handwriting. So, there
may be some misreading of the handwriting, particular with the exact spelling
of some of the people's names.
 |
| Claremont Road, dated 1913 |
Households - odd numbers
1. Head: John
Gray (50), occ: Examiner, Board of Trade,
b: Scot. # in household: 1, # of child: 0 . Servant: Margaret McEwan (29), b: Ire.
3. Head: Heskens
Baker (31), occ: Collector , b: Warks . #in household: 3, # of child:0 .
Servant: Florence Till (31), b:Worcs.
5. Head: Sidney
Tarrant (32), occ: Glove merchant (E)
, b: Lond. #in household:4 , # of child:1 . Servant: Jane Woodward (19),
b:Kent.
7. Head: Sarah
Calman (widow) (72), occ: Living on means , b:Ches . #in
household: 2, # of child:0 . Servant: Minnie Kelty (22), b: Essex.
9. Head: John Forecourt
(44), occ: Clerk at Bank of England , b: Worcs. #in household: 4, # of child:1
. Servant: Hepzibah Bougham (23), b:
M'sex.
11. Head: Thomas
Etherington (50), occ: Inspector, GPO , b: Herts . #in household: 2, # of
child: 0. Servant: Florence Matthews (16), b: W Ham.
13. Head: Thomas
Todd (36), occ: Marine engineer, b: Durham . #in household:4 , # of child:2 .
Servant: Mary Langdale (16), b: Kent.
15. Head: Jeffery
Stewart (26), occ Manager, sugar refinery: , b: Scot . #in household: 2, # of
child: 0 . Servant: Rosetta Beaumont (widow) (38), b: Lond.
17. Head Marion
Moss (widow): (66), occ: Living on means , b: Kent . #in household: 3, # of child: 2.
Servant: Mary Harris (27), b: Lond.
19. Head: Henry
Bishop (49), occ: Furrier (E), b:M'sex
. #in household: 4, # of child:1 . Servant: Sarah Binden (28), b: W Ham.
21. Head: William
Ferres (70), occ: Brewer's traveller , b: Berks . #in household:3 , # of child:
0. Servant: Mary Thomas (32), b: Lond.
23. Head: Henry Pearce
(46), occ: Commercial traveller, b: Lond. #in household:9 , # of child: 5 . Servant
Ellen Squires: (22), b: Norfolk.
25. Head: William Browning (48),
occ: Commercial clerk , b:M'sex . #in household:9 , # of child: 7. Two servants:
Sarah Raven and Grace Raven (21 and 12), b: Essex.
27. Head: John
Radcliffe (43), occ: Colonial broker clerk, b: Surrey. #in household: 4, # of
child: 2 . Servant: Mary Song (20), b:
Suffolk.
29. Head: Jules
Barly (44), occ: Civil engineer , b: France . #in household: 2, # of child: 2 .
No servants.
31. Head: Charles
Randall (46), occ: Railway superintendent , b: Suffolk. #in household:12 , # of
child: 4. Servant: Harriet Jewerson (20), b: Suffolk.
33. Head: Mary
Greenhill (widow) (71), occ: No details, b: Lond . #in household: 4, # of
child:0 . Servant: Emily Burbege (20), b: M'sex.
35. Head: David
Thomas (46), occ: Draper's commercial traveller, b: Wales. #in household: 6, #
of child: 4. Servant: Sarah Moore (35), b: Suffolk.
37. Head: George
Thorogood (64), occ: Living on means , b: Essex . #in household: 5, # of child: 0.
Servant Millicent Roost (16), b: Essex.
39. Head: George
Booth (48), occ: Insurance clerk , b Lond: . #in household: 3, # of child: 0.
Servant: Emily Clarke (35), b: Essex.
41. Head: John Atkins
(51), occ: Surveyor of customs , b: Yorks. #in household: 4, # of child: 0 .
Servant: Sarah Humphries (46), b: M'sex.
43. Head: Hamilton
Guernsey (43), occ: Insurance clerk , b: Surrey. #in household: 4, # of child:2
. Servant: Ella Hart (21), b: M'sex.
45. Head: James Everett (42),
occ: Commercial traveller, b: Essex . #in household:4 , # of child: 2 . Two servants: Kate Layer (21), b: Surrey and Harriet
Lucking (15), b: W Ham.
47. Head: Thomas
Spencer (78), occ: Retired master mariner, b: Yorks. #in household: 2 , # of
child: 0. No servants.
49. Head: William
Later (46), occ: Elementary school master (it would appear that he and his wife
owned/ran an elementary school), b: Lond. #in household: 7, # of child: 3.
Servant: Emma Banes (19), b: Lond.
51. Head: Edward
Finkensstadt (58), occ: Living on means, b: Germany (naturalised British. #in
household: 7(inc 2 journalist sons), # of child: 1. Servant: Mary Crompton (16),
b: Derbys.
53. Head: Andrew
Scheerbohm (29), occ: Fur salesman, b: Holland. #in household:3 , # of child: 1.
Servant: Kate Standen (28), b: Lond.
55. Head: William
Turner (50), occ: Living on means, b: M'sex. #in household: 5, # of child: 0. No
servants.
57. Head: Charles
Palmer (51), occ: Agent, woollen manufacturer, b: Lond. #in household: 5, # of
child: 0. No servants.
59. Head: Julian
Jacobi (48), occ Mercantile clerk: , b: Prussia . #in household: 5 , # of
child: 3. Servant: Sarah Bishop (28), b: Lond.
61. Head: Mary Scobie (head
not present) (41), occ: None given, b: Scot. #in household: 4, # of child: 3 .
Servant: Alice Prudence (20), b: Essex.
63. Head: Robert Wyatt (39),
occ: Brokers' clerk , b: M'sex . #in household: 7, # of child: 4. Two servants:
Annie Northcott (18), b:Cornwall and Emily Witham (18), b: Essex.
65. Head: William
Bewers (39), occ: Clerk, b: Essex. #in household: 4, # of child: 2.
Servant: Jessie Smith (17), b: Essex.
67. Head: Henry
Hollingsworth (32), occ: Architect, b: Lond. #in household: 7, # of child: 4.
Servant: Margaret Lake (22), b: Lond.
69. Head: HJ Hogg (widow) (55),
occ: None given, b: Lond. #in household: 6, # of child:0 . Servant: A Parks(14), b: Essex.
71. Head: Mark
Townsly (27), occ: None given , b: Ire . #in household: 2 , # of child: 0 .
Servant: Martha Williams (25), b: Hants.
73. Head: Martha Ingold
(head not present) (34),
occ: Schoolmistress, b: Surrey. #in
household: 5, # of child: 0.
Servant: Emma White (21), b: Unknown.
75. Head: Charles Hill (35),
occ: Clerk, b: M'sex . #in household: 6 , # of child: 1. Two servants: Annie
Tallock (26), b: Cornwall and Clara
Davies (16), b: M'sex.
77. Head: John
Templeton (49), occ: Master mariner, b: Scot. #in household: 6, # of child: 2 .
Servant: Rose Stokes (22), b: Essex.
79. Head: George Koster (60),
occ: Colonial traveller , b: Ger. #in household:9 , # of child: 7. Two servants:
Clara Edgar (Mother's helper) (19), b: Lond and Isabella Annandale (17), b:
Scot.
81. Head: Frederick
Wells (45), occ: Commercial traveller, b: Northants. #in household: 5, # of
child: 2. Servant: Kate Hills (20), b:
Lond.
83. Head: Joseph
Townsend (49), occ: Cashier , b: Warks . #in household:6 , # of child: 1.
Servants: Sarah Dean (21), b: Essex.
85. Head: Wentworth
Scott (54), occ: Journalist, b: Lond. #in household: 2, # of child: 0. Servant:
Annie Turner (22), b: Lond.
87. Head: John
Graham (48), occ: Agent for patentees, b: Scot. #in household: 10, # of child: 4.
No servants.
89. Head: Francis
Parker (34), occ: Factory manager, b: Somerset. #in household: 5, # of child: 2.
No servants.
91. Head: James
Pollock (56), occ: Consulting engineer, b: Lond. #in household: 10, # of child:
4. Servant: Annie Freedman (20), b: W
Ham.
93. Head: W
Tipson (46), occ: Rope maker (E), b: Warks.
#in household: 6, # of child: 2. Servant:
Kate Mitchell (21), b: M'sex.
95. Head: Edward
Shallis (42), occ: Warehouseman buyer, b: M'sex. #in household: 6, # of child: 4.
Servant: Alice Hall (19), b: Essex.
97. Head: Martha
Mosely (widow) (67), occ: Living on means, b: Lond. #in household: 3, # of
child: 1. Servant: Elizabeth Flynn (31), b: Lond.
Households - even numbers
2. Head: Frank
Edenborough (47), occ: Traveller , b: Lond. #in household: 4, # of child:0 . No
servants.
4. Head: Peter
Sharp (61), occ: Marine insurance accountant, b: Lond . #in household:4 , # of
child:0 . No servants.
6. Head: Herbert
Pate (33), occ: Merchant (E) , b: Cams . #in household: 5, # of child:3 . No servants.
8. Head: Matthew
Summer (53), occ: Director, b: Lancs . #in household: 8, # of child: 3. No servants.
10. Head: Elizabeth Grealey
(widow) (40), occ: Living on means, b: Hants . #in household: 2, # of child: 0.
No servants.
12. Head: William
Culaye (44), occ: Colonial merchant, b: Ire. #in household: 6, # of child: 3. No
servants.
14. Head: Thomas
Marriott (70), occ: Retired Inland Revenue , b: Warks . #in household: 6, # of
child: 3. No servants.
16. Head: Henry
Cooper (55), occ: None given, b: ??. #in household: 4, # of child: 1. Servant: Louisa
Randall (19), b: Essex.
18. Head: Head
not present , occ: ??, b: ??. #in household: 2, # of child: 0. Servant: Louise Wilton (25), b: W Ham.
20. Head: William
Dyer (33), occ: Silk warehouseman, b: Lond. #in household: 7, # of child: 3. No
servants.
22. Head: Elizabeth
Fardell (43), occ: , b: Living on means. #in household: 5, # of child: 4. No servants.
24. Head: Frances Lucas
(widow) (57), occ: Living on means, b: Oxon. #in household: 3, # of child: 0.
Servant: Jane Quelch (38), b: Essex.
26. Head: Edward
Blower (49), occ: Architect, b: M'sex . #in household: 5, # of child: 0.
Servant: Susanna Colby (17), b: Essex.
28. Head: Albert Jones
(widower) (47), occ: Advertising contractor (E), b: Surrey. #in household: 3, #
of child: 1. Servant: Sarah Harman -
housekeeper - (widow) (65), b: M'sex.
30. Head: John King (34),
occ: , Civil engineer b: Lancs. #in household: 4, # of child: 2. Two
servants: Ellen Hadden (25), M'sex;
Frances Conistake (16) (nursemaid), b: M'sex.
32. Head: Elizabeth Harris (head
not present) (37), occ: No details,
b: Devon. #in household: 6, # of child: 2. Servant: Mary Crabb (19), b: Essex.
34. Head: Frederick
Machon (29), occ: Living on means, b: Lond. #in household: 2, # of child: 0.
Servant: Kate Fuller (21), b: Suffolk.
36. Head: Michael
Brady (46), occ: Warehouseman, b: Ire.
#in household: 6, # of child: 0. No servants.
38. Head: John
Lussinger (46), occ: Secretary, public company, b: Lond. #in household: 6, # of
child: 3. No servants.
40. Head: William Cowell (28),
occ: Oil Manufacturer (E), b: Essex. #in household: 5, # of child: 3. Two servants:
Fanny Allen (19), Bucks and Emily Allen (17), b: Bucks.
42. Head: William
Burrough (42), occ: Manager, brass works, b: Lond. #in household: 3, # of
child: 0. Servant: Frances Hawke (22),
b: Yorks.
44. Head: Henry
Kitchen (60), occ: Clerk, b: Lond. #in household: 7, # of child: 1. Servant: Florence
Hart (14), b: Lond.
46. Head: Frederick
Clarke (28), occ: Boot and shoe manufacturer, b: Lond. #in household: 2, # of
child: 0. Servant: Martha Groves (19), b: Berks.
48. Head: (54),
Elizabeth Lollard occ: None given, but her daughter, living with her, was
principal of Ladies' College, b: Essex . #in household: 4, # of child: 1.
Servant: Gertrude Corby (17), b: Lond.
50. Head: Alfred
Bays (55), occ: Commissioning agent, b: Cambs. #in household: 4, # of child: 0.
No servants.
52. Head: Frederick Bliss (36),
occ: Clerk, b: Lond. #in household: 5, # of child: 3. Two servants: Annie Cameron - mother's help - (18) W Ham;
Fanny Barron (20), b: Surrey.
54. Head: Adriannus
Stuart (42), occ: Commissioning agent (E), b: Holland. #in household: 7, # of
child: 4. Servant: Annie Madam (15), b:
Lond.
56. Head: Henry
Cunningham (32), occ: Clerk - GPO, b: Lond. #in household: 2, # of child: 0.
Servant: Mary Street (20), b: Yorks.
58. Head: Michael
Huth (38), occ: Tailor (E), b: Bavaria. #in household: 7, # of child: 5.
Servant: Emma Harris (16), b: Lond.
60. Head: Thomas Dowby
(widower) (75),occ: Civil servant (retired), b: Kent. #in household: 4, # of
child: 0. Servant: Emma Clarke (17), b:
Essex.
62. Head: Richard
Beal (36), occ: Merchant (E), b: Kent. #in household: 8, # of child: 5.
Servant: Emily Potter (18), b: Essex.
64. Head: Isaac Collino (49),
occ: Managing Director, Lamp manufacturer (E) , b: Lond. #in household: 7, # of child: 5. Servant: Sarah Plews (nursemaid) (15), b: Lancs.
66. Head: Stewart Russell (32),
occ: Civil engineer, b: Lond. #in household: 3, # of child: 1. Two servants: Mary
Searle - widow(40), Lond; Sophia Golding
(19), b: Lond.
68. Head: Joseph
Preistley (46), occ: Accountant , b: Lincoln. #in household:7 , # of child: 5. No
servants.
70. Head: Charles
Gray (35), occ: Inspector of agents, b: Sussex. #in household: 3, # of child: 0.
Servant: Ada Castor (31), b: Lond.
72. Head: William
Stewart (62), occ: Engineer's agent, b: Yorks. #in household: 3, # of child: 0.
No servants.
74. Head: William
Beal (50), occ: Optician (E), b: Essex. #in household: 7, # of child: 1.
Servant: Elizabeth Pamplin (35), b: Essex.
76. Head: William la Rivrene
(44), occ: , Surveyor b: M'sex. #in household: 6, # of child: 4. Two servants: Elizabeth Root (22) W Ham; Beatrice
Tuffield(17), b: Surrey.
78. Head: William Knight (49),
occ: Linoleum manufacturer (E)3 of his employees seem to have been living with
him, b: Berks. #in household: 10, # of child: 2. No servants.
80. Head: James
Fife (60), occ: Accountant, b: Lond. #in household: 11, # of child: 6. No servants.
82. Head: Ellen Nade - head
not present (39), occ: None given, b: Yorks. #in household: 4, # of child: 3.
Servant: Jeanette Johnson (22), b: W
Ham.
84. Head: Henry
Rice (64), occ: Schoolmaster (E), b: Cumberland. #in household: 2, # of child: 0.
No servants.
86. Head: Harry
Jowett (39), occ: Income tax assessor, b: M'sex. #in household: 10, # of child:
6. Servant: Emily Farley (18), b: Hants.
88. Head: Mary Stapleton -
widow and head (36), occ: Living on means, b: LOnd. #in household: 4, # of
child: 2. No servants.
90. Head: John
Page (36), occ: Clothing manufacturer (E), b: Norfolk. #in household: 6, # of
child: 4. Servant: Eliza Constable (25),
b: Essex.
92. Head: Eliza Burnett -
widow and head (58), occ: No occupation: two sons, both button dealers , b: M'sex.
#in household: 6, # of child: 0. Servant:
Annie Ratcliffe (17), b: Kent.
94. Head: Henry
Bennett (29), occ: Living on means, b: W Ham. #in household: 2, # of child: 0.
Servant: Alice Maycock (30), b: M'sex.
96. Head: Joseph Owen (36),
occ: Steamship agent (E), b: Lond. #in household: 5, # of child: 3. Two servants:
Elizabeth Vigis (22), Essex; Phoebe Felton (20), b: Warks.
98. Head: Sarah
Thompson - head not present (44), occ: ??, b: Lond. #in household: 5, # of
child: 3. Servants: Edith Persuits (15),
b: Suffolk.
great
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