Potteries Kensington

[fumblina]

Hi,

I have a baptism certificate for Oswald George Isaac Bernand (Burnand): 14 Jun 1878, St Andrew, St Marylebone. It gives the address as 27 George St, Portland Road.

I have interpreted that as being George Street in the Potteries slum area of Kensington just to the west of Portland Road. Henry Dickens Court, next to Avondale Park is what is now there. It can be seen among the brick fields on the 1865 OS map https://maps.nls.uk/view/103313015

This road later becomes Bangor Street and can be see on the 1893 map https://maps.nls.uk/view/101919804, now surrounded by houses.

The problem I have is that this Kensington 1874 Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington mentions Bangor Street, not George Street.
https://wellcomelibrary.org/moh/repo....1231%2C0.4384

This is the earliest mention of Bangor St in this record set. It is likely that it would still be referred to by its old name 4 years later? Particularly by someone new to the area.

If not can anyone suggest a different George Street for me - something nearer St Andrew's church would make more sense at it is out of the parish which seems unusual, but maybe that is why they specified Portland St?

Any suggestions to rescue them from "the most notorious road of the Notting Dale ‘Special Area’ slum." https://www.theundergroundmap.com/article.html?id=34643

Just to add, my initial thought was George Street just of Baker Street which is closer to St Andrews, but I don't know why they would put Portland Road if it was this one.

Thanks!

[suemalings]

Oswald George I Burnand's birth was registered in Hampstead in Sept qtr. 1878. Trying to find a census entry for him which may show an address. Any ideas of his parents names? His mother's maiden name was Higden, but I cannot find a marriage for Be(U)rnand and Higden.

Found i: Annie Higdon married Oswald Burnand 8 June 1873 St. John the Evangelist, Charlotte St. Camden. Odd though, although there is this entry and I should be able to see the marriage certificate. It does not seem to be showing. Perhaps someone else can find it.

[fumblina]

The only thing I can see is that the other George St is in the parish of St Paul Portman Square, which might have been misheard?

But #27 would be near the chapel and on the Booth poverty map this is marked as Middle class, well-to-do. For contrast Bangor Street is marked black: lowest class. vicious, semi-criminal!

If I'm honest slum tracks better with the rest of the family history than that. The father is a carman and a year later the family are living above the stables in the Red Lion Inn in Kilburn.


Linked to that I had been wondering if he was living in the slums and working as a carman - would that mean that he had his own horse and cart, or if he was employed by the railways would they have provided this?

[fumblina]

There is a fault on Ancestry where the record loads an incorrect image from the wrong dataset. This might be why it is not showing elsewhere?

There is a load of other children. His oldest sister was Florence 1874 and then Ellen 1874. Florence was baptised in St Pancras but poor Ellen wasn't baptised until after Oswald at about school age. I'm assuming they couldn't afford to get it done unless the child was sick and likely to die. I like that better than he got better treatment as he was the first son!

in 1881 they were in Kilburn and then they moved to Oxhey. The next set of 3 daughters got baptised together when the first of them were aged 4 too, so again about school age. In 1888 they were in Hammersmith and by 1901 Kensal Town.

I have seen the wedding certificate previously and they were living at 9 Tottenham St, St Pancras and in 1874 at 8 Whitfield St for Florence's baptism

[suemalings]

Where are they on the census? I can't find them, well I did find an Oswald as a widower, but don;t think that is the right one.

[fumblina]

1881 England Census
Class: RG11; Piece: 172; Folio: 52; Page: 5; GSU roll: 1341037; ED, institution, or vessel: 26

Oswald Burnard (28), married, Carman, head of household in Edgware Road Red Lion Stables in Hampstead registration district in London, England. Born in Marylebone, Middlesex, England.

There is Oswald and Annie, Annie's brother and mother and 4 kids include Oswald George Isaac, who is just George in this record.

[helachau]

Illustrated London News, 23 Dec 1871
By the direction of the Metropolitan Board of Works the following alterations of the name of streets in the metropolis will at once be made, and notice of the same forwarded to the Post Office Authorities - ....; George Street, Kensington to be renamed Bangor Street; George Street, Limehouse to be known as Brenton Street; ...."

London Street Name Changes
Former Name - George Street, St Ann's Road; Present Name - Bangor Street; Parish - Kensington; Date - pre 1912.

Re. street name changes they often took a long time to be accepted by the locals.

[helachau]

London Street Name Changes
Former Name - George Street, Bendall Street; New Name - Stalbridge Street; Parish - St Marylebone; Date - pre 1912
Former Name - George Street, Langham Street; New Name - Gosfield Street; Parish - St Marylebone; Date - pre 1912. This is quite close to Portland Place.

[Jomot1]

There are a few newspaper references to George Street, Portland Road around the 1870's, and they all lead back to the same census place:

The Elgin Courant, and Morayshire Advertiser dated 17 February 1871 has the following:

FOCHABERS - PRIZE FOR GRAINING - In the final list of awards at the recent Workmen's International Exhibition, London, we note the name of Mr John Duncan of 6 George Street, Portland Road, London, who stands credited with second prize for his painted imitations of woods and marbles. The position of Mr Duncan (who is the son of Mr Charles Duncan of this place)[etc etc]

The 1871 census at 6 George Street, Portland Place, Marylebone: RG10, Piece 152, Folio 22, Page 37
John Duncan 32 Grainer b Scotland

The Leicester Chronicle 2 July 1870 carries an article about Daniel Steel a foreman of bricklayers and his wife of 24 George Street, Portland Road, London
1871 census at that address (RG10, Piece 152, Folio 28, Page 49)
Daniel Steel 56 Bricklayer b Norfolk

Going back a few years, the Weekly Dispatch (London) 3 March 1867 mentions the Swan Public House at George Street, Portland Road, and in 1871 on the same census piece (RG10, Piece 152, Folio 20, Page 34)
Eliza Wells 40 b Wells, Somerset, Tavern Keeper "The Swan"

Skipping back to the page with the Description of the Enumeration District, it says "Bounded on the North by Upper Marylebone Street, on the East by Great Titchfield Street, on the South by Langham Street, and on the West by Langham Place and Portland Place"

It then goes on to give more specific details about which house numbers are included, and mentions Portland Place, George Street and Great Portland Street (but no Portland Road).

The Enumeration District is No. 11, All Souls.

[Jomot1]

The Swan mentioned above is also described in the newspapers as being at "George Street, Portland Street, Langham Road", so this appears to be George Street in the middle of the map, next to All Souls School:

https://maps.nls.uk/view/229950152#z...6878&layers=BT

By the time of the Charles Booth Poverty Maps it appears to have been renamed Gosfield Street (per post #8) and is described as "Mixed. Some comfortable others poor"