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  1. #1
    LynneOz
    Guest

    Default Paviors in Manchester/Stockport early 1800s

    Hi
    Like lots of others, I have been working on my family for a loooonnnnngggg time. I have a family of Longdin who lived in central Manchester in the early 1800s. My branch of this family bred at least 3 generations of paviors.

    I realise that a pavior is someone connected with road building, but would like to know just what that entailed in 1830-1850. My principal fellow is William Longdin (1808-1846) who married Hannah Worrall on 2 Feb 1829 in Manchester Cathedral. He is listed on the record as a book-keeper. In 1841, William is living in Masons Court off Majors Street in the London Road district and he is listed as a pavior. Why someone would shift from book-keeping to building roads, goodness knows but his son and grandson followed him into this profession.

    It has occurred to me that since I believe Hannah Worrall was the sister of James Worrall, a surveyor who was involved in giving evidence to the inquiry into the Peterloo massacre, maybe this had something to do with William's interest in paving roads.

    I see from what little I can find on the internet that turnpikes really took off in this time frame and the understanding of how to surface roads so they drained well had taken some time (the Romans seem to have done OK ... why did it take everyone after that so long??)

    Any help would be lovely.

    Thank you

  2. #2

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    "On Monday morning last the paviors commenced operations to repave Exchange-street and the work was completed last (Friday) evening. Exchange-street has been paved in the same way as Bank-street, with blue sets, the interstices between the sets being filled with asphalte and small gravel. In that portion of St. Ann's Square, which is opposite to Bank-street, the wood paving has been taken up and replaced with blue sets and asphalte. In the other portion of the square the wood paving will remain" (Manchester Courier & Lancashire General Advertiser 23 Jun 1849).

    There's a lengthy article in the same paper 31 May 1848 describing the process more fully when the Victoria Bridge, Manchester/Salford was relaid.
    "dyfal donc a dyr y garreg"

  3. #3

    Default

    I saw reference to "paviors sighs" but the only article I can spot is from "The Book of Old Time-Trades and Tools", published 1866 (google books). It describes a baker at work kneading bread -
    "... as he lifts and pummels the tenacious mass, he heaves great sighs and groans like those with which paviors ram down the stones in the roads."
    "dyfal donc a dyr y garreg"

  4. #4

    Default

    https://substormflow.com/article/manc...-sewer-history

    The development of sewer systems in cities must have generated a great deal of work. Did you "rellie" spot the opportunities?
    "dyfal donc a dyr y garreg"

  5. #5
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    Default

    Have you looked at www.peterloomassacre.org........it has a Thomas Worrall (Worrell) 9 Minshull St...Asst Surv of paving on there.

  6. #6

    Default

    Pat,
    A good find.

    DEATHS
    "On the 5th instant, aged 62, Thomas Worrall. For upwards of 27 years he was in the employ of the Surveyors of Highways in Manchester, as overlooker of the paviers (sic) etc ..." (Manchester Times, 9 July 1836)
    "dyfal donc a dyr y garreg"

  7. #7

    Default

    Marriage
    "On the 2nd inst at the Collegiate Church, Mr William Longdin, of Fetter Lane to Hannah, second daughter of Mr Thomas Worrall of this town" (Manchester Courier & Lancashire General Advertiser, 7 Feb 1829)
    "dyfal donc a dyr y garreg"

  8. #8
    LynneOz
    Guest

    Smile Paviors - Longdin and Worralls

    Thank you all for your suggestions:

    I have looked at the suggested newspaper extracts and will pursue that further. I had already identified Hannah Worrall as a daughter of Thomas Worrall but this further substantiates it. Hannah's older brother, James, was the Surveyor in Cheshire and two of his sons were with Hannah's daughters in the 1851 census.

    I also found the inquest report for William which identifies him as a pavior and gives his cause of death as "heart disease" although it mentions symptoms of spitting blood.

    The call for tender ads in several of the newspapers indicate that paviors worked as individual contractors together with the soughers and flaggers to construct or re-construct specific lengths of road.

    I also found an entry from 1826 where a pavior claimed he was earning 18s per week which seems to have been a living wage for the time.

    Back to the treadmill to see what else I can find.

    THANK YOU

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