Royston High Street in 1911

By James Robinson

Stories from the 1911 Census By James Robinson

Through family history websites such as Ancestry and Find My Past it is possible to use census records to find out who was living at a particular address when the census man came to note down the occupants’ names, ages, occupations and places of birth.

Censuses are taken on a specific date every ten years. This article has been compiled from details of the 1911 census taken on Sunday 2nd April 1911.

When working with census records, you need to be aware that some of the spellings of street names may be different from how we spell them now. Pubs, buildings and roads also change names. Sometimes they are knocked down or suddenly appear and disappear between different census dates.

House numbers can also change and sometimes they are not listed at all. Numbering of houses was a new thing at the start of the 20th century, and many rural villages and even small towns (such as Baldock) still did not have house numbers in 1911. Stevenage streets for example were only given numbers in 1910.

Some of the occupations listed on the census that were common may be unheard of today and require further investigation to find out what they were.

Confusion may also be caused by trying to read the handwritten entries from the original records (nineteenth century “copperplate” writing is hard to get used to), and while those writing the records (the “census enumerators”) would generally have been well educated, interviewees would often be unable to read and check what had been written. So, you can find evidence of miss-heard names and variations in spelling. Peoples “Christian” names also go in and out of fashion, and all this is reflected in the census records.

Families were often much bigger in the past, and those who were wealthy, or had a profession often had servants living with them – almost invariably young unmarried women in their late teens or early 20’s. Interestingly in the 1911 Census, for the first time, women were not only asked how many children lived with them, but how many they had given birth to – and how many had survived childhood. Childhood mortality was a real concern 100 years ago. Using the Find My Past website, and doing a little further research on the internet and other local resources, it is possible to take a snapshot of who was resident in Royston High Street. The aim of this article is to show what is possible. Similar research on the occupants of other Royston roads, or roads in any other town or village, going back as far as 1841 in some cases can be done using the “address search” on the Census records on Find My Past.

So who was in residence on Royston High Street on 2nd April 1911? Let’s have a look at just some of the families and businesses

No 16 High Street

GROSE, John Varcoe     Head   Married   30   Draper Dealer   Born 1881  in Roche Cornwall

GROSE, Elizabeth Clark   Wife   Married   5 years  Assistant in business 32 born  1879 in Bangor Co Down

GROSE, Alison Eileen Joan   Daughter 4   Born 1907  in Royston Herts

THOMPSON, Ethel   Assistant   Single   25 Draper Assistant   Born 1886  in Wilbye Northampton

WEST, Dorothy   Servant   Single      17   General Servant   Born 1894 in London KentishTown

No 17 High Street

COURSE, James    Head   Married   36   Watch Repairer Jeweller And Optician   Born 1875 in Mansfield   Notts

COURSE, Ethel Maud   Wife   Married   11 years   36   1875   Born 1875 in Buntingford   Hertfordshire

COURSE, Harold Aylott   Son   10   at school Born 1901 in Royston

COURSE, Ada Marian   Daughter   2   Born 1909 in Royston GREEN, Maud, Servant   Single   16   Domestic Servant General   Born 1895 in Meldreth

No 18 High Street

CLARK, Robert Henry    Cook   Head   Single   24   Photographer Portrait And Landscape All Operations   Born 1887 in Royston Herts

No 20 High Street

SEELEY, Archibald   Head      Married   31  Draper   Born 1880 in Barrow Suffolk

SEELEY, Florence    Wife   Married   7 years   37   Assisting In Business   Born 1874 in Cambridge

SEELEY, Llewelyn    Son   6   At school   Born 1905 in Lavenham Suffolk

SIMPSON, Annie   Boarder   Single   20   Milliner   Born 1891 in NewmarketSuffolk

DEAP, Clara   Boarder   Single   39   Dressmaker   Born 1872 in Royston Herts

No 21 High Street

BROWN, Henry    Head   Married   51   Tobacconist   Born 1860 in Eynesbury

BROWN, Louisa S   Wife   Married   25 years   52   Born 1859 in Cambridge

BROWN, Eleanor M   Daughter   Single   19   Assistant   Born 1892 in Royston

BROWN, H Reginald   Son   Single   15 School   Born 1896 in Royston

BROWN, Douglas E   Son   Single   8   Born 1903 in Royston

No 25 High Street

DELLAR, David   Head   Married   60   Grocers Manager And Salesman   Born 1851 In Basingbourn Cambridgeshires

 DELLAR, Miriam   Wife   Married   37 years   61   Born in 1850 in Sherfield Herts

DELLAR, Frances   Daughter   Single   32   Grocer’s Clerk   Born 1879 in Royston

DELLAR, Ethel   Daughter   Single   25   Born1886 in Royston

No 26 High Street

STOCKWELL, H C   Head   32   Shoe Maker   Born 1879 in Romsey

STOCKWELL, Fanny   Wife   3   Born 1879 in Winchester

STOCKWELL, Samuel   Son   9   Born 1902 in Winchester

STOCKWELL, Gray   Daughter   4   Born 1907 in Royston

CAMIES, Eliza   Visitor   Sister   35   Born 1876 in Winchester

CAMIES, Mollie   Visitor   Niece 0   Born 1911 in Horsham

No 28 High Street

HALES, John   Head   Married   46   Roadman        Born 1865 in Melbourne Cambs

HALES, Elizabeth Jane   Wife   Married   35   House Duties   Born 1876 in Bassingbourn Cambs

HEMMING, Edith Elizabeth Hales   Stepdaughter   Single   15   Houses Duties   Born 1896 in Newsells Royston Herts

HALES, Annie Matilda   Daughter   Single   13   at school       Born 1898 in Newsells Royston Herts

HALES, Joseph Henry George   Son   Single   9   at school   Born 1902 in Melbourn Cambs

HALES, William John   Son   Single   7   at school   Born 1904 in Royston Herts

HALES, Frederick Charles   Son   Single   5   at school   Born 1906 in Royston Herts

HALES, Herbert David   Son   Single   0   Born 1911 in Royston Herts  

   No 29 High Street

TITCHMARSH, Walter Charles   Head   Single   47   Grocer And Draper Retail    Born 1864 in Royston

TITCHMARSH, Susannah   Mother    Widow       72 Born 1839 in Godmanchester

TITCHMARSH, Frances Emma   Sister   Single   42   Clerk Assisting In The Business     Born 1869 in Royston

TITCHMARSH, Agnes Louise   Sister   Single   39   Born 1872 in Royston

TITCHMARSH, Martha Decima   Sister   Single   37   Born 1874 in Royston

WINTOR, Sarah Elizabeth   Assistant   Single   32   Milliner   Born1879  in Gorsfield

CARLEY, Lucy Miriam   Servant   Single   18      General Servant Domestic   Born 1893 in Anstey

No 30 High street

MATTHEWS, Ernest N   Head   Single   27   Chemist and Wine Merchant   Born 1884 in Royston Herts

MATTHEWS, Rosa M   Mother   Widow   58   Born 1853 in Meldreth Cambs

No 32 High Street

BULLARD, Charles Henry   Head   Married   42   Basket Maker And China Dealer   Born 1869 in Welwyn

BULLARD, Beatrice   Wife   Married   17 years   43   Assists In Shop   Born 1868 in Hilgay

BULLARD, May   Daughter   Single   16   Dressmakers Apprentice   Born 1895 in Royston

BULLARD, George   Son   Single   15   Chemists Apprentice   Born 1896 in Royston

BULLARD, Grace   Daughter   13     1898   at school   Born 1898 in Royston

No 33 High Street

HOY, William   Head   Married   56   Butcher And Farmer   Born 1855 in Gt Chishall Cambs

HOY, Agnes Mary Ann   Wife   Married   25 years   48   Assisting In Butchers as Carrier     Born 1863 in Guilden Morden Cambs

HOY, Stanley   Son   Single   20   Farmers Son Manager   Born 1891 in Royston Herts  

 No 37 High Street

LOGSDON, Edwin   Head   Married   33   Hotel Keeper   Born   1878 in Hitchin

LOGSDON, Annie Mary   Wife   Married   10 years   37   Assisting In Business   Born 1874 in Melton Mowbray

LOGSDON, Edwin Walter   Son   9   Born 1902 in Royston

LOGSDON, Nancy Joyce   Daughter   7   Born 1904 in Royston

LOGSDON, Alice   Daughter   5   Born 1906 in Royston

LOGSDON, Robert Bernard   Son   0   Born 1911 in Royston

DAFFORN, Elizabeth Gertrude   Servant   Single   32   Nurse Domestic   Born 1879 in Pentonville

RAISIN, Sarah Anne Amelia   Servant   Single      25   Hotel Barmaid    Born 1886 in Southsea

FOSTER, Sarah   Servant   Single   39   Hotel Waitress     Born 1872 in Gosmore Hitchin

MASON, Florence Louse   Servant   Single   24   Hotel Cook   Born1887 in London

DARTLETT, Charles Richard   Servant   Single   25   Hotel Groom   Born 1886 in Longworth Berks

 

 

This page was added on 13/11/2012.

Add your comment about this page

Your email address will not be published.

Start the ball rolling by posting a comment on this page!