Retchford in Notts 1800 - 1820


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Hello Listers!

I am thrilled to see this site and seeing the pics of Drury Lane and not thrilled to see history being destroyed,

I am researching on one of my ancestor James Retchford who lived in Notts in the years of about 1800 - 1820.I have a strong interest in the Notts area mainly Drury Lane / Hill and Count street.

James RETCHFORD ( from Leicester somewhere ) married in 1803 to Ann SLATER at St Nicholas Notts. His calling was Cordwainer he had a shop in Drury Lane.. now I am not sure if he was renting or owned this shop...am hoping someone out there maybe can help me on this. I have seen the pictures in this forum of Drury Lane.. I was thrilled to see it and wondered where the shop may have been.!! He was living at Count Street.. here again I love to know what the area may have been like at that time and I also dont know if he owned or rented it. and is the street still there and houses ??

They had 6 children born to them.

And around 1818 there was some issues going on about Richard Carlile trial.. This James RETCHFORD was caught in selling political Pamphets ( he was Political Pamphlet seller on the side.. I think) regarding the trial of Richard Carlile and the Book called Age of Reasons. He was sent to prison for 6 months. Here again I love to know where this was.

In 1820 he was living in Birmingham area until his death 1848.

So my interest is knowing more of his time in the area of Nottingham , living in Count street... and his working life in Drury Lane and his time in prison too!! I am interested in the paper trail if any available.. ANY info would be great!!

I am proud to know he has left his mark in the History of Drury Lane!!!

Kind Reagards

Tony Thompson

Qld, Australia

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I found Count street it was off Barker Gate which was demolished a few years back.Count Street was probably demolished many years previous to this.It was an extremely poor area...the worst in Nottingham.In the 1840s Nottingham had a density of population of 19.4 per acre.Count Street was in an area of slums that had a density of 300 per acre.Each yard had a primitive arrangement of pit ash toilets usually 4 shared by up to 250 people.The houses were mingled with manure yards and slaughter houses.The area around Drury hill had more tanneries than anywhere in England and the stench was described as unbearable by visitors.

This is my favourite picture of Drury hill taken in 1906 very poverty stricken even then...note the roof on the corner property.

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This pub at the top corner was called the Postern Gate and was demolished in the 1920s...When your ancestor lived there it was called the Golden Fleece.Bet he had a few in there.

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Thanks to our stupid council Drury Hill was demolished in 1970 and the spot is now an escalator down to the shopping center.

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The pub site today...

llook.jpg

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Water standpipes were plumbed one per yard in the 1850s Supply came from the water works at the Ropewalk and the river Trent.In 1873 analysis of the Ropewalk water showed solid effluents of 31 grains per gallon...44 grains from the Trent water that contained sewage from Birmingham,Burton on Trent and Derby

Not surprising that in the area 50% of kids died before the age of five.Gravestones litter St Mary's Church and the Rock Cemetery under which lie the remains of these children...some with as many as four or five from the same family.

People whose ancestors come from this area of Nottingham should consider how lucky they are to be here at all.If just one of these deaths was in your family, yourGreat Grandparents, Grandparents,Parents and yourselves might never have been...The odds were stacked against you.

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Do you mean Drury HILL?

Hello , yes thats the place.. Drury Hill... I have seems to come across a few references calling this place Drury Lane or Hill... seems to be some confusion here??

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At the bottom end of Drury Hill and to the East was Narrow Marsh, one of the worst slums in the county, most of it was owned by the Bishop of Norwich, it was his private property It was he who fought long and hard to prevent it's demolition. It was eventually knocked down in the 30's. There were many lodging houses there, this was one of the reasons for the high density population.

Next time I visit Notts I would like to have a pint in The Loggerheads, it has a history. Did Dick Turpin really stop there?

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People whose ancestors come from this area of Nottingham should consider how lucky they are to be here at all.If just one of these deaths was in your family, yourGreat Grandparents, Grandparents,Parents and yourselves might never have been...The odds were stacked against you.

I have one child who died .. I suspect couple others did to be I cannot find anything...My ancester James Retchford who died in Birmingham in 1848 ..at 71yrs, his cause of death was Bronchitus..so living in that area would have taken its toll big time. his son who was born there 1810 died 1847 in Reditch.. he had Consumption...he had children some died and 2 come to Australia , good clean air!! so yes , yr right the odds are tough!!

Tony

Australia

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Hello and wow!! great pics and info! and ugh what a terrible condition to be living in .. how ever its gives us an insight of the lifestyle they had...

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It's Drury hill...You're getting mixed up with the famous Drury lane in London.Drury Hill was originally part of the North road to York where travellers that had crossed the Trent Bridge made their way through Nottingham to the North.The pub site I mentioned was built on the site of one of the medieval town gates.

An old lady now dead who lived in the narrow Marsh area at the beginning of the last century told me her Dad mentioned the cheap boarding houses in the area.

He said the extreme poor who couldn't pay for a bed would sit on a bench and sleep leaning on a taut rope tied in front of them.This halfpenny a night service at least gave them a roof over their heads.The expression 'I could sleep on a clothes line' is said to come from this.

This picture taken in the depression in the USA is said to show this uncomfortable way of sleeping.

sleep-on-a-clothesline.jpg

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CORRECTION.

Typing faster than I'm thinking...Drury hill was the access road to the walled town NOT the North Road.The route north from the Trent was via Stoney Street.. Bread Lane...(now Broad street/Glasshouse Street/Huntingdon street) and onto the York road (Now Mansfield road)

Why is the edit button so quick to disappear Mick?

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A former member took to editing out all his posts months after he posted them.

A limit was set because of that.

After the option disappears, contact a moderator for Edit.

I could increase the time?

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Poohbear mentioned the tanneries near Drury Hill, I seem to recall reading that they were sighted in the caves. Since many of the caves were interconnected, the stench of urine and other substances used in the tanning process, and the putrifying hides, would be coming up through the cellars as well as being in the air outside.

Still, at least the rich had nice riding boots.

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When the old railway bridges were demolished a few years back on Canal Street no end of tannery associated artifacts were found around the foundations..

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Interesting to find that the guy Retchford is seeking information on was a cordwainer or shoemaker and leatherworker.He lived on Count street which was off Barker Gate...A barker is a tannery worker.Alderman Drury who the Drury Hill was named after was also a cordwainer.The whole area was riddled with tanneries, many underground in the caves.It seems this area was into leather big time.

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Results from ancestry

NAME:

James Frederick Retchford

SPOUSE:

Ann Elizabeth

BIRTH:

abt 1857 - Redditch, Worcestershire, England

RESIDENCE:

1881 - Redditch, Worcestershire, England

Difficult without a date of birth

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