Number 2 Court (Mount View) in Rathbone Street -
presumably number 4 Court was similar
Last but by no means least, Samuel, my great-grandfather. He was born, conveniently just before the census, on Friday 28 February 1851. The birth was registered on 7 April 1851 by his mother, Thyrza, who being unable to sign, made her mark. Thyrza had travelled the short distance to Market Place in New Buckenham to register with Edward Norris CLOWES, the local attorney and solicitor, who acted as registrar for the district, despite being relatively young at 44.
It obviously proved difficult for Samuel and Thyrza to decide on a name for the child, because by census day on Sunday 30 March 1851, 4 weeks after his birth, he was still recorded as "Infant CHILVERS". The earth-shattering decision to name him after his father was clearly made in the following week.
The only other snippet of information we can glean from the records is that the young CHILVERS' were looked after by a nurse named Susannah PEASE, a 76-year-old widow who was originally from Moulton in Suffolk. It may be pure coincidence, but the housekeeper of Edward Norris CLOWES, the previously mentioned attorney in New Buckenham, was Sarah PEASE, a 20-year-old girl from Attleborough. This Sarah would seem to be the daughter of an Attleborough farmer, Peter PEASE, and it is not inconceivable that the nurse Susannah is an elder relative of this family.
In the 1861 census Samuel is shown as a 10-year-old scholar at home with his parents and his elder siblings David and Louisa. By the 1871 census on 2 April, recorded inaccurately as being 21, he is still at home with his now-widowed father on their remaining 8 acres of land, with just the housekeeper, the 23-year-old Elizabeth BEALES, who was born in Attleborough. There was obviously a little bit more going on behind the scenes, as it were, as on Thursday 13 April 1871 Samuel and Elizabeth married in the Parish Church. It appears that there were no CHILVERS' left around (as mentioned before David and Alice - the professional marriage witnesses for the family - were running a pub in Bunwell at the time), as the witnesses were Henry John BEALES (who made a mark rather than sign) and Eliza VINCENT. Samuel's occupation is noted as Miller, and he signed as "Samuel CHILVERS Jnr".
By 1881 Samuel had left his rural home in Norfolk, and in April was living with his wife Elizabeth as a lodger in 114 Beaufort Street, Toxteth Park in Liverpool in the household of a Welsh lady by the name of Margaret MILLS. His occupation is recorded as spice maker. I always wonder if he came to Liverpool with a thought of making a new life out in Americe - but never quite made it for one reason or another. His father was, as mentioned above, still living on the farm in Norfolk which was being run by David and his family, so there was still a "base" in Norfolk. For anyone tracing the family through the LDS census indices by the way it is necessary to note that their records show Samuel as Daniel - a flowery initial S obviously confusing the transcriber: Daniel was long since dead, and only Samuel came to Liverpool: trust me, I'm descended from him!
Later that year, 1881, Gore's Directory for Liverpool shows an entry for Samuel CHILVERS, baker and miller, in 160 Heygreen Road in the Wavertree area of the city.
The 1891 census finds Samuel CHILVERS, aged 40, in 118 Stanley Road, Kirkdale, Liverpool, recorded as a "Public House Manager", and in the "employed" column is the word "Inn". Elizabeth is also shown, 40 year old, although her place of birth is recorded as Norwich. Samuel is correctly shown as being from Old Buckenham. 1894 Kelly's Directory of Liverpool shows that 118 Stanley Road was on the corner of Latham Street and was The Grapes public house.
Exactly when and in what circumstances Elizabeth died we don't know, but on Saturday 3 March 1894 Samuel, recorded as being a 41-year-old widower, a miller, married a 30-year-old widow Alice FERGUSON, the daughter of a bookbinder named James HANLON. The wedding took place in St Philips Church in Sheil Road, Liverpool, officiated by the Rev N Lones GEORGE, and the witnesses were George and Harriet LEWIS. Both bride and groom were stated as residing in Sutcliffe Street, Samuel at number 40 and Alice at number 24.
It is difficult to definitely pinpoint Alice HANLON, but the 1881 census shows a family in Bennett Street, Islington, Liverpool of a widow Margaret HANLON, aged 48. She is a bottle-packer, but has two daughters Mary A (21) and Alice (20), both having an occupation of book folder and sewer, which ties in with the stated occupation of Alice's father. There is also a son James (13). Margaret and all the children were born in Dublin.
An Alice HANLON married in the September quarter of 1881 in Liverpool and on the same page is a George FERGUSON. The 1881 census shows a George FERGUSON, aged 24, a printer and compositer living as a lodger in Spencer Street, Everton, Liverpool. This George is also Irish, being born in Belfast. A George FERGUSON died in West Derby District in Liverpool in the June quarter 1890, noted as being aged 30 (Vol 8b Page 237).
We however clearly find Alice in the 1891 census as Alice FERGUSON in 40 Salisbury Street, Everton. She was a 29-year-old widow, stated as born in Dublin, and a book folder and sewer. The fact that she is consistently describing herself as this indicates the 1881 trace may be correct. She has 4 children: James (9), Alice (5), Robert (3) and George Alexander (a couple of months). While proving nothing of course, the fact that the youngest child was called George is persuasive, particularly if he was born after his father's death. All the children were born in Liverpool. George and Harriett LEWIS, the witnesses at Samuel and Alice's wedding in 1894, were living at 71 Salisbury Street; George was a print compositor from Wigtown in Scotland, while Harriet was from Liverpool. They were obviously long-standing friends of Alice.
A mere six months after the wedding, on 21 September 1894, a son, George CHILVERS was born. Samuel and Alice were stated to be living at 32 Greta Street in Toxteth Park, and Samuel's occupation was recorded as a millwright, and the 1895 Slater's Directory shows the same address, but the occupation as wheelwright.
A daughter, Louisa Agnes, was born in 1896, and on Tuesday 19 September 1899 my grandfather, another Samuel CHILVERS, was born. There had obviously been a change of fortune for Samuel in the intervening years, and this change had been downwards. His occupation is shown as Stone Dresser in Rice Mill, and they lived at 4 Court, Rathbone Street. The Courts of Liverpool, and particularly those around Rathbone Street were the worst example of their sort.
The family were still there at the time of the 1901 census in "5 in 4 Ct, Rathbone Street". Samuel is shown as a 47-year-old flour miller, and Alice, his wife, as 37 years old with no named occupation. She was born in Ireland . In addition to the children George (6), Louisa (4) and Samuel (1) also living in the "house" were Alice's children from her previous marriage Alice FERGUSON (a 14-year-old soap packer) and 12-year-old Robert FERGUSON. Both of Samuel's step-children were born in Liverpool.
It may be that at some time before 1915 Samuel died, although there is no trace of his death in Liverpool at that time. In the 1915 and 1918 Gore's Directories Mrs Alice CHILVERS is shown living alone at 30 Ainsworth Street. When my grandfather, Samuel, married on 8 May 1917 to Mary Elizabeth HUGHES, the entry for his father records Samuel CHILVERS (deceased), occupation Stone-Mason. However, he lied about his age to the Registrar, and it may well be that to avoid awkward questions to his family he also lied that his father was deceased. There is in fact the record of the death of a Samuel CHILVERS aged 68 in Liverpool in the March quarter of 1922 (Vol 6b Page 160). Another certificate to be got!!
Louisa married a James WARING in 1914 at St Mary's church, Edge Hill, and George served in the Army and later the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War, later living in the Reading area. He had two daughters. He died in 1980.
Alice died in June 1927, aged 66, and was buried at Ford Cemetery in Liverpool.
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my grandfather |
My grandfather, Samuel CHILVERS, lived all of his life (he died in 1966, and is buried in Yew Tree cemetery) in Liverpool with his own printing business, Brunswick Printers. I remember his tales that he set up the business by buying a single small printing machine, and it now seems to me likely that in this he was influenced by Alice's printing background. He had seven children - six sons and one daughter - all working in the family business.
Page last updated 31 December 2006
