|
THE ROYAL CRESCENT A HUNDRED YEARS AGO
A
Portrait from the census returns of 1891
|
No
|
Head of House |
Status |
Age |
Occupation |
Other Occupants etc. |
|
1 |
Alan Bowker |
Married |
52 |
Proprietor of Boarding House |
12 lodgers, wife and 2 servants |
|
2 |
Frances K Conant |
Widow |
76 |
Own means |
Brother JP, sister in law, and 6
servants |
|
3 |
Empty |
|
|
|
|
|
4 |
Emma Studd |
Widow |
58 |
Own means |
6 servants |
|
5 |
John H Sperling |
Married |
66 |
Own means |
wife w. daughter and 3 servants |
|
6 |
Francis Buckhardt |
Married |
53 |
Own means |
2 grown stir daughters and 3 servants |
|
7 |
George Micklethwaite |
Single |
66 |
Major (Ret) JP |
Niece (age 2.3) and 5 servants |
|
8 |
John Churchill |
Single |
74 |
Colonial Service (Ret) |
Sister (age 73) and 3 servants |
|
9 |
William Henderson |
Married |
67 |
Ret, Bengal Civil Service |
Wife and 4 servants
|
|
10 |
Anthony Hammond |
Married |
67 |
JP for Somerset |
Wife and 5 servants |
|
11 |
Henry Mann |
Single |
71 |
Own means |
Sister (age 76) and 3 servants
|
|
12 |
lsaac Pitman |
Married |
78 |
Shorthand Pub. & Printer |
Wife 2 grown up sons and 3 servants
|
|
13 |
Catherine Milsop |
Widow |
57 |
Own means |
3 grown up daughters and 4 servants |
|
14 |
Charles Mackillop |
Widower |
66 |
Own means |
Married daughter (age 41), 3 grand
children and 5 servants |
|
15 |
John Stone |
Married |
72 |
Solicitor |
Wife and 4 servants |
|
16 |
William Braikenbridge |
Married |
73 |
J P for Somerset |
Wife and 5 servants |
|
17 |
Charles M Frith |
Married |
52 |
Manufacturer |
2 grown daughters, 2 young sons, 10
servants inc 2 coachmen |
|
18 |
Alexander Falconer |
Single |
64 |
Own means |
2 servants |
|
19 |
Rev. Edward Handley |
Married |
48 |
Rector of Northope |
Wife, visitor and 9 servants |
|
20 |
Percival Huth |
Married |
39 |
Own means |
Wife, 2 daughters, 1 sort and 4
servants |
|
21 |
Hannah Offley |
Widow |
73 |
Own means |
3 servants |
|
22 |
Lucy Scott |
Widow |
80 |
Own means |
2 daughters (age 63 & 58), 8 servants |
|
23 |
Ellen Peel |
Single |
67 |
Own means |
3 servants |
|
24 |
No record |
|
|
|
|
|
25 |
No record |
|
|
|
|
|
26 |
Empty |
|
|
|
|
|
27 |
Hon Mrs F Walsh |
Widow |
57 |
Own means |
3 servants |
|
28 |
Flora Bruere |
Single |
60 |
Own means |
2 younger sisters and 7 servants |
|
29 |
Oriana Famming |
Widow |
|
Own means |
6 servants – one assumes that the owner
of the house was away and that the house was given over to
lodgers |
|
|
Laura Anderson |
(Lodger) |
|
Own means |
|
|
30 |
Fanny Hawkins |
Widow |
49 |
Own means |
4 teenage children and 4 servants |
The census returns only give a picture of whom
was actually living in the Crescent on the night of the census of
1891. Some people may have beat away and there may have been
servants who were not living in; visitors are usually recorded as
such so we assume that the rest were permanent. In spite of
the reservations about reading too much into the return of one night
a fairly clear portrait emerges, that of elderly residents living in
the main with elderly relatives on their own means.
The number of unmarried daughters or nieces
living with relatives reads like Trollope and is a testimony to the
position of women in the Victorian era. There were approximately 58
adults residing in the Crescent but they were supported by some 130
servants most of whom were young Housemaids, lady’s maids, parlour
maids and nurse maids tended to be 20 to 30 years old though cooks
and butlers were usually older, so in spite of the staid profile of
the householders there must have been plenty of youthful activity
and gossip in the Crescent. One wonders who used the lawn, maybe
the nursemaids to Charles Mackillop's grandchildren or the teenage
children of Mrs Hawkins.
Monica E. Baly |
