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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Staffordshire => Topic started by: Hodgkiss on Tuesday 18 November 08 01:14 GMT (UK)
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Alot of my relatives resided in Brook Street in wolverhampton from around 1870's - 90's. It was known as the Besom yard, as they were gypsies and made Besoms.
It was just off Salop Street, but it got pulled down to make way for the ring road.
I found a booklet on the Besom yard, but it was about the people there in the 1920's.
Has anyone ever heard about or know anything about the Besom Yard, Brook Street. As it was supposed to be quite notorious, but i can never find anything on it.
Thanks
Gary
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Hi Gary,
I found the 1920 book info on googlebooks, an dalso, this which mentions articles about the area in the newspapers.
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ia3z3DkxHqkC&pg=PA109&dq=besom+yard+wolverhampton
It does look interesting, I agree.
Hope it helps + good luck,
Paulene :)
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And, it looks as if Besom Yard is mentioned in this book - no preview, I'm afraid, but at least you might be able to track down a copy of the book:
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=anGHAAAAMAAJ&dq=besom+yard+wolverhampton
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Hey willow, i actualy managed to get my hands on all of those. But the books dont mention much about the people.
But thanks for the detective work :)
Its proving hard to find stories about, let alone pictures.
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Hi again,
Have you tried following up the newspaper articles - or asked at the Local Studies library.
I also wonder if the area is mentioned in health reports and sanitary reports (sorry, but it sounds as it's an area that might be :-\) My husband's ancestor was the first Sanitary Inspector in Nottingham, and it is this gentleman that started my curiosity in family history. In the reports there are lots of descriptions about areas like Narrow Marsh, etc, in Nottingham, which might be a similar type of area in Nottingham.
Hope this helps.
Paulene :)
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Hey willow, i have two articles from the local paper. One just mentions the street, and what its like, but its very short. and the other just talks about the politics they belive in again very small. But it doesnt mention people personally. My family was a huge family, and apparently well known in the town.
and wouldnt most of the town have been dirty anyway?? especially as there was loads of courtyards like the besom yard...
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Hi,
I wonder what this is here: ???
http://www.berksfhs.org.uk/librarycatalogue/libcatSTS.htm
Any use?
Paulene :)
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Staffordshire, Wolverhampton (1) The Besom Yard Palmer, H. [1976] {R/STS/3/B}
is that what you are refering too??
I already have this, its a 8 page booklet, but like i say its based on people there in the 1920's.
Thanks so much for all your detective work though and taking the time to look for me, much appreciated.
Gary :)
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Hi Gary,
Right - didn't realise it was the same one :-[
I'm just looking at something about a book on housing conditions from 1850 onwards - can you tell me name of another road/yard near Besom Yard, Gary? That might help to find info about Besom Yard.
Paulene :)
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Gary,
Before I forget, here is the link with regard to the book on housing in Wolverhampton. It might be worth tracking down!
Good luck with the hunt.
Paulene :)
http://www.gbpeopleslibrary.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9&Itemid=10&showall=1
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Hi, I did a lot of research into the Hodgekiss family and the Besom yard.
They do have connections with my travelling families.
I also found that they sometimes changed their names from Hodgekiss to Hall, very confusing. If there is anything you would like to know just ask. I would have to go through my paper work and my tree to tell you the links. But they married into my Harris and Thorley family.
Cicely
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I dont know if this could help you but look down the page to calling all old wulfrunians from uplands who mentions a site called lost wolverhampton. there is a piece on there called she came from besam yard about a singer called margaret gibson completed
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Hi, I did a lot of research into the Hodgekiss family and the Besom yard.
They do have connections with my travelling families.
I also found that they sometimes changed their names from Hodgekiss to Hall, very confusing. If there is anything you would like to know just ask. I would have to go through my paper work and my tree to tell you the links. But they married into my Harris and Thorley family.
Cicely
You don't happen to have Elizabeth Hodgkiss (1865 - 1919) or her brother John (born 1856) who married Matilda Barnett in 1879 by any chance? They were the children of a Thomas Hodgkiss, a besom maker, and lived in the area of the Besom Yard.
Thomas was my g g grandfather and one of my brick walls....
Cati
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Hi,
My grandmother and family had to move to the Besom Yard, I'm presuming it would have been in the 20's, My great grandfather used to play the stock market and lost all the money so they had to move from a big house on Pipers Row to the Besom yard. I know my grandmother went to work as a seamstress and lost the end of one of her fingers in a sewing machine, as the eldest child she became the breadwinner for the family.
I've also been trying to research what this place was and will be following up on some of the links given, so thank you to those that have posted.