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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Worcestershire => Topic started by: jce99id on Friday 14 May 10 13:00 BST (UK)
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I am trying to find out about a place called "The Barracks" in Stafford Street. Dudley. My ancestors the Shakeseapres and Jewkes lived here from much of the 1800's and into the 1900's. It's an odd address but there is nothing to suggest it was formerly a Barracks.
The Dudley archives were unable to help.
Any help much appreciated?
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I have heard of houses for Miners in other areas being referred to as 'Barracks' - could these be Colliery Pit houses? Was there a pit nearby?
Tressle
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There is an article in the Western Mail, 1870 talking about the deplorable conditions of the houses in the Barracks Dudley. It talks about the workshops of the Nailers being nearby and fever raging through the almost uninhabitable houses. A house with almost all the roof off etc.
Tressle
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I found something on The Barracks, think they were Colliery homes, the area was formerly Old Mill Street. HTH from Linell.
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Snap Lin :-)
There was at least a Barracks Colliery in 1917 (Dudley Archives has plans of that).
If you search on http://www.blackcountryhistory.org/ for barracks then there is a group of wills comes up and the Barracks are mentioned. As Lin says Stafford Street used to be Old Mill Street.
Only, I wonder if it was a Barracks first, then a colliery later named after the barracks?
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The word "Barracks" can apply to communal accommodation of any sort, including but not exclusively, military. It is only in the improved housing conditions of the post-war years that it has tended to used more in the military sense.
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Thanks for your help everyone. I had searched the Dudley archives and had seen the records about the wills. However, I didn't know Stafford Street used to be Old Mill Street.
Stafford St is seems to be a road of industrail units, car parks and bus stops. I would love to see some old photographs.
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Try buying some Local History Books of Dudley, you can get them cheap from Ebay. Linell.
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Again, thanks everyone. Hovever, I've not been able to find anything from the Western Mail 1870 about life in the Barracks. If anyone can forward a link I'd appreciate it.
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Again, thanks everyone. Hovever, I've not been able to find anything from the Western Mail 1870 about life in the Barracks. If anyone can forward a link I'd appreciate it.
If you go here: http://newspapers.bl.uk/blcs/
put in search : barracks +dudley
dates between Jan 1 1870 and Jan 1 1871
then you get two results. Click on the thumbnail of a newspaper for the "Modern Rome" result (Western Mail, Thursday, November 3, 1870; Issue 473) and you should get a small preview of part of the article. To see it all you need to pay or find a subscribing library. Do the same for the lower result.
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Extract from Newspaper report Nov.3rd 1870
Upon a recent visit ti the Barracks in Dudley, we found the houses in a miserably,delapidates condition, and some of them not fit for
cccupation. In close proximity to these places, are the workshops of the nailors. It will not be surprising then, that fever should be found
raging in the locality. There was one case of fever at a house which had some part of the roof off. In another hovel was a nailor, his wife and six children, all suffering from severe attacks of fever.At some of the houses, all the shutters were closed, in consequance of the
almost entire absence of glass to the windows, and in one of these, the only furniture was a bench, where lay four fever stricken
children, and a stool, upon which sat the mother suffering from the same terrible scourge, and leaning her throbbing head near to her mourning little children.
My Oakley ancestors(nailors) lived nearby at Snowhill, probably living in the same conditions. In 1841 there is an Ann Jewkes aged 20
living with my 3xg.grandfather + family.
Jackie
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Gardener, thanks for your help on this. Much appreciated. I will pay and get the full article.
Jacquelineve, thanks for the extract. Sounds like shocking conditions.
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yes if memory is correct Stafford Street did used to be Old Mill Street and the "barracks" were workers houses Im pretty sure they were close to the "old docklands" as well x
I had same prob trying to locate the "Dudley Hutments" turned out to be right under my nose and a recent meet with a 5th cousin I discovered her grandfather had built them x
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Angel Eyes
Were the Dudley Hutments also known as the Munition Huts, built during or just after Great War for munition workers?
My dad was born there in 1927.
Jackie.
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thats very interesting Jackie it was 1927 when my grandparents got married they lived at 34 ~ wonder if yur grandparents knew my grandparents. I also have a newspaper article about them about a fire what spred through them. It says it was soon nicknamed "Shanty Town"
"there were 345 wooden houses let at108 for 5 shillings and 228 for 6 and 6 pence per week there were also nine hostels... The Hutments were constructed entirely from wood and were asbestos lined, being fitted out in the most primitive manner and arranged in blocks with alphabetical reference."
Will have to try and scan the newspaper article and let yu have a copy
M x
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I've seen that news report,(Times Digital). also one about the huts being cleared , set on fire, but for the life of me I can't remember
where I read it.!
Have we been in contact before re Brazenall? My 4xg gran was a Phoebe B. married John Griffin. also Kendrick (no connection) rings a
bell.
Jackie
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Hi Jackie
Not sure if we have spoken before my G G Grandmother was Eliza Brazenall born in 1843 Dudley she married James Kendrick b 1841 in Dudley.
Richard Benbow wrote the article x
M x
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I remember now, was it your g.grandad Kendrick who lived at Hillside Rd, my gran + grandad + also me until I was 7., lived opposite.
Jackie
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that would be Elijah and Cal my Nans parents Blimey goodness now its comin bk to me so let me get this straight not only did yu know them but if yur pheobe is a reative to my Eliza (Elijah's Grandmother) then we are relatives through Brazenall Blimey I'm speechless wen did we first spk it must be years ago? and on a different site
M x
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Was it Genes Re-united?
I'll send a p.m. re. Pheobe.
Jackie.
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I think it was thanx M x
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Hello
What was "old docklands"?
Are you also saying the "Dudley Hutments" was "The Barracks" or is this 2 different places?
I've recently went to Stafford Street. The top end is a car park on one side and surgery/doctors on the other. I'd love to know where the Barracks were. I'm currently looking at some old maps to see if that gives any clue.
J
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no the Barracks were in Old Mill Stree which is now Stafford Street and the Huntments were on Birmingham rd and that estate opposite where tescos is on the rise x The "old docklands" are at other end of Dudley v narrow rd think Greystone St and Steppingstone St are still there x