Wm. Irwin & Sons, Builders, Burley Road, Leeds

[juniper]

I am looking for information and help in tracing the IRWIN family from Ireland who settled in Leeds in the mid 1800s.  I believe George Irwin from Dublin and his son William founded a firm of builders in Burley Road  in about 1867 which was still operating into the 1960s. I believe my 4xg.gfr was George's brother Robert Irwin, a hatter, who settled in  London.   Any help greatly appreciated. J.

[Koromo]

Hi Juniper

Have you found them on any of the censuses yet?

A starting point:

1881 RG11/4531/7/7
2/45 Westfield Rd, Leeds, Yorks
William Irwin, head, 32, builder employing 69 men and 11 boys, b. Leeds, Yorks
Ellen Irwin, wife, 31, b.

(same page, next door)
4/45 Westfield Rd, Leeds, Yorks
George Irwin, head, mar, 58, builder, b. Ireland
Thomas Irwin, son, unmar, 20, builder, b. Leeds, Yorks
Sarah Thompson, serv, wid, 50, housekeeper, b. Leeds, Yorks


Koromo

[Koromo]

1851 HO107/2321/146/10  (all transcribed as Fruin)
30 Well St, West Leeds, Yorks
George Irwin, head, 25, cloth dresser, b. Ireland
Sarah Irwin, wife, 26, b. Thenford? Cumberland
William Irwin, son, 3, b. Leeds, Yorks

This surely is brother Robert:

1851 HO107/1560/158/63
5 Paseruanee? Place, Bermondsey, Surrey
Robert Irwin, head, 32, Hatter ?ter, b. Ireland
(next page)
Ellen Irwin, wife, 32, dressmaker, b. Ireland
William Irwin, son, 10, errand boy, b. Ireland
Robert Irwin, son, 8, schholar, b. Manchester, Lancashire
George Irwin, son, 5, scholar, b. Dudley, Worcester
Georgina Irwin, dau, 4, b. Dudley, Worcester
Charlotte Irwin, dau, 1, b. Bermondsey, Surrey

A possibility on FreeBMD:
Charlot[tl]o Irwin died Jun qtr 1854, St Giles, Vol 1b/247

1861  RG9/100/49/19
Upper Rathbone Place, St Pancras, Middlesex
Robert Irwin, head, 42, Hatter, b. Dublin, Ireland
Ellen Irwin, wife, 42, b. Waterford, Ireland
Robert Irwin, son, unmar, 18, Hatter's assistant, b. Manchester
George Irwin, son, 15, Hatter's assistant, b. Dudley, Worcestershire
Georgiana Irwin, dau, 13, scholar, b. Dudley, Worcestershire
Eliza Irwin, dau, 6, scholar, b. London
John A Irwin, son, 4, b. London

The children are becoming a bit confused!

1871 RG10/351/31/56
23 New Compton St, St Giles, Finsbury, London
Robert Irwin, head, 52, Hatter's finisher, b. Ireland
Ellen Irwin, wife, 52, dressmaker, b. Ireland
Valentine Irwin, son, 14, b. London
Elizabeth Irwin, dau, 16, Hat trimmer, b. London
Robert Irwin, visitor, unmar, 29, Hat shaper, b. Manchester

Which of Robert's children is your family descended from?

[juniper]

Hi Koromo, 

I have just come back on and found your reply.   You are so kind.

Thank you so much for doing all that research on my behalf. Very grateful.
 
I already have the inf. you found on Robert Irwin's family.  It was confusing to me but have made sense of it  -  several children were born in Dudley where Robert & Ellen lived for a time.  The visitor, Robert Irwin, was their older son.    Pleased to have a second pair of eyes going over it - reassuring to see I am on the right track.

 I am descended from their daughter Elizabeth (Lizzie) Irwin who married Thomas Baxter, a printer. 

Re the Leeds Irwin family.  I have the later censuses but thank you, thank you, thank you for finding the 1851 for me.  I was missing that one and it is important because I did not have the name of George's first wife.

It seems our George Irwin was taken with the name Sarah!    His second wife was Sarah Cooper and then he had a housekeeper,  after Sarah left him,  also named Sarah (Thompson).  That confused me for a time but I have found his second wife on the census living separately into old age in Service.  Would love to know the story there!

Also, this 1851 census  confirms George Irwin is the person I am looking for.  I have been lead to believe that Robert's brother George was a Clothier living in Leeds  but, because subsequent Censuses showed George as a builder etc, I was worried I had followed the wrong Irwin trail.  Seeing his occ. as Cloth Dresser,  I am happy that this is the right George Irwin and I am definitely not going off at a tangent here.

 So, am very happy and relieved with this new information from you today. 

I now need to find out what became of the descendants of Thomas and William Irwin.  Wish we had access to the 1911. 

Thanks again for your kind help in this.  Much appreciated. 

Bye for now. Juniper

[Nurmal]

Irwins Builders was busy around Wortley and Spence Lane in Leeds in the late 1800s.  One of my great aunts moved into a house at the bottom of Whitehall Road Leeds before Irwins had put the door step in place according to my gran's information.  She was born 1877 and lived in an Irwin built house.

[Nurmal]

There is a picture of Irwin's woodyard off Burley Road on Leodis.  The Sutcliffe Hotel owned by a Mr Howard Bickerdyke is on Leodis and there is a reader's comment about the woodyard on the left of the photograph - all noticed when researching my own ancestors. 

[juniper]

Thank you very much for letting me know.  I will look at the photo. Be interesting to see what it was like in those days.  Thank you so much for taking time to do this. Very grateful.

[Nurmal]

Look at Lower Wortley Road on Leodis.  My relative lived at no 93 and later no 97.  The Barleycorn pub is next to them - but it will give you an idea of the houses.  I forgot to tell you - or didn't realise that they are still in business today and if you look in the Leeds Telephone directory and explain to Irwin's who you are, I am sure they will be very pleased to help you.. 

[trainer11]

I also have researched Ellen Irwin who left Dublin for Tasmania and my great grandfather William was cosin to the Leeds Irwins.Have possession of letters to and from them.