Opinions on address?

[tiktok]

Hi,

I know some of you out there are better than others at reading hand writing on census's. I'm always rubbish!

Can anyone take a look at the address on the following record and give me their opinion of what it say please.

1871 Census Birmingham
David Mason       Head
Maranda Mason  Wife

RG10; Piece: 3126; Folio: 107; Page: 26;

Can't quite make it out.

Thanks,

Tiktok

[Tati]

Hi Tiktok,

2 back 99 Gt King St (Boot Shop)

 

[tiktok]

Ah, Tati to the rescue yet again! Great, dont know how you do it, just looks like scrawl to me.

So do you think this means they lived in a room or something 2 back from a boot shop in Gt King street?

Am I being dumb now?

[Ruskie]

Tati, you beat me to it. I agree with your interpretation.

I think that when they say "back of" in the address, this means it's a yard behind another premises. There may be a number of houses?rooms? so you may see 3 back of, 4 back of etc.

Is this right do you know, Tati?

[Tati]

Birmingham addresses always look very complicated to me - lots of back courts it seems. Let's someone local enlighten us!

I too wondered why it said bootshop. Number 99 is a bit earlier on the page and the head is a Pearl Button Manufacturer 

(I don't think the '2' has anything to do with the number of rooms though)

[tiktok]

........and Miranda was a linen button maker

[Ruskie]

Tati, I think that the numbers in the courts are like house numbers (rather than associated with the number of rooms) eg, number 1, number 2 etc.

I stand to be corrected of course. 

There were lots of courts in Liverpool too - I suppose all the big cities had them. Some of them were fairly dire I believe.

[pam1511]

There were hundreds of "back to back" houses in Birmingham.there was a courtyard witha toilet block and washhouse for the ladies to do their washing.My father grew up in one of them.The National trust has preserved some of them in Hurst street Birmingham for the public to view.