The Barracks, Stafford Street, Dudley?

[jce99id]

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?

[tressle]

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

[tressle]

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

[linell]

I found something on The Barracks, think they were Colliery homes, the area was formerly Old Mill Street.  HTH from Linell.

[Gardener]

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?

[IMBER]

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.

[jce99id]

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.

[linell]

Try buying some Local History Books of Dudley, you can get them cheap from Ebay.  Linell.

[jce99id]

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.