The Diary of Nathaniel Bryceson (Part 5)

[deb usa]

Well ...it looks like London is under rain again .... wonder what apparel NB wore to work ..hopefully not his beaver hat and lovely boots.


deb

[Ruskie]

Some information about Richmond Buildings from British History Online"

Sponsor- English Heritage
Publication - Survey of London: volumes 33 and 34: St Anne Soho
Author - F. H. W. Sheppard (General Editor)
Year published - 1966

'The Pitt Estate in Dean Street: Richmond Buildings', Survey of London: volumes 33 and 34: St Anne Soho (1966).

Some information which implies that these were originally single houses:
(Lived at )No. 2. The Rev. John Horne Tooke, politician. According to Tooke's biographer, he 'hired and furnished' a house in Richmond Buildings in c. 1780

The south side of Richmond Buildings has been rebuilt, (the tablet on the front says they were rebuilt in 1916) but the houses there were probably similar in all respects  to the single-fronted houses (Nos. 1–6 consec.) of medium size and conventional plan forming a generally uniform terrace on the north side. Each house contains a basement and three storeys within the front, and a garret in the mansard roof. By 1833 most of the houses on the north side and two on the south had workshops in the garret storey.

So probably a mirror image. They'd look like the photo and the drawing of the houses on the opposite side of the road.

When Nat is living there it the buildings are let out as 'rooms' and I imagine each room would be occupied either by a single person like Nat and Granny Shepard, or by a family like the Marshalls. I'm not sure (but would love to know) what it was like inside the house, whether a family would have a larger room, what the sanitation was like, did they use their own furniture etc. We know that there was a problem with bed bugs which Nat spoke very matter-of-factly about. I imagine they were commonplace.

So Deb, the Vaggs were at No 2 in 1841, and the Marshalls were at No 2 in 1846.  

1841 census
Richmond buildings
Richard Vagg, 39, Tailor, N
Catherine Vagg, 39, N
Nathaniel (surname dittoed) 13 Y

I found this:
Richard Vagg
Parish St Geo the Martyr
1844
Richard Vagg
5 East St
buried August 25 age 41 (so b 1803)
(so it looks like the Vaggs moved to East St between 1841 and 1844)

In 1851:
Catherine Vagg age 50 is a widow, milliner and visitor b Brompton Middx

Dates tie in well enough.

[Ruskie]

Well ...it looks like London is under rain again .... wonder what apparel NB wore to work ..hopefully not his beaver hat and lovely boots.


deb

Hi Deb. Nathaniel isn't giving us many details about work at the moment. Can you imagine the state of his fine boots with that downpour. I imagine he'd wear a hat but surely not the beaver.  Maybe he has one of those nice elasticated plastic covers for it.   

[deb usa]

 

Ruskie ...you so make me laugh

" Maybe he has one of those nice elasticated plastic covers for it.    "

deb


BTW ...the maps have helped me so much  ...I too wonder about how they lived in these buildings  ....  I do like the fact that NB was cognisant of what was happening with the Marshall family ...maybe because he had shared rooms/lived next door to them ...he could have mentioned anyone in the apartments but the Marshalls seem to be important/close to him ... I am so hoping that Nathaniel Vagg was our NB!


I looked for Mary Bryceson again in 1841 ...still can't see her although she claims she was living in Dean Street a few weeks before she married Mattie.

[deb usa]

errrrr

didn't NB move into the Marshall's vacated  rooms??  which would have been number 2 in 1841?

I think I  will reread diary in the morning.

deb

added ...I know we searched high and low for a Nathaniel Vagg on IGI and after 1841 and there were zero results

[Ruskie]

errrrr

didn't NB move into the Marshall's vacated  rooms??  which would have been number 2 in 1841?

I think I  will reread diary in the morning.

deb

added ...I know we searched high and low for a Nathaniel Vagg on IGI and after 1841 and there were zero results

No birth found for Nathaniel Vagg either. Or marriage. Or death ...  I really hope he is our Nathaniel Bryceson.  Vagg is quite a rare name in this area.

Yes Deb, not sure if it was Nathaniel or Granny Shepard who moved into the Marshalls - or maybe if the Marshalls had two rooms ... Nat took one and Granny Shepard another? I don't have a number for the house though (but I believe you if you say it's 2  )

I'm not sure if Mary Bryceson was mistranscribed or already living with Matthew Ward but omitted from the census accidentally or on purpose  . Surely she can't be too far away if she was a resident of Dean St and marrying Matthew a few weeks later. Unless she was away somewhere visiting ... ?

[Ruskie]

Tuesday 12th May 1846
Granny Shepard at Richmonds Buildings cleaning the two rooms on the second floor back to be in readiness for our occupation next week.

Monday 18th May 1846
Took 2 rooms on second floor, 9 Richmonds Buildings, for self and Granny from this day.

So they had two rooms at the back of the building (ie not facing the road) - rent was probably a bit cheaper for rooms at the back. Still unsure if they are the Marshall's old rooms.

[deb usa]

Thanks for that Ruskie .... Late here !

Will check again ...I do recall the Marshall's child being born then dying and then  them moving out ...not sure why I thought they had moved into their rooms. I do like the fact that the Marshalls and Vaggs were in the same "building/room/number" as N. Vagg. NB didn't refer to many people in Richmond Buildings but seemed to have liked the Marshalls ...maybe we should revisit the diary to see who NB mentions as tennants of RB.


later ...night

deb

[Ruskie]

Night Deb..

I've just checked Richmond Buildings in the 1841. There aren't any numbers.

Matthew Marshall 42 occupation unreadable Not born in county + wife Jane 42 N + children. I suppose this is the same Marshall family? They're fairly old to still be having children in 1846.

Seem to be a reasonable selection of occupations for those living in Richmond Buildings - several Tailors and Musicians, engraver, brewer, picture dealer, painter clerk, wathcmaker, schoolmaster etc .... I suspect this may have only been one side of Richmond Buildings - the enumerator then goes into Chapel Place and before Richmond Buildings is Bull Yard ... I need to look a bit further ...

Matthew Ward (and some of the others) is a Tailor I - what is the I for?