19th century Toxteth families

[Annie65115]

Hello folks,
I am starting to try to put flesh on the bones of the scouse branch of my tree and hope some of you might be able to help!

My family lived in Toxteth Park throughout the 19th century. I don't know much about the social history of the area so have a few general questions:

1.The men all worked the boats - riggers, sail makers, ships carpenters. However they were always home for the censuses! Were these trades usually land based? What about the mariners - I've several of those but can't find any details on any crew lists etc. And again they were always home for the censuses!

2.Several of the women married foreign sailors, mostly from the Baltic region. (I realise that as a major port, Toxteth would have been a cultural melting pot!) Was it common for Toxteth women to "marry out", as it were?

3.OTOH, those who didn't marry sailors often married 1st cousins instead- was that a common feature in the area? (or just in my family?!)

4. Can anyone recommend any books or websites where I can learn more about 19th century Toxteth?

thanks

[Ruskie]

I can't answer any of your questions with any degree of authority, but as Liverpool was such a busy port I imagine that there was plenty of land/port based work for your riggers, carpenters etc. You may just be lucky that your sailors were home for the censuses - it was just a record of one night every 10 years so still plenty of other nights for them to be away from home. 

I also imagine that marrying foreign sailors was fairly commonplace as Liverpool would have been swarming with them, but I don't think that marrying 1st cousins has anything to do with being from Toxteth. 

This is one of my favourite Liverpool sites:
http://inacityliving.piczo.com/?g=44922707&cr=7
It probably won't help with your speciicf queries but it's enlightening.

A couple of other terrific sites (toxteth.net and leverpoole.co.uk) no longer appear to exist, which is a crying shame ... 

I just found this which looks OK, though I haven't checked it out yet.

[Lesley123]

2.Several of the women married foreign sailors, mostly from the Baltic region. (I realise that as a major port, Toxteth would have been a cultural melting pot!) Was it common for Toxteth women to "marry out", as it were?



4. Can anyone recommend any books or websites where I can learn more about 19th century Toxteth?

thanks

Hi
I have recently read a book called 'Autobiography of a Liverpool Slummy' which was set in the Toxteth area and it appears it was very common at the time

[ainslie]

Annie
A good deal of Toxteth Park was within easy working distance of the southern docks, where those trades would be very active as part of the shipbuilding and repairing which was carried out in the 19th century, along with the shipment and receiving of goods.

Some of the mariners would be on coastal vessels, and on small craft in the Mersey - not all were Cape Horners!

There is still a pub called the Baltic Fleet, but the docks have gone apart from the tourist area around the Albert Dock which is closer to the city centre and not part of Toxteth.  A few trades survive which derive from the shipping links, but most of the port-related work has followed the northward trend, as the deep-water vessels no longer fitted into the southern docks.

You should try to get a copy of the Toxteth 1908 map -ref: Lancashire 113.02, Godfrey Edition, a reprint of the Ordnance Survey map.  It shows much of the dock area and adjoining streets within Toxteth Park and has an essay on the history of the area.  You can buy online:  <http://www.alangodfreymaps.co.uk/>

I can't help with the marriage questions!
A

[Ruskie]

This might help:
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/map.aspx?compid=55207

[garstonite]

Hiya.....I am from Garston in Liverpool and this link may help
http://www.yoliverpool.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?129-Liverpool-Sailors
this is a Liverpool based site and there are plenty of old Salty Dogs on line who may give you advice on how to research ...there is also this link which covers amongst others TOXTETH
http://www.yoliverpool.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?82-South-Central
it wasn`t just Toxteth girls who married foreign sailors...my gg grandmother married Carl Freidrich Sacht from Heligoland...and she was a Garston girl...another Liverpool dock area which is still quite busy...remember...in the mid 1800`s Liverpool was the busiest Port in the world...and as such...quite violent and a rough area...a foreign sailor was "money" and a steady wage coming in.....and you only seen your hubby twice a year...lol
good luck
allan

[Annie65115]

Thanks again for the links - I've found the street where my lot lived pictured on the inacity site, so that was really good