Marylebone, London in the 18th Century

[rhgarmstrong]

I am interested in any sources that can help me understand life in Marylebone in the late 18th Century

The earliest ancestor that I have traced is a Thomas Armstrong (my Great x4 Grandfather) who I believe was born in 1774 and married an Sarah Broadfield in Marylebone on 22nd November 1808

He lived in Little James Street which was subsequently renamed Lisson Street

I am aware that around this time there was a considerable increase in the population of the area
perhaps as a result of the building of New Road now Marylebone Road

I am keen to understand what life in Marylebone would have been like at that time and perhaps where my ancestors might have come from prior to settling in Marylebone

Grateful for any help
Rob Armstrong

[t mo]

hi rob
do a google search for , Marylebone London in 18th and 19th centuries , some good sites come up worth looking at especially Wikipedia has a good timeline for Marylebone history .
regards
trevor

[mlrfn448]

The following websites may be of interest
Lisson Grove Conservation Area by Westminster Council includes some old maps of the area
http://transact.westminster.gov.uk/docstores/publications_store/Lisson%20Grove%20CAA%20SPG.pdf

Not specifically that road, this mentions the area in general.
http://www.victorianlondon.org/publications/raggedlondon-thenorth.htm

I hope this helps
Regards

[josey]

Thanks for the links dave448, particularly the second one; I had quite a few ancestors in the Christ Church area of Marylebone in the late 1700s - early 1900s. A fascinating read.

[rhgarmstrong]

Thanks dave448 most helpful and interesting

It would be great if I could find out where most people came from to Lisson Grove at the end of the 18th Century

[conahy calling]

www.oldbaileyonline.org

Put Marylebone in the "search" box and you will get many court cases

[Marylebonian]

Hi Rob

Marylebone was a great gathering place from the 1700's.

My own family ended up there in the 1820's having come from Dublin and Somerset.

People arrived via what is now the A40 Western Avenue (Marylebone Road) which extends west to Oxford and Wales, traditionally one of the many cattle-droving routes to Smithfield market.

They also arrived via the Grand Union canal into the Paddington Basin close to Lisson Grove.

Visitors were attracted by the Pleasure Gardens, the forerunner of Regents Park.

And much later the trains arrived at Paddingon & Marylebone stations.

Have a look at the coloring of the slightly later Booths poverty maps which illustrates the class of person living there.

The parish church just opposite Baker Street station is a later, larger building after the one originaly sited in what is now Marylebone High Street became too small for the parish needs. The birth, marriage and burial registers show that the parish was processing life events on a vast scale.

For those less fortunate, the Workhouse provided what it could in times of need.

The whole area was being developed by titled families, including the Dukes of Portland and slightly further afield Dukes of Bedford.

There are loads of resources out there on the www including maps which shows how the area develops rapidly. The census figures also increase rapidly every 10 years.

Hope this helps a bit.

MB