A House Through Time - Newcastle

[JenB]

It looks like it may have been renovated about 1924 when it opened as a synagoue., as they were built as a terrace.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=synagogue+ravensworth+terrace&so

Yes, it seems that the re-build of the next-door houses took place in the 1920's.

Conversion of a Victorian Terrace (formerly a Diocesan Home for Girls, HER 10686) by Marcus Kenneth Glass in 1924-5. It was almost an entire rebuild. The houses had been left to the Newcastle United Hebrew Congregation. The building is cement rendered and painted cream with bands of red brick. Its façade has two tiers of tall round-headed windows and a doorway at the western end. The synagogue closed in 1969 and reopened as a design studio in 1981. The Luhot (Tablets of the Law, double-headed stone bearing an abbreviated form of the Ten Commandments) outside has been painted out. A large Star of David window over the main entrance remains however. Totally refurbished inside in 1997.
http://twsitelines.info/SMR/10848

http://www.rootschat.com/links/01nn7/

[goldnutmeg]

Given that the presenter, David Olusoga, is a historian, presumably he was fully aware of all the additional detail that he and the researchers found - you can only assume that in order to achieve the target running time, the team were subject to editorial restraints and had to cut back on a number of interesting elements.

<<Of course I totally agree with you on that!! but that there are ways of summing up stuff in a phrase, even so, and it’s not always a question of amount of content but emphasis. So he skipped over the first Swan but still mentioned the Swan family later (without even a brief comment over the earlier Swan) as well as George Stephenson’s family (without mentioning even briefly that Baron Ravensworth was his employer and patron). I’m certain he knows all this but some of his points did seem like assumptions while others with more evidence were not mentioned or followed up. The half hints & over emphases did get a little irritating, as someone has said. It is an interesting programme nevertheless. Perhaps something happened in the editing?>

[goldnutmeg]

Interesting points, goldnutmeg. And welcome to rootschat  .

I agree IgorStrav, time available limits range and detail. Probably every tenant & their stories in each episode could fill a programme of their own. 

It made me investigate more about umbrellas tho’ as, although I have an ancestor who made umbrellas,

Off topic I know -but I also have umbrella making ancestors [from 1810 - 1920s]. I have a few fascinating books about the subject. When you have made 2 more posts goldnutmeg - just reply twice more to this post if you like - we could exchange a personal message (PM) and I can give you the references.

Hi there, I’m not such a newbie but have returned after a long time. I had to do ‘forgot password’ and it has me down now as a newbie! Makes me feel young again! lol I’d love to know more about — umbrellas! Thank you!!! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=1tfv8Jvp3R0

[goldnutmeg]

The Alders were the children of Joshua Alder, a Cheesemonger and his wife Mary. Joshua senior's will is not online, but that of  his widow Mary is. She left £1200 , plus a half share in all her household goods and a further £400 secured in mortgaged properties to Mary.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6QDX-TH?cc=2358715

It suddenly occurred to me that one source of these provision  merchants’ income was the provisions for ships. Of course didn’t it all come from the expansion and heyday of Empire as was the export of convicts to Australia, South Africa and also to the USA when it was a colony and the accompanying growth of financial companies and financial instruments. Of course the programme couldn’t cover all that but it seemed an omission to overlook Baron Ravensworth, mining magnate, yet mention coal and Newcastle? Could the early residents all have had connections to the Ravensworth household? Maybe the clues are in the mortgages, if that is what they used? After all, until relatively recently only companies and tradespeople had bank accounts. Didn’t others keep their savings elsewhere?

[goldnutmeg]

Hi Ruskie

Agree wholeheartedly with both your sets of comments!  He seems to impose his feelings about various situations as if they were fact  - For example we were told that there was no police force but in the next breath how harsh it was for the two boys to be up 'before the beak'.  How do we know that the boys were not part of some 'Fagin' like gang (as in Oliver Twist!) perhaps this type of larceny was rife in the area!  They may have been caught before and let off with a warning (btw -  the lad probs had a better life in Tasmania!) 

I waited to see whether there were any other posts on this topic as I had a few in a row. But since no one else has posted ...

In large part inspired by this programme and also Josey who also has umbrella makers in the family, I decided to do a bit more googling. Umbrella making was by no means a monopoly but one famous maker was James R Smith and there is still a Victorian umbrella shop bearing the name in New Oxford Street, London which is a landmark I used to pass on myway to work. So I did a google and found a history

https://lapada.org/art-and-antiques/gentlemans-walking-stick-1/

‘In 1830 James Smith founded the famous firm of James Smith and Sons at Foubert Place in London’s West End. His son moved the business to New Oxford Street in 1857; he also opened six other businesses including a hatter’s and a barbershop. He had eight sons and a daughter, and when he moved to Tasmania with two of his sons to take up farming, he left the others to run the business at home. In 1930 it was his grandson Mr Mesger (great grandson of the founder) who moved back from Tasmania to take over the running of the business.’

Allied with this:

‘https://www.european-umbrellas.com/umbrella-history.html

‘Due in some part to tariff-free raw materials from its colonies, England was able to produce inexpensive umbrellas - with production costs often below a penny. In Charles Dickens’ novel "The Pickwick Papers" voters in Eatonswill were bribed with expensive gifts for their wives in the form of "45 green umbrellas for seven shillings and sixpence".’

And finally in Tasmania itself

https://www.nationaltrust.org.au/places/old-umbrella-shop/

Looking up the Shott family who opened up the umbrella shop in 1920, I found they previously made hardwood souvenirs and Tasmania is famed for its huge hardwood forests.

I did wonder whether, although the manufacture of umbrellas was not a monopoly, the export of wood from Tasmania was in the hands of only a few families?

[Familysearch]

I did wonder if descendants of the two boys would be here on Rootschat! (Stranger things have happened)

I think that time is a huge constraint on what can be shown on tv, but personally it has given me some ideas for research of my own family tree! Dare I say it, that many of us have experience in family history, and the programme is, maybe, directed at those who have no knowledge of looking into family history and it is there for pure entertainment. We are, therefore, critical when it dos not come up to our expectations! - And yes, it is frustrating !

FS

[ms_canuck]

Watched it last night (BBC iPlayer).  Wish I had seen the previous series, but it was very enjoyable.

Am also a fan of Who do you Think you Are?


Ms_Canuck

[Ruskie]

I haven’t seen this series yet, but if the boy’s names were given there may be records of them in Tasmanian convict records. It woukd be interesting to see what became of them..

[davidft]

I haven’t seen this series yet, but if the boy’s names were given there may be records of them in Tasmanian convict records. It woukd be interesting to see what became of them..

Richard Ferguson and Edward Stuart both 14 in 1835. The presenter said it was  hard to find much on Edward but did tell you what happened to Richard until he gained his freedom. (Richard was the mulatto or half cast - both terms used in the programme)