The Victory Beer House

[KPM]

Hi

I have found several newspaper reports regarding my relative who was for a short time the landlady of the Victory Beer house in Eden Street in Kingston (between 1858 - 1862 roughly).  In the end if would appear she had her licence removed due to the amount of trouble there!!!

I have not been able to find anything about the Victory despite lots of online searches. 

I am also struggling to find any reference to it in the 1861 census but then a lot of my Hamilton/Leary relatives are missing in 1861 and I wonder whether part of the census is missing?

Any information about the Victory beer house would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks in advance.

KPM

[AlanBoyd]

October 1861 there is a newspaper item which names Caroline Sketon [sic] of the Victory beer-house (drunk and causing a disturbance).

I found George Skilton, 37, labourer and beer [something], his wife Caroline, 35 and their son John in the 1861 census at Eden Street, the Victory. If you have A***y access:

https://tinyurl.com/2mvexw6u

[AlanBoyd]

Was your relative Mary Leary? The last newspaper item that I can see linking her to Eden Street is in 1859.

[KPM]

Hi

Yes Mary Leary was my ancestor.  The last reference I can find linking her to the Victory was December 1860 - lots of different variations of the spelling of the surname.  By 1862 she was keeping a lodging house in Waterman's passage.

I've really struggled to find Richard Hamilton (sometimes Hambleton or Hammerton) born 1827 his wife Julia and their son Richard (1857) who I think were probably with Mary Leary (Julia's mother) in 1861.  I've spent hours looking for them!!!

Regards
KPM

[gc1]

Long shot based on birth year of Richard 1857
Possible miss spelling or transcription of Julia's Surname

Name   Richard Laming Hamilton
Sex   Male
Spouse's Name   Julia Laety
Spouse's Sex   Female
Event Type   Marriage
Event Date   9 Aug 1854
Event Place   Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England, United Kingdom

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N2BL-VYD?lang=en

[gc1]

Maybe Richard's death

Name   Richard Hamilton
Sex   Male
Age   65
Birth Year (Estimated)   1828
Event Type   Burial
Event Date   30 Aug 1893
Event Place   Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England, United Kingdom

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JZHD-W27?lang=en

[AlanBoyd]

Looking at the original record for the marriage of Julia Laety found by gc1:

a) it really does look like Laety not Leary, and she is a minor

b) she names her father as Timothy Laety, labourer

c) the groom’s occupation is, I think, fruiterer.

KPM, does any of that fit?

[KPM]

Dear both

Thank you for your help.

gc1 - these records are both mine.  Richard was a twin born in 1827 in the City of London (Brother James) and married Julia Leary when she was 14!!  I thought I'd got that wrong at the start but the marriage cert said she was a minor and the census and her death certificate both confirm she was 14 when they married.  Their marriage wasnt a harmonious one and from what I can gather she was away from him more than she was with him!! 

Alan - definitely Leary but so many different variations of the spelling!

Richard and Julia had two children - Richard Hamilton born 1857 and Mary Ann Hamilton born 1862.  I've found them in 1871 and Julia died in 1872. 

I found Richard in 1861 living as a lodger in Old Bridge Street but no sign of Julia, Richard (jnr) or Mary Leary.

Thank you both for your help.

KPM

[AlanBoyd]

I've located where the Victory beer-house was on Eden Street.  See this large scale town plan from 1865 and find the Friends Meeting House on the east side of the street (this is the northerly section of Eden Street running down from London Street/Clarence Street):

https://maps.nls.uk/view/229946586#zoom=5.2&lat=6461&lon=12221&layers=BT

After using the 1861 census itinerary to infer that it was somewhere between the Friends Meeting House and the junction with Fairfield Road (Fairfield Passage in the census return) I found conclusive evidence in the 1867 Post Office directory (image below) where the aforementioned 1861 resident at the Victory, George Skilton is listed as a beer retailer at the penultimate property before the junction with Fairlfield Road (now Lady Booth Road).

Later on, this part of Eden Street was redeveloped as a Wesleyan Chapel, but as late as the 1910 Valuation Survey a Mrs Macrostie was at the property to the north of the chapel—number 72 Eden Street—and I've confirmed that she was the widow of the James Macrostie listed in the directory.

It’s all gone now: the corner lot is vacant and to the north is a Primark.