Trench

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Andy G
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Last seen: 3 years 25 weeks ago
Joined: Friday, 25-09-2020

Hi,I have traced my maternal grandparents and beyond to the area around Wrockwardine Wood.I visited the area on Saturday,explored Horton,Kinnersley,Eyron upon the Weald Moors and the modern Wrockwardine Wood/ Donington/ Lilleshall,all of which are recorded at some point in my family history..In 1881,I have a record of my 2x great granddad living at 35,Trench Lane,in a section of census records headed " parish of Eyton upon the wild moors".I have now discovered that my first assumption that they lived in Eyton is mistaken,as it is some distance from where he,as a forge engineer,would have worked...
The census enumerator says his area included " the Trench" and the 1880s Ordnance Survey map identifies " Trench" in a different script to other settlements.I wonder if there is an explanation for these descriptions,and where in fact 35,Trench Lane might be...I notice from the census that it was next door to " Duke of York Inn" but I can't find that that on the OS map...

Any help,guidance or advice would be gratefully received,

Thank you in advance,

Andy Grimley

 

 

Michael J Hulme
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Last seen: 9 hours 57 min ago
Joined: Saturday, 4-06-2011

Hello Andy

It is important to realise that the numbers (35 in your case and 36 for the the Duke of York Inn) are not house numbers in the street in the way that we know them today. The numbers 35 and 36 are Schedule numbers which start at 1 at the beginning of the Census Enumerators round and rise sequentially one by one until he reaches the end of his area.

The fact that your family is recorded immediately before the Duke of York Inn makes it reasonable to assume that they lived one side or the other of the Inn but to possibly work out which you need to look at the Description of Enumeration District which the enumerator completes at the beginning of the book in which he completes the census details.

I can't find the Description of Enumeration District on Find my Past but it is easy to find it on Ancestry either by going page by page to the beginning of the district or by putting page number 1 in the box at the bottom centre of the screen.

Reading the beginning of the description (on Ancestry) it appears that this enumerator's area only included the north side of Trench Lane so that limits the possible location of your relatives home. If you look at old Ordnance Survey maps from the late 1800's at a scale of 6 inches to 1 mile and 25 inches to 1 mile hopefully one of them will at least mention the Inn even if it doesn't name it. Try National Library of Scotland.

Mike

RG.11/2682 folio 81 page 8
 

Andy G
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Last seen: 3 years 25 weeks ago
Joined: Friday, 25-09-2020

 Michael,Thank you for your help and guidance- much appreciated.I have looked at the National Library of Scotland maps but can not locate the Duke of York...Might you have a suggestion regarding the script used on the NLS map for Trench-- it implies that it is not a settlement but a feature,as referred to in the enumerators description? I do know that my family moved to Cannock in the early mid 1880s,presumably due to working opportunities in the mining industry.I am assuming that Trench Lane was renamed Trench Road at some point and is now the route of the modern road...?

Regards and many thanks for your time,

Andy Grimley