Is this commonplace?

[Merry]

Nothing to add to BK6 from this thread

I'm aware that many people claimed false addresses when marrying, possibly in order to save the expense of having banns read in two parishes.

The family I've been searching for on my other thread "A disintegrating family" have a different scenario and I wondered if anyone else has noticed anything similar in their trees? These are some of the addresses I have for the family of Clark and Mary Matilda Cotton:

Birth of Lydia Eliza 18th Feb 1849 at 2 Mills Court, Spitalfields

Bap of Lydia Eliza 11th March 1849 at St Botolph's, Bishopsgate, City of London. Address given as 26 New Street

Birth of Clark William 23th Feb 1853 at 5 Mills Court, Spitalfields

Bap of Clark William 20th March 1853 at St Matthias', Bethnal Green, Middlesex. Address given as 26 Place Street

Birth of Henry Joseph 31st August 1855 at 5 Mills Court, Spitalfields

Bap of Henry Joseph 23rd Sept 1855 at St Matthias', Bethnal Green, Middlesex. Address given as 25 Duke Street

Another dau was born in 1857. I don't have her birth cert but her baptism took place at St Matthias', Bethnal Green, Middlesex and the address given was 24 Princes St

In 1861 the family were at Mills Court, Spitalfields.

So, why the different addresses for the baptisms if they seemed to spend so much time at Mills Court?

Any ideas??

[Tom Tom]

The only thing I can think of is that perhaps Mum went to stay with relatives after the babies were born and then had them christened from there? Seems unlikely though; would they have given their usual address had this been the case?

I've never come across anything like it before.

[Merry]

I haven't investigated her parents to see where they lived. Something to do whilst others are watching the TV this evening! :rolleyes:

[tenterfieldjulie]

Could it have something to do with wanting to be a parishioner of a particular church and the Spitalfields address wouldn't allow it, or conversely not wanting to be a parishioner of the Spitalfield's church, either didn't like the vicar etc or the church had a scandal attached ?.

[Merry]

Goodness knows, Julie! I wouldn't have thought they would have been too worried about scandals, having plenty of their own to worry about!

I might take a look at 26 New Street in 1851 (if I can find it) to see who was living there. None of this family seem to have lived in the City of London as far as I know, so I don't know why they would suddenly have used St Botolph's Bishopsgate for a baptism?

[Shona]

Clark and Mary Cotton were living at Mill's Court in 1851, as well.

[Merry]

I might take a look at 26 New Street in 1851

Hmmm.......well it's on the current London street map right next to St Botolph's, but the only New St I can see in The City in 1851 is in the parish of Saint Ann Blackfriars. Maybe the parishes are next to each other?? Don't have time to look now, but will be back later......

[Shona]

It's about a half mile between St Botolph's and Spitalfields.

[Shona]

This is interesting.

http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/services/environment-and-planning/planning/heritage-and-design/conservation-areas/Documents/Middlesex%20Street%20Character%20Summary.pdf

There are some old maps in this document and it looks as if there is a boundary at the end of New Street. Some pics of entrances and courtyards in New Street in the document, too.

[Lindsay]

I have a branch which do the same thing.

I've never worked out why, but perhaps XX Court is off YYY Road (with another exit onto ZZZ Street) which is why any or all of the above might be used.

[Shona]

I have a branch which do the same thing.

I've never worked out why, but perhaps XX Court is off YYY Road (with another exit onto ZZZ Street) which is why any or all of the above might be used.

I've come across a similar situation with the OH's Irish lot. For one person, a birth place of Carrick Hill is given, but the family actually lived in Shield's Court, one of the 'entries' behind Carrick Hill. The entries were small alleyways leading from the main road to the less than salubrious housing hidden from view!

[Olde Crone]

My immediate thought is that all the babies were born in Mill St cos that's where gran lived. Also, I've found that street addresses were about as flexible as names, lol, with what appears to be one house having several different address "descriptions".

OC

[Asa]

I have the same thing also - my great grandmother was born Jan 1878 at 10 Netherland Place in Caledonia Street at the bottom of the Cally near Kings Cross. The family are there on the 1881 census three years later but when she was baptised at St Pancras in February 1878, the address is given as Bidborough Street. At a guess, Caeldonia Street might be in the parish of St Michael Bingfield Street but definitely not in St Pancras parish.

As my great x 3 grandmother was with the family in 1881, I've guessed that this was where she lived and my great x 2 grandparents moved about but I don't know

[kiterunner]

This is the description of the enumeration district in 1861:
The south side of Raven Row, south side of Artillery Passage, east side of Sandy's Row from Artillery Passage to Tripes Yard. The whole of Rosetta Place, Frying Pan Alley, New Court, Mills's Court, and Tyson's Court.

Very close to where New Street, Bishopsgate, is now. I will look some more later but have to go out now.

[kiterunner]

And this is the description of the enumeration district from 1851 (took me ages to find it as I didn't realise that the page with the Cottons on was missing from ancestry!)

All that part of the Parish of Christ Church Spitalfields which comprises the East side of Petticoat Lane, from Mills Court to the south corner of Cobbs Yard, the whole of Fishers Alley, Paradise Place, Dinah Buildings, Landers Buildings, Tripes Yard, Tuson Court and Mills Court.

[Merry]

(took me ages to find it as I didn't realise that the page with the Cottons on was missing from ancestry!)



Oops, so sorry Kate! I did know Ancestry didn't have it, but had forgotten about it as I've had the page saved for years.

Thanks for the enumeration district info. I hadn't really taken in before how close together some of these places are.

[Shona]

The image for the 1851 census is on Find My Past.

http://www.findmypast.co.uk/CensusShowPhotoImageServlet?imageName=9e4de504e852 d3293fe70cdfee7c6319f9a87344ef87b82060164ce7cf7b30 0f&censusYear=1851&imageStamp=9e003cca0453e29396de603eaed6256feea0b49 1db03610a58ec0160d6411bc75e5f8418f19b5123&desc=1851%20Census%20%3Cbr%3EMills%20Court,%20Spit alfields,%20Tower%20Hamlets%3Cbr%3EWhitechapel%3Cb r%3EHO107%20%20piece%201543%20folio%20180%20page%2 02%20&free=N&poorQuality=N&loc=&u=0&l=0&s=0&a=30900601

Mill's Court

Clark Cotton, head, 30, waiter
Mary Cotton, wife, 30
Lydia Cotton, daughter, 2, born Middx Spitalfields
Matilda Cotton, daughter, 3, born Middx Spitalfields
Eliza Alexander, lodger, 30, married, washerwoman, born Birmingham

A couple of doors away, there is a lodger named Margaret Clemments, married, 34, French polisher, born Bethnal Green.

I'll post this on the other thread about this family, for reference.