I just wanted to say that I for one am enjoying the information that is coming through I think it keeps the list lively Cheers Pat ----- Original Message ----- From: "tim sewell" <postmantim2@optusnet.com.au> To: <ENG-DUR-SUNDERLAND-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, March 11, 2005 10:44 AM Subject: [SUNDERLAND] Re:Southwick and Lewis Caroll > A further correction (sorry about all this). (And sorry Stan for sending my > last message directly to you as well as to the list). > > I have just come back from perusing the 1861 and 1891 census images for > Whitburn. > > * 1. The Freecen 1861 record which shows the Wilcox family living at Westoe > (Piece RG9/3792 Place Westoe-Co. Durham Enumeration District:21 Civil > Parish:Whitburn etc...) contains a serious transcription error. > Piece 3792 is actually the first page of Whitburn Village, not Westoe at > all. And there is William Wilcox on page 1, living in Whitburn (as everyone > thought until I introduced Freecen into the discussion) in 1861. > > So my speculation about Marsden Bay being Lewis Carroll's inspiration turns > out to have been pure nonsense. (Ah, well....) > > * 2. In 1861, theWilcoxes are shown to be living in an un-named and > un-numbered house, merely shown as No. 5 in Whitburn Village. > In contrast, quite a number of other houses are given names where available. > Thus, even the Gardener's House at Whitburn Hall is named as such. I have > no doubt that, if High Croft (an imposing two-storey house) had existed in > 1861, and > the Wilcoxes had lived there, the enumerator would have told us so. > > *3. The 1891 census shows two unmarried Wilcox sisters (Isabella L Wilcox > aged 41 and Mary D. Wilcox 31), their widowed sister Clara M. Hitchcock aged > 35, William (Clara's son) aged 6, a visitor, a boarder, and two servants, > all living at High Croft. > > *4. I haven't yet looked to see if there were any Wilcoxes still living at > Stafford Lane in 1891. Of those that did live there in 1881, only Isabella > moved to High Croft. (Neither Mary nor Clara were living at Staffords Lane > in 1881). > > *5. I have looked again at the 1862 map. That shows one solitary house on > the West side of Lizard Lane, close to the bottom (South) end. It seems > logical that > if it were to be given a street number, it would have to be called "1 Lizard > Lane". I am happy to believe that house is where William Wilcox lived. > (High Croft, on the other hand, was built at the top of the hill on the East > side). > > *6. A (free) search for current postcodes in Lizard Lane on > Postcodeanywhere is > quite enlightening. It offers odd numbered addresses from 1 to 99, but > only 2 even numbered addresses (8 and 10). > The current street map shows numerous houses (in a practically continuous > sequence) on the West side, going right up the road to a point well North of > the old site of High Croft. But there are very few on the East side. > Surely that indicates that the house numbers start from the bottom of the > hill, and odd numbered houses in Lizard Lane are those on the West? (Also > I find it difficult to see how 1 Lizard Lane could have been High Croft, if > that is still a current postal address!) > > *7 From personal knowledge I know that, at least in the early 1940s, the > postal address for High Croft did not include a street name or number - all > mail to High Croft was simply addressed "High Croft, Whitburn, Co. Durham", > and that was the address shown on the family stationery. > > I am content to draw the following conclusions (and others are quite welcome > to disagree with me if they wish!) : > > 1. High Croft was probably built in the mid 1880s. (It was not named as > the Wilcox residence in 1861, not shown on the map in 1862, not mentioned in > the 1881 > census). > > 2. The fact that Wilcox sisters lived in High Croft in 1890 has apparently > been taken (incorrectly) as evidence that their father William Wilcox had > lived there in 1855. > > 3. I accept that Lewis Carroll did visit his Wilcox cousins in Whitburn in > 1855, but he could not have gone to High Croft at that time. He may perhaps > have visited High Croft during his final years, but not when Father William > was alive. > > My best wishes to all who have stayed with this ramble to its end (including > those who disagree with my conclusions). > > Tim S. > > > > ==== ENG-DUR-SUNDERLAND Mailing List ==== > Sunderland.com > http://www.sunderland.com/ > Sunderland Echo > http://www.sunderland-echo.co.uk/ > >