Guide Post Buildings

[loopylou]

Hi, I’ve been looking on the census at where my ancestors (Storey) lived in 1871 and 1881 and came across two places I’ve never heard of; East Row (1871) & Choppington Row (1881). Both in Guide Post.

Does anyone know anything about them? 

Thank you.

Edited Tuesday at 09:37 by loopylou

[DJA 24]

Hello,

You may already be aware of this so sorry if it's a repeat.  National library of Scotland offers access (free!) to historical maps.  If you're lucky the old maps have street names, sometimes not.

Follow this link to the map for 1898, sadly no names but the layout is the same as the previous map and neither of the roads you seek are on that one.  This is the link    https://maps.nls.uk/view/101027289   Warning, you can spend endless hours just browsing where you lived or in my case born, a street in Crofton long since gone.

 

 

 

[loopylou]

@DJA 24 Thank you for your reply. I’m already aware of the NLS maps (and what a brilliant resource they are!). 
 

I’ve looked at the Guide Post maps but unfortunately as you say, they don’t bring up much even when the layouts have been the same. Guide Post is quite a mystery…

I searched up one of the named streets, Blyth Terrace, and even that has been enigmatic in results except a few newspaper articles. 

[loopylou]

A potential lead on from a newspaper article in 1874, I’m thinking maybe this East Row in 1871 was at Scotland Gate. Unless there were two, one there and one in Guide Post. 🤔

 

I’ve just checked and Thomas Marsden does appear in the 1871 census a few pages from my ancestors. So Scotland Gate, not Guide Post.

Edited yesterday at 14:54 by loopylou

[Canny lass]

Hi @loopylou Your turn to make a cuppa!

Have you ever heard the saying ‘Cherchez l femme’ (literally, ‘look for the woman,) commonly used in detective fiction when solving mysteries? I have my own version ‘cherchez la pub’ (literally, ‘look for the public house’) which I use in detective reality to solve the mysteries of family-whereabouts. While streets and roads often change their names public houses very rarely do and when it does happen, it’s often to a spin-off from the old name.

If your relative is John Storey (wife A, children: S A, E and J I) then it’s possible not only to find the street but possibly even the house. Just follow the enumerator on his route until you find both your relative and the nearest pub. Often the pub is still in existence today. Using my ‘cherchez la pub’ method, I followed the route of the enumerator, Mr George Thornton, in the 1871 census: Parliamentary Borough of Morpeth – Parish of Bedlington – Ecclesiastical district of Choppington, Enumeration district 10.

George Thornton, describes his enumeration district as “Guide Post East, West, North & South. Choppington, Choppington New Colliery, Bothal Haugh, Sheepwash Bank, Sheepwash & Cleesewell Hill, Stakeford Gate & Cottage in the wood”.

Following the census on the 3^rd of April 1871 he starts his rounds at the Angler’s Arms (schedule nr 1) at the bottom of Sheepwash Bank and continues up the bank along what is today the A1068 to schedule numbers 2 – 5. These 4 dwellings, simply have the address “Sheepwash Bank” which is located in the “Hamlet of Sheepwash Bank”. From there he proceeds straight ahead to the “Village of Guide Post” where the 7 families resident at schedule numbers 6 - 12 simply have the address “Guide Post”. Still in the “Village of Guide Post” he continues along “Sheepwash West Street” and visits the 16 families living there (schedule nrs.  16 – 28).

Moving on, he enters “Sheepwash - East Row” (schedule nrs. 29 – 57) and its 29 families. At schedule nr. 36 I find Thomas Marsden – hopefully the same person you mentioned in your previous post. At schedule nr 45 I find, what I believe to be your relatives, John Storey and family, and low and behold at schedule nr. 54 I find the first public house on George’s round. It’s called The Shakespeare– and here it is on a map from 1866!

You’ll see that The Shakespeare is marked BH. This is because it was originally (1850s) a Beer House (marked BH on OS maps rather than PH, Public House). At that time, according to the North East Heritage Library, it was the most northern building in the Village of Guide Post. Being a beer house meant that it was only allowed to sell ale whereas a public house could sell anything. Because of this restriction it was much cheaper to obtain a licence for a beer house.

Here is the ‘Shakespeare’ today. If you live in the area you’ll probably recognize it as being on Front Street in Guide Post though this is not the original building.

 

 

So, where did John Storey live?

Between John Storeys residence and The Shakespeare there were only 8 dwellings so my guess is that “Sheepwash West Street’ and “Sheepwash East Row,” both in the village of Guide Post” are the following - in which case John lived towards the northern end of “Sheepwash East Row” (possible West Street arrowed green, possible East Row arrowed blue) just a stone’s throw from the beer house.

 

 

However, there is another option. East Row probably changed its name and if the above blue-arrowed row is East Row, then it was built out between 1866 and the 1890s filling the gap between the northern end of “Sheepwash East Row” and The Shakespeare. You can see this development in this compilation of 2 maps from the 1890s on the left and the 1920s on the right (The Shakespeare marked in red on the 1890s side and now a PH).

 

 

If this development occurred between 1866 and 1871 when the census was completed, he would have lived in the new development.

What about Thomas Marsden? A possible explanation for Guide Post vs. Scotland Gate may be a district boundary change. Just a thought!

I hope this was of use to you and that you yourself might find a use for my ‘cherchez la pub’ method. If you want any of the documentation I've researched give me a shout.

Edited 2 hours ago by Canny lass