Continued from Letter 8
April 8th, 1938.
(Last week Mrs. Wells in her reminiscences of old Ilkeston had reached the plot of land in South Street, formerly Gregory’s orchard, which was bought by the U.M.F. Church, and on which South Street Schools were erected. This week her description takes us down South Street from the Schools onwards).
The next three shops below were also detached; the first was empty until taken in the late sixties by Mr. William Briggs, clock maker and repairer. He also filled up his time by travelling with tea. There were eight children. Henry died in his early manhood, leaving a widow; Sarah married Mr. Fox, she left her husband with two children; Ann married Mr. Seth Manners; Mary became Mrs. Campbell Burrows; Willie was the youngest of the family. They all attended Queen Street Chapel. Mr. W. Briggs in later years went to the shop in Bath Street, built by the late Paul Hodgkinson. The middle shop was occupied by Mr. Isaac Mitchell, shoemaker. He had two sons, Isaac, who became a schoolmaster, and Fred, who followed in his father’s footsteps. Jane, the eldest daughter, married Henry Coxon, draper. Sally was a cripple, having sustained a fall when an infant. This family attended South Street Chapel. The third shop was empty for years, and was at last taken by Miss Hannah Horridge, niece of Peter Stanley, of Cotmanhay.. She started a dressmaking business, and was very successful. The first of the next three shops was taken by Mr. Joseph Bostock, cooper. He had a workshop at the rear. The eldest daughter was named Louisa. Mr. Bostock and his family left Ilkeston for Burton in the early sixties.
The next tenant was Mr. Thompson, rope dealer. I think there was only one son. He married Miss Martha Butt, eldest daughter of the late Mr. James Butt. The second shop was tenanted by Mrs. West, milliner. Her husband, Jarvis West, worked at Ball’s, in Burr Lane. The third shop was taken by Mr. Green, shoemaker. Mrs. Green was a sister of Jane Skevington, and Mrs. Kitty Beardsley. Mrs. Green had been married to a Mr. Cresswell. She had one son, Sam. The greens had four children, William who became a schoolmaster and married Eliza, eldest daughter of Mr. Amos Tatham, Belper Street; Robert, Eliza and Sarah. The youngest developed consumption and died after the family went to reside in Nottingham. After Mr. Francis Sudbury, senior, left the one room building in South Street, against the Old White House, and started in the new place in Queen Street, his eldest son William started a butcher’s business in the room until he found it expedient to remove into the Market Place, to the shop vacated by Mr. John Childs, who had taken the new shop in Bath Street, built by Mr. Joseph Carrier. The next shop was between South Street Chapel and the wide yard, now West Street. Mrs. Scattergood, a widow, and her two daughters carried on a fancy business. One daughter became the second wife of the late Mr. Alderman Moss. This shop was afterwards taken by Mr. William Wade, grocer; later on it was acquired by Mr. Philip Bacon, grocer, and I believe is still in the possession of his daughter. The shop and house next to South Street Chapel was very old. It belonged to Mr. James Hithersay, grocer. He had one son and two daughters. James married and started as a grocer at the bottom of Market Street, in White Lion Square. Ann and Mary assisted their parents in their shop. This family were attendants at the South Street Baptist Chapel.
Continued in Letter 10
