Family History/Accrington/Pitt St area
 

Hi!

I'm doing some family history research in the area going back to the late 1800's early 1900's. I'm actually from Canada so I don't know the area at all and was hoping someone could help. I have a couple questions!! The first question is regarding the Cricketers Arms. My 3x great grandparents (Susannah and Robert Ingham) seem to be living at 29 Pitt St (Cricketers Arms) from the 1880's to early 1900's as beersellers. Now I don't know whether the owned the pub or rented/leased. Would she likely be a landlady? (...the only knowledge I have of pub's comes from watching Coronation Street!!! lol!). Also is this pub still there or can anyone remember it being there? My other question has to do with the cotton industry in the area. Other members of the family were employed as cotton weavers and lived on Pitt St. as well at the time. It seems to me that there were probably many cotton factories around at the time. From research I've done on the industry itself I believe that it was common for factories to provide housing to their employees near the factories. Would anyone know whether the Pitt St area was part of houses owned by a local factory. If so what cotton factory would have owned housing in the area or what were the local cotton factories in the area at the turn of the century? I don't know if anyone can help me with this or not but it's worth a shot! Thanks!:p

Re: Family History/Accrington/Pitt St area
 

Pitt St has long gone since they built Eastgate a so called bypass to the town. Pitt St was originally called John St, as for the Cricketers Arms, in my files it was at 4 Pitt St back in the mid 1800's, some times they weren't proper pubs as such, just a couple of houses joined together, in some ale houses it was just the front room of a house, with barrels on a trestle.
There were so many cotton mills around Acc that it would be difficult to say which one they worked at.
Can't find them living in Pitts St in the 1914 Burgess Rolls.

Re: Family History/Accrington/Pitt St area
 

I took a look on the Find My Past website for the address you mentioned. In 1891 there is a Susannah Ingham, head of household, widow, Beerseller at the Cricketer's Arms. She has a servant and her 10 year old granddaughter living with her. In 1901, it's still listed as the Cricketer's Arms. In 1911 however, a new family lives there, and while the head of the household's occupation is 'Beerseller' there's no mention of it being the Cricketer's Arms. It is an 8 room 'house', so maybe they just didn't mention it on the Census form.

I googled old pubs of Accrington, and found the Lost Pubs Project website. It names a Cricketer's Arms on Melbourne St., closing in 1966. I don't know if this is the same pub, moved to a different address, or a totally different business.


About the cotton mill supplying housing for the workers: I've never heard of it, but maybe some other members on Accy Web can help with that.


Good luck with your search for info! I'm in Canada too, by the way, and rely totally on the Internet for my genealogy research.

Re: Family History/Accrington/Pitt St area
 

Pitt St was actually a continuation of Melbourne St as i recollect.:)

Re: Family History/Accrington/Pitt St area
 

I don't think Melbourne St existed back in them days Cashy.

Re: Family History/Accrington/Pitt St area
 

Thank you for the information! I don't know what it's like in England but here street names and house numbers tend to change over time so I wonder if it was the same pub as 4 Pitt St. I have it listed at 29 Pitt St in the 1881/1891 census but the family was living at 5 Pitt St in 1861. (1871 they were at Stanley St) and he (Robert) seemed to be a laborer ...sounded like some kind of metal or blacksmith work... then all the sudden he's a beerseller. Maybe he took over the business and moved it down the road or something. Do you know when the street name changed from John St?

Re: Family History/Accrington/Pitt St area
 

It existed when i was a little lad, lived just around the corner, before then have no idea.:confused::)

Re: Family History/Accrington/Pitt St area
 

Melbourne St ran from Burnley Rd to Stanley St, then it became Pitt St from Stanley St to Plantation St according to an old map

Re: Family History/Accrington/Pitt St area
 

Re: Family History/Accrington/Pitt St area
 

Pitt St actually came up to Birtwistle St, there was also a Higher Pitt St, facing the Prince of Wales, and a Back Pitt St.

Re: Family History/Accrington/Pitt St area
 

I cannot find my copy of 'An Accrington Mixture' which might give an address for the Cricketers' Arms. It will also tell whether it was a beer house or did it sell spirits and wine. The custom of mill owners providing housing did not apply in Accrington - usually only in villages. Join (on-line) the Lancashire County Library library, which will give you access too 19th century newspapers. Using keyword Ingham and Cricketers, Pitt, select the Blackburn papers - it may bring something up. Look at censuses 1881 1891 and 1901. Moving from labourer to publican was a step up the social ladder

Re: Family History/Accrington/Pitt St area
 

Thank you very much for the information! I was able to find the site you mentioned. I'm trying to remember exactly... but I don't know whether it was the cotton mills or coal mines or maybe both but I believe the company owned or had something to do with the local housing sometimes... More or less landlords... I think I read that somewhere years ago and I also remember it being mentioned on Who Do You Think You Are (UK) as well (I'm hooked on that show! It helps with understanding the society and culture of the time especially since I've never even been to England). But.... I don't know how common the housing was for sure.

Re: Family History/Accrington/Pitt St area
 

:o

Re: Family History/Accrington/Pitt St area
 

Thank you! I don't think I can get a membership though because I'm not in the U.K. I sent the application though... I guess we'll see lol!

Re: Family History/Accrington/Pitt St area
 

Hi I have tried to reply to this request for info. but have had no response, maybe thru this link will be more successful, if you still wish to continue your search please reply to this email.

rgds jim

Re: Family History/Accrington/Pitt St area
 

I have sent kflannigan a PM. I will try to find some more information for him when next in the library. If anyone has time to do some research, it would be useful to look at the Observers in February of each year to see when the Cricketer's Arms licence was surrendered.
I advise kflannigan to look at he website of the Lancashire Family History Society. It is possible to ask if any society members are interested in Inghams and to send them an email.

Re: Family History/Accrington/Pitt St area
 

The Cricketers Arms was on the same side as the Queens on the next corner so couldn't have been number 4 and it wasn't on Melbourne Street that pub was The Old House At Home

Re: Family History/Accrington/Pitt St area
 

I lived at number 78 Higher Pitt St. until I was five we were next door but one to the Common Lodging House. There was a small street across the road that led up to the back yards of Elephant St. but I can`t remember the name of it. Frank T

Re: Family History/Accrington/Pitt St area
 

The Cricketers' Arms was No 29 Pitt St and was close to Barnes St and the Queen's Hotel in Barnes St. It was a beerhouse which meant it could sell beer but not spirits. When beerhouses started up they did not need a licence and tended to be in smaller premises such as houses. Pitt St was on land previously owned by two families - the Peels and the Lee-Warners. It is likely that the Peels chose its name, as they would be matey with both Pitt and Melbourne, MPs in the government of another Peel - Sir Robert, brother of Jonathan Peel of Accrington House. By the time of the Inghams being landlords, a beer-selling licence issued by local magistrates was needed. It was common for a husband to have a job and for his wife to run the pub.
Mill owners building houses for their workers near to the mill was common in places where there was not a big population and sufficient housing. I have not heard of their being any such houses in Accrington.
Other nearby streets named after politicians were Stanley St and Clarendon St