MEMORY MONDAY
Today – if we haven’t done so already – we will be filling in our census forms, taking part in a decennial survey of households that began back in 1801.
The oldest census available to us for research is that taken in 1841. At the time, Westwood Heath was a hamlet in the parish of Stoneleigh, not becoming part of the city of Coventry until 1927. For local and family historians, the censuses provide that all-important snapshot of a community every 10 years. So, what does the 1841 census tell us about Westwood Heath?
• The population was 397
• The hamlet was spread out over a large geographical area, with pockets of settlement at Kirby Corner, Cryfield, Cryfield Gate (the area now occupied by the University of Warwick campus) the area around Crackley Lane (named in the census as Crackly, Hurst and Hollies), Canley Hill, the Round Houses, as well as habitation further towards Tile Hill Lane and Fletchamstead.
• Although other sources indicate that Kirby Corner was the centre of the settlement, the area with the highest population was around Crackley and Hurst, accounting for 28% of the total. Hurst Farm and South Hurst Farm exist to this day. It is interesting to consider that Hurst is also the site of a deserted medieval village, but part of it had clearly been re-populated by the 19th century.
• This was a young population. The average age of a Westwood Heath resident in 1841 was 26 years; the mode was 15.
• 157 people have occupations listed on the census (mostly men but that does not mean the women were not economically active – they usually were but this went undocumented for the most part!). Of those 157, 76% were in agricultural occupations. The majority of these were the young and middle-aged, but not all. Kirby Corner neighbours, John Peace and John Flowers, both 75, were still working as agricultural labourers. 80 year-old Joseph Pratt, also of Kirby Corner, was a farmer, although he employed 2 young labourers to help him.
• Other types of worker included the Cooke family, who were shoe makers. Thomas Cooke had his son (15) and another lad (14) as his apprentices. There was also one policeman and two railway policemen. Railway construction was taking place at this time; in 1838 the line had been built through the Fletchamsteads and Tile Hill. Tile Hill station itself was in the early stages of development in 1841.
• Only 4 people came from outside Warwickshire. These included 24 year-old John Kelly and 15 year-old Martin Concannon. It appears they were working at Tocil Farm (on the site of the university). Both young men were Irish. At Hurst, gamekeeper James Potts and his wife, Hannah are recorded as being from outside the county. It is hard to ascertain how mobile the population was within the county as places of birth were not specified until the next census in 1851. In fact, subsequent censuses do indicate that people moved around much more than we might think.
• Some of the families were quite large by today’s standards. Farmer Joseph and wife Jemmia of Cryfield had 8 children aged between 1 and 14. The Gee family at Hollies had 6 children between 1 and 13 years of age. William Gee, as an agricultural labourer, would have been poor and reliant on seasonal work, but in due course his 3 sons and 3 daughters would all have been able to find farming work to support the family economically.
• The map shows the area covered by the hamlet of Westwood Heath, although this dates from the 1880s. Some of the names on the census are unfamiliar to us today. It is likely that Canley Hill encompassed the area roughly from the Network Rail building, taking in the housing developments, extending to the top of the present Westwood Heath Road and possibly in the other direction towards Park Wood. On later censuses, this area appears to have been re-named Cox’s Hill. I live on Roughknowles Road and know that for years myself and neighbours whilst gardening frequently unearthed sherds of blue and white pottery dating from the 19th century, showing there had been domestic dwellings in the area. One particular puzzle is the reference to the Round Houses, present in all the censuses up to 1911. These could be the so-called squatters’ cottages, built by farm workers on Leigh land in the late 18th century. When archives re-open, it will be possible to delve deeper; tithe maps should tell us more about these names and their locations as well as more about the tenants here.
As we transcribe and analyse the other censuses, we will discover more about how the area developed over the years up to 1911. All census returns are subject to a 100 - year closure to protect personal information; 2022 will see the release of the 1921 census, so we look forward to that. All discoveries will, of course, be shared with you!
As always, we would love to hear from you if you wish to join us in the History Group or wish to share memories or old photos of the area. Please email
westwoodheathhistory@gmail.com.
Images:
A page from the 1841 census from Westwood Heath (www.ancestry.co.uk)
Map of Westwood Heath (c1901)
Copyright Cassini Publishing Ltd and used with
permission
19th century agricultural workers, from the sketchbook of George Robert Lewis (pen and ink wash drawing. Museum no. 9308.30 © Victoria & Albert Museum)
Delapidated 18th century squatters’ cottage, Shropshire (image: shropshirelive.com)
Plan showing squatters’ cottages in Westwood Heath (plan by Nat Alcock, taken from from his book People at Home: living in a Warwickshire village 1500-1800 (1993) and used with his kind permission).