The McLoughlins & the Burns

The McLoughlins

Susan was the daughter of John McLaughlin a coal miner. Perhaps Elswick Colliery was the work place of both John McLaughlin, and John Henry’s younger brother William. She was born at Durham city according to the 1901 census, so I assume she was the daughter of John McLaughlin and Hannah née Howe, born 18 July 1875 at Ludworth Colliery in the Durham registration district.

Hannah Howe married John McLaughlin at the parish church (C of E) at Easington on 30 November 1861. John was a coal miner ‘of full age’ this meant he was 21 or over, John was the son of a coal miner, John McLaughlan. Hannah was an 18 year old spinster, the daughter of John Howe, a coal miner, like her husband she was resident at Shotton Colliery and could not sign her name, but made her mark.

On 7 April, at the time of the 1861 census neither bride nor groom seems to have been living in Shotton. The witnesses to the wedding were Aaron Lawson and Edwin Morhouse. There is no Edwin Morhouse in the 1851, 61 or 71 census; however Edwin Moorhouse, a school master in Leadgate appears on the 1871 census, he was born in Lancashire, but had a child born at South Hetton, Durham in 1865, also Edwin Morhouse was the only party to the marriage who was able to sign his name. The 1861 census, just over six months before the wedding found Aaron, a 17 year old coalminer, at Brancepath Colliery. The mobility evident in these census returns show how much movement there was in the Durham coalfield. I have been unable to find the Howe family on the 1861 census, but there may be a record of the family on the 1851 census at Great Lumley, and also in Great Lumley in 1841, once it becomes clearer whether of not these were our Howes, I will record their details.

 

In February 1889 Mary Ann McLoughlin married Bartholomew Saunders (or Saunders), both of Wickham, at the Gateshead register office. Mary Ann was the daughter of John McLoughlin, a deceased coal miner. It would later become clear that Susan and Mary Ann were sisters. It seems that Bartholomew was illegitimate, as the section for details of his father on the marriage certificate is left blank. In fact Bartholomew appears on the 1881 census aged 14, (coalminer) living at Medomsley Edge with Edward (72) and Jane Saunders, his grandparents. Bartholomew and Mary Ann appear at Ryton, Durham on the 1891 census with their one year old son John, who was born in Close House near Shildon in South Durham. Whenever Mary Ann appears on a census, a different birthplace is recorded! On this occasion she was said to have been born at Sutton in Co Durham. By 1901 Bart and Mary Anne, now with two children, were at Pontop Rows, Kyo, Annfield Plain, where they were soon to be joined by John Burns. On this occasion Mary Anne’s birthplace was given as Byers Green near Willington in South Durham.

John Henry was registered as a voter at 533 Scotswood Rd on the 1899- 1900, & 1901-2 registers. John Burns, my granda, was born at 533 Scotswood Rd on 21 Jan 1898; his father John Henry was still at the Elswick works, where it seems he spent his working life. Three years later, at the 1901 census, the family John Henry, Susan and John (2), were still at 533 Scotswood Rd. 533 must have been quite a large house: the Stewart family had 2 rooms, the Burns 2 rooms, John William Dodds (42) and his wife Jane Ann, had 1 room, and the final group in the house had 4 rooms. It was at this address, a year later (23 March 1902) that Susan Burns died. She had been suffering from bronchopneumonia for 4 days, and had given birth to a premature baby, (which must have died – no birth was registered- the previous day). An obituary appeared in the Evening Chronicle of 27 March 1902.

‘533 Scotswood Road on the 23^rd inst. Aged 23 Susan beloved wife of John Henry Burns, interred this Friday 28^th inst, lift at 2-30 pm. Friends, please accept this invitation.’

 

Shortly after his mother’s death John was sent to live at Kyo near Annfield Plain, a mining village in Co Durham, with Mary Ann and Bartholomew Saunders. I remember my granddad telling me about a greyhound which would let anyone in, but no one out of the house, this may have been in Annfield Plain, or perhaps at Newcastle. As discussed earlier, Mary Ann’s maiden name was McLocklin, the daughter of John McLocklin (deceased) a coal miner and I assume, the sister of Susan Burns (McLocklin), and so Bart and Mary Ann were John Burns’ uncle and aunt. There were already two children in the family at the time of the 1901 census, and Isabella D Saunders was born in September 1901 at 53 Pontop Row Kyo. In 1911 the Saunders were at 9 Mary Street Annfield Plain, the census return for Mary Anne McGloughklin confirmed Mary Anne’s birth in Shotton.

I remember visiting Bella and her husband Bob Reay, a miner, with my grandfather in Annfield Plain, when I was a child. Interestingly Bob’s mother was born in Broomside, and her first child at Shadforth, placing them in the same area as the McLoughlins in the 1870’s. 1967 electoral role gives their names as Robert W Reay & Isabella Reay.

An early photo of life in Annfield Plain.

The first sighting of an aeroplane over Annfield Plain was recorded both by Mr. Fred Wade and in the local history journal of Mr WA Jennnings.  One afternoon in 1913 the plane was sighted travelling south - then reported to have made a forced landing in a hill­top field some six miles distant near the village of Cornsay Colliery. Fred Wade records his cycle ride to the locality where he found hundreds of people already at the scene. This picture is taken on that occasion. The pilot was Captain Cody, a noted pioneer airman who had been competing in the King's Cup air race to the north of England and back to the south.  Granda Burns told me how he saw the plane come low over the village, and how he followed it to the site where it landed.

John Henry Burns continued to live at 533 Scotswood Rd, remaining on the municipal register for 1902-3, compiled in the third quarter of 1902 # successive electoral roles need to be checked.

 

 

 

 

(Eliz, wife of Andrew Dodds? look for A Dodds on 1901)

The 1901 census also revealed that Martin Judge had married sometime after 1881, his wife Mary was 10 years his junior at 47, and came from South Shields. This is the entry which states that Martin (and presumably, the rest of the Judges) came from Mayo.

 

John Henry Burns’ brothers and sister.

 

The census of 1901 shows a Charles Burns (31), the eldest of the siblings, an iron works labourer, lodging at 11 Alexander St Elswick with the Fleming family Charles Burns of Elswick appears on the electoral role in Elswick throughout the 1920’s & into the 1930’s.

 

The only William Burns matching the details of John Henry’s younger brother was at 44 Back Frederick St Throston, Holy Trinity Parish Hartlepool. William was a labourer in a forge.

A steam hammer in operation at a forge.

William was married to Jane Elizabeth Calvert, the Darlington born daughter of a forge man, they had two sons Thomas (1 year) and Walker (1 month). A visitor in the household was James Burns, a factory labourer. Both William and James were born in Newcastle, but had aged only 8 years in the last decade!

William’s marriage certificate shows his father as William Burns, deceased, a Cooper. The 1881 census index shows no William Burns, cooper with a son William born in Newcastle, I think the Hartlepool William, and his visitor James were my gt gt uncles and that William had boosted the occupation of his father posthumously from labourer to tradesman (his grandfather James Garvey was a cooper). The resemblance between the signatures of the two William’s (father & son) is striking.

 

Lizzie Burns is described as a newsgirl/hawker on the census of 1891 and clearly had a shrewd business brain. Winnie Shippen (my aunty) tells of aunty Lizzie keeping a shop in Noble St in Newcastle in the 1930’s with a flourishing sideline in moneylending. My granda told me about a large greyhound, she kept, who would let anyone into the house, but wouldn’t let anyone out!  Recently Ryan Tully, my 3rd cousin, found that Elizabeth Burns was the sponsor (godmother) of Thomas Tate Burns, the son of William and Jane Calvert.  Thomas was baptised at St Joseph’s (Catholic) Church in Hartlepool on 12 April 1899.  So it seems Lizzie was not married by that stage.  So far Lizzie has not been found on the 1901 or 1911 census.

The Newcastle electoral role of 1922 shows John Henry Burns elector at 29 Noble St, along with Henry &Ellen Hartness, and Alf &s. Poulton.

 

The 1925 role has John Henry Burns as an elector at 29 Noble St. and Charles Burns at no 35 Noble St.

 

1928-9 Charles Burns at no 35.Noble St

 

1933 Charles Burns at 33 back Noble St

1938-39 Charles Burns at 33 back Noble St

 

 

1907 Sept 7th at 22 Canada St Shieldfield Newcastle, death of Bridget Manning, (61) widow of Bartholomew Manning. Bridget died after a fall in her room, an inquest was held on 9 Sept.

1908 191&193 Scotswood Rd a William Burns on the voters list (Q-H) possibly brother of JHB. 1914 191 Scotswood Rd a W Burns Beer Retailer ,Wards Directory of Newcastle reprinted on reprint of 1913 Map of Elswick Check on 1901 census to eliminate

 

1911 January 18 RVI Newcastle, death of William James Burns (39) a Railway Joiner, possibly brother of John Henry Burns. Check on 1901 to eliminate

 

1911 Census showed John Henry Burns (36) shipyard riveter, and John Burns (12) at school living in 1 room at 31 Noble St , Elswick.

1913 January copy of JB’s birth cert. obtained to allow him to begin work at the age of 13. The certificate suggests he was living at 33 Noble St, with his father John Henry. Granda told me that as a boy he worked in a glass blowers shop.

 

 

14 Dec 1914 beginning of the five years of John Burn’s apprenticeship as an electrician with Armstrong Whitworth.

 

1914 Parliamentary Register, at 31 Noble St. Neil and Charles Burns, and Alexander Ross.

 

1914 Parliamentary Register 191&193 Scotswood Rd William Burns.

 

18 May 1916 signing of John Burn’s indenture as an electrician with Armstrong Whitworth.

 

1920 January12 Apprenticeship completed at the Armstrong Naval Yard, Higher Walker, “conduct very satisfactory”.

 

1924 John Burns started work for Consett Iron Company. (25 year service watch)The Higher Walker Naval Yard (founded in 1912) was short of work, and closed in 1928, while the owners of Consett Iron Company had decided, despite the depression, to totally modernise the works, this work started in 1923.

 

26 March 1926 Death of John Henry Burns at 29 Noble St at the age of 54 from cancer of the oesophagus. Described as being a boilermaker, certificate for provision to Boilermaker’s society. Death reported by John Burns of 33 Noble St (Death Cert.) Why was John Henry at 29 Noble St at the time of his death, was this the house of a relative?

 

1926 March 29 Burial of John Henry at St John’s Westgate and Elswick cemetery. (reg. no 63055 grave no 219 section S unconsecrated ) JH described as being aged 51 on receipt from City cemetery. Fee paid by Mr J Mc Loughlin - undertaker.

 

1926 April 5 St Michael’s Church Westmoreland Rd Newcastle, wedding of John Burns of 5 Court St Blackhill and Mary Ellen Glacken of 114 Sycamore St Newcastle witnesses John Glacken, Isabella Saunders and Ellen Dingwall. Steven Shippen senior, says that John had moved to Consett due to the depressed state of the Tyne Shipyards . At this time Consett Iron Company had just embarked on a major modernisation programme. John Burns was in lodgings at Cort St, and soon afterwards obtained rooms for his wife and himself with Billy Eccles at St Mary’s Cres. Blackhill.

 

1926 29 Noble St Autumn Register of electors William and Eliz. Brown, Andrew and Eliz Dodds. Aunty Lizzie?

 

1926 35 Noble St on Autumn Register of electors a Charles Burns.

 

1926 Dec 19 ETU statement of account, paid 42 weeks contributions, excused 10 weeks.

General strike?

 

1927 Jan 15 Birth of Winifred Burns in Newcastle.

1927 Dec 24 ETU accounts 52 weeks paid

 

1930 January 17 birth of John Burns Junior who was baptised at St Joseph’s Church Benwell Newcastle.

 

1931 ETU accounts 45 weeks contributions paid, excused 7 weeks because of unemployment.

 

1933 Envelope postmarked envelope addressed to J Burns at 8 Valley Gardens. Throughout the 30’s grandma and Grandpa Glacken would go on holiday with the Burns family to Whitley Bay.

 

1936 Nov 5 at 6 Bertram Place Newcastle, death of Winefred Glacken, née Manning (aged 72) informant John Glacken of 6 Bertram Place.

St Michael’s Elswick was the church the Glackens attended.

1938 August 28 at 6 Bertram Place, death of Thomas Glacken (73), retired shipyard driller, informant John Glacken of the same address.

 

 

 

The Garveys and the Burns

The Garveys

 

One of the few Irish in Derwentside on the 1841 census was James Garvey, 20, an agricultural labourer living at Baxton Burn Cottages, Benfieldside West. Another of the Irish people in Derwentside in 1841 was a Mr Smith also an agricultural labourer in Benfieldside West; but there is no evidence to connect these people to our Garvey and Smith ancestors.

According to McLysaght, Garvey (meaning rough) is a name from Kerry, Donegal, Armagh, Down, or Mayo. Smith; whilst occurring throughout Ireland is the most common name in Armagh. I hope at some stage to check the Armagh records to see if the family can be found.

The Garveys first appear in England in Newcastle. The first record of the Garveys was the birth of their son Henry in Newcastle on 20 March 1843; they were living at Park Place, just north of the original Eldon Sq. James was a labourer, Elizabeth registered the birth: she could not sign her name, so made her mark.

St Andrew’s Church Newcastle.

At Henry’s baptism, by Father James Riddell at St Andrew’s Worswick St, the sponsors were Thomas Kennedy and Isabella McLoughlin. We know from a later census that Mary Smith was born about 1821 in Ireland and her husband James, also in Ireland about 1808. There is no record of James Garvey and Elizabeth Smith’s marriage in England, so I assume they were married in Ireland; however the following report appeared in the Newcastle Courant of January 10 1840.

 

On 11 June 1848 an Owen Garvey of Blackhill, Consett Co Durham married Rose Cunningham. The 1861 census reveals that Rose was from Louth, and Owen from Down. They appear on the 1881 census at Darlington; this couple were married at Brooms 11/6/1848. Later at the baptism of John Henry Burns, my gt grandfather at St Mary’s Cathedral on 18 December 1870 Newcastle the sponsors were Peter Coyle and Mary C… Peter Coyle appears on the 1881 census in a household made up of Coyles, Cunninghams, and Carrolls, including a Patrick Carroll, born in Consett, and a Catherine Cunningham, born in Newcastle. Both Owen Garvey and our ancestor James Garvey had sons named Henry. All these names appear in the TAB in Newtown Hamilton Armagh.  Was there a link between the Newcastle and Blackhill Garveys?

In 1852 a Mary Garvey (there were two in Newcastle at the time of the 1851 census) and John Mackel were sponsors at a baptism. A later census saw grandchildren, whose name appears to be Garvey, as lodgers with the Mackel family in Pudding Chare, Newcastle, and a subsequent census revealed that the Mackels came from Co Tyrone.

Mary Garvey was born on New Year’s Day 1846, but surprisingly in those days of high infant mortality, was not baptised until 25 Jan, at St Andrew’s almost a month later, when her sponsors were John and Mary Conway, and the priest Fr L Cullen. The civil registration of Mary Garvey’s birth has not yet been found#.

 

 

A view of Grey St in the city centre from an advertisement (N.C. 13 Feb. 1846)

 

The 1851 census found the Garvey family in Pipewellgate, a very poor area of Gateshead on the banks of the Tyne, and the centre of Gateshead’s Irish community. In 1843 there were just 3 privies (ash closets) for the 2,000 inhabitants. The street which gave its name to the area was 330 yards long and only 8 feet wide.

The superintendant of the Gateshead Police reported in 1850 that he had seen filthy rooms, but no more so, than the 20 square feet occupied by 15 to 20 people in a Pipewellgate lodging house*. The Garveys were lodging with Mary Thompson (born Newcastle) and family. James Garvey (37) was a Cooper, born in Ireland; Elizabeth (36) born Ireland Henry (7) born Newcastle, Mary (5) born Newcastle, and John (2) born Newcastle, the record of John’s birth has not yet been found.

 *Northumberland and Durham, the Sinister Side Steve Jones.

Pipewellgate was originally a separate township to Gateshead. It was called after the ‘pipe well’ from which wooden pipes carried Gateshead’s water supply. An account for 1631 states ‘paid ye mason for hewing and laying stones at the pipewell’. - The suffix gate is used in the sense of street or lane. The street was of medieval origin although it was largely rebuilt in the 18^th century. Pipewellgate ran parallel to the river and consisted of small factories, workshops and tenemented houses. It was generally regarded as one of the worst residential areas in Gateshead. Reports of local doctors and inspectors frequently condemned the area. In 1850 Inspector R. Rawlinson wrote of Pipewellgate, 'Neither plan nor written description can adequately convey … the true state and condition of the room-tenements and of the inhabitants occupying them. The subsoil on the sloping side of the hill is damp and most foul, the brickwork of the buildings is ruinous, the timber rotten; and an appearance of general decay pervades the whole district … Single rooms are let off as tenements which are crowded with men, women and children; the walls are discoloured with age, damp and rot; the windows are broken, old rags, straw and boards occupying the place of glass, so that means of light and ventilation alike are absent'. (Manders, 1973 quoted on http://isee.gateshead.gov.uk/detail.)

 

On 21 August 1853, a James Garvey died of an aneurysm of the aorta at St John’s Infirmary, Newcastle. This man was a catholic, as his name appears in the record of requiem masses said at St Mary’s Cathedral Newcastle, he was buried at the Ballast Hills Cemetery on 23 August, described as a labourer whose abode was Byker Bar he was very likely James, the husband of Mary, who was widowed by 1871.

I have been unable to find Elizabeth Garvey or any of her family on the 1861 census of Gateshead, or Newcastle.

 

The electoral role for 1868-9 shows Henry Garvey as an elector at 26 Byron St Westgate. As12 months residence was a requirement it seems that Henry, and I assume, the Burns family, moved from Gateshead to Byron St immediately after his sister Elizabeth married William Burns in December 1867.

 

The Burns in Newcastle.

William and Elizabeth’s first child Charles was born on 27 Dec 1868 at 26 Byron Crescent (right on the edge of the river Tyne) Elswick Newcastle, the first Burns to be born in England.

Two years later, my great granda John Henry Burns was born (3 Dec 1870) at 3 Milton St Westgate, he was baptised on 18 December at St Mary’s, sponsors Peter Coyle and Maria Carroll. *Carroll Coyle Cunningham?1881?

The Burns were still at Milton St 4 months later on 2 April 1871 when the census took place. The family’s name was recorded as Barnes, due no doubt, to William’s Scots accent. William (23) was described as an iron founder (the Morning Chronicle article on the South Wales iron Industry reveals that founder was the term for a worker at the bottom of a blast furnace) Mary was (24), Charles (2) and John Henry (4 months) Also in the household were Mary’s mother Elizabeth Garvey (50) and Mary’s brother Henry Garvey (25) also an Iron Founder. I wonder if John Henry was named Henry after his uncle who would have been 10 when his father died and who likely played a major role in keeping the Garvey family together, or whether he and his uncle were named after an earlier ancestor.

William Burns (junior) was born at 492 Scotswood Rd on 6 April 1873, and his sister Elizabeth Aunty Lizzie to my dad and aunty Winnie) at the same address on 3 March 1875. By the time James Burns was born on 16 May 1878 at 40 Noble St, a street which was home to the Burns family at various stages after 1878.

 

The census of 1881 found the Burns family at 281 and 283 Scotswood Rd Elswick, occupation of two houses might suggest the family were more comfortable than before, but in fact there were four family groups sharing the two houses, and this was also the case with the other houses in the locality. Perhaps the landlords of the properties found it more profitable to knock two houses together before letting out rooms. Charles 12, John Henry 10, and William were at school, the two youngest children (Elizabeth and James) at home. As at the previous census their Grandmother Elizabeth Garvey (56) was included in the household.

In 1882 Grace Burns was born (9 Jan) at Bowman Terrace, between Scotswood Road and the river. Sadly, Grace died at the age of 14 weeks. An inquest was held, and found that Grace has been accidentally suffocated in bed (it was common, due to overcrowding for children to sleep in the same bed as their parents, and this may have been the cause of death in Grace’s case). The coroner was John T Hoyle, a solicitor of 4 Leazes terrace, it is no criticism of JT Hoyle to point out that in his, no doubt, spacious house, where he lived with his daughter and grandson, there were five servants.

Deaths Mar 1884   (>99%)
Burns	Grace	0	Newcastle T.	10b	7

?

Henry Garvey died at 3 Back Gun Terrace, Westgate on 24 March 1884. Henry, 36, was a foundry labourer, he died of acute bronchitis, his brother in law William Burns of 4 Bowman Terrace reported his death.

A feature of life in the years between 1883 and 1886 was that at dawn and at sunset the sky would appear red, because of the dust thrown into the atmosphere by the eruption of the volcano Krakatoa.

 

 The last of William and Mary’s children Matthew, was born at 30 Ramshaw St Elswick in 1887(21 May). William was by then working at the Elswick works, and he registered the birth.

William Burns appears on the voters list at 30 Ramshaw St on the 1886-7 and 1889 registers, but on the 1890 register a different family appears on the role, and it seems the family had moved again. At some point over the next 3 years William died, so far I have been unable to find when or where. Mary (Garvey) Burns appears as a voter on the municipal voters’ role for 1891-2, from Edgeware Rd, the first of our female ancestors to have the vote (in local elections). This means the family were at this address from 15 July 1890.

 In 1891 the census recorded Mary as a widow. The Burns were now at 13 Edgeware Rd Elswick; Charles (21) was a general labourer, John Henry (19) was an apprentice riveter – boiler (a boiler maker), William jnr (17) was a putter (a coal tub pusher) in a coal mine. Elizabeth (15) was a news girl-hawker, and Matthew was four. This census asked how many rooms were at the family’s disposal (if less than 5); the Burns family had 2 rooms.

For 1893-4 Mary Burns’ qualification was for ‘successive properties, 13 Edgeware Rd and 10 Rendel St’. This means that Mary Burns moved from the first address to the second, and qualified for the vote as a result of the aggregate time (minimum 12 months) she had held tenancies at first at Edgeware Rd, then at Rendel St.

Elizabeth Garvey did not appear with the Burns family on the census returns for 1891 and so far has not been found elsewhere on the census but she was still alive. She died (of pulmonary congestion and senile exhaustion, - meaning old age) in the Newcastle workhouse on 10 July 1893. Mary Burns her daughter was in attendance. Mary’s address was 10 Rendel St Elswick.

The death of Matthew Burns aged 8, in 1896, of ‘inflammation of the lungs and bowel, and exhaustion’ must have been a terrible blow to Mary. By then the family were living at 51 Alexander St. Elswick. Four years later, on 4 March 1897, Mary Burns (43) died of cirrhosis of the liver and kidneys. Rosannah Nugent of 40 Noble St reported Mary’s death.

 

John Henry Burns a boilersmith of 16 Noble St. married Susan McLaughlin (23) of the same address, at St Michael’s Church Clumber St Elswick, on 18 June 1898. Patrick Duffy, a neighbour of John Henry from Noble St was the best man. The Duffys were an Irish family from Co Down who, like the Burns, came to Newcastle after some time in Scotland.

 

*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918

The inhabitant occupier as owner or tenant for 12 months preceding the 15th July in any year of any dwelling-house within the county.

The infirmary at Forth Banks, between the site of what is now the Central Station and the river.