A Short History of 53 Marlborough Road, Grandpont, Oxford
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A SHORT HISTORY OF 53 MARLBOROUGH ROAD, GRANDPONT, OXFORD On the 31 st October 1879 Charles Williams of Norfolk Street in nearby St Ebbe’s submitted plans (see overleaf) for a block of eight houses on plots 147-154 of the Grandpont Estate, which were to become nos. 43-57 Marlborough Road. The architect was G Shirley of New Inn Hall Street. These were some of the first houses to be built in the street, probably in 1880. The first inhabitant of no. 51 was James Best. Next door at no. 53 was David Talboy and at no. 55 Mrs Jane Parker. We know from the 1891 census (see over) that she was a young widow with two daughters, Edith and Agnes, who earned her living as a private school teacher, probably running a small school in her house. Teaching was one of the few professions open to single and widowed women at this period. Jane Parker remained at no. 55 until 1896 but at no. 51 James Best was replaced in 1889 by Thomas Howes, a coachman. With him were his wife, Mary, a laundress, and their three children: Amos, aged 22, a shoemaker, William (19), a grocer’s porter, and Annie (16). The family came from Buckinghamshire and they also had a live-in domestic servant, Mary Winterbourne, aged 17. This and following pages: Plans submitted by Charles Williams on 31 st October 1879 for eight houses (nos. 43-57) on Marlborough Road The occupations of the Howes family were typical of those living on Marlborough Road at the time and indeed of the newly-built and largely working-class suburbs to the east, west and south of Oxford. Before the advent of William Morris’ car factory in the 1920s, the city was still very much one of service and commerce, rather than of manufacturing. The university’s rapid expansion in the 1870s had stimulated demand for transport services, food, clothing and other consumer goods. Mrs Howes was one of a large number of women employed in the laundry trade: washing was brought by cart from the colleges and from wealthy households in town out to the suburbs, distributed to the laundresses, washed by hand in large coppers in the outhouses at the back of their houses, and hung to dry in the long narrow gardens typical of these properties. The fact that the Howes employed a domestic servant suggests that they had a degree of wealth but not that they were, in any way, middle class: working-class families frequently employed their own live-in servants at this period, particularly if, as in the case of Mary Howes, the wife had a paid occupation of her own. Servants were often young women who were given board and lodging and a minimal wage. At no. 53 the first inhabitant David Talboy remained only a few years and was replaced in 1888 by Cornelius Doughton, a gardener originally from Hertfordshire. He probably worked for one of the colleges or large private houses in town. Living with him were his Irish wife Catherine, their son Cornelius, a porter, daughter-in-law Fanny and two small grandsons William and Henry. Multi-generational households of this kind were relatively rare and it may be that the children and grandchildren were staying only briefly: three-year-old William had been born in Oxford but his younger brother Henry had been born in his mother’s home town of Leamington the year before, suggesting that the family were moving around. The Howes family remained at no. 51 until 1899 but the Doughtons stayed at no. 53 only until 1892 and were replaced by another multi-generational family, that of Richard Graham, a carpenter who had been born in Oxford. The house- building boom which was going on all over the city meant that there was high demand for skilled labourers such as carpenters, plasterers and bricklayers. The census shows that in 1901 Richard Graham was aged 71 and living with him were his wife Elizabeth, originally from Berkshire, his two adult daughters Emily and Fanny, Emily’s husband, Mark Williams, and Fanny’s illegitimate daughter 11-year-old daughter Ethel. Fanny was a dressmaker (probably working from home) and Mark a plasterer. 1891 census for nos. 43-53 Marlborough Road. Cornelius Doughton at no. 53 is the last entry on the page. The rest of his family is recorded on the following page. Continuation of 1891 census for 53-59 Marlborough Road. 1901 census for 51-77 Marlborough Road. The Graham family were to live at no. 53 for 21 years; Mr Graham appears to have died in 1908 (aged around 78) but his widow remained at the property until 1913. Meanwhile, at no. 55 schoolteacher Jane Parker was replaced by Charles Pratt in 1896, and in 1899 Thomas Howes and family left no. 51 and moved two doors down into no. 55. By the time of the 1901 census only Thomas, Mary and their son William were living in the house, the latter now aged 29 and a driver for the Oxford Train Company, a high-status job and certainly a step up from his previous occupation ten years earlier of grocer’s porter. At no. 51 The Howes were replaced briefly by James Dubber and then, in 1900, by Alfred Cleaver, a tailor working from home, his wife Annie and their two young children Reginald and Margaret. They remained in the house for ten years until 1910. Meanwhile The Grahams were still at no. 53 and at no. 55 the Howes were replaced in 1906 by Francis Lee who in turn left in 1909 and was replaced by Mrs Hind, a widow. In 1910 the Cleavers moved out of no. 51 and Mrs Cooper, another widow, moved in. At no. 53 Mrs Graham was replaced in 1913 by Mark Williams (who stayed only a year) and then by Nathaniel Baker. He was to remain at no. 53 throughout the First and Second World Wars until 1944. At no. 55 Mrs Hind was replaced in 1913 by John Waldron, whose family stayed for 47 years until 1960. John himself appears to have died around 1956 but his widow Frances remained in the property for another four years. It was common in this period for families to supplement their income by taking in lodgers and the Waldrons had a number of lodgers throughout their long stay at no. 55. Mrs Cooper at no. 51 appears to have died in 1920 and the property was taken over by Walter Cooper, probably her son. Until 1936 there were a number of changes of tenant until the arrival of Joseph and Florence Perks, who remained for 20 years until 1957. Next door at no 53. Nathanial Baker was replaced at the end of the Second World War by Frank and Phyllis Wilkins who remained in the property for 50 years until 1994, Frank on his own for the last four years. Like the Waldrons at no. 51, the Wilkins had a number of lodgers. At no. 51 the Perks were replaced in 1957 by William and Mary Roe, who stayed only two years, and then by David and Margaret Styles who remained until 1965. At no. 55 Mrs Waldron was replaced in 1960 by Thomas and Beryl Forbes, who have lived there, with various combinations of their many children and grandchildren, for almost 50 years to this day. Anthony and Emily McDonagh moved into no. 51 in 1965, followed by Hugh and Emma Dunford Wood in 1977. In 1984 Helen Davies moved in and lived there for just over 20 years, first with William Herbert and later with Paul Geddes. When she left in 2005 the property was rented to sharers briefly before the arrival of Jan and Eleanor Holloway in 2007. At no. 53 Caroline Lawrence moved in in 1994 after the long tenure of the Wilkins family. With David Grant she extended the property to the back and side in 1997. She remained until 2005 when the current occupiers took up residence - Patrick, Mellie, Joe and Ollie Budge. NOS. 51, 53 & 55 MARLBOROUGH ROAD: 125 YEARS OF CHANGE 51 53 55 1884 James Best 1885 1886 David Talboy Mrs Jane Parker, teacher 1887 1888 Cornelius Doughton, 1889 Thomas Howes, coachman gardener 1890 1891 1892 Richard Graham, carpenter 1893 1894 1895 1896 Charles Pratt 1897 1898 1899 James Dubber Thomas Howes, coachman 1900 Alfred Cleaver, tailor 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 Francis Lee 1907 1908 Mrs Graham only 1909 Mrs Hind 1910 Mrs Cooper 1911 1912 1913 Mark Williams John & Frances Waldron 1914 Nathaniel Baker 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 Walter Cooper 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 51 53 55 1927 Walter Cooper Nathaniel Baker John & Frances Waldron 1928 1929 Cyril William Jackson 1930 1931 Thomas Henry Dallimore 1932 1933 1934 Philip Cose 1935 John Wright 1936 Joseph & Florence Perks 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 Frank & Phyllis Wilkins 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 Frances Waldron only 1957 William & Mary Roe 1958 1959 David & Margaret Styles 1960 Thomas & Beryl Forbes 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 Anthony & Emily McDonagh 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 51 53 55 1972 Anthony & Emily McDonagh Frank & Phyllis Wilkins Thomas & Beryl Forbes 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 Hugh & Emma 1978 Dunford-Wood 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 William Herbert 1985 & Helen Davies 1986 1987 Helen Davies only 1988 1989 1990 1991 Frank Wilkins only 1992 Beryl Forbes only 1993 1994 Caroline Lawrence 1995 1996 plus Paul Geddes 1997 plus David Grant 1998 Helen Davies only 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Patrick & Mellie Budge 2006 Four sharers 2007 Jan & Eleanor Holloway 2008 2009 PRIMARY SOURCES • Map accompanying Daniel Trinder’s award, 1844.