A view of Black Bull Yard, east side of Stockton High Street, home of the Nomads. Extract from the Heavisides Almanack, 1909.
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
A view of Black Bull Yard, east side of Stockton High Street, home of the Nomads. Extract from the Heavisides Almanack, 1909.
Hello. My name is Sandra Dover. Was born in Stockton in 1952. My Great Great Grandad James Orin and Great Grandmother Jemima lived at 13 Blackbull yard. Anybody know family?
My grandfather (a ‘Thornaby Lad’, born in 1901) often told me that he regularly needed to avoid ‘The Black Bull Yard gang’ when he was courting my Nana (c1920?) as they weren’t happy that someone from over the river was coming into Stockton to see a ‘Stockton Lass’.
Chris did you come across any Casey surnames on lodging list’s by any chance, my 2xgt grandad James Casey came to Stockton 1862 to work in the iron works Portrack lane, his family were still up in Glasgow when he arrived { Poor Relief records } always wondered where they would have stayed when all got to gether again, some of the contributions to the Black Bull yard photo have realy decribled brilliantly how life was very very hard, keep it up folks wonderful reading.
It is of interest that the visible names to the ‘doss-houses’ appear to be Irish, viz; Ferguson and Riley. The Irish unskilled labour force had been crossing the Irish sea, since the Industrial Revolution began in the late 18thC. After the ‘potato famines’ of the 1840’s, this number increased dramatically, to the point that my own place of ancestry, the City of Liverpool, started repatriation, as it’s infrastructure and poorer residential areas could not accommodate any more people. The indigenous population of Britain then developed a widespread distrust of these work immigrants, known as ‘navvies’,(from the various ‘navigational canal’ systems they largely found employment digging) and as a result formed Irish ‘ghettos’, trusting only ‘their own’. Messrs Riley and Ferguson’s ‘lodging’ premises, probably catered to the unskilled Irish contingent working in local heavy industries. South Bank and Cargo Fleet had already developed a huge Irish population by the time of this photograph.
Workhouse Punishments:
Name Offence Date Punishment
Elliott, Benjamin Neglect of work 31 May 1842 Dinner withheld, and only bread for supper.
Rowe, Sarah Noisy and swearing 19 June 1842 Lock’d up for 24 hours on bread and water.
Aplin, John Disorderly at Prayer-time 22 July 1842 Lock’d up for 24 hours on bread and water.
Mintern, George Fighting in school 26 July 1842 No cheese for one week.
Greenham, Mary, Payne and Priscella Quarreling and fighting 14 Dec 1842 No meat 1 week.
Bartlett, Mary Breaking window 21 Mar 1843 Sent to prison for 2 months.
Park, James Deserted, climbed over wall 4 Sep 1843 To be whipped.
Hallett, Isaac Breaking window 25 April 1844 Sent to prison for 2 months hard labour.
Staple, John Refusing to work 7 Jan. 1856 Committed to prison for 28 days.
Johnson, John Refusing to work 19 Oct 1858 Cheese and tea stop’d. Breakfast stop’s altogether
Soaper, Elizabeth Making use of bad language in bedroom. Trying to excite other inmates to insubordination. Refusing to work. 17 Jan. 1863 Taken before the Magistrate & committed to prison for 14 days hard labour.
This must be the most depressing photo in the Stockton Library Achives collection. To add ‘to the gloom’ may I add some reminder notes on The British Workhouse Rules and Diet.
The Poor are contracted for in the House of Industry, as it is called. Table of Diet : Breakfast—every day, hasty pudding ; Dinner—Sunday and Wednesday, beef, etc. ; Monday, Thursday, pease soup ; Tuesday, Saturday, barley boiled in milk ; Friday, suet dumplings. Supper—Sunday, Wednesday, broth and bread ; Monday, Thursday, boiled milk ; Tuesday, Saturday, bread and milk ; Friday, cold milk. There are 223 rules of which the following are an example.
ART. 119.—No written or printed paper of an improper tendency, or which may be likely to produce insubordination, shall be allowed to circulate, or be read aloud, among the inmates of the Workhouse.
ART. 120.—No pauper shall play at cards, or at any game of chance, in the Workhouse ; and the Master may take from any pauper, and keep until his departure from the Workhouse, any cards, dice, or other articles applicable to games of chance, which may be in his possession.
ART. 121.—No pauper shall smoke in any room of the Workhouse, except by the special direction of the Medical Officer, or shall have any matches or other articles of a highly combustible nature in his possession, and the Master may take from any person any articles of such a nature.
Chris Bailey, you put that beautifuly, grinding poverty, poor housing, kids with no shoe’s on their feet, ” the good old days” thank god those days are gone, your ending about the great war about to start is heartbreaking, no wonder some of the poor lads went off to France with a smile on their face, perhaps thinking they would escape the poverty for a while only to find a nightmare waiting, well put Chris.
All the best to all, Derek.
My Great Grandfather, Henry William Ferguson, lived in Unthanks Road/Yard in 1881 not far from here. I wonder if the Ferguson Lodgings in the picture is connected with my family?
Probably one of the most powerful photographs I have ever seen, anywhere, of the social conditions endured by the working class in the UK Vicwardian-era. This because it brings together in an instant, the ‘work, rest and play’ elements of the grinding poverty that many endured.
Here we have what is known as a narrow back ‘alley’, ‘jigger’, or in this case ‘yard’. The yard seems to contain at least three different lodging, or ‘doss-houses’ belonging to various proprietors. These were usually used by working-men who had travelled to the town, from other areas, to seek employment in the bourgeoning local heavy-industries of that time.
This ‘cheap’ accommodation, usually had a number of rooms occupied by several men, who in many cases shared the same bed with others, on the opposite day/night shift. Washing facilities often consisted of only a single cold-tap somewhere within the yard. As such, body-lice and bed bugs abounded in such places.
If regular work seemed on offer, these men, after finding a small terraced house, or ‘rooms’ to rent, would then ‘send for’ their wife and/or families to join them.
The man caught in silhouette, is presumably going off to work as he appears to be carrying a billy-can, usually filled with cold tea. His food (or ‘bait’) for the day might only consist of dripping bread. It should be remembered that ‘labouring’ work was so hard in this era and diet so poor, that by the age of 45, a working-man could often be physically ‘broken’ by what had been demanded of him each day, during his early working life.
Thereafter, he was placed on ‘soft duties’ within his workplace, which most times brought about a dramatic cut in his weekly wages. Necessary doctor’s bills, or medicine may reduce this further, middle aged, or younger ‘widows’ being common-place.
Little wonder then, that many men sought relief from such stresses, in the company of others, within the array of beer-houses and pubs of central Stockton, the gloss-tiled and corbelled front of one,(presumably The Black Bull) which can be seen on the left. The ‘culture’ of hard-drinking therefore became quite prevalent throughout the industrialised areas of Teesside..
Some men of course, spent too much of their money ‘down the pub’ and as a result their families suffered badly. The term ‘going without’ becoming all too common in these days, long before the Welfare State was introduced some 40 years later.
The young lad seen on the left, may have been a member of one such family , as he clearly has no shoes to wear, whilst his pal has a neat pair of child’s boots upon his feet.
Somewhat sad to think, that within 6-years, these little chaps would possibly be exchanging the grimy backstreets and maybe even their apprenticeships within Stockton, for the mud, bullets and slaughter of northern France, as WWI gathered pace.
I think the pub is the unicorn Hotel. This photo has been taken on the High street looking in the direction of the river. At the opposite end of the Yard was the Shades Public house (Maybe at this date called the Greyhound ?) and the Tees Brewery (closed c.1879 ). Does anyone know why it was called Black Bull Yard?Presumably there was a pub called the Black Bull, but I have been unable to find it in the local directories. The Unicorn had been in existence since at least 1827.