Shocking Conditions in Hillsborough Sheffield - August 1917
This article came about as a result of a researcher contacting me and asking me to see if I could find any information about Court 7 Bradfield Road Hillsborough Sheffield. His research into the family history led him to believe that there was some incident in the past surrounding the house and its inhabitants. There certainly was!
145 Bradfield Road Hillsborough Sheffield - 1959
Court 7 Bradfield Road Hillsborough Sheffield - 1959
In the 1911 Census Court 7 1 House Bradfield Road Hillsborough Sheffield was the home of George and Charlotte Goundry, their grandson Peter West (22), their granddaughter Gertrude (26) and her husband Ernest (29) and finally their son Sydney (2). Ernest and Gertrude married in 1903
Name Ernest Calvert
Gender Male Marriage Age 21 Record Type Marriage Birth Date abt 1882 Marriage Date 30 Jun 1903
Spouse Gertrude West Father Joe Calvert Marriage Place Sheffield, St John the Baptist, Owlerton, Yorkshire, England
Ernest enlisted and served in the Great War
The Yorkshire Evening Telegraph and Star dated 23rd August 1917 carried this report under the title "Overcrowding - Shocking Conditions in Sheffield - Prison for Parents"
Sheffield Daily Telegraph dated 24th August 1917 headlined with the phrase "Callous Parents Sent To Prison"
It is difficult to believe that such conditions existed at the beginning of the twentieth century but I am afraid that such cases were not unique. There is an acceptance it appears that overcrowding was just a feature of life in some parts of Sheffield and it was not un usual for this to occur in houses. But what set this house apart was that the "excessive overcrowding" was accompanied by filth and squalor of an indescribable nature. Overcrowding should not lead to "filthiness" was the position of the prosecution and they clearly demonstrated that the house was both overcrowded and awash with dirt and vermin. The sentences reflected the benches disgust at the condition of the house but the Chairman went further when he stated that "it is no use talking to people of their calibre at all." It is clear that Alderman Samuel Osborne and Mr. W. A. Tysack took their prejudices and contempt for the working classes and lower orders to the court with them.
There is no explanation as to why conditions in this property were so calamitous and how they came about. And how long had this been the case.
But the 1921 census reveals that Gertrude Calvert and her brother Peter West were still living in the property together with Gertrude's four children. But there was no sign of her husband Ernest. The reason was simple - Ernest had died in January 1921. There is a record of his burial on the excellent Sheffield Indexers site
CALVERT, Ernest (Labourer , ex Soldier, age 38). Died at Lodge Moor Hospital; Buried on January 31, 1921 in Consecrated ground; Grave Number 34, Section O4 of Burngreave Cemetery, Sheffield. Parent or Next of Kin if Available: . Remarks: Officiating Minister, W.A.Martin: Removed from Sheffield Parish.
CALVERT, Ernest (Labourer , ex Soldier, age 38). Died at Lodge Moor Hospital; Buried on January 31, 1921 in Consecrated ground; Grave Number 34, Section O4 of Burngreave Cemetery, Sheffield. Parent or Next of Kin if Available: . Remarks: Officiating Minister, W.A.Martin: Removed from Sheffield Parish.
Gertrude was still in the house 18 years later. The 1939 National Register shows that Gertrude was now named Drewry. She married Harry Drewry in Sheffield in 1921.
Sources
The Yorkshire Evening Telegraph and Star dated 23rd August 1917
Sheffield Daily Telegraph dated 24th August 1917
Sheffield Indexers
Ancestry - UK Census
This page was last updated on 18/11/24 14:57