Capturing Cambridge
  • search
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
Part of Fordham, 1886 OS map

6 Carter Street, Poet’s Cottage, Fordham

History of 6 Carter Street

Listed Building: [Location is just to left of ‘K’ in King’s Head on the 1886 map]

Cottage early C18. Clunch, painted and plastered with red pantile roofs and tall, local brick stack. House of James Withers, local poet. (Historic England)

In 1851 the Withers family were living on Feast Green, Fordham. he and his wife Sarah are described as shoemakers.

In 1861 the Withers family are living on the High Street Fordham. He is described as ‘poet’.

1871 Carter Street

James R Withers, 58, poet cordwainer

1881 Waterside

James Reynolds Withers, 68, poet, b Weston Colville

Sarah, 73, b Snailwell

Enid Porter writes in Cambridgeshire Customs and Folklore that James R Withers moved to Fordham in 1840 and began to write verses that attracted the attention of Mrs R Dillamore Fyson of Fordham who organised their publication.

For further information see:

https://www.cam.ac.uk/stories/ForgottenPoet

 

Contribute

Do you have any information about the people or places in this article? If so, then please let us know using the Contact page or by emailing capturingcambridge@museumofcambridge.org.uk.

License

This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Dear Visitor,

 

Thank you for exploring historical Cambridgeshire! We hope you enjoy your visit.

 

Did you know that we are a small, independent Museum and that we rely on donations from people like you to survive?

 

If you love Capturing Cambridge, and you are able to, we’d appreciate your support today.

 

Every donation makes a world of difference.

 

Thank you,

The Museum of Cambridge