Capturing Cambridge
  • search
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

42 Ainsworth Street

42 Ainsworth Street

Number 42 is one of a terrace of four houses standing on the east side of Ainsworth Street.

1881 census

Henry Minshall, head, 31, boiler maker, b. Brighton, Sussex
Matilda Minshall, wife, 30, b. Brighton, Sussex
Matilda Minshall, daughter, 1, b. Cambridge

Baby Matilda’s age is written as 18 months, then crossed out and replaced by 1.

1891 census

Harry S Bull, head, 36, railway fireman GER, b. Cambridge
Jane Bull, wife, 28, b. Cambridge
Chas C Bull, boarder, 30, labourer, b. Cambridge

Harry and Jane Bull had previously lived at 2 York Terrace.

Jane Bull was the subject of a report in the local newspaper in 1890, though (perhaps fortuitously?) it misspelt her surname as ‘Bell’ (Cambridge Independent Press, 26 April 1890):

OBSCENE LANGUAGE – Jane Bell (26), married woman, of 42 Ainsworth Street, was charged with being drunk and using obscene language on Parker’s Piece, at 6.15pm, on the previous evening.  The Bench took into consideration the fact that the prisoner had been in custody all night, and discharged her with a caution.

1901 census

Bertie Gates, head, 24, college servant, b. Cambridge
Alice Gates, wife, 22, b. Newton, Cambridgeshire
Bertram A Gates, son, 6 months, b. Cambridge

1911 census

Harry Thurston, head, 46, coal porter Cambs Co-op Stores, b. Cambridge
Alice Thurston, wife, 41, b. Cambridge
Maud Thurston, daughter, 20, Chivers Jam Factory, b. Cambridge
Gertrude Thurston, daughter, 18, Chivers Jam Factory, b. Cambridge
Fred Thurston, son, 12, b. Cambridge
Jessie Thurston, daughter, 8, b. Cambridge
Stanley Thurston, son, 4, b. Cambridge
Married 21 years, 9 children of which 4 died

Harry Thurston and his wife Alice (née Taylor) had been married for 21 years. They had nine children, four of whom had died.

The two older daughters Maud and Gertrude worked at Chivers Jam Factory, which was in Histon.

Maud married engine attendant Harry Barton in 1918, and they lived at 28 Union Road.

Gertrude married George Rowell in 1918, and in 1921 they were living at 2 Plantation Row. The census records that George was a fruit grower and market gardener, but hadn’t worked since leaving the Army.  There were two children: Margaret Thurston was 6 and Lilian Rowell was 2.

1921 census

Henry Thurston, head, 62, widowed, coal porter, Beales & Co, Hills Rd, b. Cambridge
Fred Thurston, son, 23, caller up, GER, b. Cambridge
Stanley Thurston, son, 14, b. Cambridge

Alice Thurston had died in 1920.

In 1921 Jessie Thurston was boarding at 150 Fitzroy Street.  She was employed as a window cleaner for the Cambridge Window Cleaning Company on James Street.

On the 1939 Register, Stanley was living here with his wife Ethel Maud (née Hudson), whom he married in 1936.  Stanley worked as a waiter.

Sources: 1881–1921 UK Census, England & Wales Marriages (1837–2005), England & Wales Deaths (1837–2007),

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