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99 Ainsworth Street

Stone Masons and Coal merchants and Dressmakers with new family resident every decade!

Number 99 is one of a terrace of three properties on the west side of Ainsworth Street.

1881

In 1881, 99 Ainsworth Street is occupied by the Hall family. William Hall is a 48 year old Stonemason, living with his 47 year old wife Lucy Hall and his 6 children. His eldest two sons, Andrew, aged 17, and Walter, aged 15, both work with him in the stonemasonry business, as a stonemason and apprentice to mason respectively. His eldest daughter, 20 year old Eliza, is living at home but does not have a job. His three youngest daughters, Helen, aged 14; Caroline, aged 12; and Lucy, aged 8, are all listed as scholars so are all attending a local school.

1891

By 1891, the Hall family has left, and the Marshall family has moved in. The Head of the Household, Henry Marshall, aged 40 was born in Cambridge, and works as the Commission Agent for a Coal and Corn Merchant. His Wife, Eliza, aged 32, is from Thetford in Norfolk, and is described as having the occupation of Dressmaker.  They had 6 children, 5 of whom are described as ‘Scholar’ meaning that they attended school, which would have made it easier for Eliza to work at home as a dressmaker!  The children were Alice aged 12, Olive aged 8, Gertrude aged 7, Henry aged 5, Ada aged 4, and then an unnamed infant son aged 3 weeks

1901

In 1901, the Marshalls have moved on, and the Cross family has moved in. Robert Cross is a 58 year old farm labourer, from the village of Prickwillow in Cambridgeshire. His wife Elizabeth, aged 54, from Lakenheath in Suffolk, is working as a dressmakers apprentice. Their eldest son, George, aged 26, is working as a general labourer. As he is born in Middlesbrough, one can assume that the Cross family have travelled heavily around the country and lived in various places, as their other children are all born in different parts of the country, though remaining in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. You have Bertha Cross, aged 15, working as a Dressmaker Apprentice, presumably alongside her mother, and she is listed as born in Burnt Fen, near to Prickwillow where her father was born. Then their youngest daughter Ruth, aged 12, who is not working nor in school, is born in Mildenhall in Suffolk, and their youngest son Claude, aged 7, also neither working nor in education, was born in Cambridge. This gives the impression the family have been on the move searching for work for a long time, and that they are gone from this house by 1911 suggests that they were not successful in finding work in Cambridge. They also have a lodger living with them, John Wright, a 19 year old general labourer, who is from Barrington, but likely is lodging with them because he has worked with the George, the Cross’s eldest son.

1911

In 1911, number 99 Ainsworth Street is occupied by the Braybrook family, unrelated to the powerful Braybrooke family of Walden. In 1911 we have Samuel Braybrook, a 66 year old Coal Merchant, his wife Jane, aged 59, and his son Harry, a 26 year old general labourer.

Jane and son Harry are living at 23 Ainsworth Street in 1921.

Sources: 1881, 1891, 1901 & 1911

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