Blackbery Towne

[BCB]

hello to you all,i have lots and lots of questions i would dearly love to be answered.all my enquires are about springfield . rowley regis , the area and the people who lived there. i believe at one time blackberry lane and springfield lane where both under the name of springfield lane and at that time an area known as blackberry towne or town existed.where was it, who lived there,are there any maps available, i would like to build up a picture of the place so that i can see where my relatives lived in relation to other families. i am the worlds worst at the moment at working a computer so please no complicated instructions. i have asked about this area on the black country gob site but as yet i have unfortunately had no reply.please hep if you can. look forward to hearing from you soon,BCB

[linell]

Hi BBC the area you are looking for is in Rowley Regis, heading north to the left of the Dudley Road. I have some Rowley Books which you can buy on line, there are a few pictures of Springfield Lane in there. Searching the Census for your Ancestors will give you more information, but buying Maps or Local History Books would be a good idea. You need to speak to Rob on here, he grew up not far from Springfield, he will be able to give you more information. Someone on here may also be able to give you the Google Earth link for the area, mind you I believe that not many of the old houses are still standing, all new Estates up there now. Do you know what Religion your family were? You can sometimes find details of them in the local Church Records held at the Archives.

HTH Linell.

[Northern Lass]

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&bav ... CC0Q8gEwAA

On this map of google it has Springfield lane and a Blackberry Lane

[mumbles]

Just recently added Upton family on bcc

1841 Census Blackbury Town Rowley Regis Dudley Staffs.
John Upton 30 Blacksmith not born Staffs.
Mary Upton 30
Sarah Upton 9
Samuel Upton 5
Mary Upton 7
Rest born Staffs.

1851 Census Blackbury Town Rowley Regis Dudley Staffs.
John Upton Head 44 Blacksmith born N.K. Derbyshire
Mary Upton wife 43
Sarah Upton dau 19
Samuel Upton son 15 Blacksmith
Elizabeth Upton dau 9
William Upton son 6
Hannah Upton dau 3
Jane Upton dau 10mths.
Rest born Rowley Regis Staffs.

1861 Census Blackberry Town Rowley Regis Dudley Staffs.
John Upton Head 53 Blacksmith born Stapenhill Derbyshire
Mary Upton wife 53
Hannah Upton dau 13
Jane Upton dau 10 Scholar
Joseph Upton son 7 Scholar
Rest born Rowley Regis Staffs.

[Rob]

I think Linell was maybe refering to me but i can't tell you that much.I had cousins who lived in Springfield.A little old house in a dip by the side of the Dudley Road.The dips still there but the old houses have been replaced by new ones.
What i do remember about our trips from Oldbury to Springfield were the beautiful cloud formations as we were walking down from Rowley.Funny what sticks in your mind.
I looked on Google Earth and those skies were still in evidence.

[BC Wench]

There are a few photos here on the Black Country History web site, of Springfield Lane, 1960s/1970s.

http://blackcountryhistory.org/collecti ... cba=Search

and here for Blackberry Lane

http://blackcountryhistory.org/collecti ... cba=Search

[BCB]

thank you for your interest, efforts and immediate response to date.i think mumbles is in the correct time frame, pre1900 i would guess.the street layout,sewers, gas pipes etc must have been planned. would any records by the council at the time still exist,would they be available to the public,where would i go to make inquirers. i would ideally like to place house numbers on a map so that i could place families in houses from census records. i would like to see visually where my predecessors lived in relation to each other at various times. am i aiming to high.do not be afraid to disappoint me if my goal is unrealistic.

[BC Wench]

You will need to contact Sandwell Archives, as Springfield came under Rowley Regis, here's their web site www.sandwell.gov.uk/archives

If Sandwell Archives is anything like Dudley Archives, they should hold the Council Minutes for the different areas within their County Borough. Council Minutes are then divided between other Council minutes, i.e. planning department, housing department, court records, petty sessions etc. etc. Dudley Archives have ordnance survey maps for various years either on microfiche or originals, so I'm presuming Sandwell would be the same. I'm pretty sure that if you want to look at maps from Sandwell Archives, you have to order them in advance. You can't just turn up at the Archives and ask, like you can at Dudley Archives.

I did something similar myself by looking at the earlier maps of the areas of my interest, then looking at the next map that was available and the next one and so on, which you can get a picture of how the land was and then houses being built at various stages by looking at the maps. This is really interesting, rather than just getting names and dates of your ancestors.

Hope this helps.

[peterd]

here a photo of the chapel along dudley road maybe some of your relative used it ?

Chapel on Dudley Rd, Rowley Regis.JPG (131.17 KiB) Viewed 7984 times

also some of the foundation stones and above them indivual bricks with name imprinted in them

DSC_0004a.JPG (133.57 KiB) Viewed 7984 times

DSC_0005a.JPG (126.6 KiB) Viewed 7984 times

DSC_0006a.JPG (128.59 KiB) Viewed 7984 times

DSC_0007a.JPG (126.6 KiB) Viewed 7984 times

DSC_0008a.JPG (127 KiB) Viewed 7984 times

[BCB]

You will need to contact Sandwell Archives, as Springfield came under Rowley Regis, here's their web site http://www.sandwell.gov.uk/archives

If Sandwell Archives is anything like Dudley Archives, they should hold the Council Minutes for the different areas within their County Borough. Council Minutes are then divided between other Council minutes, i.e. planning department, housing department, court records, petty sessions etc. etc. Dudley Archives have ordnance survey maps for various years either on microfiche or originals, so I'm presuming Sandwell would be the same. I'm pretty sure that if you want to look at maps from Sandwell Archives, you have to order them in advance. You can't just turn up at the Archives and ask, like you can at Dudley Archives.

I did something similar myself by looking at the earlier maps of the areas of my interest, then looking at the next map that was available and the next one and so on, which you can get a picture of how the land was and then houses being built at various stages by looking at the maps. This is really interesting, rather than just getting names and dates of your ancestors.

Hope this helps.

thanks for the directive BCW, looks like i will be busy for a while. BCB

[linell]

Which family are you researching BCB? Someone may have information on them? When you visit the Archives don't forget that house numbers have changed a lot over the years.

Linell.

[BCB]

Which family are you researching BCB? Someone may have information on them? When you visit the Archives don't forget that house numbers have changed a lot over the years.

Linell.

i have been very fortunate to have been given my own family history.over a long period of time i have tried to trace my wifes predecessors but not been able to have much success.her parents where stanley davies and joan williams stan passed away in 77 and joan in 79. they where married in 1950. regards BCB

[peterd]

Have you got the marriage cert ?

DAVIES Stanley WILLIAMS Joan 1950 Dudley Register Office (Rowley Regis District) West Midlands Dudley Register Office ROW/20C/206

[BCB]

Have you got the marriage cert ?

DAVIES Stanley WILLIAMS Joan 1950 Dudley Register Office (Rowley Regis District) West Midlands Dudley Register Office ROW/20C/206

thanks for your efforts peterd. it is pre grand parents where the complications begin on both sides.stans mother was married i believe three times, i dont know if the men she married had wed more than once.the number of brothers, half brothers and step brothers makes the mind boggle.on joans side of the family it is far far more complicated.

[Rob]

BCB is this Stanley Davies and Joan Williams?
http://bcconnections.tribalpages.com/fa ... ies-Family