Lye and Wollescote

[Robin Jackson]

The last Mud Hut in Lye was on the corner of Cross Walks and Belmont Road. I can remember it well as I used to pass it twice a day on the Midland Red bus as I made my way to school in Stourbridge. It was demolished when Cross Walks was re-developed in, I think the late 1950's.
My family were born and bred in Lye with my records going back to 1800 ish with a Benjamin Jackson who was a leather merchant and currier with a shop on the corner of High Street and Jackson Street!
If any male is reading this who went to Crabbe Street Boys School in the 1940's and 1950's perhaps they remember a teacher, Miss Jackson, my aunt!.
Anybody who knew any of the Jacksons give us a shout, would love to chat.

Robin Jackson

[AndrewPardoe]

Hello Everyone,

I want to take this oportunity to introduce my self. My Interests are Pardoes, Westwoods, Chances,Taylors, Hills, Rounds and Perks. Whilst researching these famillies I noticed how many appeared to first move into the Lye area between about 1630 and 1650. This made me curious as to what was happening in Lye then.

I found the following reference in Nigel Perry's History of Stourbridge:-

At the beginning of the 17th Century Lye Waste on the Eastern boundary of the parish had only aa few cottages and little importance other than as a common on which the people of Lye could graze their animals. In October 1627 Samuel Addenbrooke surrendered one meadow of land at le Waste Hayes with ditaches and hedges on which he had recently built one cottage, to the use of Henry Addnebrooke and his wife Elenor. By October 1638 fines were being levied at one court sitting on no less than10 persons for encroaching on Lye Waste, namely John Perkes de Lye, William Bach, John Buffery, William Hill John Westwood, William Round, John and Thomas Siddaway, John Milward and Henry Addenbrook.

I think we have hear the origins of the Lye Waste Community. Note that the Westwood, Hill, Perks, Round, Syddaway and Bache family are all shown as resident on the 1781 Enclosure Map of Lye Waste. I think we can conclusively say that they are decendants of these 1638 settlers.

The interesting question is then who were these settlers and where did they come from?



Milwards:- Extensive landowners in Lye. Owners of Wollaston Hall

Addenbrokes:- The Addenbrooks were a wealthy Stourbridge family who owned Lye Mill and had coal and clay
and mining interests.

Westwoods:- The Westwoods were Scythesmiths. Samuel Westwood owned Westwoods mill in Cradley.
There are references to John, Richard and William Westwood:-All Scythesmiths.


Sydaways:- Customary Tenants of Cradley Manor. They have marriage connections with the Perks and
Darby Families. The Darby Family were Mill owners @ Oldnall. They sold out to the
Hill Family who were Scythesmiths.


Perks:- John Perks is described as a lock smith he employed John and Francis Westwoods as apprentices circa
1670. He was related to the Sydaways by marriage.



Bufferys:- Family of Dudley Yeomen. They helds land there. They are probably related
to the Bufferys who lords of the manor of Lower Penn in the 15th Century.



Hills:- There are several families of Hills in Lye. One family purchased Oldnall from the Darby's
and became prosperous Scythe smiths.


Baches:- The Bache were nailors from Dudley. They were connected
with the Darby Family of Oldnall.There also appears to be a connection between the Bache Family
of Oldswinford and the Bache Family of Churchill Forge.


Conclusions:- The early settlers of Lye Waste were a socially mixed group ranging from minor gentry and yeoman to
skilled work men. They were mostly local and probably settled there to exploit new economic
opportunities. One possibility is that the more prosperous gentry and yeomen were developing water
power along the Stour. This could be used to power forge hammers and grind scythes. This development
would have opened up opportunitues for Scythesmiths, Lock smiths and nailors ect.



Andrew Pardoe

[snoopysue]

I have followed this subject with interest, but didn't think it was directly relevant to my tree. Now I know differently!

I've just recieved a marriage certificate for my great great grandparents which enable me to go one generation further back (the names Jones,so it wasn't easy ). I've found that they lived on the Waste in 1851 and were nailmakers.
My gr gr granparents seemed to have been in Rotherham in 1871 for the census (unmarried, so that made the search a little easier) and I have two possible Jones brothers there as well, does anyone know of a reason why they were there? Was there a mass exodus to Yorkshire? By 1877 they seem to be back in the black country and by 1881 they were living in West Bromwich.

Sue

[linell]

Hi Sue, I think 90% of moves were work related, i.e. looking for it Not like today where we move house because we feel like a change HTH from Linell.

[snoopysue]

Thanks Linnell
It does help - I may never know for sure if it is them or not.

Sue

[loujn]

Hi,
I know this post hasn't been added to for a year, but thought i'd try anyway.

I am researching the Bromyard family that lived in Lye Waste in the 1800's.

I have a few wills for them, but the intersting one is for Ralph Bromyard in 1848. He lists 8 properties that he leaves for his children at Lye Waste all are under "the occupation" of various nailers in Lye. This is not an indication that he was wealthy tho as the value of the estate was under £20 and he too (plus his children, male and female) were also nailers so he couldn't have been that well off. I assume the properies were just the mud huts and work places and that he had built a few and rented them out? any thoughts on that? I find it hard to believe that in such a poor community a person could have managed that, you'd think one of the nail masters would own the plots and take money from the workers - which looking at the census and the will I can't see that Ralph was, he is recorded as a nailer and a nail forger.

After reading all the fantastic info on this thread I have a better picutre of life and Lye and how bad it was! infact one of his daughter did go aff to America sometime between 1841 and 1847 - so I wonder if she went to be a hillbillie! I had also hoped that my Bromyards had descended from the hugarian gypsies, but I don't think we go back that far - furthest I've got is a generation further back than the above mentioned Ralph.

Any further ideas or information would be most appreciated as I am not from the Worcester area and knew nothing of the Lye Waste until yesterday!

Thanks,
Louise

[loujn]

Thought i'd better add the info of who rented what where from the will as the names do come up on ths thread -

Waste Bank -
*John Mobberley,
*George Taylor

Bol Lane -
*James Moore,
*Charles Brooks,
*James Hart,
*Ann Cook,
*Richard Aston,
*William Cartwright,
*Ann Wallers

Executors of the will were -
*William Taylor
*Joseph Brooks.

[Northern Lass]

Hi Louise if you want to run with a particular person to know more about them
can you pop a post in the Black Country Genealogy section further up the board
as this section is just for info on the towns and villages.

then we can help you if you want more on a particular family

[linell]

Hi Louise. just to say that this road was Bott Lane here:-

Bol Lane -
*James Moore,
*Charles Brooks,
*James Hart,
*Ann Cook,
*Richard Aston,
*William Cartwright,
*Ann Wallers

I have a few of these names in my tree, my Yardley Ancestors were from Lye Waste. I have entered them all onto Black Country Connections if you want to have a look, best wishes from Linell.

[loujn]

Ah Thank you Linell,

I had transcribed the will as Bot Lane ( 1 T) but then when I looked at the census it said Bol Lane, so I thought I must have done it wrong! should trust my instincts! Will amend it now.

I will have a look at the link you and Northern Lass mentioned - first time on this forum, will have to get to grips with it!

Regards,

Louise

[linell]

Hi Louise, this article will tell you all you want to know about Lye Waste, from the Black Country Bugle:-

http://www.blackcountrybugle.co.uk/News ... 062011.htm

Best Wishes from Linell.

[loujn]

Thankyou Linnel,

Very interesting! it seems a "colourful" place to have lived in the 1800's!

I've also read 2 newsarticles on the 19th Century Newspaper site regarding 2 murders, 1 was particulary interesting about the nailers in Lye Waste, it went into quite good detail about their places of work.http://find.galegroup.com/bncn/basicSearch.do

I was trying to find more about the emigration to America mentioned earlier in the thread as the daughter of my Ralph Bromyard, Eliza went there inbetween 1843 and 1847 but I can't find anything with her mentioned. She married Mattias Smith in 1843 Stourbridge.

Best wishes,
Louise

[linell]

Hi Louise, sorry your Gale link didn't open, not to worry, sure it will be much of the same as the other 'Lye Waste' articles. Your Eliza request, post it on the Black Country Board, someone who is good at finding 'Passenger Lists' will be able to help. Happy hunting from Linell.

[Waltzer7]

How interesting, and what a scandal! Linell, do you think the Hungarian glassmaker was the first to make glass in the area? Was he the founder of the Stourbridge glass industry?
Margaret

I suppose he must have been Margaret?? I do remember Hungary Hill, shall forever associate that with Henzey now, the name Henzey must have caught on, I do see it now and again on the Census. Best Wishes from Linell.

Wow! I was wondering where the name Henzey came from as I came across it in my family tree: Henzey Herring (1811 - 1846), daughter of Thomas & Frances Herring. Many thanks for the fascinating history!

[lancepar]

Seasons Greetings everyone,
I'm new here, 1949 model and have lived in The Lye and Wollescote until the 70's and not far away even now.
I have been reading the threads already posted with interest mainly because as I get older I find myself thinking more about the past, is that normal?
The names, faces of people and where their homes were I can recall but have lost contact with all of them, but that's down to me.

In 2025 I intend to find more out about my own family, another subject I have neglected.

I'll expand my Primary Surname Interests: as names come to mind.

I hope this Forum continues, I see the last post was 2015, does anyone read it these days?

Lance