Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS - Forum

Morning! My WOOD family lived in Willis-Place, Wapping, Liverpool in the late 1820s, early 1830s, when my gt gt grandmother Rebecca Hannah WOOD was born (she married Robert MULVEY and their daughter married into the UNWIN family). Rebecca was baptised at St Peter's on Sept 20, 1832. Does anybody have a map showing the location of Willis Place? Best wishes, Will.

Hi Have you looked at Tony's brilliant site of old Liverpool maps

http://www.old-liverpool.co.uk/OldMaps.html


http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.anc ... ool_se.jpg

Wapping is just above the King's Dock.. can't see Willis Place.. but must be in that area

Simone x

The Godfrey series map of the Wapping area, large scale, 1849-64 has not [yet] revealed Willis Place. There are many other Courts and Places.
It is possible that the development of the London & North Western Railway's Goods Terminus, between Sparling St and Crosbie St, may have wiped out Willis Place, but let's hope someone can come up with a better answer.
D

Pigot's Directory of Liverpool, 1818-19-20 edition shows 'Willis & Latham, Willis Place, Wapping', under the heading 'Merchants'. [Found via Google]

In the Lancs OPC transcripts, a John Willis, broker or ship broker, was having children baptised at St Peter's in around 1825, abode 'St James Street'. May be connected - many of the courts and 'places' on the map appear to bear surnames, perhaps of owners or tenants. The occupations of merchant and broker were often interchanged.
Perhaps [that weasel word!] Willis Place was where Willis lived, or had lived, and it was off St James Road.
D

Many thanks, both - that's a great help and I'm sure we'll eventually trace it. I'm kicking myself at the moment: I work in London and went to a flea market in Spitalfields where they had pages of Liverpool maps (some kind of Edwardian/Victorian emergency plan) at a huge scale. They were printed on canvas and were all marked void in the 1960s. They'd have been of far more interest to somebody in Liverpool than in London.

Hi Chief
I couldn't find Wood's at the address in 1832 poll book.
2 Woóds listed at Wapping, Benjamin & Wilton

Tina

Thank you for looking, Tina - that hadn't occurred to me. I just assume all my ancestors were too poor to vote until universal male suffrage came along. The family moved to Sparling Street and, very much later, to Park Road (as recorded on my site at bramhill.net). We think James Wood was involved in the early tug business, though we can't get beyond family say-so. This branch of the family, however, proves the importance of speaking to relatives, especially distant ones. A couple of years ago, I rang the cousin of my late mother. They hadn't been in touch since 1946 owing to the normal process of families spreading out and losing touch. This lady had an old oil painting, and between us we worked out that she was Mary, my three times gt grandmother and wife of James Wood. I now have a beautiful copy, and a photo copy was used on the cover of the Liverpool FHS magazine about 18 months ago.
Will

Oh I remember that, it's lovely that you have a copy.

We are always delighted when members connect, hope you have more luck too.