Liverpool & South West Lancashire FHS - Forum

I have picked this from another Forum and am confident that our members can crack the problem!

"This RFA soldier has signed his picture with his name, Jimmy. He has also given his address as 'Thorn Close' Cambridge Road, Southport, Lancs. Is it possible to find the address on the 1911 census and see what the family name was? Alternatively, does anyone know if the 1918 Absent Voters' List has survived for Southport?"

A directory could also help.
The clock is running
D

1911 search on Cambridge Rd address shows house numbers up to 159 and no trace of Thorn or Thorne Close in Southport

If our Ed Off comes online she may know if there is a directory available.

I wonder if it was only built after 1911

There is no Thorns Close now on Cambridge Road. I've looked on my 1890s map of the area and this is when Cambridge Road is being developed with mainly large Victorian Villas.

I'm fairly certain the library has the Electoral rolls for that time. They have directories but there is one in 1914 and then the next is post war but should help to see if there is a Thorns Close it just doesn't ring any bells. Could it possibly be anything else such as Thorns House which would make more sense for Cambridge Road at the time? I don't think I can get to the library on Monday but should manage it on Tuesday afternoon.

Hilary
Ed Officer

I have checked the 1911 again - without success - using the following search criteria:

Thorns
Thornes
Thorns/Thornes Close
Thorns/Thornes House
The Thorns/Thornes

Thanks for trying - well worth a shot here.
D

wonder if he meant silverthorne,thats off of cambridge

Hi

Nothing on the 1911 address search under Silverthorn (e)

If Thorn Close is found - and if there are a lot of houses in it - how are you going to determine the correct house??

The Forum where I found the original query has been sifting similar data, and their latest view is that Thorn Close may have been the name of a house, long-since demolished.
Thans for all efforts here.
D

I will go to the library on Tuesday afternoon as I said in my earlier post. I cannot go before that that - help desk in the morning and helping elsewhere in the afternoon.

Please can you post the link to the forum where the query has come from so I don't check resources already looked at.

Thanks

Hilary
Ed Officer

The Great War Forum is where it was all happening: http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forum ... try1349130

I do not know if that will get you into the thread, but if you do not succeed, Google the Great War Forum, then select 'The Soldiers and Armies of the Great War', then 'Soldiers'. It was still alive earlier today.
D

Edited to make link work - it goes straight to the thread MA

Having finally managed to see the images - phew what a palaver! is there a chance it could be "Shorn" rather than "Thorn". Even if it were there's still nothing showing on the 1911 for it.

Can't get into the images BUT one of the suggested names was James Wilfrid Platt with a father James at 65 Cambridge Road. At this address wasa Richard Platt 1742 Rifleman 6th battalion King's Liverpool died 25 Sept 1915. In a book I have about the people on the Southport War memorial his address is given as Penwortham Lodge Cambridge Road. I can't think this could be changed to Thorns or Shorns or variations!!

I shall go to the library tomorrow

Hilary
Ed Officer

All very mysterious! Thanks for all the persistance - I shall await news from the library, if any.
D

Unfortunately have to wait for some parcels to be collected. No time given just "today".

The library closes at 5pm so it may be tomorrow before I get there.

Hilary
Ed Officer

I got there and I think I've solved the mystery.

Befroe I started on the directories I was talking to a Local Historian in the library who thought Thorn Close was a nursery or plot or something like that towards the Marshside end of Cambridge Road.

He was right as I found in the directory. In fact Thorn Close was on what is now the corner of Cambridge Road and Cambridge Ave.

1914/15 directory (complied 1913/14)
Listed 83 Cambridge Road Thorn Close empty

1920/21 directory (complied 1919/20)
Listed 83 Cambridge Road as John Rimmer

1919 Electoral Roll 83 Cambridge Road
John Rimmer
Jane Rimmer

1918 Electoral Roll 83 Cambridge Road
John Rimmer
Jane Rimmer

1914 Southport Burgess Roll 83 Cambridge Road
John Rimmer right of vote from 83 Cambridge Road and 4 Hampton Road

At this point I thought "Oh heck" as Rimmer was the most common name in the Southport area. My second thought was a bit of deja vu - I've been to 4 Hampton Road before it's a bakery or somethink similar


I drove home via Cambridge Road and found 83. Cambridge Road is mainly detached Victorian Villas. 83 is still there and before extensions etc would have been a small 2 up 2 down cottage possible semi detached (it certainly is now) on a large plot of land. 83a now sounds on what was it's land.

At home I looked in my book Southpirt's Splendid Hearts by Victoria Bannister to see if there were any Rimmers with 83 Cambridge Road as their address. Sadly there was a Gilbert Rimmer killed in action 20 Sept 1917. He was 31 the son of Mr J Rimmer of 83 Cambridge Road of Hampton Road Bakery. He was formerly an assistant master at Holy Trinity School and was headmaster of Norton Canon School Herefordshire. He had a wife and one daughter.

Armed with this information I was able to find the family in 1901

4 Hampton Road Southport
John Rimmer 43 baker and grocer bn Birkdale
Jane wife 40 bn Hanley Staffs
James A son 20 van man
John M son 18 pupil teacher
Alice A grocer's 16 asst
Gilbert son 14
George son 12
Sydney son 9
Cyril 8
Stanley son 6
Herbert son 2
Edwin son 5 months
all the children bn Southport

I think James A Rimmer must be the Jimmy of the PC. He married Jane A Culshaw in 1906 at St Philip's Church Southport. In 1911 they are at 74 Clifton Road Southport. He's a grocer's asst. There is a daughter Phyllis whose 3 Margaret Moore Rimmer whose 13 months and they had a son James in 1915


In 1881 the family are at 5 Everton Road Birkdale and in 1891 at 22 Laurel Grove Southport.

I think the picture was taken at his parent's house rather than as an address to write too.

I have been doing some research on Rimmer's for someone locally. John Rimmer James father was the son of a James Rimmer. He had a brother Gilbert and the lady I am doing the research for descends from this Gilbert
born in 1845.

It's a small world!

Hilary
Ed Officer

Very well done Hilary!!

Thank you Mary

Hilary
Ed Officer

Hilary
What a success story, with a typical FH coincidence too! Thank you very much for working this out. I have cut and pasted your complete answer for the other Forum, where its WW1-thinking members will be very impressed. I know I am.
D