Hungate: An analysis of the 1911 Census

A post exploring the what the 1911 Census can tell us about Hungate written by Hungate Histories team member Catherine Sotheran

Bradley's Buildings in Hungate as pictured in July 1911. Photograph taken by the City Engineer. Image: York Explore Libraries and Archives.
Bradley’s Buildings in Hungate as pictured in July 1911. Photograph taken by the City Engineer. Image: York Explore Libraries and Archives.

Of the 63 properties in Garden Place and Hungate (just the main street, not the back yards), that I have found information about through the 1911 Census, there was a slaughter house, warehouse, Boy’s Club, Mission School above stables, a few shops and the rest were houses, 6 of which were tenements (2 or 3 separate households).

The number of adult (age 14 or over) occupiers was about 178 and about 112 children. Of the 54 families that had children about 35 of them had 1 or more children that had died by the time of the census, an average of 2 per family, the worst being 10 out of 15 children died and 7 out of 14 died. In general the houses don’t appear to be too overcrowded by the number of people per room, though I don’t know how big the rooms were, and I did find a family of 4 adults and 7 children living in 4 rooms. The majority of the parents are fairly young, under 45, though there are a few households that still have adult offspring living there and also a few 3 generation households.

Most of the houses are occupied by families and the vast majority were born in York, though I did find a wife born in Barbados, I’d love to know her story. Curiously one man had given his marital status as “uncertain”, apparently he didn’t know if his wife was alive or dead.

The majority of adults are in work, the most common occupations being in the Chocolate industries, general labouring jobs, laundry and other domestic type jobs, trades like painters, joiners, wheelwrights etc. but also a few more skilled jobs like a hairdresser, midwife, auctioneer, book binder, dressmaker, druggist and antique dealer. There also seemed to be quite a few people involved with fish, either as dealers or fish fryers.

A couple of families are still in the same houses 25 years later when the Compulsory Purchase Orders are served in 1936.

It would be interesting to contrast all this with the residents of the new Hungate developments, what sort of jobs they do, do they own or rent, are they locals etc. just over 100 years later. The Hungate Histories team have decided – as part of the research linking pasts with present and the future – to run a workshop inviting new residents of Hungate to join them (York Explore Libraries and Archives, 19th July, 5.30-8pm). if you live in Hunagte now and would like to join us, contact My Future York.

No. 2 + 4 Garden Place: The saga of 2 owners, some back windows and an unpaid bill

Written by Catherine Sotheran as part of Hungate Histories Research Team

Catherine Sotheran unfolds the tale of what happened to 13A Hungate to improve the living conditions of 2 and 4 Garden Place.
Catherine Sotheran unfolds the tale of what happened to 13A Hungate to improve the living conditions of 2 and 4 Garden Place. As Catherine writes: ‘It’s only a small story about a landlord and an official body, but is part of the greater history of trying to improve people’s living conditions’.

I’ve been looking through some documents about a Closing Order (an order forbidding the occupation of a house until certain specified improvements are made, usually repairing the structure, internal fittings, drainage, ventilation and lighting), served on these properties and have discovered quite a saga, going on for 2 years.

It starts in January 1911. Firstly there seems to be a question of ownership, the bulk of the correspondence is with Mr George Garbutt of 20 Shambles, and Langbaraugh, Fulford, but there are also a couple of letters to George Wray, 51 Palmer Lane and his son. So the first question arises, who is Mr Wray?

Part of the work required to make the houses habitable is to insert windows into the back walls of the properties, however Mr Garbutt states he cannot do this as the yard behind the houses belongs to Mr. Turner. He is informed that the yard is for sale, but then is informed by Mr Turner’s son that he is dying, but afterwards they could come to terms. In the meantime Mr Garbutt would consult with his solicitor regarding the position of the wall and passage and see how he stood legally as regards to the back windows. In Dec 1911 Mr Garbutt was informed that the Health Committee did not propose to buy the yard leaving him free to negotiate for putting back windows into the houses into Mr Turner’s yard behind. The insertion of the windows was absolutely necessary to their continuance as dwelling houses.

The houses were inspected again in August 1912 when further work was required but there was no mention of the back windows so presumably they had been put in by then.

We then move to the beginning of 1913 when Mr Garbutt is sent a bill for £5. 00. 0 ½ for the demolition of the top storey of 13a Hungate, the house across the passage behind nos. 2 + 4, which belonged to Mr Turner, in order to bring sufficient light into his houses, (the halfpenny being part of the wage bill for the demolition ! ). Mr Garbutt says he knows nothing about it, doesn’t own 13a Hungate and seems to be refusing to pay the bill. It seems is if the Health Committee had taken it upon themselves to arrange the demolition ( with Mr Turner’s permission ) of the top storey in order to provide sufficient lighting and ventilation to the houses, and then ask him to pay the bill, after which they would send the order withdrawing the Closing order, though the houses should not have been inhabited until the withdrawing order had been sent. In June Mr Garbutt offers to pay £2 towards the expenditure but the committee were trying to get £2.10 from him.

The order withdrawing the Closing Order was issued in Feb 1914, so stating that the houses were ft for human habitation again.

So, did Mr Garbutt buy the yard, did they inform Mr Garbutt beforehand about the demolition,did he pay the bill in the end, and who was Mr Wray ? Also raises the issue of “right to light” and why Mr Garbutt had to buy the yard in order to put in the windows, unless I’m just misinterpreting the situation.As an addendum, the rents were increased after the renovations from 2/6 per week to 3/6 + 4/6.

It’s been interesting looking through the correspondence, some in Mr Garbutt’s own handwriting and piecing together the sequence of events, also seeing how much detail the inspections and subsequent repairs cover, even down to catches on cupboards, as well as the more extensive structural repairs needed. It’s only a small story about a landlord and an official body, but is part of the greater history of trying to improve people’s living conditions.


Post-script:
As a follow up to my question about whether Mr, Garbutt bought the yard, I’ve since found a letter from 1935 stating that, Arthur Turner, the youngest and only surviving son of the late Wm. Joseph Turner lay claim to the land, so it seems Mr Garbutt did not buy it after all.

A Blog From member Sue Hogarth

I have always wished to go back in time and see how York was in the 1930s and often said ” would love to have lived in York then” ,however after working in the archives and actually reading letters from people who did live in that era I’m so glad that I didn’t live in the 1930s.the letter that really touched my heart was one to the council begging them to  put his mum in the “York city infirmary” the first letter was wrote in 1936 saying that his mum was desperately needed relocating, we do know that this area had a compulsory purchase order on it, so did the son not have room where he lived for his mum or was it because he couldn’t cope with her illness, his mum however was adamant that she didn’t want to leave her house and go into the “institution” ,the son continued to write letters to the council for a whole year, eventually the council officer visited the lady with the intent of persuading her to leave the house, they visited her regularly pestering her to leave, eventually she gave in and was signed permanently into the “institution” ,her pension book was taken off her as she would no longer need it, on inspection of the house it was filthy and overrun with vermin, it wasn’t fit for human habitation, but she spent many happy years there , her furniture was deemed unfit to be sold at public auction and was sent to the “Destructor” to be burnt along with her clothes, bedding etc. This true story made me feel so grateful for what we have today, the poor lady fought so hard to stay in her home and when she eventually did leave all her earthly belongings were burnt.

I enjoyed looking through the archives because it gave me a glimpse into the past, without the archives this wouldn’t be possible, I have always enjoyed history, so Thankyou to the people who made this possible.

Sue Hogarth

Housing: histories and futures

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Housing was a key issue that came up on the first My Future York stall we ran on Parliament Street in March. It was also the focus of a pilot project we undertook in November last year called ‘York and Housing: Histories Behind the Headlines’.

As part of the project, we invited a wide range of people to comment about the challenges York faces in terms of housing. Alison Sinclair in her piece ‘From New Earswick to Tang Hall: How York set the agenda for social housing’ explored York’s tradition of innovation in high quality and affordable housing. Darren Baxter and Alison Wallace, from the University of York’s Centre for Housing Policy, asked ‘What is it that drives unaffordability in York?’. Through a specific focused project using the city archives we explored some of the stories behind York’s big changes and trends in housing, Carmen Byrne, in ‘Emotional Trauma, Community Upheaval, Long Silences’ uncovered the impact on people of compulsory purchase in 1970s. We have built on these pieces through commissioning a new piece, published last week, by Richard Bridge, giving a specific account how legislative changes will impact on York as a livable city, ‘A Right to the City?: The new legislation driving York’s gentrification’.

One key theme that emerged through ‘York and Housing: Histories Behind the Headlines’ was about public engagement in future decision making. An openness to public discussion in the context of the new Local Plan and York Central was set out in a piece by Council Leader Chris Steward and Deputy Leader, Keith Aspden, ‘Don’t wait for us to come to you, please come and talk to us’ . Phil Bixby, Chair, York Environment Forum and partner in the My Future York project, suggests that, while there are a lot of external drivers, one of the reasons the York is experiencing a housing crisis is that the city has found it hard to make decisions, ‘The real crisis York faces is a crisis of decision-making’.

The histories, analysis and ideas contributing as part of the ‘York and Housing: Histories Behind the Headlines’ project are shaping My Future York. One way we’re building on the work we did in November is through the Hungate Histories project. You can find out more by join our public event sharing the findings of the Hungate Histories project on 21st June, 3.00-5.30pm.

Bishophill – futures that didn’t happen

Buckingham Street, a street threaten with demolition for a multistory car park.
The plans for the Buckingham Street multistory car park.
Members of the Bishophill Action Group celebrate saving homes on Buckingham Street: ‘if the corporation had wanted the street, they could have got it a lot more easily than by calling it a slum. This has put our backs up. We feel they are using underhand methods.’ 20th September 1972

Just a thought !!!

After writing my “where will I be in Ten Years” piece it set me wondering. Maybe another set of questions should be How do you View York now and What do you think York will be like in the Future. Would be interesting to know the different ways people respond as there are so many different views of the City and where it’s heading

As I said in the title Just a thought

Two Days in the life of me

Sunday 8th of may 2016

Wake up around half 7 am with the sun shining and the birds are tweeting and it’s quiet oh so quiet. As i lay thinking what the day brings My dog decides that I must need a good wash as he is desperate to get my attention and wanting to go for his morning walk. I get up go and quickly do my bathroom Antics before the dog starts to howl and wake up the rest of the house, No time for morning coffee first its out of the door and onto the backies. Clifton backies seems so much nicer first thing on a morning as we pass very few people who also appreciate the open space so early and Sam Is able to meet and greet his friends. After walking the four mile trip ( it seems so big once i say it ) it’s time to head home and the list of things that must be done to fulfil my day. Firstly giving Sam a Drink and his breakfast is priority and getting my first cup of coffee for the day oh that tastes good. Then my music goes on the washing goes in and the floors get swept and moped. Its quickly on to the computer to post on facebook events meetings and projects we have coming up. Then have lunch in the Garden (it is such a nice space now it has been done) that nice i decided that i can do what i need to do online outside and better than sat in a stuffy house when the weather is so lovely. Well that would have been the idea but then i get that look from Sam and he wants to go out again so as i don my walking shoes and off we go again to the backies it’s a little busier at this time of day but Sam doesn’t mind he has more friends to play with although getting him to listen is another matter (too busy having fun). As i start to walk away from him he decides to come bounding up and knock me on my bottom (good job it was on the grass and i have plenty of padding). Hobbled home and went for a bath to soothe it’s nearly tea time before we know it and Richard is making thank goodness don’t think i could manage standing and cooking. After tea its upstairs to watch a little tv before bed time.

 

Sunday 10th of May 2026

Wake up around 8am and the weather is lovely not too hot but definitely not winter thank goodness the house is a little more quieter these days it’s just the two of us at home now. Although we have visitors coming for sunday lunch, Its always nice to see my boys (even though they are fully grown men now) their partners and our First grandson. it’s time to get up and strip the bed ready to go in the washing Machine. Time for some quick updates on Facebook although things are much easier now as we have become more established and wider known. As i quickly do the usual sunday chores of cleaning the house, There is a knock at the door and My Grandson shouting “Nanna” we welcome our visitors in discuss whats been happening and how things are going in general life over a nice pot of tea sit and watch our grandson play in the garden with his toys another knock at the door and its our youngest son with his girlfriend and we are ready to go out for lunch we chose our favorite restaurant its where we celebrated our wedding and many anniversaries thereafter it’s also seen us celebrate our eldest’s 18th, 21st and our youngest’s 16th,18th and 21st. The food has never faltered always delicious and good value for money. Our grandson likes the play area although so many heart in throat moments but he knows no fear just like his dad at that age. Three hours later and we are all pleasantly full time to leave Youngest son and his girlfriend are going straight home as they have many things to do before early to work. We are giving Eldest and family a lift home or so we thought as grandson decided he wants to sleep over at nana and grandads house which we don’t mind he doesn’t go to school yet. So we take dad and mum home and then back to our house for bath time then super and then reading stories before bed (phew forgot how hard little ones are) but wouldn’t change it for the world ah now my own bed beckons me but maybe a little tv time (Snore).

My Present and My Future – Only Separated by 10 Years

My Present and My Future – Only Separated by 10 Years

Sunday May 8th 2016

This morning is the same as most weekday mornings, up between 7-730, usual bathroom routine and then downstairs for a cup of Tea (no better way to start the day in my opinion).

Sat with Drink the computer goes on and I start posting all the information and images I need to upload to Facebook, then it’s logging onto the York Past and Present website for some fine tuning and some editing.

Finally, it’s about 11am and all is finished, for a quiet Sunday it’s not so quiet when you have your youngest son running around the house and your eldest son visiting you and talking about all that’s going on.

Most of my afternoon is filled with sitting in the garden talking to my son and learning about what he has been doing as we exchange what’s been happening in our lives and how things are in general.

4pm comes around and my eldest bids us farewell and heads home to his house and his girlfriend, leaving the 3 of us sitting quietly and enjoying the sunshine for an hour or so, before I turn my computer back on and start to organise some of the things that we have coming up (meetings, Events, gatherings, that sort of thing).

I finish around about 5 and judging by the rumblings in my stomach, I ask the family what they fancy and catch a late dinner.

After washing pots my youngest son goes into his room to play on his Xbox and me? Well I retire into the bedroom to relax on the bed and watch a bit of TV for a few hours before bed and the start of another busy day.

 

Sunday May 8th 2026

My alarm goes off and I get up, it’s about 8:30, I lay in bed for a while looking at the latest news on my phone for 20 mins or so, before I do all the usual bathroom stuff, I get dressed and head downstairs.

Cup of Tea in hand, I retire to the garden to enjoy my drink and enjoy the day, no need to rush to get things done these days, Facebook is as it always has been and the York Past and Present Website is now merged with many other York History websites so there isn’t so much of a rush to get all the latest news and images on there.

After enjoying my drink and my sit down I now start looking at some of the events and meetings we have coming up. I must admit this is a lot easier now than it has been in the past because York Past and Present has grown and become part of a bigger network now we are well known to all and out mission (so to speak) is in full swing with many organisations and groups involved.

I finish just in time for my eldest son to come around with his wife and our first grandchild, it’s great to spend time catching up and watching my grandson play.

It’s now pushing 6pm and after my wife has made something to eat I slip into my slippers and retire to the bedroom to watch some television.

Around 10pm I go downstairs make myself a nice hot chocolate and retire to my bed for an early night and the start of a new day.