Middlesbrough Remembered
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Excuse me but where is Middlesbrough?
Walk from North Ormesby
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Only a Short Time in History
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Football on the Roof
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Don't Mention the War?
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An Ayresome Childhood
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Victoria St/Greta St Now
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Newport Bombing 15 April 1942
Closing of St Paul's School
Ayresome School
More Memories of Parliament Rd.
Round and About King George Street
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Tees Poem
Middlesbrough Welsh
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Honeymans of Cannon Street
Marilyn's Memories
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Non-existent Immigrants?
There's a fascinating paper been published analysing the origins of the population of Middlesbrough by studying the surnames on the electoral roll.
'The quantitative analysis of family names : historic migration and the present day neighbourhood structure of Middlesbrough, United Kingdom"
Longley, P., Webber, R. and Lloyd,D.
None of us will be surprised to learn on page 22 that in Middlesbrough 'electors with Irish names are very over represented in Middlesbrough at 33% above the national average.'
However many will be surprised at the remark on page 18 'In other words Middlesbrough has never been a popular destination for Welsh migrants'.
I was more than surprised. Stunned would be a better word. In Middlesbrough we have always believed that the Welsh, brought in for their skills in the iron and steel making industry, played a significant part in the making of the town.
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The Welsh Presence Throughout Teesside
The authors' assertion that no significant numbers of Welsh came to Middlesbrough isn't just at odds with with our 'folk memory' of ourselves. The Welsh presence is a matter of record. They weren't just in Middlesbrough. They settled throughout Teesside. On page 50 in his History of Modern Wales, D. Williams writes ,"Welsh industrialists played an important part and its great works were served by a succession of highly skilled Welsh managers and technicians. So many were the iron workers who migrated there from South Wales that Welsh communities worshipping in their own tongue, came into being by the waters of the Tees."
In the 1881 census for 87 Denmark St., Middlesbrough, the head of the household one George G. THOMAS was born in Caermarthen. His occupaton was given as Baptist Preacher Breutuallth (Welsh). The fact that he is identified as a Welsh Baptist and not just 'Baptist' suggests there must have been sufficient number of Welsh Baptists to require their own preacher.
Malcolm Chase, Reader in Labour History at Leeds University, reckons two-fifths of the skilled iron workers in Teesside were Welsh.
The Welsh were a force to be reckoned with as regards politics. There was a strange alliance between these Welsh nonconformists and the even more numerous Irish catholics. The defeated Unionist(Conservative) candidate in a Parliamentary by-election in Stockton in 1888, complained he had been defeated by “the Fenians and the Welshers”.
The Origins of the Teesside Apollo Male Voice Choir
The Welsh had a cultural presence in Middlesbrough. An accident occurred at one of the steelworks and a Welsh worker was killed. A group of friends then decided to get together and arrange a social event at which they sang and raised money for the deceased's family. As a result of this event they agreed to continue their group singing and hence the birth of 'The Apollo Male Voice Choir' in 1887.
By 1890 the choir was competing and winning regularly at music festivals and in 1882 and 1896,because of its large number of Welsh speaking members,it was invited to take part in the Welsh National Eisteddfod.
It is also worth noting that eistedfodau were also held in Middlesbrough itself in the latter part of the 19c. This only happened in two other places in England namely Chester and London. |
Distribution of the Welsh in the Cannon St Area.
I am presently working through the 1881 census to establish the origins of the people of the Cannon Street area and, I have found that the Welsh were present in significant numbers. 1 out of every 8 households in the Cannon St area had members born in Wales or Monmouthshire
I have to write or Monmouthshire because in those days Monmouthshire was officially an English county but nobody from Monmouthshire accepted that. My great-grandfather, a foreman plate-roller, was from Pontypool and he considered himself totally Welsh.
There was no 'Little Wales' i.e a preponderance of Welsh in any one street or group of neighbouring streets. For ease in handling the data I split the area into three
east section: from Boundary Road to Farrer St.
mid section: Spencer St to Bulmer St/Rockcliffe St
west section: Marsh St to Ayresome Rd
As can be seen from the table the Welsh are distributed from one end of Cannon Street to the other, albeit with a higher percentage in the mid section. |
Cannon Street Welsh
| |
Number of Households |
Households with Welsh Members |
Percentage |
| East Section |
1296 |
144 |
11 |
| Mid Section |
770 |
131 |
17 |
| West Section |
579 |
72 |
12.5 |
| TOTAL |
2645 |
347 |
13 |
Still Under Construction
I will add more to this page as I analyse the results more thoroughly.
Vic Wood |
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