Olivers shop in Finstock

rene oliver · Senior Member

RE: Olivers shop in Finstock

Shane Bywaters · Guru

Morning Jane,

Thanks for that, once again, valuable input. I've never come across the 'Valuation Office Survey' but it sounds like it could be a very useful resource on this particular query.

I've looked at the 1911 census again and whilst there is nothing concrete, as so much is simply listed 'High Street', Charlotte's shop is very near to the Blacksmith's shop which is probably now called 'The Old Forge' or something alike, so find the Blacksmiths shop and it would be just a couple of house away.

I've also done a little further,more general digging and found the following article by the Finstock Local History Society:

http://finstocklocalhistory.blogspot.com/2007/05/shops-and-public-house-and-murder.html

This includes the following:

Finstock used to have three shops.

One was in School Road and at one time was a Fish and Chip shop, run by Tommy Franklin who I believe came from Birmingham.
The second was in The Bottom and was run, with the Post Office, by Mrs. Dore and her two daughters Nellie and Meeme.
There was a third shop at the Crown Public House which sold sweets, sugar and tea, but was mostly run as an off-licence

There were two other Cottage Shops which I can remember.

One was run by Mrs. Harris who lived where David Pratley lives now, up the High Street, and was, I believe, his grandmother; they also sold fruit.
The other shop was run by Harry Woolford, who was my uncle, my mother's elder brother. He sold cigarettes, tobacco, tea, sweets and chocolate.

Neither of the first three are on the High Street, so I would guess it's one of the two cottage shops.

A bit more digging required but it's closing in.

Thanks,
Shane

jane · Senior Member

Hi Shane

You may be able to use the 1911 census to work out where the shop was: as well as the individual forms filled in by householders you can now also see summary sheets filled in by the enumerator, so you can see the neighbours. Even if no house numbers are given you might see where your people were in relation to an identifiable building (such as a pub, for example).

Another really useful resource for round about the time of the 1911 census is the Valuation Office Survey. This was a nationwide survey of property, done between about 1910 and 1913 if I remember rightly, in preparation for a new property-based tax the Government planned to introduce. The latest available Ordnance Survey map of the period was annotated with plot numbers, and information was collected on age and condition of buildings, numbers of rooms, value, date of last sale etc. etc. and (crucially for family and local historians) names of owners and occupiers. Sometimes you get little sketch maps (there is one for my humble cottage, recording its poor condition and even showing an earth closet and an old chicken coop in the yard!). These are all arranged in "field books" (organised by place and then by plot number) which are at Kew. Though there are maps at Kew too, I have found for Witney that the maps at Oxfordshire Record Office have more of the plot numbers filled in and so are more useful.* I've no idea if that applies to other parishes, though. I have a vague memory of having heard something about there being microfilm copies of the field books at Oxfordshire Studies but I've never tried looking for them there. Then, back at ORO, are some other books that go with the maps, but they're not as detailed as the field books.

*The ones at ORO are called District Valuation Maps or something like that. I believe that ORO has started digitising these maps so they may be inaccessible at the moment. And when they have finished you probably won't be able to see the originals any more but will have to pay for the privilege of seeing electronic versions. That's progress for you!

Let me know if you want to go to Kew for a lesson in using these records!

Jane

Shane Bywaters · Guru

Hi All,

The Kellys Business Directories (a sort of yellow pages from yesteryear I believe) list Olivers as shopkeepers in Finstock, certainly as far back as 1854 and as recent as 1911, extracts below:

Here's 1854, Edward Oliver as the Shopkeeper:

Here's 1911, Charlotte as the Shopkeeper (Widow, husband Charles died in 1906):

The 1911 census details the shop as being on the High Street and Charlottes occupation a Shopkeeper General Grocery shop, extracts below:

Was just wondering if anyone know's anymore about the shop, stories, photo's, location of shop etc etc????

Thanks,
Shane