On Raby Street looking at the alms houses

This is Raby Street and the building is one of those hidden gems which it is easy to miss.

I have to admit that these seven almshouses built in 1877 were totally unknown to me, as they were to Andy Robertson who “tumbled across this rather nice building amidst the gloom of decay and wasteland [and] the first thing I noticed was the chimneys.”

Both of us were at first puzzled as to what the buildings were and almost at the same time did the research and came up with the fact that they were alms houses.

And as you would expect there is an intriguing history.

“The charity of Edward Mayes was founded in 1635 when trustees were appointed to administer the sum of £120 bequeathed in the will of Edward Mayes.

The money was bequeathed to assist and support the poor and vulnerable people of Manchester.

Very little is known about Edward Mayes, however it is known he carried out various duties as an officer of the Court in Manchester, he died unmarried in 1621.

In 1635 the trustees of the charity purchased 4 acres of land in Millers Lane and profits from the rents were used to assist the poor.

In 1680 a row of almshouse cottages were built near to Millgate and Millers Lane for occupation by poor families.

The original almshouses were demolished in 1808 and replaced by warehousing; the street at the rear of the almshouses was named Mayes Street to commemorate the work of the Edward Mayes charity. 

Over time the charity of Edward Mayes was amalgamated with 4 other charities these being the Hartley Charity founded in 1678, Sutton Charity founded 1687, and Buckley Charity founded 1848 and the Westwood Charity founded in 1877.

The almshouses of the Westwood Charity built in 1877 in Moss Side are still occupied today and are currently owned by Manchester City Council.”*

So armed with this I went off in search of the people who lived in these cottages.

In 1911 there were 13 of them, living in  two and four roomed properties.

All but one was retired and their ages ranged from 64 to 89.

Of those that gave their occupation, there was a joiner, a hammer man, a weaver along with two domestic servants and a driller.

Over half had been born in Manchester or in neighbouring Newton Heath and Chorlton-on-Medlock and two from as far away as Norfolk and Staffordshire.

Now there is a lot more to find out about these thirteen people and the earlier alms houses in Millgate but that is for another time.

I shall just close with Sarah Ann Grindley who shared number 6 Westwood Homes, Raby Street with her granddaughter.  Sarah had been born in 1822 in Lynn in Norfolk and was widowed.  Thomas her husband had been a painter and died sometime between 1891 and 1901.

Now in the April of 1891 they were living in Hulme and by the March of 1901 she is a visitor at number 6 Westwood Homes and there is also a record for the death of someone who might be her husband in the July of that year.

Now without more research I am unsure if Sarah Ann and Thomas were related but it is likely they were married and that  that he may well have been ill by the date of the 1901 census and had been hospitalized leaving Sarah homeless and forced to move in with a friend.

And she took with her the young 23 year old granddaughter who had been living with them in Hulme and who was still with Sarah in 1911.

Sarah was illiterate and the census return was made out by someone else which begs the question of why her granddaughter did not complete the form, but I suppose it is just possible that she too could not read and write.

Perhaps more research will solve the mystery.

Pictures; courtesy of Andy Robertson,February 2014

* The Edward Mays Trust, http://www.edwardmayestrust.co.uk/about.asp