George Hulme

81 Uxbridge St (in 1891; 67 Wellington Rd in 1881 )

Ashton Under Lyne Herbert McDermott wrote to Alan Ray-Jones (14 September 1999):

Your queries about George Hulme's and Ellen's occupations interest me very much. To start with, 'self-acting minder' is a cotton trade spinning term and in 1881 George was 49. My great grandfather Richard McDermott was then two years short of being presented with a testimonial recording twenty consecutive years as president of the Self Acting Mule Spinners Association of Ashton Under Lyne, Dukinfield Hurst and neighbourhood. He would in 1881 have been about 49 and I believe it is highly likely that the two men would be acquainted. 'Minder' is to be taken in its literal sense - 'one who minds'. As for Ellen's 'frame tender', this is again a cotton trade term and is applied to one who stretched cloth over a frame (possibly equipped with tenterhooks). The 'tender' I have always heard as 'tenter' and is applied to the person who 'attends' the frame.

I also note that Elizabeth Ann - daughter of Fredrick - was also employed as a weaver in the cotton trade. I would add that within my memory this area was a forest of mill chimneys towering above the skyline and I still recollect what seemed to me to be a [sound] wave of clogs [with irons], first approaching and then receding as workers walked to work early in the morning.


1851 Census:
Denton Lane, Hooley Hill (village), Ashton under Lyne, South Lancs (Registrar's District of Audenshaw and Droylesden)
[HO 107/2234, folio 226, page 5]

Joseph Hulme Head Widower 67 Flat body maker Born Lancs, Audenshaw
Mary Hulme Dau Unm 47 Housekeeper Born Lancs, Denton
Joseph Hulme Son Unm 37 Ag Lab Born Lancs, Audenshaw
George Hulme Grandson Unm 19 Cotter Born Lancs, Hooley Hill
Sarah Hulme Granddaughter Unm 16 Weaver cotter Born Lancs, Hooley Hill
Robert Hulme Grandson 12 Peices cotter Born Lancs, Hooley Hill
Frances Hulme Granddaughter 8 Scholar Born Lancs, Hooley Hill
William Hulme Grandson 5 Scholar Born Lancs, Hooley Hill
Esther Hulme Dau Unm 46 Peice picker cotter Born Lancs, Denton

This is a doubtful reference. George Hulme said at one census that he was born in Droylesden, at another in Gorton, at another in ?Druss (not found). His father was Thomas (on his marriage certificate) - and of course his grandfather _might_ have been Joseph. This was the only 'George Hulme' of the right age discovered in the area in 1851 in a time-consuming search, but that's no proof. None of Joseph's children above are described as widows or widowers, so both George's parents (and the parents of the others born at Hooley Hill?) are dead or gone away. Mary and Esther above (his father's sisters?) were born in Denton, which is adjacent to Gorton but is separated from Droylesden by Audenshaw which he never mentioned to an enumerator. But all these places are close to each other. One of George's daughters was called Esther, and his daughter Martha's children included a Joseph, a Mary and a Frances. None of this is proof, and this could well be another family. (It is! In 1881 George Hulme, 49, born at Hooley Hill, was living at 15 West Street, Ashton Under Lyne, and had a hat dyeing business. All his family were in the hat business. Not my George Hulme, see 1881 below).

On 18 Dec 2004 Sandra Mitcheson wrote "Regarding the Hulme family on the 1851 Census of Hooley Hill? Denton - I don't feel that these are your people. I think your George HULME may have been born at Gorton, but moved shortly after to Droylsden? Or it may be, that due to family there - he was just baptised at Gorton Chapel? Droylsden is surrounded going clockwise - by Ashton, Audenshaw, Fairfield, Openshaw, Clayton & Newton Heath & Failsworth. The nearest point at connecting with Gorton I think would be the Openshaw side


1861 Census:
Ashton-Under-Lyne (Film RG9/2985 Folio 65 Page 31]:

161 Cotton Street, Ashton-Under-Lyne:
George Hulme Head 30 Cotton minder Born Lancs, Droylsden
Ellen Wife 27 Cotton frame tenter Born Lancs, Wigan
Esther Dau 6 Scholar Born Lancs, Ashton
James Son 1 do
Ann? Delaney Lodger 21 Power Loom Weaver Born Lancs, Salford


1871 Census:
Ashton-Under-Lyne (Film RG10/4073 - 101):

161 Cotton Street, Ashton-Under-Lyne is shown as her birthplace on Martha's birth certificate but it was occupied by the family of James Byrne by 1871, so George Hulme had left there but was presumably not yet living with his future son-in-law Thomas Hadden, since Thomas would have been only 16 at the time.

[From Sandra Mitcheson, Dec 2004] On 1871 census at 153 Cotton Street Ashton Under Lyne RG10/4073-102-31
HULME family

George 40 Married Head Minder or winder Cotton born Droylsden
Ellen 36 " " Frame tenter " " Wigan
Esther Ann 16 Single Dau Setter in Cotton Ashton Under Lyne
James 11 " Son Scholar "
Martha 9 " Dau " "



1881 Census:
Ashton-Under-Lyne (Film RG11/4038-27-3...1341965 (GSU film number)):

67 Wellington Road, Ashton-Under-Lyne:
Thomas Hadden Head 26 Hairdresser Born Manchester
Esther Ann Wife 26 Born Ashton-Under-Lyne
James Hulme Hadder Son 7 do
Mary Ellen Dau 4 do
Martha Agnes do 3 do
Alice Louisa do 3 mths do
George Hulme Father-in-Law 49 Self-acting Minder Born Gorton, Lancashire
Ellen (or Ellin) Hulme Mother-in-Law 48 Frame Tender? Born Wigan, Lancashire
Martha Hulme Daughter-in-Law 19 Milliner and dressmaker Born Ashton-Under-Lyne
(surely Sister-in-Law of Thomas Hadden, not daughter-in-law. Sister of Esther, unmarried)

A search for George's father Thomas in Lancashire in 1881 found a Thomas Hulme, 70, born in Hyde (very near Gorton and Droylesden) who was boarding with Frank Metcalfe - a coal miner - and his family at 9 William St, Haughton, and working as a domestic servant. And another Thomas Hulme, 72, at Great Bolton, a retired joiner, his unmarried daughter Ellen living with him. And two or three others.


1891 Census:
Ashton-Under-Lyne (Film RG12/3729 (3) Folio 102 page 44):

81 Uxbridge Street, Ashton-Under-Lyne:
George Hulme Head 60 Street sweeper Born Druss?, Lancashire
Ellen Wife 58 Born Wigan, Lancashire
Martha Jones Daughter 29 Born Ashton-Under-Lyne
Samuel Jones Son-in-Law 29 Cabinet maker Born Dukinfield, Cheshire
Raymond Jones Grandson 4 Born Ashton-Under-Lyne
Mary A Jones Granddaughter 2 do
Elizabeth E Jones do 1 do

END