In an earlier post I tried to determine which house in Charing Cross my 3 x great grandparents occupied, and who else lived in the same building. I came to the conclusion that the Robbs lived at 29 Charing Cross. I’ve since discovered more about the way that separate buildings, and households within buildings, were delineated in the 1841 census. I’m fairly sure now that the occupants of No. 29 in 1841 were as follows – with the lines indicating the divisions between households at that address:
Matthew Cholerton, 20, tobacconist
__________________
Charles Robb, 60, clerk
Margaret Robb, 55
George William Robb, 25, clerk
William Robb, 25, clerk
___________________
Ann Martin (?), 15, family servant
______________________
George Atkins, 40, pensioner E.G. house (??)
Susan Atkins, 25
George Atkins, 3
It seems fairly certain that No. 29 housed Cholerton’s tobacconist shop, and that the Robb and Atkins families rented rooms above it – though it’s still unclear which of the families Ann Marks worked for. While searching for further information about Cholerton, I came across this record of a criminal case at the Old Bailey in the following year, 1842:
Interestingly, William Robb’s probable employer, law stationer Walter Blanford Waterlow, was a witness in a very similar case in 1858.
Pingback: The Robb family at Charing Cross « Martin Robb’s Family History Blog
Hello, I’ve been reading with interest your article re the old photograph of Whitehall and your Robb family connection. My ancester was William Hamilton Reid, mentioned in your article. I have to correct you on the Robbs’ neighbour being him, as he died in 1820. (his wife wrote an obituary which I found on-line by accident!). however I think the William H Reid on the census could be a son or nephew. I have been entirely unsuccessful in finding out anything about William Hamilton Reid’s wife, who was called Mary. William Henry Reid’s wife was Elizabeth.
Fabulous photo isn’t it? I recently came across it in a book of photos of Dickensian London which I got from “Book People”. Regards, Pat Harrison.