Benjamin and Ruth Smith's family at Five Acres (General)

by sidtoomey01 , Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, Thursday, November 12, 2020, 05:25 (1255 days ago) @ Forest Freda

Hi

Regarding your Granny's childhood home, it would be difficult to pinpoint exactly the building as all the documents i looked at aren't very descriptive .
Using the Parish Records transcriptions from this site, and Ancestry Census Records I looked at records from 1875 (marriage of Ruth and Benjamin) through to 1919 Electoral Rolls (Ruth Smiths address), all of the records appear to fall within approximately one mile diameter. (according to the measurement tool on National Library of Scotland Ordnance Survey maps).
This area is bounded on the West by Grove Road.
Horizontally by the A4136 Lower Lane. (also known as 5 Acre Road) ( Members of the family appear to have lived along Five Acre Road at different times)
On the East by Woodgate Road
On the South East by Edge End Road. ( This is where the Royal Foresters Inn is still located)
To get the best feel for where everything was located use https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=51.80761&lon=-2.61037&layers=6...
When you open it up you should see an old survey map of Berry Hill and Five Acres.
Across the top you should have "explore georeferenced maps" showing in the centre of three boxes.
Just below that is a single line box. click on this and select "Bing Satellite" or "Bing Road Map". Each of them should be self explanatory to give you a concealed background image depending on which one you want to use to see a modern view of what you are looking at.
In the large box on the left hand side (at the bottom of it) you should see " change transparency of overlay". When you drag the button left or right the image should change from the old map to the modern view.

As an example, 1891 Census just before your Grannie was born, Ruth and Benjamin lived in "Woodgate". According to the Census, just six households separated them from the Inn.

Another example, in 1881 Census Ruths parents Joseph (the Blacksmith) and Elizabeth Brown lived on Five Acre Road . According to the probable travel of the Census Enumerator, they lived after Berry Hill Farm and after Little Five Acres Farm but before Five Acres Farm.
looking at the old map there weren't too many houses there along the road at the time and when you drag the new satellite image across they are mostly still there.

Also 1901 Census Ruth and Benjamin and family including your Granny lived at the third household after "Top of Lonk" (shown on the old map as "The Lonk" but before Crows Ash farm which is to the South.

Armed with this information you should be able to have a nice walk in the countryside sometime looking around where your Ancestors lived but be careful you down fall down an unused shaft as the old maps show the area appears to be full of them.

Finish your walk off at the Inn. It looks like a good place for a beer or two.

I hope this is of some help

Sid Toomey

Sid Toomey