As a title that really sounds quite dull. However bear with me.
As you begin the journey of uncovering the history of the past occupants of your building, you can feel all at sea. Until…you find that first “something“.
That something could be a name or a passing mention of the property in a newspaper – it seems small but with that something begins the adventure. This was my experience as I took the pieces of advice from my meeting with Gareth Evans and delved into the internet looking for anything to do with Plas Coch, Well Street, Ruthin.
I went searching on https://www.findmypast.co.uk/ and just input the information for the 1939 census and was rewarded with a result!
Names!
I nearly did a jig!
At this time the property was divided into two; numbers 24 and 26 Well Street.
In number 26 we had a Mary R. Armstrong who was a widow and a ladies outfitter. Ida Jones lived with her and her occupation was “unpaid domestic duties”
In number 24 we have records of a Charles Moorhouse and his wife Amey who were both retired Hotel Proprietors. Charles was originally from Padiham Lancashire and his wife was from Grays in Essex. At this time Charles was 58 and Amey was 64. There was a third person a Harriet E. Brundrit who was described as a widow with “unpaid domestic duties”.
Wow!
Then that something suddenly snowballed… because I knew their dates of birth and their names I did a bit more research in other census’. I found that Charles Moorhouse was noted as a “professional operatic singer” in the 1911 census and that he toured with the opera Carmen in Scotland in 1910. He was a Toreador. I then checked the 1921 census and found that Charles and Amey ran The Saracen’s Head in Cerrigydrudion. So of course…I had to go and look!
