1 Ward's Yard
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - John Henry Taylor (malleable ironmoulder)
1901 - John Henry Taylor (malleable ironmoulder)
1891 - Unoccupied
1881 - George Jepson (colliery banksman)
1871 - Unoccupied
1861 - Unoccupied
1851 - Unoccupied
2 Ward's Yard
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - Morris Powell (bricklayer’s labourer)
1901 - William Henson (bootmaker and shoe repairer)
1891 - Unoccupied
1881 - Mary Gore (widow) Sarah Greenwood (widow)
1871 - William Gore (moulder)
1861 - Unoccupied
1851 - Unoccupied
3 Ward's Yard
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - Frank Gregory (miner)
1901 - Mary Stevenson (widow) Joe Gregory (widower, coal hewer)
1891 - Charles Stevenson (miner)
1881 - Ann Pendleton (widow)
1871 - Mary Webster (widow)
1861 - John Webster (miner)
1851 - Unoccupied
4 Ward's Yard
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - Emanuel Robinson (labourer) Ann Greenwood (widow)
1901 - Emanuel Robinson (corporation road labourer) Solomon Robinson (corporation labourer) Ann Greenwood (widow)
1891 - Emanuel Robinson (labourer) Ann Greenwood (widow)
1881 - William Swingwood (labourer at steel works)
1871 - Emanuel Robinson (labourer) Ann Greenwood (widow) Tom Turner (miner)
1861 - James Greenwood (labourer)
1851 - Unoccupied
5 Ward's Yard
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - John Lawrence Gregory (coal miner)
1901 - James H Gregory (miner)
1891 - Sarah Ward (widow living on parish)
1881 - Frank Greenwood (labourer)
1871 - Hannah Greenwood (widow)
1861 - Unoccupied
1851 - Unoccupied
6 Ward's Yard
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - John Henson (coal miner)
1901 - James Walker (miner)
1891 - Emma Goldthorpe (widow)
1881 - William Fisher (miner)
1871 - John Fisher (miner)
1861 - John Fisher (miner)
1851 - Unoccupied
7 Ward's Yard
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - Unoccupied
1901 - Unoccupied
1891 - Unoccupied
1881 - Samuel Wood (miner)
1871 - Thomas Milnes (fly turner)
1861 - Unoccupied
1851 - Unoccupied
8 Ward's Yard
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - Thomas Albert Green (builder’s labourer)
1901 - Henry Sharpe (coke burner)
1891 - John Howarth (miner)
1881 - Charles Hoggard (carpenter at pit)
1871 - Charles Hoggard (wheelwright)
1861 - Charles Hoggard (miner)
1851 - Unoccupied
9 Ward's Yard
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - William Haughton (miner)
1901 - Samuel Curran (miner)
1891 - Unoccupied
1881 - Elizabeth Holmes (widow)
1871 - William Hewitt (miner)
1861 - Unoccupied
1851 - Unoccupied
10 Ward's Yard
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - Samuel Henson (miner)
1901 - Samuel Henson (miner)
1891 - Samuel Henson (miner)
1881 -Elizabeth Rodgers (widow) Mary Marriott (widow)
1871 - Thomas Taylor (miner)
1861 - Thomas Taylor (miner)
1851 - Unoccupied
11 Ward's Yard (Manor Terrace 1861 -Garden Terrace 1871-1891)
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - Joseph Harris Adlington (malleable iron moulder)
1901 - Robert Fryer (spade and shovel maker)
1891 - Albert Cooper (miner)
1881 - Alfred Ward (spindle turner)
1871 - James Siddall (joiner)
1861 - John Davison (stonemason)
1851 - Unoccupied
12 Ward's Yard (Manor Terrace 1861 -Garden Terrace 1871-1891)
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - Samuel Mason (road labourer)
1901 - Samuel Mason (miner)
1891 - Samuel Mason (weighman)
1881 - Jackson Barker (wood turner)
1871 - John Turner (miner)
1861 - Ann Ellis (widow) William Spooner (miner)
1851 - Unoccupied
13 Ward's Yard (Manor Terrace 1861; Garden Terrace 1871-1891)
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - Harold Turner (silversmith & candlestick maker)
1901 - William Wilson (miner)
1891 - Joseph Cooke (engine tenter)
1881 - John Chapman (miner)
1871 - Thomas Greenwood (spindle turner)
1861 - Thomas Greenwood (spindle mechanic)
1851 - Unoccupied
14 Ward's Yard (Manor Terrace 1861; Garden Terrace 1871-1891)
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - Henry Street (shovel handle finisher)
1901 - John Turner (road foreman)
1891 - William Bennett (miner) Frank Gregory (miner)
1881 - John Hewitt (edge tool forger)
1871 - Thomas Staniforth (scythe maker)
1861 - Thomas Corker (miner)
1851 - Unoccupied
Talbot's Yard – historical information
“Talbot’s Yard was in front of The Old Manor House, on High Street. It was originally used by Mr. C. W. Talbot, Haulage Contractor, of High Street, hence its name, and then by the town council for many years as their Building Department's store. The Old Manor House was subsequently restored for habitation and is now called Rookery Cottage.”
1 Machin’s Yard
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - George Henry Herrington (malleable iron moulder)
1901 - George Henry Herrington (malleable iron moulder)
1891 - Martin Herrington (miner)
1881 - William Carr (groom), Thomas Mullins (labourer at steel works)
1871 - Unoccupied
2 Machin’s Yard
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - Katherine Enright (widow, wardrobe dealer)
1901 - Eliza Jubb (single,no trade)
1891 - John Taylor (edge tool maker)
1881 - Unoccupied
1871 - Thomas Mason (miner)
3 Machin’s Yard
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - Frederick Newsam (caster & ironfounder)
1901 - John Meakin (spindle fitter)
1891 - Edward Duggan (labourer)
1881 - Mary Tagg (widow)
1871 - John Dawes (labourer)
4/5 Machin’s Yard
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - Eliza Ellen Perry (widow)
1901 - William Thompson (miner)
1891 - Thomas Hewitt (spindle grinder), Henry William Whildon (cordwainer)
1881 - Thomas Hewitt (road labourer in shovel works)
1871 - Thomas Hewitt (labourer)
6 Machin’s Yard
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - William Grindlow Taylor (miner)
1901 - William Taylor (miner)
1891 - Bridget Garretty (living on parish relief)
1881 - Mark Spooner (coke burner)
1871 - Elizabeth Stocks (schoolmistress)
7 Machin’s Yard
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - George Cartwright (labourer)
1901 - William Shufflebottom (blacksmith’s striker)
1891 - William Grinder (labourer at shovel works)
1881 - Unoccupied
1871 - Daniel Silcock (edge tool maker)
8 Machin’s Yard
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - John Newsam (moulder)
1901 - Martha Turner (widow)
1891 - Martha Turner (widow living on parish), George Turner (labourer at shovel works)
1881 - Enoch Turner (labourer at steel works)
1871 - Unoccupied
1 Stoops Yard or Lane (Back Lane in 1861)
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - Elizabeth Pearson (widow) & her brother Harvey Robinson (coal hewer)
1901 - Elizabeth Pearson (charwoman)
1891 - James Pearson (coal miner)
1881 - John Ekin (innkeeper and general labourer)
1871 - William Slaney (labourer)
1861 - Henry Sharpe (coal miner)
Between the Manor Hotel and the Blue Stoops Inn were 2 yards of small, crowded cottages and workshops known as Ward’s Yard and Posts Yard (or Stoops Yard or Stoops Lane). Along with others off the High Street, these yards were built during the C19th when expanding industry in the town led to an urgent need for more housing. 8 cottages, 2 of them converted from the travellers’ accommodation belonging to the Blue Stoops when it was a coaching inn in earlier times, were crammed in behind the pub. No.1 had originally possessed a connecting door to the pub. They had a maximum of 4 rooms each. The Stoops Yard dwellings belonged some to Stones’ brewery and some to the Mason’s Arms on Farwater Lane.
The Census records show that the inhabitants of these cramped yards lived cheek by jowl and often moved from one cottage to another amongst the yards. Intermarriage between the families was common and widowed people often moved in with siblings.
A bit of history about James and Elizabeth Pearson, nee Robinson:
James Pearson, a miner, was born in 1843 in Unstone. Elizabeth was born in 1846 in Dronfield. They married in 1867 in Sheffield. They had 8 children: Hannah, George, Mary, Sarah, William, Harry, Frank and Eliza. Hannah was born in 1869, Eliza c.1890. They lived at Hallowes Lane and Farwater Lane before being recorded at 1 Stoops Lane in the 1891 Census. James died in 1894, aged 51, and Elizabeth remained in the house until her death in 1913.
Memories of growing up in No.1 were recorded by Edna Hibbert (nee Pearson) and published in Dronfield Miscellany and the Dronfield Eye. When Elizabeth Pearson died her youngest daughter Eliza with husband Walter Ogden took over the house. Edna was her niece who grew up with them between 1926 and 1939, when the Stoops Yard cottages were demolished. She had fond memories of her childhood in a cosy home with good neighbours. They were fortunate to have a boiler so they had hot water readily available.
2 Stoops Yard or Lane (Back Lane in 1861)
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - John Walker (moulder)
1901 - William Ward (miner)
1891 - Joe Gregory (miner)
1881 - Joseph Elliott (blind, no trade)
1871 - Joseph Elliott (labourer) & his sister Hannah Gregory (widow)
1861 - Joseph Corker (coal miner)
A bit about Joe Gregory:
Joe Gregory was born c.1867 in the Holmesfield area. He married Sarah Ellen Stevenson ( born 1870) in 1888. Their daughter Ada was born in 1888 and son Charles c.1893. Sarah was the daughter of Mary and George Stevenson and lived at Stubley Hollow before her marriage. The Gregory family was in 2 Stoops Yard in 1891. Sarah died in 1899 and George, her father, in 1900. Joe and his children moved to live in Ward’s Yard with Mary, where they are listed in the 1901 Census and Mary is given as the Head of the household and Joe and his children as her boarders. In 1908 Joe married widow Olive Ward and in 1911 they, along with Olive’s own children George, Ethel and Annie were living at 7 Stoops Yard. Olive died in 1937 and Joe in either 1941 or 1943.
3 Stoops Yard or Lane (Back Lane in 1861)
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - Edwin Ward (coal miner)
1901 - Edwin Ward (coal miner)
1891 - Edwin Ward (coal miner)
1881 - Unoccupied
1871 - Mary Stevenson (wife) (not connected with Joe Gregory, miner)
1861 - Unoccupied
A bit about Edwin Ward:
Edwin, like many of the men who lived in the yards, was a coalminer and was still described as such on the 1911 Census, when he was 66. He was born in 1845 in Dronfield, the son of John and Ann Ward. He married Sophia Booker in 1872; she was the daughter of George and Sarah Booker of Cowley Bar, Dronfield Woodhouse and was born in 1852.
They cannot be found on the 1871 Census and on the 1881 Census they are living on Hartington Road with 4 children – William 8, Sarah Ann 6, Alice 3 and Edwin junior 1. By the 1891 Census, they were at 3 Stoops Yard, where Edwin and Sophia remained for the rest of their lives. In 1891 they had 2 more children – Rosina 9 and Agnes 5.
In 1901 Edwin and Sophia had Alice, Edwin and Agnes living with them and son William lived next door at No. 3 with his wife Mary Ellen and daughter Winifred Rhoda 1. By 1911 William had moved to Thrybergh.
In 1911 Edwin and Sophia were still at No. 3. Edwin died in 1918 and Sophia in 1936.
4 Stoops Yard or Lane (Back Lane in 1861)
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - William Bennett (coal miner) & his son-in-law Walter Robinson (coal miner)
1901 - Harvey Robinson (coal miner)
1891 - Harvey Robinson (coal miner)
1881 - Robert Walker (no trade)
1871 - Ann Machon (wife)
1861 - Jane Milnes (wife)
Harvey Robinson was born c.1830 and married Elizabeth Webster in 1852. The Census returns list them in Farwater Lane between 1861 and 1881 and 4 Stoops Lane in 1891 and 1901. They had no surviving offspring. Elizabeth Robinson died in 1902 and Harvey went to live with his sister, Elizabeth Pearson at 1 Stoops Lane. He died in 1918.
5 Stoops Yard or Lane (Back Lane in 1861)
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - William Henry Platts (coal miner) and his father Tom Platts (colliery labourer)
1901 - Thomas Grundy (coal miner)
1891 - John Taylor (carter)
1881 - Ward Webster (miner)
1871 - George Vernon (gardener)
1861 - Uninhabited
Tom Platts was 56 and had been widowed for some years. He lived with his son William Henry and his family. They came from Sheffield originally.
6 Stoops Yard or Lane (Back Lane in 1861)
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - Joseph Gregory (chimney sweep) (different man from Joe Gregory at No. 2)
1901 - Mark Ward (coal miner)
1891 - Frederick Newsam (miner)
1881 - James Gratton (tailor)
1871 - James Gratton (tailor) Thomas Jenkinson (bookkeeper)
1861 - James Gratton (tailor)
1851 - Uninhabited
A bit about James Gratton:
In 1851 James was 41 and a tailor. He was born in the Barlow area. He lived in High Street according to the Census, but may actually have been in Stoops Yard. He and his wife Ann had five children: Sarah b.1835, Maria b.1838 (no record), Emily b.1842, Agnes b.1845 and Frances b.1850. By 1861 they had added two sons, Vernon b.1853 and Henry b.1856. In 1871 Vernon 17 and Henry 14 still lived at home and one Thomas Jenkinson, a 61 year old widower, was living with them. In 1881 Vernon, then 27, was still at home. Ann died in 1882 and James in 1886.Thomas Jenkinson was a colliery bookkeeper. He previously lived at Bath Cottage with his wife Sarah. She died in 1863 and sometime after that Thomas went to live with the Grattons.
Maria Gratton became a maidservant to cutlery manufacturer Joseph Mappin and his wife, living in Endcliffe Crescent, Sheffield in 1861.
Vernon died unmarried in 1899.
Henry married Nancy, who came from the Ecclesfield area. In 1881 they were living in Nether Hoyland with 1 year old son John, of whom nothing more is heard. They went on to have 5 more children: Hannah, William, Emily, George, Lucy, Walter and Frank. Sadly, both William and Lucy are recorded in the 1911 Census (when the family lived in Brightside Lane, Sheffield) as being deaf mutes.
7 Stoops Yard or Lane (Back Lane in 1861)
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - Joe Gregory (coal miner)
1901 - Alfred Bennett (coal miner)
1891 - Unoccupied 1881 John Atkin (blacksmith) Robert Atkin (coal miner) Elizabeth Watson (widow)
1871 - Richard Watson (blacksmith)
1861 - Uninhabited
See 2 Stoops Yard for Joe Gregory’s history. He lived at No.7 with his second wife Olive and her children.
8 Stoops Yard or Lane (Back Lane in 1861)
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 -Herbert Sharpe (coal miner)
1901 -John Tagg (on poor relief)
1891 -Mary Ann Stimson (charwoman)
1881 -John King (labourer at steel works)
1871 -John Stimson (miner)
1861 -John Sharpe (coke burner)
1 Eldon Croft
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - Charles Thorpe (miner)
1901 - Lewis Biggin (gardener)
1891 - Charles Thorpe (miner)
1881 - Joseph Corker (miner)
1871 - Charles Searston (slater)
2 Eldon Croft
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - Edwin Ward (miner)
1901 - Betsy Pearson (widow living on own means)
1891 - Ward Webster (miner)
1881 - Joseph Widdowson (labourer at steel works)
1871 - Thomas Goodwin (butcher)
3 Eldon Croft
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - Christopher Sharpe (flyer turner)
1901 - Miriam Holmes (widow,charwoman)
1891 - Benjamin Holmes (spindle flyer grinder)
1881 - Thomas Haslam (edge tool maker)
1871 - Thomas Haslam (edge tool maker)
4 Eldon Croft
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - William Henry Pearson (miner)
1901 - Samuel Ward (edge tool grinder)
1891 - John Cox (bricklayer)
1881 - Thomas Bennett (miner), George Bennett (agricultural labourer), William Bennett (miner)
5 Eldon Croft
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - James W Calow (stationary engineman)
1901 - Richard Exton (carter)
1891 - Richard Exton (colliery carter)
1881 - George Webster (flyer turner)
1871 - Henry Gladwin (moulder)
6 Eldon Croft
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911- George Sharpe (coal miner/hewer)
1901 - George Sharpe (miner)
1891 - Elias Pinder (miner)
1881 - John Fowler (shoemaker), Herbert Taylor (edge tool manufacturer)
1871 - Joseph Payne (joiner)
7 Eldon Croft
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - Albert Pearson (coal miner/hewer)
1901 - Albert Pearson (miner)
1891 - Albert Pearson (miner), William Wolstenholme (miner)
1881 - Henry Pearson (miner and horehound beer maker)
1871 - Samuel Greenwood (flyer maker)
1 Chapel Yard
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - Unoccupied
1901 - Unoccupied
1891 - Unoccupied
1881 - George Davison (stonemason)
2 Chapel Yard
Occupiers recorded in the Census returns:
1911 - Unoccupied
1901 - Bridget Garrick (widow living on the parish)
1891 - Joseph Perry (labourer)
1881 - Henry Davison (stonemason)
3 Chapel Yard
(formerly part of a Quaker Meeting House)
Occupiers recorded in the Census returns:
1911 - Samuel Goodison (engine tenter)
1901 - Nicholas Betts (chimney sweep)
1891 - Nicholas Betts (chimney sweep)
1881 - Nicholas Betts (chimney sweep)
1871 - Nicholas Betts (chimney sweep)
4 Chapel Yard
(formerly part of a Quaker Meeting House)
Occupiers recorded in the Census returns:
1911 - Harriet Vickers (laundress)
1901 - Harriet Vickers (laundress)
1891 - Samuel Bower (caster)
1881 - Joseph Bower (mason’s labourer)
1871 - Joseph Bower (furnaceman)
Barracks Yard
Historical Information:-
“Barracks Yard had earlier been known as Outram’s Yard. It is situated behind No. 5a High Street, Fisher’s butcher’s shop. The butcher before the Fishers was Edward Outram, hence the name Outram’s Yard. This yard later became known as Barracks Yard as at some stage it was used to house soldiers who were passing through Dronfield.”
1 Outram's Yard
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - Unoccupied
1901 - Unoccupied
1891 - Unoccupied
1881 - Samuel Burton (labourer at steel works)
1871 - Thomas Haslehurst (tinman)
1861 - Harriet Unwin (widow)
1851 - John Unwin (spindlemaker)
2 Outram’s Yard
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - Unoccupied
1901 - Unoccupied
1891 - Unoccupied
1881 - George Hartwell (carter)
1871 - Robert Walker (labourer)
1861 - Joseph Key (smith)
3 Outram’s Yard
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - Unoccupied
1901 - Unoccupied
1891 - George Haslam (coal miner)
1881 - George Fowler (coal miner, now labourer at steel works)
1871 - George Fowler (coal miner)
1861 - George Fowler (coal miner)
4 Outram’s Yard
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - Unoccupied
1901 - Unoccupied
1891 - Unoccupied
1881 - William Hewitt (coal miner) Elizabeth Fisher (widow)
1871 - Enoch Whittaker (tailor)
1861 - Enoch Whittaker (tailor)
1851 - Enoch Whittaker (tailor) George Whittaker
5 Outram’s Yard
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - Unoccupied
1901 - Unoccupied
1891 - Unoccupied
1881 - George Jepson (cripple, no occupation)
1871 - Harry Goodlad (spindle turner)
1861 - Unoccupied
6 Outram’s Yard
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - Unoccupied
1901 - Unoccupied
1891 - John Henson (coal miner)
1881 - John Henson (labourer at coal mine)
1871 - Fred Lowe (miner)
1861 - Unoccupied
7 Outram’s Yard
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - Unoccupied
1901 - Unoccupied
1891 - Edward Holmes (mechanic)
1881 - Edward Holmes (spindle grinder)
1871 - Ann Holmes (widow)
1861 - Ann Holmes (widow)
1851 - Anthony Holmes (labourer)
8 Outram’s Yard
Occupiers recorded in the Census Returns:
1911 - Unoccupied
1901 - Unoccupied
1891 - Unoccupied
1881 - Euclid Shufflebottom (boot and shoemaker) Martin Herrington (coal miner)
1871 - Euclid Shufflebottom (boot and shoemaker) Martin Herrington (coal miner)
1861 - Euclid Shufflebottom (boot and shoemaker)