54 Barnton Street on 21 July 2013. We have had an enquiry from Danial Stredder who writes;
These questions are associated strongly with our family ties to Stirling. My Mother Gayle Stredder whose mother was Williamina McKenzie Carmichael whose parents were Isabelle Fenton + Douglas Carmichael. We would like the information on Isabelle's Father John Fenton.
Questions:
1) I believe John Fenton either owned or rented 54 Barnton Street, Stirling (A Jewelers) somewhere perhaps in the mid to late 1800's??. If we could please have any information surrounding him, his family or the business that would be terrific?
2) If we could get some history of the building itself such as; was it always a commercial business building or did it start as something else? We believe the family might have lived in the same building for a time? I believe it still has residence living in upstairs quarters.
3) Also could we date how old the building is/when it was built?
4) With regards to any pictures, newspapers, photo's etc we would be grateful if we could receive any of them as originals or hard copy? .
I have posted a modern photo of the site above. Danial had noted that it might earlier have been an optomertrists; it was, for many years, the site of Dolland and Aitchison, opticians and is now Boots Opticians.
The development of the site can be followed on the Ordnance Survey maps (http://www.nls.uk/collections/maps and go to View Maps and then to Series Maps); the building appears between the early 1890s and 1913.
The Street Directories will also be useful; see the enquiry about Robina Horne on this website in June 2013 for access to those via National Library of Scotland website.
A further source would be the Valuation Rollls; these record liability to a property tax, from 1855 onward; they give occupants, owners and other details. Selected years are available online via the Scotland's People website;
Otherwise, I think this is a standard genealogical matter and the census returns etc will be the best route.
Danial was also interested in the arrangement of shops at ground floor level and houses above; this was very common in Scots towns, at least back to the sixteenth century, with the ground floors used for a variety of commercial purposes or even as stables etc and people living on the upper floors; access to the residential floors was usually direct from the street and did not involve going through the shop. Nor did the occupants of the shops necessarily live in that building.
Anyone who knows more about the premises or has old photos etc can get in touch via the enquiries link [email protected]
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