Mike Covell’s Blogg

This week has been an amazing week of discoveries, from the finds on the Dawber family, to discovering that Dixon Stephenson changed his surname when he was married.  I also met a descendent of Dr. Kelburn King, who was the Stephenson family doctor, so that was a nice coup!

The Photo

The image I discovered has links to the Stephenson family, and shows a set of buildings which are now sadly lost.  The picture forms part of a book, so copyright rules are enforced, and I cannot show the image, but measures are in place to contact the author and holder of copyright.

The Image shows Church Street at the turn of the century, with a row of houses, a public house, and a church.  The church is the Church Street Primitive Methodist Chapel, and the adjoining properties are two rather small tenaments, with a door each, 1st floor window, and attic window. 

The property next to the church was the one which Richard Stephenson Junior gained access to in 1874, during what was termed “The Church Street Scandal”  Stephenson turfed out one Francis Roe and his family, but ended up leaving, and the matter was taken to the police courts.

It was during this period that Richard Junior was a Councillor for the East Sculcoates Ward, and the scandal made the Hull Press, furnishing us with several long stories regarding the Stephenson’s!